Five Ways a Pastor Can be a Blessing to a Worship Leader

BE A WORSHIPER

The greatest way to affirm your worship leader is to let him or her lead you in worship and watch you respond whole- heartedly to the presence of the Lord. When you do this, you are telling the worship leader, and the entire congregation, that what’s going on is important. Ultimately, the pastor is the worship leader of every church; therefore, there is no way to have a worshiping congregation without a worshiping pastor.

AFFIRM YOUR WORSHIP LEADER’S ROLE IN THE CHURCH

It has long been said that we need to worship God to prepare our hearts for the Word, but it could just as easily be said that we need to hear God’s Word to prepare our hearts for the worship. Don’t forget that the Spirit of God works in many different ways. Constantly affirm your worship leader that their role—en- gaging people in authentic expressions of corporate worship—is of the utmost importance in a Christian’s spiritual life. An- other way to affirm them is to put money into them and the worship department. If a pastor is constantly affirming the importance of the worship leader’s role in the church, it will inspire the worship leader to have a deeper sense of responsibility and want to give their very best.

BE A FRIEND

Befriending your worship leader is another way to say, “You are important, and I value you.” I believe that the kingdom of God should be thought of more as a family than an institution or corporation. No matter the size of your church, a great leader should be in touch with his fellow leaders. Many times, pastors forget that the worship leader is the second most visible leader in the church. Lastly, it’s a lot easier to be truly loyal to a friend than a boss.

BE A MINISTRY LAUNCHER

Be the kind of pastor that prays for and celebrates the successes of your worship leader. If you make him or her feel that you are watching out for them, cheering them on and hoping the best for them, they won’t feel like they have to fight for themselves.There are church- es where there can be a sense of com- petition between leaders in the church. Few things grieve the Holy Spirit more than this. We must remember, ultimately, we’re all trying to work our way out of a job by helping others do bigger and greater things for the Kingdom than we are. Nothing will make your worship leader want to stay with you and serve you more than if they feel like you are their greatest cheerleader.

LEAD WITH HUMILITY AND INTEGRITY

Be the kind of leader your worship leader will want to be like, follow and trust. If a church has an atmosphere where humility is valued and looks like a beautiful thing, it will help deflate a lot of the egos, which can be such a problem with worship team members and even worship leaders. Be reminded that worship leaders and musicians have a very sharp radar that is always watching to see if the church is all about you or if you’re all about serving the church. If they see humility and servanthood from you, they will have a model for not only giving it back to you but also to others.

THE PRAYER OF JESUS

Pastors and worship leaders have the incredible opportunity to lead communities towards the kingdom of God in unity. He has called us to fight for one another, to care for one another and, most importantly, to love one another. Let us embrace the words of Jesus in John 17:26, “I will do this so that your love for me may be in them.”

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