So quickly we could get into a discussion on different elements done or attempted in worship services all over the world, but would find ourselves no closer our Savior. How often does this conversation happen? “Hey man, what kind of lighting and production equipment are you using? What you did with the lights was SO cool! If only my church had something closer to this lighting setup, our worship would be so much better.” I have been in countless discussions about the next “big thing” or “relevant thing” being done in worship. “oh, we need to have up-lit aluminum trusses standing randomly all over our stages.” Or “I bet people would be more engaged in worship if we had more stimulating LED displays.” Or one of my favorites, “Maybe people would think we were taking the focus off of ourselves and on God if we setup everything backward onstage and they saw us lead worship as “a part” of them and not singing “to” them?” Let me just answer that one real quick. No, the focus is still on you in that case, just now it’s your backside and that doesn’t sound so appealing to me. How many of those things come to mind to you? We have all experienced many different elements of what many churches call “worship” but how many times do you remember experiencing the presence of the Lord so tangibly it was almost as if he was in front of you having a conversation? What if that was the goal more than the latter “hip” or “relevant” elements being performed?
The worship pastor as a prophet is by no means a declaration of the man’s ability to tell the future. In the distinctions of a biblical leader being Prophet, Priest, King, the prophet distinction is in terms of 2 Timothy 2:15 where he can “rightfully handle the word of truth.” A prophetic distinction for a worship pastor is thus the biblical and theological backbone of a ministry dedicated to the proclamation and authority of God’s word and using it to protect his congregation from false teaching or theology. So as a prophet, the leader does not fore-tell (future) but rather, consistent to the biblical distinctions, he forth-tells; in other words: preaches. Declaring and proclaiming the word of God without apology and with authority while protecting the flock is not just the senior pastor’s responsibility!
The worship pastor has many, or perhaps more of the responsibilities of the service planning. In the typical worship service 45 of 90 minutes is owned fully by the senior pastor, the rest is usually left up to the worship pastor to figure out. This is 50% of the service! I would hate for half of the service to be thrown away by a worship pastor who thinks that his job is to fill 30 minutes with music that people like making sure that 15 minutes are left for the “very important” announcements and an offertory. His responsibility rightfully handle God’s word and utilize it in the logical construction of a worship service that is true and spirit filled (John 4:24).
With this said, the worship pastor who leads prophetically is in with and seeks to learn more and more about God and how He relates to his people. This is a necessity, not an option. Kauflin goes as far as to say this,
A worship leader who barely knows the Bible can’t be a faithful worship leader…That introduces two words many Christians are uncomfortable with—theology and doctrine. Sadly, doctrine and theology rank fairly low on the popularity scale these days. But biblical worship is impossible without them.[1]
Therefore, I want to propose to you a biblical philosophy of service planning for a worship pastor focused on cultivating a genuine culture of worship in his church.
[1] Bob Kauflin, Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway 2008). 28.
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