Think ahead to this coming Sunday. Picture yourself stood in front of those you regular-ly lead in singing. Looking around at the faces, you’ll soon become aware of the deep and diverse spiritual needs in the room.
There are those brimming with whole-hearted devotion next to those who are spiritually dry, relieved to have made it to the oasis of fellowship with God and His people. Standing with them are still others who would rather be anywhere else in the world. Some feel too sinful to approach a holy God; others don’t think He’s there at all. Some are just hurting: aware of those who should be here and aren’t, or just weighed down with the scars and hurts of this life. Many are distracted: anxious about every-thing from Sunday lunch to failing finances and devastating diagnoses. All are sinners, like you and me. And all of us need to be shepherded with God’s word.
The goal of leading
Our task as music leaders is one of min-istering the gospel to all of these people as we let God’s word dwell richly in hearts and minds (Colossians 3:16). Our goal is that all would behold Christ, and so be transformed into His likeness in the power of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). It’s a ministry of a pas-toral nature as we lead people to Christ and His work in His word. Under Christ and the authority of our church minister, we who lead sung worship have a pastoral duty to care for God’s people in what we sing and how we sing. We’re ministers of God’s word, through which God strengthens struggling saints, corrects, rebukes and encourages, and breathes new life into dead souls.
