Trinitarian Worship — all Three, or not all three, that is the question!
As a worship leader, at times I serve as a pastor, minister, servant, musician, counselor, team leader, administrator, teacher, as well as other roles. Each of these functions are critical in our positions, but one function that is less associated with worship is the position of a theologian. When we view ourselves as shepherds of a flock, we will expand our influence from mere music leaders and step into a more fulfilling role as a worship pastor.
When it comes to teaching our flock the doctrine of Scripture, one of the crucial theological concepts is that of the Trinity. As worship pastors, we must see this confusing, and somewhat ambiguous subject, as truth that we must seek to explain and highlight in a worship service. Oh, it would be easier to just stick to singing about Jesus and His name, how He came, to take our blame, and remove our shame (feel a song coming on? :). Although these statements are true and we should celebrate them, we can go deeper when it comes to who God is and how He is known through His three persons.
Let’s quickly look at three ways that trinitarian worship is not only healthy for our church, but part of our role as worship pastors.
- Trinitarian worship teaches the congregation important theology.
Different denominations at times seem to focus on one of the three persons of the trinity. Depending on how you grew up, you probably feel more comfortable with understanding either the majesty of the creator God, Jesus Christ the Son and His story, or the Holy Spirit and His power and active movement in the church. However, only focusing on one or two, and not giving adequate time and focus to each of the three persons of God is not painting a full picture of who God is. A good honest question for us to ask ourselves as worship pastors is, “Am I avoiding teaching, singing, or explaining a certain person of the trinity because I am personally lacking clarity?” If this is true, don’t lose heart! We all feel inadequate at times. However, I urge you to dig deeper so that you might multiply your desire to learn with your congregation.
2. Trinitarian worship expands our understanding of the individual persons of the trinity.
As I grew up in the church, I found it difficult to understand the different roles of the Trinity and how they affect my personal life on a daily basis. I fear too many people believe that we sing or tell God’s attributes along with His wrath and judgement, praise Jesus for what He’s done for us, and ask the Holy Spirit to help and guide. Again, although these are not false understandings, they certainly are not complete. We must expand our knowledge of the trinitarian roles and characteristics and when we do, it affects and feeds our worship in rich and powerful ways.
3. Trinitarian worship celebrates the full gospel story.
When we only worship and praise God the Father, we are missing that God gave Jesus as an act of love to us. When we only sing of Jesus and how He our friend and Savior, we can miss the wonder and power in the active role of the Holy Spirit. We need all three to understand the full Gospel story. All three have powerful roles, all three have a history, all three are active in our lives every day, and all three are part of our future. As worship leaders, we must sing, teach, and train about each person so we are not leaving out important pieces of the life-changing gospel.
