Outsourcing Your Worship Leader

Posted on November 09, 2009
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(34) comments

Tim Stevens had a great post about outsourcing worship leaders this morning at his LeadingSmart.com website. What do you think?

Tim recently meet with a church leader from Mississippi that temporarily hired worship leaders to come in to help them out after their worship leader left for another job. It worked out so well, that the church decided to 'permanently hire temporary worship leaders'. They have settled on four or five leaders that they bring in on a weekly basis. According to Tim, here are some of the advantages this church leader told him about this approach:

Many worship leaders don't enjoy building teams, managing budgets or organizing departments. They just love to lead worship. This strategy let's them stay in their sweet spot.
This decision saves money for the church. He is able to pay them really well for a weekend and still save enough money in the church budget to use toward another staff position.
They love the variety that this brings to their church. Keeping things unpredictable is a plus, says Jeff, to keeping people's attention.
They have learned so much from these worship leaders that they wouldn't have learned from one person.

What do you think? Has you church ever hired in a worship leader to fill in, or on a semi-consistent basis? Do you think this new way of 'outsourcing' worship leaders is one that would/could work in your church? What would be the downsides?

You can read more of Tim's post here at LeadingSmart.com.

Todd

Comments

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michael on Mon, November 09, 2009

the senior pastor is the primary worship leader.

one reason that too many church members think that worship is just music is that we’ve delegated all things worship to the guy with the guitar.

my two cents.
Steven Crutchfield on Tue, November 10, 2009

CS…my “everything is wrong with the way everyone does everything” friend….sorry, for any confusion…don’t suppose anything…you say I’m crossing things…ok, well keep reading…i think they work together…and I’m not sure that anyone has submitted themselves to your ideas of “NO No’s”.

I’m simply telling you and other readers about a TRUE story. A story that has changed 1,000’s of lives. A story that lifts up the name of Jesus Christ and His redemptive work on the cross. A story that infringes on your understanding of the role of the church and how things should properly be done. Your inability to except it does not make it wrong. We are the church…it is the responsibility of the church…us…individuals….to lift up the name of Jesus and evangelize. Some ministries do both during their services….that’s NOT wrong. Jesus came that we might have life…..so, unbutton your collar, take a drink and give some out!!!
Do you really have a problem with this amazing pastor i’m speaking of….coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in the manner I described?
Michael Madeleine on Tue, November 10, 2009

Outsourcing is something every church should look at. From time to time, and for whatever reason, churches near people to “fill-in” or help establish, or transition, a church body to accomplish their goals, be it in the pulpit, worship, teaching, etc.. There are called people waiting to use their god-given calling but usually without a place to hone their ministry. How else can one stand in the pulpit without having stood in the pulpit? leading worship, except they lead worship? teach except they head a class? People seem to be ever learning but never graduating.
Peter Hamm on Tue, November 10, 2009

here’s my take-away today from this “out-sourcing” thought. I wonder if I couldn’t more intentionally out-source myself to other churches to promote unity and all that…

How cool would that be?
CS on Tue, November 10, 2009

Steven Crutchfield:

“i think they work together…”

If you could, please demonstrate biblically the wisdom of having unsaved people acting in roles that are typically reserved for Christians within the church.

“Do you really have a problem with this amazing pastor i’m speaking of….coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in the manner I described? “

I rejoice whenever anyone comes to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. What may be the way one man gets saved, though, is not prescriptive for everyone. For example, if a man gets saved by nearly getting run over by an 18-wheeler, you wouldn’t line people up by the side of the highway to push them into traffic.

—
CS
Leonard on Tue, November 10, 2009

Steven, people come to Christ in all sorts of way, the Holy Spirit is AWESOME!!!! But the bible also says that those who lead should not be new converts.

I have no problem with unbelievers serving in several capacities at my church, but I would not like them to be on stage, leading people to worship.

You cite a story, can you give details as to when and where this took place? That would be great.

Evangelism and Eccleseology cannot be separated since it is one of the primary roles of the church to evangelize. Read Ephesians 3. Read Acts. Simple and straight forward.

However, with that said, I do not build services for the lost, but rather to equip the believers. I find consistently that when we worship God by speaking his word and through songs in authenticity and in the language of the 21st century, people get saved.
CS on Tue, November 10, 2009

Leonard:

“I have no problem with unbelievers serving in several capacities at my church, but I would not like them to be on stage, leading people to worship.”

In what areas would you have them serve?

“Evangelism and Eccleseology cannot be separated since it is one of the primary roles of the church to evangelize. Read Ephesians 3. Read Acts. Simple and straight forward.”

Right, but the primary purpose of Sunday worship is not evangelism, but the gathering of believers together to glorify God (Hebrews 10:24-25). And putting unbelievers into roles within the church to serve and then hopefully get saved seems like a blatant no-no.

—
CS
Steven Crutchfield on Tue, November 10, 2009

Alright guys….C.S. there may not be loads of “Biblical Wisdom” permeating from the decision, but my only point was that if you were in a place where it was your only option…as in this instance….where Pastor Zhenya Kasevich, in Kiev Ukraine, happened to start playing at this church plant before he knew Jesus….now, he is the pastor. I would never RECOMMEND it as a “common practice”, but my only point, C.S., is that sometimes things do not make sense and we can’t say NO to everyone and every situation just because we don’t like it….or find no “history” of it….it doesn’t make it wrong….there is no Biblical recording of a church having multiple services to reach thousands, but it works really well…

All I’m saying and all I will ever say…..there are some areas we can be flexible in…except for the Gospel of Jesus Christ….I would never have a “non-christian” leading worship….but playing an instrument?.....maybe, if that was my only option…
JOB on Tue, November 10, 2009

“All I’m saying and all I will ever say…..there are some areas we can be flexible in…except for the Gospel of Jesus Christ”

The Gospel of Jesus Christ isn’t just a message but is reliant of the method it’s delivered. For example: Saying Jesus loves you is part of the message of the gospel. But saying Jesus loves you while smoking a joint well it clouds (no pun intended) the message. The example maybe extreme but I think it makes my point. You can’t seperate the methods and the message.

So I would ask if we allow non-believers to play in the music band or greet people at the doors what message are we making about the gospel? The qualifications just to serve and wait tables were quite high in the book of Acts, the apostles weren’t looking for anyone with a “servants heart”.
CS on Tue, November 10, 2009

Steven Crutchfield:

“there is no Biblical recording of a church having multiple services to reach thousands, but it works really well…”

You’re mixing adiaphoron with legitimate, biblical concerns. Things like style of music, pews versus chairs, number of services, and use of technology or buildings are all adiaphoron. They are at the discretion of the local church and neither permitted nor prohibited by Scripture. Who serves in what capacity is a bigger deal.

Assuming that there is a worship pastor, those who serve underneath him in the church would most likely qualify in biblical terms as, “deacons,” who were appointed to help serve. One of the qualifications for being a deacon is, “holding the mystery of faith in a pure conscience.” Given that the unsaved cannot do this, they do not meet the requirements of being deacon, and therefore should not operate in serving functions.

Another reason why they shouldn’t is because it could cause believers to stumble. If the unsaved live as the unsaved do in a continuing lifestyle of sin, unrepentant and not convicted of their sins, then that is welcoming that into the church and acquiescing to it. This could cause Christians in the church to stumble if they then learn that Joe, playing guitar, also goes pub crawling, lives with his girlfriend, and jams on Friday nights at seedy clubs.

I refer back to Nadab and Abihu once more. They offered false fire to the Lord. Perhaps they didn’t have a, “history,” to refer to, or said to themselves, “maybe we don’t have any other options,” but they were killed because they did not regard the holiness of the Lord. And we should really learn from them in how we apply their story to the way we operate churches nowadays. Which means that the unsaved, as a general rule, should not be serving in churches, including in worship.

—
CS
Peter Hamm on Tue, November 10, 2009

Can of worms officially opened… whew it stinks in here…

My worship band gets together to worship God even when they rehearse. If somebody wants to be part of that team but doesn’t follow Jesus (yet), I will not turn them away, since I think that some who do say they follow Jesus don’t really yet, either.

That said, somebody is going to end up really uncomfortable at my worship rehearsals, I think, if they don’t follow Christ. I have to think that God might be working on them. I just am not willing to judge someone’s motives at that point. Fact is, how do I know somebody’s faith is really truly genuine. I have six worship teams at two sites, it’s pretty hard for me to be “in those people’s lives” to be sure about the state of any of them.

Now, my leaders are another story. I count them as close friends, I have ongoing close contact with them and have a good idea about their heart. I will not only not have somebody leading one of those teams who I don’t KNOW follows Jesus… they must also be, by extension of their position, in some kind of relationship with me.

Those who say that the person serving in any capacity in the church must be Christian believers… I gotta ask… that’s a LOT of people serving in even a medium-sized church… how do you know…? You don’t.

Now, if somebody’s a notorious sinner (yeah, we all are, but you get where I’m going with this), say the town drug dealer or something, then to protect the integrity of the church in the world, it would be prudent to encourage that person to not be involved in Christian service… but to say you have to know that all who are serving in your church are known Christ-followers opens a very very potentially dangerous can of worms.
Steven Crutchfield on Tue, November 10, 2009

C.S…..love ya man…thanks for being you….i agree with you in regards to “as a general rule”....I’ve also already said that as my point….but the fact remains that general rules don’t ALWAYS apply…and when we make choices to do things differently and God’s redemptive work is not compromised, but furthered….that’s good right?

JOB…. “you can’t separate the methods and the message”....
??????? Dude, methods always change…...hello…we’re communicating through someone’s BLOG!
JOB on Tue, November 10, 2009

You know what, there reallly isn’t a difference, everyone has a TV and Internet, you know what I think we should do is just pick three or four of our favorite preachers according to out theological longings, get their teaching on TV or the internet everyweek. If we have the need for fellowship get a webcam and enter a chat room. Worship? Israel Houghton and Hillsonfg rock, $10 CD’s. Do we still need to give? for what? how much does it cost to make a video stream? SO all our money can go to the poor. We never need to darken the door of a church again. Expensive buildings are gone, why do we need 10,000 pastors accross the country getting and their salaries. Same message, right?
Steven Crutchfield on Tue, November 10, 2009

JOB…buddy….have no clue what you just said…..but our church does have an online campus…if you want to jump in and chat sometimes…feel free at http://celebration.org
CS on Tue, November 10, 2009

Steven Crutchfield:

“and when we make choices to do things differently and God’s redemptive work is not compromised, but furthered….that’s good right?”

Are the, “choices to do things differently,” in line with Scripture? If so, go for it. If not, this mutates into pragmatism. That sort of, “means to an end,” mentality is one with which I cannot agree.

—
CS