1. Great worship can cover up mediocre preaching.
Worship connects people with God in ways a sermon can’t. Worship is participatory. Besides singing, shouting, and clapping it’s possible to uhh…even get a workout in. The best people can do in a sermon? Wave a hankie, shout amen, throw money on the altar (if that’s your kind of church), or play Angry Birds.
Speaking of Angry Birds, you never see people play games on their iPhone during worship. When worship is smokin’, they Instagram like rabid beasts, further spreading word about your church. Mediocre preaching? They’re playing Angry Birds and re-Tweeting Famous-Preacher-Guy. But they’ll still like the service…because worship was awesome.
2. The impact of a worship leader is not quantifiable, but that’s good.
I love leadership praxis and data as much as the next guy, but when was the last time you went to a concert and said, “Dang! I can’t wait to fill out a spreadsheet analyzing all components of my multi-sensory experience to dissect all the nuances of U2’s performance!”
Nope. You went back into the car, kissed your spouse like you were back in high school and said, “That concert was FREAKING AWESOME! I don’t know why, but it was just FREAKING AWESOME!” Worship can do that, too. It’s healthy for people to have a great feeling about church and not always be able to explain why. Soul, anyone?
3. Killer skill set.
Fellow pastor, if your worship leader has the skills of a [worship] pastor, you’re crazy not to hire him. Good worship pastors are some of the most well-rounded, talented, and capable people you can have on staff. They:
- lead worship
- run rehearsals
- recruit musicians
- administrate (the stage doesn’t magically fill with musicians)
Worship pastors see church differently and possess unique skills, so some go on to become lead pastors. But most don’t necessarily want to be the #1 leader. A good worship pastor is one of the most potent members of a healthy church, a long-term appreciating asset, and often the second most visible leader in the church. They’re also hard to find. If you’ve got ’em, HIRE ’em.
4. They’re different.
Congregations need variety. I was never a scarf, skinny jeans, and cool hair kind of worship leader. I suppose I got a White Falcon to compensate. Embrace the difference. I know it’s not a fair fight: Worship Leader has pricey earbuds, a mic stand that looks like Optimus Prime’s arm, a pedalboard from a spaceship, and a guitar. Preachers? A Bible and microphone. So much for being cool. But that difference (especially onstage) really appeals to a wider range of people.
For my next post, I’ll talk about how much you should pay a worship leader, worship pastor, or guest minister. You probably won’t want to miss that one.
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