Worship Leaders

If you've ever gone to church, you've probably heard the term "Worship Leader." When you hear that, you probably think of the man or woman leading the music. Maybe you think of all the musicians. While the term "Worship Leader" certainly applies to these people (as they are leading an aspect of worship), they aren't the only people to whom the term applies.

When we think of "worship," particularly in a church setting, we most likely think of the music portion of the service. But is that all there is to worship? In fact, isn't the entire service - including the sermon, prayers, and all of that - one big worship service?

When the pastor is preaching, he is leading us to worship our God by teaching us about Him. Also, he himself is worshipping by obeying Jesus' command to preach the Gospel. The pastor is a worship leader.

Some churches have people who lead in prayer. Prayer is a form of worship. These people are worship leaders.

Some churches have "readers" whose specific job is to publicly read Scripture, which is also a form of worship. These people are worship leaders.

So why do we reserve the title of "worship leader" for the music leader? Why not call him exactly what he is: the music leader? (I've seen the title "Chief Musician" used in a few churches; I think that one just sounds cool.) Everyone else's title tells a person exactly what part of worship they lead. A pastor pastors. A reader reads. A musician plays music.

Just food for thought.