Worship Team or Songleader?

At his blog, Worship Matters, Bob Kauflin, director of worship development for Sovereign Grace Ministries, gives five possible benefits to group-led worship:

1. Modeling Expressiveness. The Psalms encourage an unhindered, genuine, physical response to God in public praise that includes clapping, bowing down, dancing, standing in awe, lifting hands, and singing enthusiastically. . . . Having different vocalists model such expression can be an encouragement to a congregation to do the same. . . .
2. Unity in Diversity. Three or four people can more effectively models the “one body with many parts” aspect of the church. . . .
3. Musical Harmony. Vocalists can add variety and depth to congregational singing through the purposeful use of harmony and vocal fills. . . . Harmony can add depth, variety, beauty, and focus to certain lines or sections of a song. . . .
4. Authenticity. I don’t mean more authentic worship, but a more authentic musical style. For churches that use more contemporary styles of music, a vocal team is able to more accurately capture and communicate the emotional language of that genre. . . .
5. Greater Involvement. Using a vocal team can make room for more people to serve and bless the church with their musical gifts. That’s assuming, of course, that you’re not already using a choir. . . .

Bob closes with this warning, “If you do use a worship team, make sure they differentiate themselves from the performance-oriented, self-exalting culture of our day through demonstrating humility, joy, and a servant heart.”

Read the whole post.

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