Worship Leadership: as Work of an Artistic Master Craftsman

 Our pastor, Dr. Steven Weems, has been going through Exodus these past weeks and gave special emphasis in 31:1-4 that God had equipped Bezalel as an “artistic master craftsman.”  The following thoughts find their genesis in that Bible study.   

Exodus 31: 1Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.

Context: In Exodus 25 and following, God gives Moses details of how the Israelites worshipped. God has already equipped those He desires to lead out in this project. God is never haphazard in how He works. {Notice that though Moses does communicate the instructions, he does not do the work himself but relies on those to whom God has equipped.}                                        

See, I have chosen God had selected who He wanted: Bezalel, who was not even of the tribe of Levi, but of Judah.

I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge, and with all kinds of skills Whom God calls, He also equips, first he was filled with God’s Spirit. Notice that God’s infilling was for a specific purpose: to make artistic designs. To accomplish this task, God’s Spirit gave him wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and skills.  Knowledge alone was not enough; skill alone was not enough; he needed discernment that could only come from the wisdom and understanding that only the Spirit of God could give.

to make artistic designs {The NASB uses “devise devices” as in the work of a master craftsman.}

The images on top of the ark of the covenant and the others woven into the curtains were not images for worship, but reflections of God’s holiness and majesty. The command to have “no graven image” was related to worshiping something other than the one true God, not the elimination of art not used as objects of worship.

Why did God insist on using a Master Craftsman, that would be filled with His Spirit in the making of the objects used in the tabernacle for worship? Just as the heavens and earth reflect the majesty and glory of God which He created, so anything that was to be used in worship was to reflect God’s nature and character. God chose a human master craftsman to reflect the beauty inherent in all that He does, even though in its actual use, very few would see the Ark since it would be behind the curtain in the Holy of Holies. It was not just to “show off.”  All related to the worship needed to reflect God’s holiness, His purity; so that even the sacrifices themselves had to be “without spot or blemish.”

Applications for Present Worship Practice.

The passages are “descriptive” and not directly “prescriptive;” that is, they describe how God was establishing worship practice from a new model distinct from what they had seen in Egypt. They are not providing building plans for current worship centers; we are no longer limited to a single place but are commanded to worship in Spirit and Truth as found in John 4. Though not “prescriptive,” there are some principles and truths that can be helpful today.

1. God’s nature has not changed. He is holy, perfect, all-powerful, all-knowing, full of mercy, grace, and love. We need to approach God with the awe of Who He is and in gratitude for what He has done; never casually, or flippantly.

2. All we offer to God in worship needs to be the best we can offer.  The “best” for some will be different than others but is acceptable in a similar way that a pint jar “full” of water and a gallon jug “full” of water are both “full.”

3. Worship leadership must be committed to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

4. Those involved in the leadership should aim toward developing their skills as a master craftsman. I am fully aware of the dangers and pitfalls of developing and performing as “art for art’s sake.” I am not promoting ridding our ministry teams of volunteers whose desire to serve is much greater than skilled artistry. Nor am I encouraging hiring only “professionals” who may be impeccable musicians, but lack spiritual depth. Worship is not performance. The success of the performance is based on audience response; in worship, there is only an audience of One– all participants yield all their efforts in the recognition of Who God is, What He has done, and responding in complete obedience to His commands.  Worship leadership is the facilitation of congregational response.

5. The temptation to “stop improving” is great, especially when we get to a point where we can function reasonably well, we allow the rigors of responsibility to take priority over skill development.  Great pianists remain that way because they never get to the point where they believe they don’t have to practice. The worship leaders that continue to develop the various aspects of their craft, while deepening their relationship and knowledge of God, maintain effectiveness throughout advancing years. Those who do not can become easily bored, discouraged, and seek other opportunities.

6. Whom God calls; He also equips. However, the equipping is a process that requires discipline on our part.

7. We must always remember that all that is done must be done for God’s glory and not that of those involved.

A Neglected Part of Worship Leadership

 Yes, there are many neglected parts of worship leadership, but here is one that we may not hear much about because it touches an area that we can conveniently allow to slide by and ignore. [I am indebted to Dr. Jessica McMillan for the genesis of these thoughts when she was asked in an interview for faculty her thoughts on a call to ministry and worship leadership. Her response has stuck with me since that day: “First, I am called to make disciples.”  What follows is some thoughts her response has spurred in me.]

Bypassing Discipleship
I have no doubt that God called me into the worship leadership roles that I have had, however, my first and foremost calling is that to be and make disciples. The Great Commission is not the Great Suggestion, but a command for all believers. Leading worship is not a substitute for it. Making disciples is more than just proclamation, though it certainly includes it. 

To make disciples we first must be one– a follower of Christ who is growing daily in an intimate relationship with God and His Word. There are no substitutes for quality time in the study and application of God’s Word and allowing His Holy Spirit to mold us into what He desires. Because there are many good resources in this area, I am going to move on to making disciples. 

The Great Commission
Matthew’s account in 28:18-20 lays the foundation for what all believers are called to do: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”  

I’m sure you have heard some powerful messages on this passage, so I just want to highlight a few points. [1] Jesus has the authority to command and expect obedience. [2] The word “go” here is better translated, “as you go;” the command is to make disciples. [3] the implication is that they must first hear, understand, and respond to the Good News of what Christ has done and then baptize them, that outward sign of inward change and a new life and identification with Christ. We also must continue working with them by teaching them what Christ taught and how to obey by word and example. A goal in discipleship is that our nature and character becomes more and more a reflection of Christ Himself, in our words, actions, and emotions. 

Teaching Through What We Sing
Leading worship can be one means of teaching, provided that the lyrics being sung are theologically sound, but there must be individual involvement as well. Paul’s admonition in Colossians 3:16 gives some great guidelines for worship leadership: “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” The Word of Christ in us flows to those around us by what we sing and by example. We can teach and admonish one another through the songs we sing provided tat they focus on Christ and His teaching. Failing to teach through what we sing means we are missing that opportunity for discipleship. 

Doing this “with all wisdom” and “with gratitude” can be challenging. “With all wisdom” implies that we are doing it [1] with a biblical understanding of what worship is, [2] with an understanding of what the message and teachings of Christ are, [3] doing it in such a way that is effective, and [4] doing it in such a way the Christ is glorified, not the messenger. “With gratitude” implies that we are ever mindful of the great sacrifice that Christ made so that He might redeem us from our sin by His grace. This needs to be done in more than in a group setting, but with individuals so the details of how to apply what is being sung can become part of the process. The most effective discipleship is done one-on-one or in small groups. We need to not confuse an emotional response with a song with an obedience response to God’s Word. 

What We Sing, Not Just How
We need to reconsider what we are teaching each time we stand to lead, as well as how we are doing it. Mapping out the theological themes and biblical teaching of the lyrics and coordinating them with the message is one way we might be able to do this more effectively. Another step would be to review all the songs sung in the past 3-4 months [or a year would be better] to see what has been presented and if it has been done in such a way that we are helping the congregation to build a canon of songs that they will know well enough that they are part of their heart songs. Doing this would also reveal those things which we are overlooking in our sung worship.  A lot more could be said, but I trust this might help start some conversations and help us to become more aware of an area that is being neglected in worship leadership. 

I welcome responses of how this is being done so we can all learn more.

Blessings.

“Spiritual Bullies and Worship Leadership”

Here are just a few thoughts that I am sharing with my students this semester about Servant Leadership. [For this commentary, let’s call Worship Leaders, Servant Worshipers.]

Spiritual Bullies look at those “under” and around them as objects to control;

Servant Worshipers see those around them as someone for whom Christ died, and desire to know what God is doing in their life and to come alongside what God is doing.

Spiritual Bullies are more concerned with how those with whom they work will affect the reputation as a leader;

Servant Worshipers give their reputations over to God, knowing that God’s evaluation of their actions is of greater importance.

Spiritual Bullies gain their sense of self-worth from their ability to perform;

Servant Worshipers realize that their self worth comes from what God has done in them through Christ.

Spiritual Bullies use people for their own advancement, playing favorites with those who can do the most for that goal;

Servant Worshipers focus on the growth of those within their realm of responsibility, regardless of how much they might be able to advance their position or prestige.

Spiritual Bullies focus on the amount of knowledge they acquire;

Servant Worshipers focus on being able to apply what they know and share what they have learned in a manner that is modeled and understandable.

My prayer is that the influence we have on others reflects the nature and character of Jesus Christ.  Just a few thoughts... 

Ears to Hear- Effective Worship Leadership

Terry York, in his The Voice of the Congregation, shares a story of how he, as a new associate pastor of a large church, desired to get to know the congregation for which he would now be ministering and decided to begin by taking the oldest charter member of the 50 year-old church out to lunch. The senior adult was thrilled to share the stories of how the church began and her involvement in it. Other lunches soon followed with other members. Not only did he learn valuable history and lessons from what had occurred in the past, he soon earned the respect of the entire congregation. He began known as one who not only listens, but wanted to.

Though York was not the worship leader at the church, he exhibits the truth that wise, godly leadership listens to those for whom he serves in as a leader. The weakest model for leadership is that leader who dictates edicts without hearing and really getting to know those for whom he has been privileged to lead.  Without getting to know those with whom his decisions will affect, the worship leader will be issuing edicts, but not truly leading. Before those with whom we work can share in the vision we might have, we have a responsibility to earn their trust though listening. 

Decisions based on the relationship and knowledge developed in the process of getting to know the individuals with whom we serve will not only be more likely to be accepted, but tempered by what is known. The smaller the circle of relationships from which we gather the information to base our decisions, the greater the opportunity for alienation and mistrust. Weak leadership assumes knowledge of the individual and the situation, wise leadership takes the time to listen.

I can remember working with the young man that did the sound at a particular church. He was really good at what he did, and frankly, if he was on the board, I didn’t need to worry about anything. I literally could just give him an idea of what I wanted sound-wise, or what was going to be needed for this or that and it was always there. When he left for college, he had trained another student, who did a fine job, but not quite as expertly as the first. When this second student left, I was left to train the next person myself, and though I had taken courses in recording engineering, there was much to learn about the specifics of this system, quirks, etc. I could have learned a lot from the first young man, but was “too busy,” and since I had taken courses about these things, I really didn’t think I needed to ask him much. My own pride, really ignorance of the situation, resulted in my having to learn many things the hard way,  resulting in frustration for me and those with whom I worked.  I am convinced that I could have saved myself much grief is I had only gotten to know the situation better from the person that had been so adept. My assumptions we inadequate and woefully uninformed.

The model we have for wise leadership that knows those with whom he leads is Christ, Himself. One of the major truths in Psalm 139 is how intimately God knows us and how much He desires to know us. We do not have the divine ability to know as God knows, but we do have the ability to take time and ask. Before we hand down decisions, we need to:
     [1] Know those with whom we serve. We may be surprised to get to know all they really do as compared to what we thought they did.
    [2] Get input from those for whom the decision affects. Since these people carry out the day to day details of the work, [sound, lighting, video, music, drama, etc.] they can inform the situation in ways that we cannot.
    [3] Once we have made a decision that has been informed by those we work with, we need to follow up with these individuals to see how the decision is panning out.

I pray that as we grow in our leadership skills, we grow in the desire and knowledge of those for whom God has called us to serve. 

Worship Leaders and Respect

Many of those who lead worship sense a lack of respect from those with whom they work.  Sometimes from direct comments or confrontations to indirect comments or body language, but the message communicated to the “designated leader” is one of lack of respect.  How can leadership gain the respect they need? How can those who serve under poor leadership show proper respect? Let’s consider some options.

Though intended for husbands and wives, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, gives a great basis for this discussion in his book, Love and Respect [Thomas Nelson, 2004].  I would like to borrow some general principles he mentions as well as some other ideas that I believe might be of help. 

According to Eggerichs, men define themselves more by what they do than what they say, women on the whole are more relational. [I would encourage anyone to go ahead and read what he has to say about the husband/wife relationship issues, but I will depart in another direction.] Understanding this difference is key for working with volunteers as a leader and working “under” different leaders. I would like to reserve discussion of the differences in leadership styles between men and women for another time, but I would like to focus on the general topic of how leaders gain respect from those with whom they work and how these volunteers can express it.

Thoughts to ponder for Worship Leaders
1. To earn respect, you must give respect. How does a leader show respect for those volunteers with whom he or she works? There are several ways, but let me mention a few:
    –  By making the expectations of the responsibility clear from the beginning.  If the leader keeps adding responsibilities or commitments to what was originally agreed, the volunteer will be frustrated. Understanding what was being expected of them has now become a moving target and the volunteer will begin to question his or her ability to participate if there are more “surprises” along the way. 
    – Respecting volunteer’s time. Wasting rehearsal time by not being ready, learning the music with the group, rather than teaching it, talking too much, getting a late start or constantly going overtime, all of these reflect a general attitude of disrespect to the volunteers with whom you work.
    – Respecting the volunteer’s opinion. Listening to the opinions of others does not mean accepting everything they say as an option upon which to act. However, many leaders are surprised by comments from volunteers that what they say is being ignored. How can we better listen to these suggestions? One helpful tool is called active listening, in which you repeat back to the person what they have said without giving an evaluation of the comment. Don’t say, “What do you mean the bridge in this song doesn’t fit? You just don’t know how to play.” But rather, “You are saying that the bridge doesn’t seem to fit. What seems wrong about it to you?” By asking for clarification you have affirmed the person and shown respect. Even if the idea seems off the wall, you can say “that’s interesting, and we might try that later, but right now let’s see if we can focus on this.

2. Respect is earned, not bought or purchased, or demanded. As a leader, respect may be demanded, but will not be given if those on whom the demands are forced do not consider the person worthy of respect. When working with volunteers, the leader must remember that they are here as volunteers and the level of demand must be in line with that reality, and not compared to someone whose only job and income is to do that job.  
    One very damaging attempt at earning respect is by showing favoritism. Few things destroy respect faster than when volunteers sense or see favoritism on the part of the leader or the one that is responsible for making decisions.  Favoritism foments jealously and cultivates a spirit of unhealthy competition.  
    This is not to say that there should not be high standards, but reasonable expectations, clearly understood.  Unreasonable expectations reflect the inexperience of the leader and lack of sensitivity to the abilities of those for whom the leader is called to work.
    Making threats is another tragedy that poor leaders practice.  Statements like,  “Do this or else,”  reveal insecure leadership ability and is a sure fire way to kill any respect toward leadership. It is difficult to show respect when true leadership is just not there. 
    This is compounded when some type of financial reward is tied to the demand. Expectations of what the specific responsibilities are tied to financial benefits must be clearly explained before they are accepted. Failure to do so will only cause trouble and misunderstanding for all involved.

3. Healthy boundaries must be set. Letting those who work with you know what is expected of them in a detailed manner from the beginning helps avoid the hard feelings that come from continually calling out someone for not being at a performance or rehearsal. Set the expectations by a clear description: “you are needed each week in rehearsal and in these services.  If the leader keeps adding responsibilities or commitments to what was originally agreed, the volunteer will be frustrated because trying to these extra responsibilities were not planned, or anticipated. It is like hitting a moving target.  Good leaders know how to set healthy boundaries and respect them once they are set.
    If an emergency arises, exceptions might need to be made, but they really need to be emergencies, otherwise “exceptions become the rule, and not an exception.” When a leader doesn’t play by his own guidelines, respect for the leader will suffer.

Are you in leadership and feel as if you are lacking respect?
Review the thoughts above and do honest self evaluation. If there are some areas on which you need to improve, fine, admit them, confess them to the group and being to map out some steps to overcome them. Sharing the fact that you recognize and admit weakness and that you are actively working on them will actually do more to rebuild respect. Asking specific people to help you be accountable will really help you make progress. I pray God’s blessing on you as you grow in your leadership skills.