Why Should Worship Leaders Study Theology?
Churches use many titles to describe the person who leads worship in their church — music minister, worship leader, worship pastor, song leader, and choir director are some of the more common ones. Each title tells something about how that church views the musical portions of a worship service — and also something about the job responsibilities the church expects of the person who leads worship.
All the way back to the Old Testament, scripture supports the idea that the leader of the musical portion of worship is not just a song leader but a pastor, with responsibility for the instruction and edification of God’s people (books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, et al). We’ll approach the question in this blog’s title from the perspective that being the worship leader of a church is a pastoral role.
Scripture clearly identifies what the various qualifications of a pastor should be. Following are three:
1 Timothy 3:2 (NIV) — “Now the overseer is to be…able to teach…”
In the middle of Paul’s list of qualifications for a pastor is the ability to be able to teach the word of God. In order to be an effective teacher, a person must first study the subject matter — to understand the nuances, applications, and potential questions about the subject. Teaching is more than just repeating information by rote, it’s the ability to make the material ‘come alive’ for the listener so that the message can take root in the student. The lyrics of the songs used in corporate worship are often remembered longer than the words heard in a sermon — it’s important that those lyrics relate a true interpretation of scripture.
2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV) — “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
Here, Paul is relaying instructions to Timothy to take the knowledge he has gained from Paul and pass it along to the people that Timothy will be serving in his future ministry. Teachers who presented a false message about Christ abounded in Paul’s day, and Timothy would need to be well versed in the truth to be able to refute them. The Greek word used here for ‘divide’ (orthotomeo) has been defined as “to make straight and smooth, to handle aright, to teach the truth directly and correctly” (Strong’s Concordance — emphasis mine). It seems that Paul didn’t want there to be any misinterpretation of the teachings and doctrines that Timothy had learned and would be sharing with others. Song lyrics are instructive — they can impact what we believe about God, and thus should be chosen carefully.
2 Timothy 4:2 (NIV) — “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.”
The motto of the United States Coast Guard is “semper paratus” — this is Latin for the phrase “always ready.” No matter what situation a Guardsman finds himself in — calm seas or hurricane winds — he is to be prepared to do his duty. This preparation requires constant, repetitive practice of those duties. Paul is forewarning Timothy to be prepared for any situation — no matter whether the listeners might be amenable or angry, Timothy was to be ready to testify to the truth of the gospel message. Preparation is especially important when dealing with people who are hostile to your position; it’s challenging to present a convincing argument when facing people who are actively trying to ‘poke holes’ in your message. Preparation — study of the scriptures, learning the truths contained within — allows the speaker to be confident when facing adversity. This is especially important in our modern culture — Paul’s words in verses 3 and 4 of the passage are being lived out today:
“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
People WANT to believe in a message that tells them “you’re OK, God wants you to be happy, He wants you to have all the desires of your heart, He doesn’t want you to suffer, there’s lots of ways to get to heaven, a loving God wouldn’t send anyone to hell, etc.” To be able to stand firm against false teachings, the worship pastor needs to understand the true meaning and application of scripture. This is not just applied in his conversations with individuals inside and outside the church; it has special importance as he plans corporate worship.
Do the words of the songs and prayers chosen for worship match the truth of scripture, and give a correct understanding of the nature of God? Do the elements chosen for worship line up with the beliefs about God that a church (and its denomination) holds? For example — is the determination of who can be saved totally within the realm of God’s direction and control (unconditional election), or does the individual have a part in the salvation process (free will)? The worship pastor needs to know what he (and the church body) believes about the nature and attributes of God, so that songs supporting a church body’s theology can be chosen.
Do you know what you believe about God, and can you explain why you believe it? The worship pastor will be called upon to explain and defend his beliefs — both “in season and out of season” (when you expect a challenge, and when you don’t!). Study His word, so that you can always “be prepared” to give an answer.
