“...have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! ”
The Incarnation of Christ is one of history's most unique, miraculous events. A simple definition of the word incarnation means embodied in flesh. This doctrine can be summed up as the divine act by which the Son of God became a fully enfleshed human, without sin, and lived united in his divine nature and human nature without ceasing to be fully God and fully man. Origen, the Alexandrian theologian, put it this way: God, in Christ, "...was made flesh, although he was God; and being made man, he still remained what he was, namely, God." (1) And what did God do with this en-fleshing? He offered himself as a servant to all. The title of this post may be misleading because, after all, isn't the Incarnation only reserved for the God-man, Christ Jesus? This answer is YES, but there is a leadership principle found in the doctrine of the Incarnation that we, as worship leaders, can learn from. It is the embodied act of Christ-like servanthood.
Lately, I've noticed a pivot in the words and actions of some as they emphasize the art of leading worship above the heart of serving. Their posture is more about leading songs or crafting worship moments on the stage as opposed to the purity of ministry unto the Lord. The zeitgeist of modern worship has subtly moved the needle on the term 'Worship Leader' to the point where the emphasis is more on leadership and not necessarily on worship. Don’t get me wrong; I believe leadership is essential to being a worship leader, but it is not its defining quality. In fact, there can be no Godly leadership if there isn't FIRST an encounter and centeredness in Godly worship. So what is happening is that as the focus shifts from worship to leader, so does the definition and role of a worship leader. Culture (and I include our Christian worship sub-culture in this discussion) has tried to redefine a worship leader outside of its ecclesial context, so instead of being a cynical voice on this issue, I'd love to share my thoughts and help course correct as to what a worship leader should be becoming.
THE CULTURAL WORSHIP LEADER
According to my social media algorithms, I only see one type of worship leader today: someone who can write anthemic-like songs, possesses charisma on stage, is gifted in music, and knows how to read a room. This worship leader shows a desire to lead authentically and even carries a knowledge of the scriptures to use during prime ministry moments. At times, this worship leader can flow in the prophetic and, as a bonus, can use ‘throw back’ church songs to unify all generations.
Am I describing you here? To some people, this is the ultimate aim of being a worship leader, but ONLY doing this sounds more like what I label a Cultural worship leader. A cultural worship leader leads based on the worship milieu of the time. Culture + Christ becomes the standard by which they do ministry. Hear me out - I don't want to knock any of the above descriptions as ungodly; however, at no point was there anything related to embodied, Christ-like service to others. It was very gift/talent-heavy and platform-based. Where, in that description, was there anything about being present with your church congregants after service, discipling your worship team on an ongoing basis, laying hands on someone and praying for them, or even being pastorally present in the joys and pains of others? Where are the incarnational moments of ministry?
While culture would present us an idolization of a worship leader, Christ calls us to a higher understanding of authentic leadership:
“Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.”
Interesting. Not so with you. Hear the Messiah speak to you today about your worship leadership. The way up is the way down. The way out is the way in. The way of leadership is the way of servanthood. We must not get so caught up in leadership that we miss out on true worship and servitude. If not, we will fall prey to the warning given by A.W. Tozer, who wrote, "The church that can't worship must be entertained. And men who can't lead a church to worship must provide the entertainment." (2)
THE INCARNATIONAL WORSHIP LEADER
Instead of being a cultural worship leader, there is another option. A worship leader who emphasizes people over platforms, presence over presentation, servanthood over services, and irrelevance over industry. I call this person an Incarnational worship leader because this is someone who embodies the presence and power of God as a servant to others. It requires an incarnational mentality where you no longer think about how your leadership in a song or moment can influence the crowds but how your worship and service can change the environment. Our performance is not how we will be known amongst others but by how we serve, touch, and are present to people. This is where Godly spirituality takes human shape and ministers in physicality. The Incarnational worship leader is not led by culture but by conviction. Henri J.M. Nowen, in his Reflections on Christian Leadership, writes true words for us to meditate on today: "The leaders of the future will be those who dare to claim their irrelevance in the contemporary world as a divine vocation that allows them to enter into a deep solidarity with the anguish underlying all the glitter of success, and to bring the light of Jesus there." (3)
Being an Incarnational worship leader over a cultural worship leader sounds good, but who’s our example to follow?
CHRIST, THE INCARNATIONAL WORSHIP LEADER
The most remarkable example of Christ as our worship leader was not found in his teaching on worship (John 4), nor in His singing at the end of the Passover meal (Matthew 26:30), but during his example to put on a servant’s apron and wash the feet of his disciples.
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
John 13:3-5 (NIV)
Maundy Thursday (or Holy Thursday as named in other traditions) is the liturgical celebration of foot-washing the saints. Before the Lord’s passion, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, a simple act of servant leadership formed an understanding of what authentic leadership should look like within this new era. The word Maundy comes from the Latin mandatum, meaning command, and this is where we derive the English word mandate. So, in other words, Jesus was not simply giving an example for others to follow. He was laying down an official order on how to live - "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34). It is not by our cultural relevance nor our giftedness that the world will know we are Christians. No, it's our sacrificial love expressed through servitude towards each other. I wonder what our worship leading would look like, what our worship teams could become, and what our worshipping community would see if we took the time to be an Incarnational worship leader just like Jesus?
I have a painting of the Maundy Thursday story centered right behind me in my church office. Every day, when I walk in, I look at that painting and get a fresh reminder of what my aim as a worship leader is supposed to be. Leadership through Servanthood. As Christ says, "...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve..." (Matthew 20:28), so too, I can have that same incarnational mentality. I pray that, today, your heart would lean into becoming an Incarnational worship leader just as Jesus was here on earth.
(1) Thomas C. Oden, Classic Christianity (pg. 268)
(2) https://www.renewingworshipnc.org/quotes-by-tozer/
(3) Henri J.M. Nowen, In the Name of Jesus (pg. 35)