When the Lord first called me into resident ministry, I’d always thought of myself as the “young buck” of a minister. You know that feeling? Wide-eyed, unmarried, eager, limited responsibilities and ready to take on the world for the sake of the Gospel. New worship leaders are distinct from the older worship leaders, the godly men and women who’ve been in your shoes.
Best Advice for New Worship Leaders
In my context, these older worship leaders were typically married, parents, slower to speak, had a few years of life experience over us, and carried just a bit more wisdom under their belts than new worship leaders. However, for us as new worship leaders, I feel as though we receive a different type of development compared to them. I’d like to provide some helpful points from what I’ve learned as a young worship leader.
1. Strive to be a pastor
Friends, just because you lead worship doesn’t mean you are the worship pastor, there’s a difference between leading an integral part of a Sunday liturgy versus being charged as a pastor to a local congregation. A pastor shouldn’t be a mere title, but rather it should be the lifestyle at which you shepherd people.
I learned this the hard way while serving at my old church as a brand new youth worship leader. I remember having an explicit conversation with the youth pastor regarding my leadership expectations. This pastor went on to define my role and told me that I was not a pastor. My pride was shattered at that moment, but he was absolutely right. I was not a pastor, nor was it my responsibility to be a shepherd for that church body. Here’s why:
Consider the words of Paul to the Church in Ephesus, “I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” (Ephesians 4:1).
At the time, I was around 19 years old but wasn’t equipped in my theology or doctrine, and struggled with my personal holiness in order to shepherd students. It was important for me to recognize that I was not a pastor and submit to my ministry leadership. In turn, this spurred my desire for pastoral growth later on. To be pastoral means to take on the roles of a shepherd. Shepherding means guarding, caring, feeding and leading the flock of God. Furthermore, as new worship leaders we cannot appoint ourselves as shepherds to the flock of God; only the Chief Shepherd can.
2. Crave growth and feedback in all areas of ministry
One phrase that’s familiar for any past or present worship resident from our team is to “crave constant feedback.” You may be thinking of the people who have already given you feedback on your worship leading. Yes, those people, but I’m not talking about your worship feats or musical capacity. Instead, ask more experienced people in your immediate ministry to assess your character. Going back to Ephesians 4, Paul continues from verse 1, “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.” These are qualities of character that every follower of Christ should be striving toward, including new worship leaders.
