Search for “worship” on Amazon and you’ll get a list of more than 44,000 books. I suspect a majority of those have been published in the last fifteen years. We’ve experienced a revival of interest in the concept of worship over the last few decades. And it’s been a great discussion for the church.
A central theme has been to broaden the definition. “Worship is more than music” is a familiar theme. I think this is a good correction. Conference speakers exhort us to expand our vision of worship beyond the songs we sing at church. Books and blogs encourage us to see worship as a lifestyle, not a Sunday morning event. Overall, it’s been a biblical realignment of our idea of worship.
But let me ask you: when you hear the title, “Worship Pastor,” what assumptions do you make? In my mind, “Worship Pastor” is still synonymous with “Music Minister.”
How about “Worship Leader?” Isn’t this still a musical role in most churches?
When you attend a “Worship Conference,” don’t you expect to learn about leading a band and using Powerpoint lyrics?
When you visit a website called DiscoverWorship.com, aren’t you looking for musical resources?
I don’t think these are just my assumptions. A worship pastor is the person who oversees the music. A worship conference will be primarily focused on music. DiscoverWorship.com does offer music. Somehow, after thousands of books and years of good discussion, the brave new definition of worship still hasn’t permeated. Outside of those discussions, the word “worship” still equals music, even for those of us who’ve read all the right books.
Maybe I’ve over-generalized here. Maybe these labels aren’t an issue.
But I can’t help but think that, if we’ve truly revolutionized our definition of worship, these labels would be the first thing to change.
Any thoughts?