10 Reasons Many Contemporary Christian Worship Leaders Are Spiritually Bankrupt by Joseph Mattera for Charisma News
This article is pertinent in light of the fact that several popular worship leaders have come out in the past year saying they either don’t believe or are considering walking away from the faith. The following generalizations are not meant to imply that all worship leaders and churches behave in this way. This article is a general observation that fits in principle in various expressions of the church. I have also seen many talented worship leaders who love the Lord, worship from their hearts and have a solid walk with the Lord.
One time I ministered to a young man involved in the gospel music scene, and he confided in me that he almost lost his faith because of what he experienced when he went on tour with a band. (He said other gospel music performers regularly propositioned him!)
That being said, as a pastor and trans-local minister for more than three decades, I have come to the conclusion that many involved in Christian worship seem to have a very superficial relationship with the Lord and His Church. (I thank God we have had a strong process for ministry involvement in our local congregation. Because of that, we usually have worship leaders who have a solid walk with the Lord.)
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These are based on my personal observations, not hard data. That said, I write this from the context of one who was a professional musician who served on the worship team of our local church for more than 25 years.
The following are some of the reasons I believe many worship performers are spiritually bankrupt:
- Many are hirelings and not committed members to one church.
I have been shocked and dismayed to see how many large churches just hire out their worship team members, even if they are not committed Christians or committed to their local church. Consequently, when a gifted singer or musician first comes to Christ, they are sucked into a culture of play-for-pay and go where the dollars are, rather than where the Lord is truly leading them.
- Some pastors do not enforce the same standards upon talented singers and musicians.
Some pastors turn the other way when it comes to the immoral or unethical behavior of their most talented musicians and singers. The reason for this is obvious: these performers help draw crowds into their congregation.
- Talented people often get ahead without being deeply rooted in Christ.
Many people in this field find they get promoted, idolized and celebrated in their church merely because of their talent. Consequently, they have a superficial lifestyle and rarely see the need to die to self, seek God, and allow God to penetrate their soul.
