The many faces of a worship leader.
I play bass in a worship team. I do not stand up front and sing. I am not a “worship leader” by traditional belief. But, I am a worship leader.
I’ve met so many worship leaders that did not know they were leading people into worship. The term worship leader is used in such a strict context that not even other musicians in the band aren’t recognised as worship leaders, other than the front man/woman.
I’ve heard pastors teach (and I agree) that everybody is a pastor. I believe that everybody is a worship leader. It isn’t too difficult. If you cause someone to worship, you are a worship leader. If you give a poor man a meal and he says “Praise God” you caused him to worship - you worship leader!
A man in my church has a HUGE collection of worship CD’s and he lends them out to the congregation to listen to for about a week. I’ve heard people come back the following Sunday and thank him because they played the CD in their car and had an awesome time of worship that past week.
I went up to him and told him that he is a worship leader. He didn’t know it. Him giving out his CD’s was causing the people to play them and worship - Worship Leader.
My wife, the other day woke me up at 6 in the morning and asked if we could worship. She was my worship leader then and continues to be one.
The church is sometimes bound by terminology which doesn’t help with empowering it’s people.
Pay attention to the people around you, see how they are affecting you and others and causing them to worship. Empower them, encourage them. Let them continue do what they were doing, but conscious of the fact that they are worship leaders. That is empowering, at the very basic level.