What Is Worship?

Worship is an integral part of Christian life. When we worship, we are connecting with God on a
personal level. Depending on the song, we can praise, thank, and ask the Lord for forgiveness or
provisions for our life. Worship is a time to connect with the Lord through songs.
A person who leads worship is someone who does more than merely stand in front of a
congregation singing songs. When someone is called to lead worship, they have an obligation to
help the congregation learn what it means to worship the Lord.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the lands! Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord is God! It is he that
made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise! Give thanks to
him, bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
— Psalms 100 (Revised Standard)

People who lead congregations through songs are generally known as worship leaders, but all
worship leaders are not the same. Some who are called worship leaders are in fact, what I call,
music performers. Rather than actually leading worship, music performers stand on stage and sing
songs.

Music Performers
Music performers call themselves worship leaders when the truth is, music performers do not truly
lead worship at all. The following leadership traits are hints that the person on stage in front of the
congregation may be a music performer.
Note: The names of the people mentioned and critiqued in the "Music Performers" heading have
been changed to preserve and protect their identity.
1. Music performers usually only pick songs they want to perform. They don’t always have
band practice and rehearsal. They don’t feel there is a need to practice because they believe
the Holy Spirit will help them perform well. Instead of praying that the congregation will be
elevated, they pray that they will sound great and that they will perform flawlessly. In fact, they
seek edification for themselves and not for the Lord.

Some time ago, I attended a church where Sally (the vocalist) and Donald (the guitarist)
showed up a few minutes before church services. Even as church members began taking their
seats, Sally and Donald practiced the songs they would be performing for that morning’s
service. They played a few bars of the selected songs, prayed on stage, and then commenced
to lead worship for the congregation.

I spoke with Sally after church and she said she just shows up to church and decides to sing
whatever songs move her in that moment.
2. Music performers tend to play songs they wrote. I attended a church where Steve (a
guitarist) started the worship session with a familiar worship song and then for the rest of the
session only played songs that he wrote. He would preface each song with, “Here’s a little song
I wrote…” and would then start playing and singing the song. It didn’t matter that no one in the
 congregation was familiar with the songs; and because the congregation didn’t know the songs,
no one in the congregation sang the songs. Folks, that’s not worship leading; that’s not even
song leading; that’s performing.
3. Music performers believe their talent is what is important. Let us consider that most people
who venture onto a stage to sing or play an instrument in front of an audience generally have
confidence that they are musically talented. Music performers seek admiration and applause
from the audience.

A long time ago, I attended a church where one of the guitarists was extremely talented. Every
now and then he would play a well-executed guitar riff and, of course the audience would
applaud. Well, one time the audience did not respond quickly enough and the guitarist stood
with his hands out and a questioning look on his face as if to ask, “Where is my applause?” So,
of course, the audience then applauded. That type of attitude is unbecoming of a person
leading worship.
4. Music performers have no regard for the congregation. Music performers sing the songs
they want to sing, and in the key they want to sing without regard to whether or not the
congregation can sing the songs as well. For example, I attended a church where Brenda sang
an entire 30-minute session in a key so high that all the men in the congregation were forced to
sing in their falsetto voices the entire time. Bless their hearts, they tried, but the combination of
men and women singing in high voices sounded like a bunch of people screaming at each
other. Surely, they were not able to engage in worship, as they were struggling too hard to eke
out the songs to the point that their voices screeched.

Music performers simply sing songs and hope the congregation sings along with them.

Worship Leaders

Worship leaders know that although they are on stage front and center, they are not the main
attraction. Worship leaders know that their primary purpose is to lead people to Jesus.

The following leadership traits are hints that the person on stage in front of the congregation is a
worship leader.

Worship leaders lead with humility. Worship leaders know that they are not on stage to receive
applause and praise; instead, they are there to connect with the congregation and lead them, through
song, to the Lord.

I attended a church where, prior to the worship session, the worship leader, Stacy would walk around
introducing herself to the people in the congregation. She did this in an effort to help people feel
comfortable. And after church service, she would connect with members to get as much feedback as
possible. Without putting people on the spot, she would ask questions like whether or not they liked a
particular song, whether or not a song was played in a key that was too high or too low, and whether or
not the member had a favorite song or song request.
I feel this is a trait that shows how worship leaders care about the people they lead, honoring their
position by connecting with the congregation so that they can refine future worship sessions.

Worship leaders practice and rehearse songs. Worship leaders have regularly scheduled practices and
rehearsals so that they can learn worship songs to the point where they know the songs by heart. This
leaves them free to direct the congregation through worshipping the Lord. The worship leader’s time for
worshipping is during practice, rehearsals, or whenever the leader wants to personally worship the Lord.
When worship leaders are in front of the congregation, their focus should be on the congregation,
leading them through worship.

Worship leaders have structure. A good worship session has a beginning, middle, and end. Good
worship leaders have a structure for the worship session and they lead the congregation seamlessly
through a gratifying time of worship.

The most enjoyable worship session I experienced is when the worship leader started the worship
session with a fun, uplifting song. This helped me forget about the world outside the church doors and
get into a mindset where I was happy about life and the time I was about to spend with the Lord. Then
the tempo slowed down slightly and we sang a song of praise, and then a song of pure worship. And
then the worship leader led us through two songs that reminded me of the Lord’s gift of forgiveness.
Finally, we sang a song of praise and gratefulness.

Worship leaders make sure that there is always a flow and a message tied to the worship session. The
worship session is not a time to preach. After all, that is the pastor’s job; however, it is appropriate to
intertwine prayer and scriptures to help the congregation know the meaning of the songs they are
singing.

Worship Leadership

Let us put all of our heart and soul into giving the Lord the one thing He seeks – Our true love for Him.
When we lose ourselves to the Lord in worship, He will come to us.

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth,
for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in
spirit and truth.

— John 4:23-24 (Revised Standard)

Let us worship the Lord with all of our heart. The Importance of Praise
and Worship
For purpose of this discussion, praise is characterized as the act of magnifying and honoring God
for who He is and the act of exalting God's great name. It also includes thanking God for his
many kindesses. Worship is characterized as a more intimate form of praise where believers seek
to personlize their expression of God's worth to them and others. All Christians should make a
practice of taking time to honor God for his goodness. David, known in the Bible as a man after
God's own heart, incorporated this practice into His life. As believers seeking to please God, we
should do the same.

Why is Praise and Worship Important?

Praise and worship is important primarily because the Bible commands it. In psalms for
example, believers are repeatedly encouraged to praise and magnify the Lord. We even see in
the book of Revelations where angels and other heavenly beings worship and honor God in
heaven. While biblical commandment serves as our primary reason for the praise and worship of
our heavenly Father, the following highlights several others:

God is deserving

There is no other being more deserving of praise. God is our creator, provider, sustainer, and
savior. Without Him nothing or no one would exist. He is also the possessor of all wisdom and
knowledge and the source of all that is good and perfect.

We should say thank you

Most people consider it polite to show appreciation to those who give them a gift, perform a kind
gesture, or pay them a compliment. How much more shold we thank our heavenly Father who
has given us life, breathe, the opportunity to spend eternity with Him, and many other
kindnesses.

Praise invites God into our situation

The Bible tells us that God abides in the praises of His people. When we magnify God, we
invite His presence into our lives.

Praise and worship honors God's presence

It honors God's greatness when we are able to magnify God and focus on his goodness in spite of
our personal challenges. Through this practice, we testify that God is greater than all.

How We Should Praise and Worship

An organized form of praise and worship is important and should be cherished for what an
awesome show of appreciation to the Father when believers collectively acknowledge Him for
His goodness and give thanks, but our expression of praise and worship should not stop there.

Praise and worship should also be extended to private times between just you and God. Living a
daily lifestyle in keeping with God's commandments is also a form of praise and worship.

Physical manifestations of praise might include singing, dancing, the raising of hands, bowing,
the playing of instruments and other forms.

All forms of praise and worship are pleasing to God when done with the proper intent and
attitude.

The Results of Praise and Worship

Although our primary purpose for praising and worshipping God should be because He
is worthy, there are often kindnesses bestowed upon those who participate in this expression of
love. Some of these include the following:

- More intimate connection with God

- Victory in battle as when the Israelites marched around the wall of Jericho. Praisers often
preceded the army in Old Testament battles.
- Stress relief as we focus on the greatness of God versus personal challenges
- Believers experience the presence of God which may result in limitless favor (Encouragement,
healing, deliverance, peace, joy, provision, etc.)
- Fulfillment of personal desires

Again, the most important reasons to praise God include the fact that He is worthy and that God
takes pleasure in our praise.
What a priviledge to be able to share love with the greatest Being in all of existence who has
showered so much love upon us.
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