Singing Theologians

I define worship as the right response of our whole lives to God’s revelation of Himself. That is a definition that I have Frankensteined from some of the most helpful definitions I have heard over the years.

In Romans 12, Paul tells that all of life is a spiritual act of worship lived in response to the mercies of God. This means that right worship does not begin with us, it begins with God. God reveals Himself to us, and we must respond.

God created us worshipping, but sin broke that perfect response of worship. Sin did not stop our worship, it distorted, and warped our worship - making us worship everything and everyone besides God (This is a concept I learned from Harold Best in his book, Unceasing Worship). But right worship is living our whole lives in worshipful response to God.

In Romans 3, Paul tells us that no one seeks God. Again we see that right worship is only our response to God’s revelation of Himself. So if we are merely responding, how does God reveal himself to us? There are many ways, here are five:

Through Jesus. We see the glory of God in the face of the Son. 2 Corinthians 4:6

Through His Spirit. The Spirit leads us into all truth. John 16:13

Through His Word. All scripture is breathed out by God. 2 Timothy 3:16

Through His Church. We are His ambassadors on earth. 2 Corinthians 5:20

Through His Creation. The heavens declare the glory of God. Everyone is without excuse. Psalm 19:1, Romans 1:20

Why does any of this matter? Why should it be important for worship leaders to be people who deeply know, believe, treasure, and study the person and work of God? Because every one of us is a worshiper, and every one of us is a theologian. Professor Gordon D. Fee says,

“Show me a church’s songs and I’ll show you their theology.”

As worship leaders we do not lead songs, we lead people. We are in fact singing theologians.

Growing Theologically

The primary work of leading worship is not musical, it is pastoral. Even the regular rhythms of our week, choosing songs, building set lists, leading rehearsals, communicating with team members, working with a pastor, and leading during services, are primarily about shepherding people. If the primary work of leading worship is pastoral more than musical, our preparation and development should represent a desire to be shaped theologically and pastorally. It is easy to be tempted toward musical ability at the expense of theological depth. I do not believe these realities need to be mutually exclusive. But it will require an investment of time and intentionality. If you would like to grow theologically but are unsure where to begin, here are a few things to consider:

Relationships. Who are the people within your community, church, and relational sphere who are deep, wise, Godly people? Pursuing those people with intentional questions about their knowledge and understanding of who God is and what He has done, as well as resources they would recommend is a great place to start.

Free Resources. Many of my favorite writers, publishing companies, seminaries, and parachurch organizations offer material for free online. Reformed Theological Seminary posts all of its courses for free here. Sovereign Grace Music also offers a Worship Matters Video Intensive for free here. Glean from the edges and margin of your life with a few of these free resources.

Give regular time. Ultimately we give time to the things we value. Even 20 minutes of reading, one online class, or a single coffee meeting can help stretch, grow and develop our theological muscles.

Let the secret place be wider and deeper than the public platform. Jesus was often going away to a quiet, desolate place to pray and be with His Father. With such visible and public roles, we need to make sure that we are spending time cultivating our own relationship with God outside of what we do for God.

Theology Matters

Theology is the study of the nature of God. The word theology comes from two Greek words: Theos - meaning God, and Logia - meaning to study.

I have heard worship leaders, both staff and volunteer, both musician and vocalist, and both sound and technology describe themselves as musicians, artists, and creatives. Rarely have I heard anyone describe themselves as a theologian. Because the truth is many of us see our role as primarily musical, not pastoral, and therefore do not value theology in the same way we value excellence in our musical pursuits. But as C.S. Lewis reminds us:

"If you do not listen to Theology, that will not mean you have no ideas about God. It will mean you have a lot of wrong ones."

Theology should matter to worship leaders for the same reason it should matter to every follower of Christ: our understanding of God shapes everything about who we are. As A.W. Tozer famously said,

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

Theology should matter to us as worship leaders because:

Worship is formative. We are putting words in people’s mouths to understand who God is, what He has done, and who we are as His people, and express their hearts to God.

Because we need to be wise. We need to know the songs that we are choosing are saying something true about God. Because our words and our songs are teaching people about God.

Because it realigns our priorities. When knowing, loving, and walking with God is in its rightful place, everything else falls into place.

Because God looks at the heart. Talent is obvious, and visible, and honestly, easy to come by. But it is God who sees and judges our hearts.

Because you are first a follower. Before a role, or title or responsibilities as a worship leader, you are a disciple of Jesus. And every disciple of Jesus will become more and more like Him.

Theology matters. Let it matter to you as a follower of Jesus. And let it matter to you as a worship leader.