Leading worship. It’s a term we throw around a lot.
We idolize the uber talented ones. It’s a key position in churches across the globe. But do you know what’s interesting? It’s not in the Bible. God never calls or commands people to lead in worship. That terminology is simply never used.
Sure, there is plenty of music in the Bible. We know we are to make a joyful noise and praise the Lord with loud, clashing cymbals. But there are no commands to lead worship. Why is this? Is this just a human construct that we have completely off base?
I don’t think so. Entirely. We just need to clarify what it means to “lead.” What does it mean to lead people in worship? What is the role of a worship leader? We hear a lot of catch phrases surrounding this:
- “Wow, you really led us to the throne room today!”
- “You ushered us into the presence of God.”
- “The presence of God is so strong on him(her).”
- “Your anointing shifted the atmosphere.”
If I’m honest, some of these statements make me queasy. Why? Because we’re placing too much stock in the worship leader person than the person of Christ.
Have we become too dependent on worship leaders and not dependent enough on Christ?
