These competing extremes in part raise this role up to the highest pedestal and potentially reveal ire for musicianship in general. For those who think their calling is greater than the music, I applaud you. You can contribute like few can. You can surely be called to be a pastor and a worship leader, and shepherding people is something any church leader should be a part of. We all share in caring for the flock. Not every worship leader can or should be fit into an unmanageable role. For the majority of the worship leaders out there our job is to be the best musician and servant to our churches we can be. Simply put, music matters in this role even though it is not the sole aim. This simple calling of being an artisan-musician to our church is important. Indeed, this is one of the “hows” in worship we should fight for.
We should also fight for biblical preaching and use of music that comes from biblical foundations. If we are preparing the table for a meal, that table should be set in a way that is attractive and meaningful. However, we are not the meal. We help center the attention on Jesus not on attracting people—we spotlight Christ rather than the pew. This is the role of the worship leader: lead congregational singing and music to point people to Jesus.
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The worship leader is not a rockstar. The worship leader is also not a monk, better than the rest of the crowd because he or she magically makes the congregation feel goose bumps. We serve. We lead. Nevertheless, we are just that—servant-leaders. And, the other extreme of disavowing value of the work of a worship musician has to be challenged as well. Do we put too much unrealistic spiritual responsibility on the person who leads worship? Do we value enough the craft and humble work musicians perform for us and God in our house of worship?
Both extremes cripple us in our efforts to have vibrant, healthy worship expressions in our churches. Fight for the true role of a worship leader and you may be in the worship wars for the right reason. Let’s put a stop to the idea of rockstar-monks who bring in the cash and stroke our egos. Honor worship musicians who simply serve us by pointing us to Christ.
