Some Thoughts on Worship… (by Matt Thomas)

My great friend, Matt, wrote some brief thoughts about worship music on his blog. He was asked by his home church what to look for in a music pastor, and these are just a few of his thoughts. I think this is only a portion of his report, but he did a great job!

A few months ago, a group of people from my home church asked me to write up some things that I felt were important things to look for in Music Minister. This is an excerpt from what I came up with for them (maybe it’ll be helpful to someone):

This is an outline of qualifications and attributes that I feel are essential and important for quality worship leadership in a Christian church. It should be noted that some of this is my personal preference and/or opinion. I will try to differentiate between what is my preference/opinion and what I feel are absolute essentials for this position.

It is important to recognize music as a form of worship not as the only means of worship. Some people simply do not like music, and this dislike should not be equated with a lack of personal worship from that individual. Worship can take the form of giving, praying, serving, fellowshipping, preaching, encouraging, singing, etc., and it should never be equated with or
referred to strictly as the singing of spiritual songs.

Music is an art form (among many art forms) and can be effectively used to lead people to worship God. Other art forms (dance, visual art, drama, etc.) are also effective (and should be encouraged and promoted by the Church) in leading people to worship God, but music seems to predominate among these art forms in Christian churches because it is very relevant to most people’s lives and because it holds a strong place in Church history. It also involves the use of lyrics which are theologically and spiritually sound and foster a focus on and consideration of the gospel.

It is only after this groundwork for worship has been laid that a church can consider the form of musical worship best suited for their congregation. With this in mind I will share my thoughts on musical worship and the hiring of a Minister of Music.

Musical Worship

Musical Worship should have as its focus the glory and worship of God. Any music intended for worship that deviates from this could possibly be counterproductive to the purpose of
the church. Given this, I will list some purposes and priorities of worship through music:
1. The glory and worship of God.
2. The encouragement of the believer.
3. The teaching of spiritual truths to the believer (theology expressed in lyrics).
4. To foster an environment allowing believers and non-believers to be drawn to God (this can be a type of evangelism to non-believers)