Wednesday, October 29, 2008
I have the blessing of leading multiple groups of worship teams in our church. I thought I'd share here what we're talking about this week.
I was praying for you guys and our teams this morning and thought it might be good for us to discuss life “beyond the set”. It’s oversimplifying things to think that our sole function as worship leaders and leaders of teams is to create and execute good worship sets. One of the mandates on Greenbrier is the desire to pour into the lives of others. I certainly don’t belittle the work of putting a set together, rehearsing a team and leading people in worship. But, there is another aspect to what we do in the way that we invest in the lives of people on our team.
I’m not just talking about a top down, “the leader sure cares about us”, kind of vibe but a familial feel on our teams that communicates that we are here for each other “beyond the set”. It is so very easy to get into execution mode, but let me give a real world example. How can we best equip our CrosStone (Jr. High) students as worshippers moving forward in their lives...
a) by teaching them the value of rehearsal, excellence, musical passion and exemplary worship enthusiasm?
or
b) by teaching them the value of transparent, real relationships that allow us all to learn and grow from each other and focus our lives on others?
I think both are important, but ultimately who a person is matters much more than what they do. I view our worship teams as another avenue for discipleship and growth in the lives of the people that choose to be a part of worship here. It’s more than a set list. More than a musical experience. More than an exercise in creativity. Worship here should and will go “beyond the set”. Because, ultimately, worship is about more than a musical expression but about a life lived in obedience to Him and committed to seeing His purpose accomplished in the lives of those He places around us. How do you play out worship “beyond the set” with your teams and where can we improve?
I'd love to hear your thoughts as well.
Labels: leadership, worship leading
I present my body as a living sacrifce. A living offering. More valuable than any song I can sing, or any gift I can sow. Singing and ministering under the anointing means nothing to God if I'm not doing right by him in my day to day life style.
God doesn't care as much how we "execute" our sets as much as he care's about our lives off of the set. Anybody can turn on that worship mode for about 20-30minutes (some are shorter) but we must be in that same frame of mind off the set also.
I agree 100%. Though the Bible says to play skillfully (Ps 33:3), He also demands the same if not greater perfection in our lifestyle.