Alabama Baptist worship leaders received a checkup on their attitudes and actions during the Healthy Leaders, Healthy Churches conference March 8–9.
Wendell Boertje, who is minister of music at Central Baptist Church, Bearden, in Knoxville, Tenn., said healthy worship benefits both worshipers and the church.
He explored this theme during four breakout sessions, beginning by looking at emotional strength and health in worship.
Boertje said there are five disciplines to follow during worship: thankfulness, praise, sacrifice, service and submission.
Following these disciplines can foster the growth of spiritual and worship qualities in worship leaders. These emerge in a progressive order, Boertje said. He added that actions sometimes precede the will to act but will lead to an internalization of these qualities of worship.
The first quality is reverence, which means showing respect by walking in the ways of God. “How can we worship truly a God we have no reverence for?” Boertje asked.
That reverence will lead to a sense of humility in leading worship. Quoting from Isaiah 42:8, Boertje said God will not share His glory, and pride on the part of a worship leader is an affront to God.
Once humility is developed, it leads to a sense of the need for holiness and purity. “Of all the spiritual qualities of a healthy worship leader, humility, holiness and purity have to be the hardest,” Boertje said. But “a life of humility and purity leads to a life of intimacy with our Lord.”
Through intimacy with God comes an increased faith. “Faith in the life of a worship leader indicates expectancy,” Boertje said. “I don’t depend on myself as a healthy worship leader, it all depends on God.”
He said as all of these qualities develop, they are drawing worship leaders into a closer relationship with God. “We give Him humility, intimacy and faith and He gives back joy,” Boertje said. “In worship, faith and joy find expression.”
Boertje also gave a checklist for worship leaders of elements common to all worship experiences.
1. Focus on God and not achieving an experience.
2. Be sincere, open and honest with Him.
3. Give your best and do so because you love Him.
4. Look beyond events and experiences to see God and the work He has for you to do.
5. Be willing to pay the price to get to know God better.
6. Realize that the wonder of God must excite and humble the worship leader and worshipers.
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