Reflections on "The Complete Worship Leader" by Kevin Navarro

               In his book, The Complete Worship Leader, Kevin Navarro details a number of powerful concepts which are vital not only to the success of a worship leading ministry, if success can be measured in this context, but ultimately to a glorifying of God through effective and anointed leadership. While, as Navarro states, “the worship service is the most important event in the local church, and the engine that drives all programming,”[1] it must be noted that all roads which lead to excellence do not always lead congregations into the presence of the living God, and so these concepts must be carefully examined and their use prayerfully discerned in order to employ them as faithful servants of Jesus. Two of these concepts stand out: biblical literacy as it pertains to worship leaders and the church as a whole, particularly in North America, and; the importance of skill in the areas of music and art as regards worship ministry.

            One of the most neglected disciplines in the North American evangelical movement is a solid knowledge of the Bible, and it shows through for certain in the church’s methods and styles of worship. Navarro touches on this subject numerous times, and links it to the instances of idolatry which plague the church. He says that, “a sinful act involves worship of the wrong kind,”[2] meaning that the unrepentant sinner has very little impulse control and often only seeks to satisfy momentary cravings for some kind of pleasure or other. In essence, it is submitting to the commands of the sinful nature, and thus worship that rightfully belongs to God is snatched away and given to something unworthy of it. One would think it ought to be impossible for one who knows the truth about the saving work of Christ on the cross and the abundant life he offers by the power of his resurrection to even be tempted to betray Jesus by giving worship to anyone or anything else, and yet there is a way our enemy can tempt us where our resistance is weak indeed, and that way is through biblical illiteracy.

Navarro says that even “worship” songs are notorious for being scripturally inaccurate, and that “worship devoid of scriptural influence will degenerate into idolatry,”[3] the same kind of idolatry mentioned above. The worship leader whose heart is not focused on the Holy Spirit’s work, that being the teaching and singing of the inspired word of God, or rather the writing of the word of God upon the hearts of his worshipers, will eventually fall into a place of non-worship (singing for its own sake) or anti-worship (singing for personal enjoyment or fame), and thus lead others to do the same, which is shameful and tragic.

The second concept relates to the first. The psalmist writes: “Sing to him a new song; play skilfully, and shout for joy.”[4] Often, it is easy to wonder how a person can strive for excellence in the skilful playing of an instrument or the skilful use of voice in song and not appear to be “showing off” when leading worship in a musical context. It is a constant struggle that many worship leaders face. In the sixth century, when Pope Gregory the Great organized and taught the Chants (often through strict discipline), the point was for all of the singers to be in unison, none standing out or drawing attention to himself, but focusing the entire piece and the attention of the listeners upon God. The vocal skill this requires is nothing short of intensely practiced. The same ought to hold true for worship leaders today, in that the musical skills employed ought to be honed and sharpened until they become second nature, or as one might term it, “invisible.”

As distractions are removed, in the form of unscriptural lyrics, bad playing, lacklustre singing, and musical “show-boating, such as Van Halen-esque guitar solos and Victor Wooten-like bass grooves, Jesus becomes easier to see, for it is he whom a congregation should be there to worship, and it is his Spirit who will draw the worship of the people to him. By becoming excellent in instrument and voice, the leader effectively removes him/her self from the center, from obscuring the revelation of Christ, and Jesus shines through. Idolatry is avoided in this way, and the truth of the Gospel is revealed in the biblically grounded and Christ-centred life and scripturally focused songs of the worship leader.

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[1] Navarro, Kevin J., The Complete Worship Leader (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 13.

[2] Ibid, 27.

[3] Ibid, 42.

[4] Psalm 33:3 (NIV).

Reflections on "Worship Matters" by Bob Kauflin

           In Worship Matters, Bob Kauflin draws on a long career of leading various congregations in musical worship and worship development, and offers a poignant and often painful journey through a worship leader’s spiritual makeup. In a sense, what Kauflin has done is practically shown how a true worship leader (a fairly modern notion, but not without biblical foundation) is constructed, from the ground up, so to speak. Kauflin brings an emotionally stretching and yet spiritually uplifting offering to the church, and a couple of his insights are worth unpacking further.

            First of all, Kauflin’s insistence that the cross of Christ is central to the overall dynamic of worship in the church is one concept that is often given less credence than it is due. Citing Ephesians 3:12,[1] Kauflin makes it abundantly clear that before Christ came, only one person, the High Priest, represented humanity for the atonement of sin, and he had to be absolutely “clean” to do so, for to come otherwise into the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber of the temple, meant certain death. Through his propitiatory work on the cross, Christ removed this restriction, but as Kauflin delineates:

                        As our High Priest and perfect sacrifice, Jesus is our “password” into God’s presence. Without his substitutionary sacrifice we could never draw near to God. And, of course, we’re not simply reciting a mantra or secret code but are exercising faith in what he has done. His access is sufficient and unique. Apart from Jesus Christ, we cannot approach God...This makes a huge difference as we lead others to worship God.[2]

            What Kauflin is saying, correctly, is that it is not in fact the worship leader, or any other leader who draws congregations into God’s presence, but Christ himself through his cross. So in essence as the worship leader does his or her part in the worship service, singing and playing instruments and probably leading a team of musicians in modern services, it is not an acceptable gift to the Lord in itself, but because it is a gift given by God to sinful man, whose sinfulness taints it and renders it unclean and unacceptable, only to have it redeemed and washed clean by Christ’s blood, presented to God our Father by Jesus whose sacrifice makes it holy. No amount of human effort can accomplish this, and so it is in humility and supplication that we strive for excellence in our practices, doing honour to the excellence of Jesus who paid for all of us to be able to enter the throne room of God and sing for his glory. What an awesome Saviour we serve!

            One other concept with which Kauflin wrestles is that of remembering the roots of Christian worship, or at least remembering the long, long line of worshipers and leaders who came before, singing and worshiping God in liturgy and ritual and charismatic adoration and poetry and hymns. Although he cautions the reader not to focus too heavily on older hymns and liturgy, as they too can become an idol or a stumbling block, and lead to a “dead orthodoxy,” he encourages the worship leader of today to study and investigate the worship styles which have been engaged in the past, because the God who was adored then is the same one we praise today. The idea is that of richness. God has written his word upon our hearts, just as he wrote it upon the hearts of worshipers in the past. His glory came through then as it does now. Kauflin explains:

                        We share a common heritage with saints who’ve gone before us. Actually, it’s stronger than that. We join with the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven (Hebrews 12:23), made up of those whom Christ has redeemed from every age. Reusing hymns and liturgical forms that go back hundreds of years is one way of affirming that we follow in a long line of worshipers who have sought to bring glory to God.[3]

            As we come into fellowship with Christ, then, we also rejoice not only with our congregation nor even with the church worldwide today (the church militant), but also with the church triumphant, the “great cloud of witnesses” from the past who praise God from their place of eternal reward in heaven, and as we learn of our heritage as followers of Christ and see how worship has progressed through history, his glory is revealed ever more richly to us.

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[1] Kauflin speaks of coming into the presence of God through Christ, “in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him” (ESV).

[2] Kauflin, Bob, Worship Matters (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008), 73.

[3] Ibid, 190.

Worship As Performance Art?

           Worship God. Those words are so common in churches and Christian circles that they have become a simple formula for “what we do on Sunday morning.” We worship God. Ask a worship leader what he or she does on Sunday morning, and some of the more astute ones may say, “I worship God and invite the congregation to join me.” Some may simply say, “I lead worship,” or, “I serve on the worship team.” OK, so what do you do the rest of the week? “Oh, I’m a dentist...”

            In the North American church we have a problem. Worship has become synonymous with the standing and singing and clapping of hands and the playing of instruments and maybe dancing before the throne of God.  It has become a performance for people, and it shows as a four-to-seven piece band and six member vocal ensemble leads an assembly in singing an assortment of Chris Tomlin, Robin Mark and Casting Crowns songs, possibly mixed with some well-loved hymns for the older folks to enjoy as well. “Good morning, and welcome to this year’s annual Promise Keepers National Conference. We’re going to start with some worship to warm up before we get into our program...” And so, as the drums set the beat and the electric guitars begin to wail, the acoustic playing leader steps to the microphone and begins to instruct the assembled throng in how worship will be done. Standing, singing, clapping, dancing, or listening and praying and silent, the congregation follows along as the band “worships.”

            The tragedy of this painful vision is that it is more common than we care to admit. So this is where it is vital that worship leaders everywhere truly seek God’s will and his anointing in their lives and in the lives of the band, if there is one, and in the life of the church. The single most important way of doing this is to constantly and prayerfully search the Scriptures for God’s teaching as to how he is to be worshiped, but also why he is to be worshiped, and who he is that he should be worshiped. Further, the Bible teaches what indicators to watch for that confirm that the leader’s worship is pure and correct in God’s sight. As worship bands pray and seek wisdom, the Holy Spirit reveals sin, rebukes offenses, revitalizes dead spirits and brings God’s truth into the group’s preparations for “performance.” Submission and obedience; discipline and surrender; in these acts, in the seeking of God’s kingdom before anything else, God will be faithful to add the needed elements, as he provides sustenance for his creation (Luke 12:21-31).

Hebrews 13:15 teaches that our praise is a sacrifice, a proclaiming of allegiance to his name. Obviously this doesn’t just mean worshipers get to wear a badge and say they are on God’s team. It means we deny our allegiance to our flesh and submit to God’s leadership and lordship, and in that place of trust, praise is the by-product, and so then it becomes a genuine expression.

            The reason the psalmist will sing to the Lord as long as he lives (Ps. 104:33) is that he has given his life in service to God and has discovered the joy and worship that God has given in order that they may be returned to him as songs of praise, and continued submission to his sovereign will. Philippians 3:3 affirms that believers’ worship originates only with God. A gift of worship is unacceptable to God unless it is first cleansed by Christ’s blood and placed by the Lord Christ before the throne of heaven, perfect and spotless. Therefore a worship band cannot rely on any skill or talent they themselves possess in order to generate a suitable “performance” that will bring glory to God.

            There must be surrender, by worship leaders and congregations alike, to the eternal will of God and to the knowledge that he alone determines the parameters of worship. He defines worship and provides worship, and how that worship is expressed is not nearly so important in the bigger picture than that it is expressed with the correct heart. Worship is not performance art, but performance art can be worship, as can many other things, provided it is done for God’s glory, and his glory alone.