Last week’s blog described David’s music ministry toward Saul. I explored how God often uses music to inspire us, instruct us, convict us, and even heal us when we are broken.
This week, I want to share some thoughts about music ministry in the church. I have a long perspective, as I have been leading worship in some context since the very beginning of my encounter with Jesus in the early 1980s.
More importantly, I want to share how Scripture comes to life, showing us that the gift of music can be offered back to God in a spirit of wisdom, devotion, humility, and excellence.
I had the good fortune to participate in a workshop led by Ray Hughes in the early 90’s, when I served on a team in Marietta, Ohio. Ray is an anointed musician, writer, and teacher to the body of Christ. He unfolded from Scripture the qualifications for being a worship leader in the time of David’s Tabernacle. It came as a powerful revelation to me of the ways we can connect what we do in the contemporary church to what David established in that ancient place.
Hughes observed that in our churches, we sometimes think that if someone looks and dresses the part (usually skinny jeans and a black t-shirt those days), has a testimony of being a Christian for more than five minutes, and can play and/or sing well, they are qualified to join the worship team.
This wouldn’t have been sufficient in David’s day. To serve in the around-the-clock music ministry of worship in the Tabernacle, as described in 1 Chronicles 25, candidates had to be:
- Members of the Levitical priesthood. This meant that from an early age, they were appointed, anointed, and called to serve full-time in the ministry of worship in God’s house. They were literally born and raised for it.
- Trained in the word of God, with memorization of the Torah and the ability to recite or sing Scripture accurately and prophetically.
- Skillful in singing or playing an instrument, and able to prophesy with music. Hughes surmised from his study that the “Selah’s” in the Psalms indicated a pause in the song where a musician could prophesy on the given theme without words.
- Strong in faith and mature in their worship of the one true God. No scoundrels, idolaters, or posers allowed.
- In submission to the authority of King David and his “chief musicians.”
It turns out that the privilege of making music for God in corporate worship was kind of a big deal then, and there is no reason to think it is any less so now. Worship ministry is not to be handled lightly or flippantly.
Music ministry in a church is just that, a ministry—a way of serving God and his people. It is not an opportunity to show off, hone one’s performance chops, or promote a music career. There is no place for pride in leading worship just because you are skilled and talented. All ministries must be in harmony with the work of the Holy Spirit, and pride is a sure way to quench the Spirit. (For more on this, please see an older blog titled There is No Plan B).
Orthodox Christian, Roman Catholic, and some other mainline denominations conduct services with traditional vestments, liturgies, hymns, choirs, and instrumental anthems, sometimes played on majestic pipe organs. This kind of ministry maintains a “high church” approach to worship. To the extent that this reinforces a reverent atmosphere of worship, it is wonderful. It can inspire us to look up to heaven, in awe of a high and lofty God who is unspeakably greater than we are.
But this isn’t for everyone. Some believers find these worship traditions inaccessible. Services feel foreign, religious, too formal, and disconnected from their own experiences with God.
Most nondenominational, evangelical, and charismatic churches offer contemporary services that are much more casual. The invitation to congregants is “Come as you are,” and I think that Jesus endorses that kind of invitation. His gatherings were comprised of men, women, and children from all walks of life, and all states of readiness to receive the truths he offered them. They didn’t have to look or act a certain way. These services tend to remind us of God’s grace and love and highlight the communion and fellowship we share with the family of God surrounding us.
Many churches offer both options, a traditional service with the singing of hymns and a contemporary service introducing a constantly changing and growing body of worship songs to their congregations. As long as the goal is God-centered, it’s all good.
I’ve also seen different leadership structures and qualifications for music ministry. Some churches have a strong top-down approach with very specific protocols for evaluating a candidate’s worthiness and readiness to serve on the platform. Others, especially smaller churches, have a more organic and relational approach to building worship teams.
Whether formal, traditional, and elegant, or more down-to-earth, modern, and casual, music offered in praise and worship to the King of kings and Lord of lords must be executed with great humility and reverence, regardless of what worshipers are wearing. (See, How to Approach a King). Those who lead from church platforms should be tested in the faith, knowledgeable of the Scriptures, and mature in their personal devotion to Christ. Like other leaders of the church, they should be above reproach, possessing the character qualities described in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
As I’ve heard many times, the worship leaders’ time spent worshipping at home before “an audience of One” is much more crucial to their ministry than the time they spend on the platform at church.
We don’t have a Levitical priesthood. Most of us don’t wear satin vestments, sashes, and head coverings when we serve at the altar (though some do). We are free to offer old or new songs, as long as they are Christ-honoring and biblically truthful songs. We don’t have to be virtuosos on our instruments, but we ought to care about giving our best, and therefore devote time to practice in order to increase our skills.
We who desire to serve on those platforms at church will never be perfect but must have hearts that desire the holiness of God to shine through us. We endeavor to keep our hands clean and our hearts pure (Ps. 24: 4). We always remember it is not about us, but about the one who calls, loves, and sanctifies us.
We are simply conduits of the divine inspiration that the Spirit imparts when we make ourselves available to him.
