Worship Matters: The Leader

WorshipMattters: The Leader

Thoughts?  Comments? 

Five commenters will be randomly selected at the end of this four day series.  Those selected will receive a copy of Bob's book courtesy of Crossway Books and will be featured on a follow-up post at worship.com. 

Comments

[Zack Migioia]

Bob is a humble man and loves his Saviour. How encouraging it is to see a man who loves God and seeks to worship and glorify Him in all that he does. Worship is not limited to just music or simply church settings. We worship God continuely and love Him whereever we are and whatever we are doing

Zack Migioia
Knoxville, TN

[lemmingz]

Thank you so much for this series. "Worship involves our entire lives!" - this is so true. Too often we focus away from the cross.

[Ryan]

What a fantastic overview of great teachings on worship. We all know that "worship" is a huge topic that encompasses so much more than just music or a service at a church. Bob has such a fantastic way of communicating the broader scope of worship in a completely Biblically AND relative way. Good stuff.

[Josh Deng]

love it! Bob is a gifted man.

[Dion]

Thanks for sharing. I have enjoyed Mr. Kauflin's posts e-mails etc greatly over the years. I am looking forward to reading this book.

[Richard Owen]

Good thoughts by Bob from God's word. I appreciate his observation that “worship leader” is not a biblical office or even a NT role per se. He sees worship as a function or activity for all to enter into, and a “leader” of some kind, such as regarding music/singing, as a practical necessity which is also perhaps an expression of spiritual gifts and/or “one-anothering” (e.g. Col. 3:16) in esteeming the Lord in spirit and truth.

[Aaron Geist]

Great thoughts. I talked about similar things at our High School retreat this weekend. I shared a story of my worship leader friend who had someone come up to him after the service and say that the song was a bit slow. He responded, "That's okay. Do you think Jesus minded?"

Who are we worshiping? It better be God.

[Brian]

Ha!

The last line said it perfectly. I don't feel remotely adequate to the task, but I know that He's using me all the same, and doing mighty things!

Thanks for the video, and I'm looking forward to reading the book!

Brian
Waconia, MN

[Chris Smith]

Great video from Bob - gives us a flavor of what the book (hopefully) will address in greater detail - how are we as "lead" worshippers to view our calling? The title "worship leader" is in and of itself problematic; there is no NT support for this position and I would argue that the senior pastor/leader should be the worship leader. Being a "lead" worshippers is indeed a holy responsibility and it's encouraging to hear Bob wed the need for skill (the art) with the need for spiritual authenticity (the heart) in this role.

I will be attending the WorshipGod 08 Conf. and am looking forward to Bob's session "The Task of the Worship Leader"

[Matt]

Wow, that's such a challenging video from Bob. It is easy to get caught up in making worship what we want instead of what God desires.

I find myself getting distracted by what songs are picked instead of just enjoying the opportunity to worship an amazing God.

Bob's challenge is one that is so needed and I'm looking forward to hearing more of what God has placed on his heart. :)

[Bruce Mackenzie]

Thanks again Bob! I have appreciated your passion for God and your desire to make much of Him. That is what it is about - isn't it! Sometimes I fear that we have so professionalised worship that we leave God out and yet it is really about Him. May God continue to bless you and use you!

[Terrance Yu]

Thank you Pastor Bob Kauflin for your exhortation. You know, I feel like the worship leader you described: strumming the wrong chord and missing the notes.

I really do want to make Jesus number one. I tried everything: reading books by praise leaders like Matt Redman, listening to your past sermons from worship seminars, and finding the right songs to fit the sermon of the week. But the truth is I still feel inadequate. Yes I know. This is the best place to be. In fact, I tell my praise team that. But more often than not, I feel powerless. I didn't practice enough this week. I didn't pray over the songs like I hear that other praise leaders do. I can't feel free to share and speak in between song transitions because I'm afraid to mess up the chords.

But I love magnifying God! I get so excited just hearing God's Word not to mention studying it in depth. Seeing how the Word reveals the supremacy of Christ fuels my passion. So every Monday I get excited to reveal Christ through the upcoming songs. Then, work and other responsibilities (including other church tasks like preparing Bible study, etc... I'm in several positions because I'm in a small church) creeps in and the next thing I know, I feel like I didn't give my best on Sunday Service for the God I'm deeply in love with.

I'm excited to hear what the next 3 videos are about. Please pray for me, all of you who are reading this blog... as I hope most of you are also praise leaders who can relate to my experience. :)

[Emily]

I'm grateful for the reminder that worship involves your whole life, not merely a "warm-fuzzy" feeling on Sunday morning.

Bob is a gift.

[Aaron Steenhoven]

What a great video about worship! Everything that Bob said in that video really rings true in my experiences and my life. Being a worship leader is more than just being a great musician, but along the lines of giving God our all- practicing many hours and striving for excellence in the area of musicianship isn't all bad either. It is simply remembering why we are striving for excellence, and that is because we long to make a great name for Jesus- not for ourselves. Going back to the story that was told at the beginning, how many times do we "worship leaders" sit under someone else's leading and actually focus on worshipping God? We are usually so focused on the secondary things like song selection, pitch, and tempo that we miss God completely during that service. May God humble us all as we seek to bring Him glory!

[Bryan]

Thanks for the great reminder that I am inadequate for the job of leading worship. Looking forward to your book.

By the way, a weekly email I send our worship arts family is called "Worship Matters." Love the title. Check out the weekly email we send at http://tinyurl.com/5we74z

[Ronk]

I am so thankful to God for Bob Kauflin and his ministry. If you haven't heard him speak then do yourselves a favor and go to www.sbts.edu/icw and click on "Previous Lectures" to hear some more of Bob's wisdom on worship. You can download these Worship Lectures from his visits to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Bob says: "God is seeking worship leaders who make Jesus look Great." He practices what he preaches to the praise of God in Christ.

[Brian Bailey]

What a insightful video. It is certainly a message that the church needs to hear. Worship is our whole lives, and not just what we do on Sunday mornings. The addition of "worship" as a genre in Lifeway and Mardel certainly has imbeded in our minds that worship is only associated with music. It is so much more than that. When we live life in such a way that worship is not what we do, but who we are, then our times of corporate worship will become so much more meaningful as a result of what we have experienced in our own daily walks with the Lord.

"The glory of God is always and in all ways the issue."- Dr. Gordon Borror

[Paul Hayes]

These God honoring comments by a godly man remind us that "it's all about you, Jesus". All that we do in worship is for Him. This is easy to forget when practice is going long, the monitor doesn't work, the tenor is flat and I'm frazzled. Thanks Bob for reminding us why we do this each Sunday! Paul Hayes
Gig Harbor, WA

[Becky Foster]

What a great reminder. We are indeed called to be great sinners proclaiming the we have been redeemed by a Great God!

I have been convicted for some time that worship is a lifestyle, not an event. Too often we think that worship is either the hour we spend in church on Sunday, or the music that we use in the hour we spend in church on Sunday. But the bottom line of worship is to live life in the recognition of the presence of God at all times. To give our lives to the one who gave his life for us.

When I lead worship I insist that our team pray together at the begining and end of each rehearsal (for personal and corporate needs) as well as before we get up to lead. Our prayers are that the congregation would see Jesus before seeing us and that we would be instruments in the hands of God to draw God's people to himself.

I too have struggled with the judgment of teams and leaders. More often than not, it is because I have not prayed that God would search me and know my heart. At the same time though it is important for us to be aware of the theology behind someone's leading. Sometimes it is right for us to not enter into what they are doing. But it is something we can only know when we are living in worship and so closs to God that the whisper of the Holy Spirit is very clear to us.

May the prayer of the heart of everyone who would lead worship be that we would have God's eyes to see, ears to hear, heart to love, mouth to speak, mind to think, feet to go, and hands to reach out. Only when we have totally submitted ourselves to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are we able to give ourselves up and allow God to lead worship through us. Ultimately, he is the only one able to do it anyway!

Thank you Bob, for calling us to be less about ourselves and more about the God we serve.

[Damian Southard]

Bob,
I really enjoyed your clip on worship. I have really struggled with balancing humility with leadership as well. My passion for leading worship has been to point people to the Cross. Your comment about "Trying to look impressive and making Jesus look impressive at the same time" is so true. Your words have been extremely encouraging to me.

[Jason Delgado]

Wow, that is a good reminder. I look forward to seeing the other videos and even getting to read the book by Bob. His worship music from SovereignGraceMusic has changed my whole perspective on worship. And for that I thank God.

Soli Deo Gloria!

jason d.

[Greg Mazunik]

That gets at the heart of what we should be doing in our worship times. When I am able to visit other churches, I do the same things Bob talked about in the beginning of the video: judge, pick apart, and form opinions in my head...all the while missing the opportunity to exalt Jesus in my soul. I thank God that Bob has a platform to speak these truths into the lives of worship leaders all over the globe. He combines theology and methodology in a Christ-exalting way. Can't wait to read the book.

[Bethany]

I really appreciated some of the words of encouragement Bob shared here.

"We can't try to look impressive and make Jesus look impressive at the same time."

"If you don't feel adequate for the task, you're in the perfect place for God to use you."

[Susan Good]

This video was excellent. It reminded me where my focus should be. It's all about Him, not me.

[Morris Driggers]

Great words of advice to us who seek to give excellent praise to God and to serve our faith communities as worship leaders. Technical skill is important ... hugely important; but a heart tuned to (and by) God's heart is far more important.