To the average church congregant, the job of a worship pastor seems simple enough. You learn the songs, play the songs, and then leave the stage, right? But as anyone in ministry knows, being a great worship pastor involves being an expert at multiple, highly varied skills.
Here’s the four major aspects of a worship pastor’s job that many people take for granted.
A GREAT WORSHIP PASTOR IS COMMITTED TO MUSICAL EXCELLENCE
Great worship pastors love how well-crafted music can create a connection between people and God. They are keenly aware of how chords and lyrics and songs flow together to move a congregation into the presence of God with both their mind and hearts.
Worship pastors know they probably aren’t the most talented musician around, and they aren’t trying to be a celebrity, but they do take their craft seriously, making beautiful music to make us aware of a beautiful God.
A GREAT WORSHIP PASTOR KNOWS HIS WAY AROUND TECHNOLOGY
Worship pastors may not be computer gurus, but they know their way around Planning Center, Pro Presenter, or whatever programs they use. They’re familiar with the technical side of their instruments and sound equipment too, getting the most quality they can from the budget they have.
While the technological side of their role may or may not be their speciality, they learn what they have to, and in many smaller churches function as the de facto sound mixer, IT guy, and graphic designer.
A GREAT WORSHIP PASTOR IS A GREAT TEAM LEADER
A worship pastor who loves their job is a worship pastor passionate about training a team of musicians to worship together. They take the time to develop their crew of musicians both in terms of technical skill, and spiritual depth. They are quick to remind their team that worship isn’t a performance, it’s catching the wind of what God is doing and responding to it.
A great worship pastor keeps people organized, plans out their music sets, coordinates with the pastor, and also serves as the personal pastor to his crew of fellow worshippers.
A GREAT WORSHIP PASTOR IS A GREAT PASTOR!
And along those lines, a great worship pastor takes the “pastor” part of their title seriously! A worship pastor believes they are literally teaching their church community about God during the music time, both in the songs they pick and in how they walk their congregation through worshipping collectively.
Worship pastors see themselves as musicians second, shepherds first, and they have a pastoral, protective heart for their church members.
IN OTHER WORDS, WE ASK A LOT FROM OUR WORSHIP PASTORS
This is why it’s so important that we as the “big C” Church take training our worship pastors seriously. They aren’t just glorified musicians, they are a jack of all trades with a pastoral calling on their lives. At Visible Music College we are committed to raising up more of them. At our college, students will find a tight-knit family experience, where our 1:6 teacher/student ratio ensures each student is known, seen, and discipled. We believe in holistically preparing students to be worship pastors, teaching them music theory and technical skills, but also the theological and practical training they need to be great shepherds, not just musicians.
We want every church to experience the gift of a great worship pastor, because we’ve seen how God can move. Automatically get a $5,000 scholarship when you attend Visible Music College! Click here to get the offer.
