"What’s the big deal...isn’t worship ultimately about God? Is it really necessary to render a pastoral approach to the worship leadership ‘gig’"?
This was a question I was asked today in my worship class. Here is my initial response to it.
First, I want to recognize that this is a loaded question. To fully answer and explain all of the part to the pastoral approach in worship would take at least one book if not multiple volumes to follow. I would like to spend a few words on the practical matter of the pastoral approach to leading worship.
Yes, worship is about God, for God, and to transform us more and more into the image of God in the form of Jesus Christ. That being said, God has created each of us uniquely as David describe in His Psalm about God forming him in his mother's womb. So we each in the church have different passion, desires, likes, preferences, and thoughts on how to worship and be transformed through this worship. I imagine it like a futbol team in that all the members of the team have different skills, traits, and abilities than others. That is why on the team each player has his different task to fulfill in the game; some to be defenders, others to be possessors, and finally some to score the goal. If the coach of the team did not have every player in mind for the game plan and overall control of his team it would not succeed in reaching the win. It would be a bunch of players running around not working together and having severe issues. This is the same for the pastoral approach to worship. The church is a flock and needs a "little shepherd" to move it unified in one direction, that being true God honoring worship, and accomplish the task and goal of the community. So the Pastor must to like the coach and know the worshippers, how they desire and worship best, and how the content and culture work together in context. If there was no pastoral approach there would be a bunch of people worshipping but not together unified as a community worshipping God together as a community and the goal of that community would fail.
I know this answer seems a little practical but I think it is a good place to answer and begin a discussion of the big deal of pastoral leadership in worship. The need for a "leader" to unify the community in the same direction who ahs a heart for Jesus and knows his people.
Yes, worship is about God, for God, and to transform us more and more into the image of God in the form of Jesus Christ. That being said, God has created each of us uniquely as David describe in His Psalm about God forming him in his mother's womb. So we each in the church have different passion, desires, likes, preferences, and thoughts on how to worship and be transformed through this worship. I imagine it like a futbol team in that all the members of the team have different skills, traits, and abilities than others. That is why on the team each player has his different task to fulfill in the game; some to be defenders, others to be possessors, and finally some to score the goal. If the coach of the team did not have every player in mind for the game plan and overall control of his team it would not succeed in reaching the win. It would be a bunch of players running around not working together and having severe issues. This is the same for the pastoral approach to worship. The church is a flock and needs a "little shepherd" to move it unified in one direction, that being true God honoring worship, and accomplish the task and goal of the community. So the Pastor must to like the coach and know the worshippers, how they desire and worship best, and how the content and culture work together in context. If there was no pastoral approach there would be a bunch of people worshipping but not together unified as a community worshipping God together as a community and the goal of that community would fail.
I know this answer seems a little practical but I think it is a good place to answer and begin a discussion of the big deal of pastoral leadership in worship. The need for a "leader" to unify the community in the same direction who ahs a heart for Jesus and knows his people.
No comments:
Post a Comment