A Plea to The Next Generation of Worship Leaders…

A friend of mine shared this article and I had to pass it on! This article is from Matt Boswell check out his music!

 

There is an entire generation of worship leaders that are being raised in churches that champion the cross of Christ, place God-centered worship as a high priority, and are seeing first hand what it looks like to live out the message of the Gospel. God has used men in recent years to champion the essence and heart of worship, which has shown fruit in the lives of many young worship leaders.  Recently, I have been mindful of the next generation of people who will lead the church in worship. I have a greater passion now to help equip, empower and plea with these young Levites to be more than singers of songs. I want them, and all of us who lead in worship, to take our priesthood with weight and gravity.

When I was a young worship leader I wanted desperately for a seasoned worship pastor to walk alongside me and model for me what it looks like to build and pastor a thriving worship ministry. Thankfully, I have been able to glean from many Godly men from a distance, but have had to learn through hard knocks and grave mistakes over the last fifteen years. I have the joy of walking with some young worship leaders in our church and around our city. These few ideas are central to what I hope to call them to in regard to leading corporate worship in the local church:

 

“Love the glory of God, more than the praise of men.”

The glory of God is God’s deepest passion. His greatest faithfulness is to himself. Our faith depends on that truth. (Isaiah 42:8) The glory of God is the goal of biblical worship.  As worship leaders, it is central for us to understand that we are agents of provoking people’s affections and attention not to us, but to the glory of God.

 

“Love the people you lead more than the songs you sing.”

Make it your practice to not love people for what they can do for you, or to help propel your ministry. Love people because this is central to the Gospel. (John 13:34-35) Avoid the tendency to love the experience of music more than your experience with people. Music will end, but the souls of men are eternal. Invest in what is eternal.

 

“Value Biblical truth above art.”

Biblical truth in worship is our foundation. (John 4:24) Sift through the endless resources and choose songs that are grounded in truth and accessible for your church. Value art for what it is, a common grace that God uses. However, value the truth of songs more than the artistic affinity you have for them.

 

“View the whole scope of Christian worship, not just the worship service.”

Call your church to the entire scope of worship practices: corporate, family and personal. (Deuteronomy 6:5-9) Don’t let the idea of worship end with liturgy. If we over value the corporate experience, our people will not value walking in communion with God in the inextricable practices of family and personal worship.

 

“Walk in character before operating out of gifting.”

Gifting in the church today will give you a platform to gain the praise of men. Character will give you the enduring reward of pleasing God. Gifting is vital to the function of leading worship, but character is central to it’s practice. Our greatest calling is not to be a “gifted” people, but people who are holistically impacted by the and sustaining joys and demands of the Gospel. (John 14)

Evangelistic Worship

A must read from Tim Keller!

Worship isn’t just about honoring tradition or keeping up with culture, it’s about attracting nonbelievers through comprehensible worship and leading those people to personal commitment.

The Worship Wars

One of the basic features of church life in the United States today is the proliferation of worship and music forms. This in turn has caused many severe conflicts within both individual congregations and whole denominations. Most books and articles about recent worship trends tend to fall into one of two broad categories. Contemporary worship (CW) advocates often make rather sweeping statements, such as “Pipe organs and choirs will never reach people today.” Historic worship (HW) advocates often speak similarly about how incorrigibly corrupt popular music and culture are and how they make contemporary worship completely unacceptable.

Bible, Tradition, and Culture

At this point, the reader will anticipate that I am about to unveil some grand “Third Way” between two extremes. Indeed, many posit a third approach called blended worship. But it is not so simple as that. My major concern is that both sides are equally simplistic in the process by which they shape their worship. CW advocates consult the Bible and contemporary culture, while HW advocates consult the Bible and historic tradition. But we forge worship best when we consult the Bible, the cultural context of our community, and the historic tradition of our church. The result of this more complex process will not be simply a single, third middle way.

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“The only way to have non-Christians in attendance is through personal invitation by Christians.”

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The Bible simply does not give us enough details to shape an entire worship service. When the Bible calls us to sing God’s praises, we are not given the tunes or the rhythm. We are not told how repetitive the lyrics are to be or how emotionally intense the singing should be. When we are commanded to do corporate prayer, we are not told whether those prayers should be written, spoken in unison, or extemporaneous. So to give any concrete form to our worship, we must fill in the blanks that the Bible leaves open. When we do so, we will have to draw on tradition, the needs, capacities, and cultural sensibilities of our people, and our own personal preferences. Though we cannot avoid drawing on our own preferences, they should never be the driving force (cf. Rom. 15:1–3). But if we fail to do the hard work of consulting both tradition and culture, we will—wittingly or unwittingly—choose music just to please ourselves.

3 Practical Tasks

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2. GETTING UNBELIEVERS INTO WORSHIP

The numbering is not a mistake. This task actually comes second, but nearly everyone thinks it comes first! It is natural to believe that non-Christians must get into worship before “doxological evangelism” can begin. But the reverse is the case. Non-Christians do not get invited into worship unless the worship is already evangelistic. The only way to have non-Christians in attendance is through personal invitation by Christians.

1. MAKING WORSHIP COMPREHENSIBLE TO UNBELIEVERS

Our purpose is not to make unbelievers comfortable. (In 1 Corinthians 14:24–25 or Acts 2:12, 37, they are cut to the heart!) We aim to be intelligible to them. We must address their heart secrets (1 Cor. 14:25). That means we must remember what it is like to not believe; we must remember what an unbelieving heart is like.

3. LEADING TO COMMITMENT

Our experience at Redeemer has shown that unbelievers in worship actually “close with Christ” in two basic ways. Some may come to Christ during the service itself (1 Cor. 14:24-25); others must be followed up very specifically.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL ARTICLE

Copyright © 2001 by Timothy Keller, © 2009 by Redeemer City to City.

Spontaneity in Worship

I found this article from Bob Kauflin particularly insightful…

If planning is classical music, spontaneity is jazz. Both are important for serving the church faithfully with our gifts.

Pursuing spontaneity isn’t simply about breaking our routine or being creative. We want the Spirit to manifest his power through us in as many ways as possible so people’s hearts and lives can be affected. Spontaneity can be a means to that end.

Spirit-directed spontaneity

From passages like 1 Corinthians 12 and 14, we see that the early church exercised spontaneous spiritual gifts that were “manifestations of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). Martin Lloyd-Jones encouraged preachers in such Spirit-directed spontaneity, and his comments can easily be applied to those who lead congregational worship:

Do you expect anything to happen to you when you get up to preach in the pulpit?… [S]eek His power, expect this power, yearn for this power; and when this power comes, yield to Him. Do not resist. Forget all about your sermon if necessary. Let Him loose you, let him manifest His power in you and through you. (As quoted by Tony Sargent in The Sacred Anointing, 57)

Freedom to Respond

Spontaneity give us the freedom to respond to present needs and promptings and can increase our awareness of the Spirit’s active presence. This could include an unplanned comment, a prayer, a Scripture reading, or a prophecy. Smaller churches may be able to do this more frequently, but even in a large church we can make room for unplanned moments. Whether your church is big or small, it’s important that contributions are evaluated by a pastor. Valuing spontaneity doesn’t negate the need for wise leadership.

Charles Spurgeon shared these wise thoughts about spontaneous impressions:

I have been the subject of such impressions myself, and have seen very singular results. But to live by impressions is oftentimes to live the life of a fool and even to fall into downright rebellion against the revealed Word of God. Not your impressions, but that which is in this Bible must always guide you.
(From Sermon #878, A Well Ordered Life)
However, “to live by impressions” is different from simply being receptive and responsive to them. If our feet are firmly planted in the sufficiency of God’s Word, we are then more prepared to benefit from listening for the voice of the Spirit as we lead.

Here are a few practices and principles that have helped me grow in spontaneity, both spoken and musical, over the years:

1. Don’t plan to do too much. Too many items on the agenda limits interaction with the Spirit and the congregation. If this happens, we can’t repeat songs or parts of songs for emphasis, and we certainly can’t expect anyone to have time to actually think about what we’re singing.
2. Practice musical spontaneity alone. Sing your prayers or Scripture, make up a new melody to familiar words, or make up new words to a familiar melody. Break out of your routine.
3. Practice spontaneity with your team.  That sounds like a paradox, but it’s helpful to work out with your band how and when to listen for your direction. Some musicians do this naturally, others don’t have a clue.

Spontaneity isn’t an end in itself. But it can open doors that will enable us to regularly experience a fresh awareness of the Spirit’s presence when we gather.

Why We Do What We Do

I try to constantly remind everyone that I work with in worship ministry that we have a huge responsibility. It’s more than just walking out on stage and sounding great. I read an article from Church on the moves Andy Crisman this morning that reiterated my thoughts on the subject. Great article! Check it out!

“The people living in darkness have seen a great Light; On those living in the land of the shadow of death a Light has dawned!” – Matthew 4:16

We have a motto here in our creative department: “It’s not about getting it done, it’s about getting it right.” We repeat this to ourselves and to our teams before every rehearsal and before every worship set. But why is it important to be done at all? Silly question, I know. From time to time even the most skilled and well-prepared teams fail to see beyond the X’s and O’s. We must remember why we do what we do. Every time we open the doors of our church the seats are filled with hurting, stressed, and rejected people, men and women who desperately need to experience something real and positive.

I know I covered this briefly in my post “Sing, Play, Love” but I feel it’s worth expounding upon. Consider adding these elements to your pre-worship set routine:

Create some space.
If you hit the stage at 9:00am, start eliminating the distractions around 8:30. Avoid heavy or trivial conversations that will most likely invade your head space at the most critical times of worship. Ask God to calm your thoughts as you begin to focus on the task at hand. Encourage your band and singers to do the same.

Humble yourself.
Remember: “God is opposed to the proud, but shows favor to the humble.” We do not worship so that we can be glorified. If you want to be applauded, go be an artist. If you want to see lives changed and hearts turned to the Father, go out in humility. Prepare yourself to be a servant to the preacher of the Word and to the hearers of that Word.

We are all in this together.
I encourage all members of my team to lead out in prayer before we go on stage, letting them know that they have something to say. I also encourage them to share their needs so that we can pray for them. This is a powerful reminder of the wounded humanity that is in the auditorium. Whatever they are going through is a microcosm of what is happening in lives beyond the stage.

Shine the Light!
You’ve taken the time to get focused, humbled, and plugged in to the needs of your crowd, now remind your team why you are here: A great light has dawned! Sin and death have been defeated by the Hope of the world. Jesus! Go and proclaim it!

Salvation and Worship…

Can you have one without the other? I have always assumed that people who didn’t respond during worship just needed to be taught what worship is and how to properly respond to God in worship. But, I’m realizing more and more that if we are saved our natural response to God should be worship. So if you find it hard to to connect with God through worship whether public or private begin to ask God in your prayer time to give you a deeper passion for worship. God will then begin to reveal to you his heart and will give you your own response to Him that may look completely different than anything you’ve seen someone else do.

The article below by Stephen M. Newman explains well the worshipers heart.

Why do many “Christians” in our churches today fail to outwardly worship God? Why is it that many appear to care nothing about worshiping God? They seem to have other things on their minds during the worship service. They give the impression they would rather be somewhere else but feel the obligation to stay. This is not a statement of judging those who fail to sing. It is not from years of observation of “yawn-ers” in church. It comes from a genuine desire to help people become worshipers. It stems from years of service where people never seem to catch on to the purpose of worship.

My thoughts prior to this article gave the excuse that people just didn’t understand worship. They didn’t know what it was and thus didn’t know how to do it. This argument carries some weight, but cannot stand alone any longer. People fail to worship God because they do not truly know and love Him. This may come as an odd statement and does not mean to say those who do not worship do not know God. What is does say is, those who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, will become worshipers with little need to be taught.

Worship is the natural outflow of love and honor given to the one who is being loved. We express it all the time to our children, friends, and spouse. We worship those whom we truly love. Little teaching is needed when love is evident. Like any other area of life, some people need more instruction and teaching than others when it comes to understanding the full concept of worship. However, for the most part a mother falls in love with her child even before they meet face to face. Nine months of carrying a child results in a love relationship. The moment the mother and father see the child, the worship begins.

You see, if we are truly in love with the Lord, we will worship Him. Those who come to church each week and sit like emotionless logs have failed to develop a love relationship with the Lord. It’s not because they don’t understand worship. The desire to worship is born in each of us. It’s only through finding what we believe to be of great value that we see worship in practice. Every tribe in the world worships one thing or another. It’s not about how or if we will worship, but whom and what we will worship. As worship leaders, you need to help people come to know the Lord in a genuine relationship and the worship will come. They may need a little help in their understanding of what’s acceptable and how to worship. What they won’t need is the desire to do it. When they embrace the Lord of the universe in a love relationship, when they come to a realization of what He has done for them, when they see who He really is in their lives, they will become true worshipers who desire to praise Him with their lives.

Become a soul winner so that you may help others to become true worshipers. We help others come to know the Lord to develop worshipers who honor God with their entire beings through lives of worship.
Show me a person who loves the Lord and I will show you a true worshiper.

Measuring up?

 

Another great article from Brannon Dempsey. this would make a great short devotional for your next worship or creative team meeting!

“In some churches the quest for “excellence” is an idol…needs to be replaced with the quest to pursue the likeness of Christ crucified and him alone.” – Reggie Kidd

It’s a common struggle we all face at one point. Do I measure up? We live in a competitive world of work, school and even in our churches. In some way, we set a value on what others think. Based on this, we make decisions on how we proceed with our plans and choices.

Consequently, when our search becomes our entire focus for approval, we subject ourselves to live by a measuring stick. When we fail, our self-worth is determined to be of little value. When we win, we take pride in what others think and we feel better about ourselves. Sad but true, we do live in a world that operates by the phrase: perception is reality. But is what we perceive really Biblical? What does God say in His word that determines our worth and His glory?

Psalm 40.4 has refreshed my perspective. David recites a psalm of praise to God in saying:
Blessed is the one
who trusts in the LORD,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.

We have no need to look to the proud, which are those we seek for approval – even from ourselves. This too becomes an idol. So we ask the question, what is an idol? My little red Webster’s Dictionary says this: an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship. A person or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or revered. We look to God for approval. Unto Christ we are blessed, not by man. Almighty God is to be the object of our worship.

When we turn aside from our idols, even the work we do in the church, we are able to take the emphasis off ourselves and place it on Christ. Here, we find our significance in Him, who loved us first and chose us in Christ before the foundations of the world (Eph.1). This true acceptance of grace, mercy and unconditional forgiveness is found in no other person or thing. This is what David meant when he said blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord and does not look to the proud. We have no need to measure up to anyone. We only need to be measured in Christ.

Reflection:
What difference would it make in your life to stop looking for approval? How can you ask God to help you look to Him in discovering your worth in Christ? Let our measure be of Christ that is limitless and boundless in whom we give the glory and in whom we have life.

Authentic Worship

Look back over the past two days. I want you to think about everything you did. Shopping, eating, hanging with family or friends, etc. Now let’s say for instance someone were to step into your life and relive your 2 days. Would they want what you have? Would they want  your life? We MUST be positioning ourselves and taking the posture of worshiping God authentically EVERYDAY. If we as individuals base our spirituality or relationship with God on what we receive on a Sunday then we have ourselves fooled. We are not living an authentic life of worship.

Our worship team is extremely passionate! From jumping, shouting, hands raised, fist pumping, exuberant praise to crying, knelt in humility worship to our awesome God, a Sunday morning at invigorate is a river flowing with the presence and power of God. As it should be! But, I remind our team constantly that if we are not lifting praise and offering worship to God throughout the week like we are on a Sunday, then we’ve lost what worship is really about. Our weekend services should be the culmination, the finale, if you will, of what we’ve been experiencing in the presence of God on a personal basis all week-long. When we position ourselves before God authentically on a daily basis, then what’s coming out of us on Sunday has room to be so much more “real”. When you constantly lift Christ to His rightful place there is no room for self.

So I would encourage you this week to evaluate where you are as an individual. Let your worship soar to a new level of authenticity and see God REALLY take over your life, your talents and our services!

New LIVE Worship Songs

I’ve been waiting on the right timing to record the mass of worship material that God has given me over the past year. I’ve just been trying to figure out how to capture the intimacy and authenticity of the “God moments” in which the songs were written. So after much thought and prayer I’ve decided the best way to capture those moments would be to just sit and let it happen again. So with no one around except an engineer and with nothing but grand piano and acoustic guitar, I’ll be recording these songs LIVE before an “audience of One”. These songs will be recorded from a true place of worship.  Can’t wait to let you all experience what I first experienced with these songs.

Worship Team Training Session II

SESSION II

The Vocals Role In a Service (Practical)

– Teaching on what the vocalist’s role is in a given worship service / Teacher-Matt Craig

The Vocals Role In a Service (Biblical)

– A Biblical overview of the vocalist’s role in worship / Teacher-Josh Wheeler

Click Below to Listen or download the mp3 and notes from Session II

Worship Training Session II

Worship/Vocal Training Schedule

Presence or Glory?

God has really been dealing with me over the past couple of weeks on His Presence Vs. His Glory. I am reading Bob Sorge’s book: Glory, When Heaven Invades Earth. Which I highly recommend. It’s a great follow up read to Bob’s popular book Following The River.

When we as believers gather with a heart after God, His Presence is a scriptural promise. But how do we move past being satisfied with experiencing merely the presence of God and into experiencing the Glory of God.

Moses was literally standing in the presence of God and what did Moses have to say? “Show me your Glory”. He wasn’t satisfied, he wanted more. It’s a sobering fact to think that we have settled for just a fraction of what God wishes to provide in our services and in our lives. 

This coming week make it a point in your service or your secret place with God, when you begin to feel the presence of God sweeping over you, not to be satisfied. Keep pressing in, saying God I must have more!