A Call for Worship Leaders – Part 1

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” – John 4:23-24

DISCLAIMER: This is not another article about methodology or standards. I’m not here to discuss the rights and wrongs of music. I simply desire to raise awareness of a need in hopes that some will read and respond as the Lord leads you.

What I’m about to share with you is very close to my heart. It drives me to do all that I do in college ministry. Just this past semester, I had the privilege of sharing these thoughts with the men of West Coast Baptist College. For the purpose of this blog, I’ll break this message up into a four part series.

How do you know this series is for you?

• If you believe that God is worthy of our praise, this series is for you.
• If you believe that worship is more than singing the right songs at the right time in the right way, this series is for you.
• If you believe there is a dearth for excellent, passionate, Christ-honoring worship in many of our churches, this series is for you.
• If you possess any level of God-given ability in the area of music, this series is for you.

There is a great need for men and women to prepare themselves to lead the worship of our churches. I would go so far as to say that a pastor is unfurnished to lead a church if he does not have a biblical theology of worship and is not prepared to lead his congregation to participate and grow in this area. In a general sense, there is a lack of Christians preparing to lead a church in excellent, passionate worship.

While I speak of a need and a lack of excellent, passionate worship, I do not intend to demean the many Christian servants out there who are leading their churches in this area. I appreciate and applaud your work. I simply believe we need many more men and women to give their lives to this area of ministry.

There are many reasons why there is a need, but it would be a mistake to discuss those without first laying a biblical foundation for the role of worship and music in the church. I will discuss in future posts the relationship between music and worship.

Part 1 – Worship and the Purpose of the Church

Every church gathering in the New Testament was first and foremost for believers. They prayed, fellowshipped, met needs, studied the Scriptures, and encouraged one another. They did not gather to evangelize; rather, they gathered for corporate worship. This gathering of believers was considered to be a vital part of the Christian’s life.

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:25

The Bible demonstrates a clear and central purpose of this gathering. Please note that I’m speaking specifically about the purpose for which we congregate on a regular basis in a local assembly. The purpose of the assembly could be summarized in a simple statement: to develop mature disciples of Christ.

The process of developing mature disciples of Christ is one that involves the Holy Spirit working in the life of every believer. The Scriptures provide a guide for discipleship. The congregation, then, provides the support, accountability, and strength to encourage discipleship.

The church effectively carries out her purpose in the world in direct proportion to how she carries out her purpose in the assembly. When the church develops mature disciples of Christ, God is glorified, believers are prepared for the work of the ministry, and the church effectively seeks to evangelize the lost (1 Corinthians 10:31; Matthew 5:16; Ephesians 4:11-16; Psalm 40:3).

Corporate worship plays an integral part in conforming our being to the image of Christ.

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We can illustrate spiritual growth and maturity by considering the ways we measure maturity as human beings.

1. Physically, we mature through growth, exercise, and a good diet.
2. Intellectually, we mature through reading, learning, and developing our minds.
3. Emotionally, we mature as we learn to navigate the many different emotions that accompany life’s circumstances.
4. Socially, we mature as we interact with new people, friends, family, and develop a sense of loyalty and belonging to the broader group called humanity.

If the assembly is to develop mature disciples of Christ, we must understand what spiritual maturity looks like. If we’re not careful, we equate outward conformity to spiritual maturity. While the Bible does speak to outward appearances, spiritual maturity entails so much more than outward conformity.

First of all, we mature through spiritual growth. Just as physical growth comes about by diet and exercise, spiritual growth comes through the intake of God’s Word (nourishment) through preaching and personal study. Peter’s epistle makes this analogy for us:

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” – 1 Peter 2:2

Additionally, Christians must exercise spiritually through obedience to God’s word. Using the same analogy of milk and meat, the author of Hebrews says,

“But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” – Hebrews 5:14

Christians mature intellectually through a deeper, personal study and understanding of God’s Word, His will and work, and the doctrines of the Bible. Peter again challenges believers in this regard:

“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;” – 1 Peter 1:13

The Bible speaks explicitly about the need for Christians to mature socially. Throughout the New Testament, Jesus and the apostles emphasize relationships with other Christians, spouses, children, unbelieving magistrates, and rulers. Our relationship with the unbelieving world, however, is secondary to our relationship with other Christians, specifically those of our local assembly.

As a congregation, we are to pray for each other, bear burdens together, meet the needs of the poor, widows, fatherless, and sick. We are to tend to each other as to a family for the purpose of carrying out God’s work in our communities.

Finally, as Christians, we are to mature emotionally in two ways. First, we are to learn how to respond to life’s circumstances in a way that honors and pleases God. The way we respond to trials is a reflection of our faith and dependence on God.

Second, we are to develop the right affections for God through corporate worship. I want to focus our attention on this specific area in the posts to come. How do we develop and mature as believers in the area of directing our affections toward God? The answer is simple: corporate worship.

In my blog post Continue in Singing, I describe the “missing link” of devotional affection in Christian living as seen in Deuteronomy 6.

To summarize:

1. The purpose of the assembling together of the local church is to develop mature disciples of Christ through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the instruction of the Scriptures, and the encouragement of the saints.
2. Christians are to grow spiritually, intellectually, socially, and emotionally as all of their being conforms to the image of Christ.
3. Worship is the means by which we mature emotionally and is, therefore, an integral part of fulfilling the purpose of the assembly.

In my next post, I’ll discuss corporate worship in a more detailed manner as we zoom in on the maturing of our affections. Stay tuned for Part 2 – The Plea for Worshipers.