Do You Have To Be Musical To Lead Worship?

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Permalink Reply by Rob Mason on 3 December 2008 at 8:37am

yep.
But then we're back to definitions again.

More and more I'm thinking that the term 'worship leader' or lead worshipper is the wrong term. If only I could find a better one I'd start using it!!

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Permalink Reply by Kieran Metcalfe on 3 December 2008 at 8:45am

I know this isn't the thread for it, but I have to say, I really dislike 'lead worshipper' as a term. To me, it implies that one person's worship is more individual and important to God, and everyone else just follows along behind doing the same thing. It's like they're off doing their own worship, and it's up to everyone else to get on board. Maybe there's mileage in that, but it seems slightly unhelpful to me.

I know 'worship leader' has it's failings as a term too, but it seems to give a better description of someone who's giving cues and leading to the people in an act of worship.

Maybe I should go start I thread on this....

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Permalink Reply by Wulf Forrester-Barker on 3 December 2008 at 9:29am

Give us a link when you do. :-)

Wulf

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Permalink Reply by Kieran Metcalfe on 3 December 2008 at 9:36am

http://www.hemustincrease.com/forum/topics/whats-in-a-name - there ya go...

right then, back to the original topic.... ;)

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Permalink Reply by Dave Clemo on 3 December 2008 at 1:33pm

The two most important qualities are:
The ability to lead. Leaders lead and followers follow. If people don't follow you then you're not a leader.

The ability to communicate. The problem with having unmusical leaders is that they lack the "language" to communicate with musicians. A gifted musician can convey emotion through his/her playing and a musician worship leader does far more than introduce the songs and wave his/her arms about whilst singing. Unmusical leaders create barriers to worship.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Barlow on 4 December 2008 at 4:41pm

I too feel that the Worship Leader title is not ideal. Then again the "Time of Worship" label for a part of a meeting that involves singing is equally not accurate. Early in my involvement in "leading times of music and singing" in our meetings one of our leaders said in a conversation "Not all of our singing and songs are worship, and not all of the speaking is prayer" We sometimes can get it into our heads that if it's a song its worship, if it's spoken it's a prayer. Not true. I think that the songs come in roughly 3 catagories. Worship - Telling God how great he is and submitting to his authority, Prayer & Petition - Songs that ask God to do something and Teaching - Songs that contain doctrine and scripture. All have a place in our corporate times. If you look at worship in the Bible, most of it is about death and sacrifice. For us, this is dying to self, we must decrease, he must increase. Let's not get caught up in a name but rather give glory to our King, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him (That's you that is) endured the cross and scorned it's shame. He is now exalted to the heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father. (Paraphrased) When we worship and give him control of part of our lives that we had previously kept for ourselves I believe that that is a spiritual act of worship.

I want my guitar now.

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