Today’s worship leader faces several challenges.  Often we are responsible for so many things, including but not limited to:

• Arranging and producing music every week.
• Spiritually leading our volunteers.
• Scheduling volunteers.
• Planning services.
• Cultivating relationships.
• Practicing our voice or instrument.
• Preparing for services.
• Leading worship in services.
• Finding new music.
• The list goes on.

We often get caught in the trap of thinking that we have to do all these things ourself.  While that could be a noble task, I don’t think it’s a wise one.  What happens is that you end up putting your strengths on the back burner and not developing them, while doing tasks that are your weaknesses that you don’t really do all that well.  I am probably the worst at being a disciplined scheduler.  But, instead of working on becoming that, I should find another volunteer who takes joy in making a schedule and let them run with it.  Perhaps you have a desire to write songs, but you’re realizing that it isn’t your strength.  Someone in your congregation comes along who is a great songwriter.  Let your pride go and let them cultivate that gift, while you better cultivate yours.

Let’s always remember to maximize on others’ gifts, while still maximizing on our own.

A few days ago, Bob Kauflin had a great post on using vocal solos in a worship setting. How can we apply this to using instrumental solos as well?

I think first of all we have to first take a look at Scripture, like Bob did. I think the passages that God led Him to we’re perfect, and I really can’t say what he said any better. He said:

Ephesians 5:19 [19]addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, (ESV) Eph. 5:19 Ephesians 5:19 [19]addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, (ESV)says we’re to be “addressing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” It’s normal to understand that as congregational singing…But listening to someone else sing can affect us too, and is an application of Eph. 5:19.  God isn’t specific here about whether we’re all singing at the same time or taking turns. It’s also not clear from the Old Testament that everyone sang the entire time at the Temple. If anything, the evidence leans towards the Levites leading the singing by themselves, with the congregation occasionally singing in response.

So now, how does that apply to instrumental solos? Well, we can’t really “address one another” just using notes by playing solos. We can’t really “teach and admonish” one another as Colossians 3:16 says just using notes by playing solos. So is it beneficial to play instrumental solos?

I think it is. As long as it isn’t a prideful issue, we are called by God to use our gifts to glorify Him. I think of several Scriptures that mention that whatever we are to do in word or deed, or whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, do all to the glory of God (Colossians 3:17 & 1 Corinthians 10:31). We looked a couple weeks ago at God’s call to Bezalel in Exodus 31 about blessing him with artistic skill to provide art for the building of the temple. So it’s clear that we are to use our talents to glorify God.

Another reason would be to demonstrate another way to worship God. Some people can worship by singing, but maybe others are blessed with musical talent, but can’t sing for some reason. They can worship by playing their instrument.

Here’s the kicker. This applies to an instrumental solo by a violin or a flute, as well as by an electric guitar or jazz organ. If God has blessed someone with the ability and talent to play modern instruments well, but with humility and for the purpose of glorifying Him, why not allow those instrumental solos as well?

One of the roles that we neglect as worship leaders is that of a teacher. So often, we get wrapped up in emotional moments of worship, technicalities of music and crafting of services. However, we forget that the songbook of the Bible, the Psalms, has all sorts of teaching in it. King David (who happened to be a great musician) and many others used their experiences and times with God to proclaim great truths about who God is, how He acts, who we are, how our sin affects our relationship with God and many other things.

We have an opportunity to help teach the local church about those same things, both on Sunday mornings by what we say and what songs we pick, as well as during rehearsals, mentoring times, and possibly times that we teach Bible study.

By becoming a teacher, we can help ease the pastor’s load of teaching everything, or help bring Biblical knowledge of what “worship” really is to people.

Don’t just sing, teach!

One of the functions of a worship leader that I have come across is that of a host in a home.  Somehow, God has priviledged us to be involved in His house.  We have the opportunity to welcome people into His house, get them comfortably situated, introduce them to new friends, and hopefully ultimately get them to ‘take their shoes off’ so to speak and be able to be at home enough to be open to knowing about their sin and the remedy of the Gospel.

With only a craving to become a nationally recognized worship leader, it can be very hard to cultivate the role of ‘host.’  Going from city to city, you have a new building, new stage, new crowd, new culture at times, and I’m sure it could be tricky to ever feel comfortable.  Sure, you can be the host of the worship session for the evening, but I’m sure that there never is a total comfort level to be a fantastic host.

At our local churches, we know the people, we know the building, we know the capabilities and possible distractions of the sound and video system.  We are fully equipped to welcome people completely into God’s house.

When it comes down to it, the church is all about relationships.  It began with humanity’s perfect relationship with God in the Garden.  That relationship was broken by sin, causing us to enter into a relationship of struggle with sin.  Because of God’s love for us, and His desire to restore relationship with us, Jesus did exactly that on the cross.  Now, God calls us to relationship with other people, both for the purpose of evangelism (introducing others to a relationship with Him) and fellowship (strengthening others in their relationship to God.)

As local worship leaders, we have every opportunity to build relationships in both ways.  Here are some ways we can do that:

• Pray for your ministry participants by name.
• Meet with volunteers and encourage them.  Ask them how they are doing and if there is any thing they are struggling with, both personally or within the ministry.
• Teach volunteers to become leaders and them let them lead.
• Enjoy and respect your relationship with your pastor and other authority figures in the church.  Learn from them.
• Do some fun stuff with your volunteers every once in a while.  Forget about rehearsal.
• Befriend musicians in the community and share Jesus with them.
• Mentor those on your team that are from Middle or High School.

Enjoys these opportunities to build relationships.