Biblical Worship

Rory Noland, director of Heart of the Artist Ministries (www.heartoftheartist.org) was a guest speaker at the LifeWay Worship Conference in Glorieta, New Mexico this summer.  In his lectures Noland gave great attention to the importance of integrity for those who are leading worship (including instrumentalists and singers).  He also spends quite a bit of time discussing this issue in his book, The Heart of the Artist (Zondervan, ISBN 0-310-22471-3).   

Noland states “when it comes to integrity, there is a high road and there is a low road.  We need to make sure we’re always taking the high road.  The congregation does not need to see us as those strange artsy types; they need to see us as people of integrity who minister, serve, and shepherd in the powerful name of Jesus.  First Timothy 4:12 says that we are to be model examples ‘in speech, in life, in faith and purity.’”

Noland continues – “Some of us have grown up with high standards attached to the pastor and the elders but not to the artists on stage.  We expect pastors to be godly people.  We expect them to walk intimately with Christ and to have a godly character.  We expect them to be living in righteousness and not leading a double life.  Why don’t we expect the same from our musicians, our drama people, and all other artists?  We’re not just artists.  We are ministers too.  We stand on the same platform and address the congregation with the same message.  Shouldn’t we aspire to high standards of integrity, just like the pastor?  The qualifications for elders in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1 can be applied to all leaders in the church, and that includes artists.  We are to be above reproach, loyal to our spouses, not self-willed or quick tempered, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to anything, not pugnacious but gentle, uncontentious, free from the love of money, able to manage our households well, and we must have a good reputation with those outside the church (1 Timothy 3: 2-7, Titus 1:7-9).”  page 40-41, Heart of the Artist

I believe Noland is right on target. Worship leaders (singers and instrumentalists) must have integrity and high character.  If I were looking for a worship leader, I would take a lesser skilled musician who had these qualities than a wonderfully skilled musician who had no integrity any day. 

Psalm 4:3 – “Know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself.”

Recently I have been reading an excellent biography on Martin Luther (Here I Stand, Roland H. Bainton, Abingdon Press, ISBN 0-687-16895-3).  The book was first published in 1950 but has seen many reprints since then. This biography is full of interesting facts and quotes from Martin Luther (1483-1546) who was a strong force in the reformation of the church. 

Here is a quote from Luther on preaching.  Luther had a conversation with a discouraged preacher “who complained that preaching was a burden, his sermons were always short and he might better have stayed in his former profession.” Luther responded:

“If Peter and Paul were here, they would scold you because you wish right off to be as accomplished as they.  Crawling is something, even if one is unable to walk.  Do your best.  If you cannot preach an hour, then preach half an hour or a quarter of an hour.  Do not try to imitate other people.  Center on the shortest and simplest points, which are the very heart of the matter, and leave the rest to God.  Look solely to his honor and not to applause.  Pray that God will give you a mouth and to your audience ears. 

I can tell you preaching is not a work of man.  Although I am old [he was forty-eight] and experienced, I am afraid every time I have to preach.  You will most certainly find out three things: first, you will have prepared your sermon as diligently as you know how, and it will slip through your fingers like water; second, you may abandon your outline and God will give you grace.  You will preach your very best.  The audience will be pleased, but you won’t.  And thirdly, when you have been unable in advance to pull anything together, you will preach acceptably both to your hearers and to yourself.  So pray to God and leave all the rest to Him.”  (Here I Stand, Bainton, 273-274)

Wise words on preaching. I would encourage you to find a copy of this book and enjoy reading about the life of one of the great reformers of the sixteenth century.

As a worship leader one of the worst days of leading worship is the day when your voice is not healthy.  Have you ever had a day when you tried to lead worship with little or no voice?  It is extremely difficult.  Because of the importance of the voice the Lord has given us, we should be on our guard to protect our voice.  We should also care enough about the singers that we lead in our choirs and praise teams that we help them to make wise choices when using their voices. 

What are some unhealthy practices that singers should avoid?

• Not enough rest – one of the best ways to treat a tired voice is to get sleep!
• Drinking too little water – keep a water bottle nearby when rehearsing and leading worship.
• Drinking too much caffeine – this is not a good substitute for water – in fact it works the opposite of water by dehydrating you more.
• Smoking – bad for your whole body!
• Eating too much late at night – this can give you acid reflux and damage your vocal cords.
• Failure to vocalize before you begin singing for long periods.  Your voice is like any other part of your body that needs to be warmed up before you start a serious work out.
• Trying to sing louder than your congregation or choir.
• Trying to sing in a loud environment – tame the volume of sound you have on stage – can you hear yourself when you sing at a comfortable vocal volume?
• Singing when your vocal cords are swollen or you have a fever – this is a prime way to do permanent damage to your voice.
• Talking too low in your voice range – this can irritate your voice and cause you to have trouble singing in your upper range.
• Taking drying agents like antihistamines on a regular basis.
• Habits of coughing and clearing the throat.
• Shouting, yelling, screaming, cheering, and excessive loud laughing.

Isn’t it amazing how much abuse our voices can take and still operate?  We need to consider that as worship leaders if we cannot sing, we are headed for major problems.  Let me encourage you to be a good steward of the voice the Lord has given you and consider how you can take care of your voice for many years of service to the Lord.  With the current way you are treating your voice, how do you think it will work in twenty years?  Now is the time to make changes and be a healthy vocalist.