by Dane Anderson
In two weeks, the church I serve will be having its annual meeting. As I have been writing out what I am going to share, I have realized once again just how complex leading worship in an intergenerational context can be. I need reminders along the way to jog me out of complacency because, if I am not careful, I can quickly get lost in the demands of my ‘to do’ list and lose sight of what my role as a worship leader really is.
Three weeks ago, I watched an interview with Episcopal priest and author Ian Morgan Cron that has become one of those reminders for me. He defined the role of a worship leader like this: “A worship leader co-creates in the natural climate in which most people are apt, to encounter or have a lived experience of Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit, that which will be transformative for them and will give them what they need to help advance the kingdom of God into the world.”
With all the complexities of planning and leading worship it is easy to lose focus on what is most important. When I lose focus, I tend to be more reactive to challenging situations instead of prayerful. When I lose focus, I can quickly get lost in the quagmire of ‘people pleasing,’ and worship leadership becomes a task to be fulfilled instead of a calling to be lived. When I lose focus, worship leadership becomes about just planning the next service, and not about co-creating with God sacred spaces for the congregation to seek and become more like Jesus.
To speak frankly, we all need reminders from time to time that help us refocus on what’s most important. In the end, isn’t that a purpose of worship? It reorients us. It’s a reminder; it refocuses our hearts upon God and His call on our lives. My prayer tonight is that my senses never grow so dull that they cease to experience the reminders that God places in my path, that I can continue to cultivate a heart that seeks to remember God’s call on my life so that my ‘to do’ lists never become the goal of my days.
Dane Anderson serves as the Director of Worship and Music at Bethany Covenant Church in Bedford NH.
