10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Mistake #2 - Means or End

Mistake # 2 – Worship is a means to an end

Aristotle captured a critical truth when he said “A” is “A.” A thing is what it is.

Worship is worship. But, worship leaders have a tendency to redefine other meeting components as “worship.” It’s fine, even necessary, to accomplish other purposes, such as doing something to signal the meeting is beginning, set the mood of the meeting, build a platform for the preaching, or showcase new songs, etc. But, those things are not worship.

If we mindlessly call them worship, we are pointing at “A,” but calling it “B.” If we do that long enough then people will gain a false understanding of worship. Worship leaders need to say; this is praise, this is thanksgiving, this is supplication, this is lament or even travail (when was the last time you sang one of these)? The point; teach your children well – tell your flock what it is they are doing so they know how to tell the difference.

This poses a dilemma for many churches, assuming you’ve tackled #1. There may not be time in the Sunday service to shed distraction, unify hearts and enter a place of awe and adoration for our sovereign king. Think about it. If that is the case, what do you do?

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Mistake #1 - Assuming

Mistake #1 - Assuming that everyone has tasted worship.

Imagine: you have a basket of apples and you are standing before an audience which had never seen, let alone tasted, one. How are you going to impart the essence of the apple to them?

Lecture about it? PowerPoint it? Eat it in front of them? How about passing them out and letting them taste and eat for themselves?

O, taste and see that the Lord is good! – Psalms 34:8

I hate to be the one to break this to you, but . . . worship cannot be taught. You cannot stand on a platform and bring people into worship anymore than you can stand on a stage and bring people into apples. It has to be tasted. And, once that happens, people are forever changed. They never forget it!

Throughout history, the nature of worship has changed. In oral culture, worship was a cosmic drama. There was no “worship leader.” It was a divine play and everyone was part of it. That drama actually changed time and space to sacred time and sacred place. The people were reenacting a cosmic event as though it were happening again right in their midst.

When the Reformation came along, making print became the dominant communication, content became the essence of worship. The primary issue was the lyrics – doctrine in music.

In broadcast, worship is about the person on stage. So, if that person is genuinely worshiping, those gathered in that place will catch a “taste” of real worship. If he or she is performing, that comes through. If the worship leader is living a lie, that tends to confuse or contaminate the process.

So, it is essential for worship leaders to, first, know what real worship is, and then, second, to give the people a taste of it. They should never just assume that everyone “gets it.” Worship leaders must always be prepared to explain (and disciple others in) real worship.