Worship Leaders: You're Not As Bad As People Think

It seems like every few weeks there is a new article or blog about how bad worship leaders are.

Articles like worship leaders are not rockstars, worship leaders play too loudly, worship leaders bring too much attention to themselves, worship leaders don't sing enough hymns, worship leaders move around too much, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

Even as you read this you may be thinking of different things that annoy you about worship leaders or worship teams.      


But what I've found is that for many people their personal opinions don't necessarily line up with inspired Scripture.  In other words, our views about worship can often times be inconsistent with what the Bible actually says.

So what does the Bible say about worship music and worship leaders?

Here are five common misconceptions about worship music that people commonly have that the Bible may actually contradict:

1.  People say worship is too loud, but God might be saying it's not loud enough 

Now I realize God doesn't tell us what decibels are acceptable or unacceptable.  I also realize determining how loud something should be remains extremely subjective.  And I know there is certainly a place for quiet and soft worship music.  All I'm saying is that the Bible commands us to sing and play loudly!  Here are just a few examples:

• 1 Chronicles 15:16, "David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy."
• 1 Chronicles 15:28, "So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, to the sound of the horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and made loud music on harps and lyres."
• Psalm 33:1-3, "Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!....Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts."  
• Psalm 47:1, "Shout to God with loud songs of joy!"
• Psalm 66:1-2, "Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise."
• Psalm 81:1, "Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob."

When was the last time you shouted during worship?  When was the last time the worship team was encouraged to play loudly?  It seems to me that we worry so much about the noise level in church, yet God takes great pleasure in loud songs!

2.  People say worship teams are too big, but God might be saying they aren't big enough 

It seems like many peoples' criticism towards worship teams and worship leaders stem from their preferred style of music.  Many people feel certain instruments should not be allowed during worship.  Many people feel we should go back to just singing acapella or at least just singing hymns with an organ.  But the Bible actually encourages us to play with many instruments.  Here are a few examples: 

• 2 Chronicles 5:13, "It was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD, and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD." 
• Psalm 81:2, "Raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp."
• Psalm 92:3, "To the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre."
• Psalm 98:5-6, "Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!  With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!"
• Nehemiah 12:27, "They sought the Levites...to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgiving and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres."

Modern day cymbals and tambourines would probably be drums.  Modern day harps and lyres would probably be guitars.  Where's the organ?  Probably didn't exist yet.  These ancient instruments were what was available at the time.  Now we have modern instruments.  There are not "good" instruments and "evil" instruments.  It all has to do with the person's heart that is playing the instrument.  We can be sure on is that God has given us all musical instruments to be played for his glory!

3.  People say worship leaders move around too much, but God might be saying they aren't moving around enough

A common complaint people give about worship leaders (and teams) is that they bring too much attention to themselves through their body language.  What they are implying is that they need to tone down their movement so that the congregation can focus more on God.  But the Bible actually gives many examples of men and women worshiping God with very "attention-grabbing" body language.  Here are a few examples:

• 2 Chronicles 7:3, "When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD."  
• 2 Chronicles 20:18, "Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD."
• Psalm 47:1, "Clap your hands all peoples!" 
• Psalm 95:6, "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!" 
• Psalm 96:9, "Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!"
• Nehemiah 8:6, "The people answered, 'Amen, Amen' lifting up their hands.  And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground."
• 1 Corinthians 14:24-25, "But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you."

When was the last time you bowed down with your face to the ground during worship?  When was the last time you kneeled before the Lord?  I'm not saying this to condemn you, I'm saying this because it was a typical response of those who experienced the presence of God.  

4.  People say worship leaders need to sing older songs, but God might be saying they need to sing newer songs:

Another typical complaint people have about worship leaders is that they don't play enough hymns.  Never mind the fact that Martin Luther may have used bar tunes to write some of our most beloved hymns.  Never mind the fact that today many artists are writing modern day hymns.  And never mind the fact that the Bible exhorts us to presently and actively be writing new songs!  Here are a few examples:

• Psalm 40:3, "He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God."  
• Psalm 96:1, "Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!"
• Psalm 98:1, "Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things!"
• Isaiah 42:10, "Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the end of the earth."  
• Revelation 5:9, "And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain....." 

Why does the Bible exhort us to write new songs?  Because God is always doing a new work.  Every generation is different.  Every person is different.  And God is doing a unique work in every age and ever individual.  Songs should arise from every generation of what God is doing so that He can get the glory He deserves.

5.  People say worship leaders need to tone down the energy, but God might be saying they need to turn up the energy:

A complaint often geared toward worship leaders is they have too much energy while leading and it brings too much attention to themselves.  The implication is that they need to keep a somber face so that people can focus on the presence of God.  But let's be honest - God wants us to be full of joy and life when we come before Him!  And that should be expressed in our worship.  Here are some biblical examples of that:

• Psalm 98:4, "Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!"
• Psalm 100:1-4, "Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!  Serve the LORD with gladness!  Come into his presence with singing!  Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!  Give thanks to him; bless his name!"
• Psalm 105:1-3, "Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name....let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!"  
• Psalm 107:21-22, "Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!  And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!"  

Whoever said church was supposed to be boring?  Not God.  Whoever said we shouldn't be full of energy and passion in our worship?  Not God.  Whoever said worship leaders can't be full of joy and gladness while they play?  Not God.  He wants us to come to his house with joy in our hearts, a smile on our face, and an attitude of thanksgiving.

Final Thought  

My intention is not to kindle the worship-war fire.  Nor is it to say there is only one way to express our adoration for God.  I am a firm believer that people need to worship God in a way that fits their personality and personal convictions.  That's not to say we should be comfortable in our worship - if we are comfortable, then we might be just going through the motions.  Our worship of God should be a sacrifice of praise.

My intention is simply to remind worship leaders that they are not as terrible as they are often made out to be.  From the majority of writing that is done about them, it seems like the only thing people want to do is criticize them.  I think the church would do well to spend less time criticizing others, and spend more time critiquing our own lives.

My intention is also to remind Christians not to form their opinions about worship solely on the basis of personal preference.  That has led to some of the misconceptions I listed above.  Preference is important, but Scripture is more important.

Let's remind ourselves of the passages of Scripture that describe worship and base our opinions off of that, even if it goes against our personal preferences.  Remember, worship is not about you, it's about God.

A pastor once told me, "if it's not sin, it's worship."  So let's do everything for the glory of God.  Whether we eat, whether we drink - whether we worship with loud dynamic worship or soft hymns - let's do it for the glory of God.