Article
From Evaluating to Worshiping: How Pastors Can Still Worship God
We are the worshipers who go first, who set the tone, who show others the way. That’s what all the planning, preparing, and arranging is for.
As a pastor, it is hard not to constantly critique ministry. Whether we are a lead pastor, a solo pastor, or on a large pastoral team, when we enter a church service, we are nearly always “on”—observing, evaluating, anticipating what is next (or what ought to be next). And in fact, this is our job. We are overseers, called to lead. We plan, prepare, and arrange corporate worship for the good of the whole church.
The downside of being “on” is that it often hinders us from being in. We are so intent on the quality and the workings of ministry that we fail to participate in worshiping, which is particularly problematic since pastors are the primary worship leaders. (And no, “worship leader” is not really a musical position–it’s the role of those who lead corporate worship in every aspect.) We are the worshipers who go first, who set the tone, who show others the way. That’s what all the planning, preparing, and arranging is for.
So here are five ways we can invest deeply in worshiping, not merely critiquing.
1. Worship in sermon preparation.
Preparing a sermon is definitely work. It demands deep study, interpretation, distillation, and appropriate application. Factors within the church and broader society influence how it should be preached. We battle comparison even as we benefit from sermons we read or listen to by other (usually more prominent) pastors. And in all this we are attempting to craft a message that faithfully declares the truths of God’s Word and points people to Jesus. Yet somehow, we often struggle to be moved by the very truths we hope will move our listeners. We analyze gospel truths without being affected by them. We consider how so-and-so in the second row needs to hear them without listening closely ourselves. Pastors, we must be prayer preparers, asking that God would stir our hearts with the very truths we are going to proclaim on Sunday. We must meditate on the passage, not merely analyze it. And if our hearts are not moved, we must wrestle with God until He moves them so that we are preaching something we’ve experienced to be true, not just something we know to be true.
2. Remember the calling of other leaders.
Even if you are a solo pastor in a tiny church, you are likely not the only person God is using in your congregation. Many of us have the privilege of sharing leadership responsibilities. So, we must remember that God put those other leaders there; He called them. This means He intends to use them to accomplish His purposes, so let Him. Let yourself be led in welcome, in prayer, in song. If you are able to share the pulpit, trust that God guided the preacher’s preparation and gave him the message you need. God raised your fellow leaders up, so let yourself be led.
3. Receive from other ministries.
If you do not have the benefit of a team around you to receive from this is especially vital, so thank God for the technological advancements that brought us YouTube, podcasts, and email newsletters. Find those two or three ministries, especially preaching ministries, that particularly resonate with you, build you up, and teach you, and make a practice of receiving their sermons. Don’t merely do this to help you write your next sermon; do it on the treadmill or the lawn mower or walking the dog simply to hear the proclaimed gospel of Jesus Christ. You need it constantly, just like your congregants do.
4. Take breaks.
If you are always working on the ministry, when are you in a position to receive? Not only will your mind always be in the details (where the devil is, don’t forget), but you will get exhausted. You need breaks. To the extent you can, share the leadership. If you have no one from your church who can preach, invite trusted pastors from other churches to fill in. (This has the added benefit of developing fondness and unity between churches.) Take a vacation every year. Take a day off every week. We need these rhythms of entrusting the ministry to God and to our fellow saints so that we can be in a position to receive the ministry.
5. Lead in worship.
I’ve said it already, but it bears repeating (like all good and true things)—pastors, we are the lead worshipers. We are not the head of the church, Jesus is. So, we set the pace for following Him. We set the tone for praising Him. We soak in the truth of the gospel so that we can declare it from the heart, not merely the mind. Ultimately, we are receiving the ministry of Jesus and showing others how.
Yes, we want our corporate worship to be excellent, to be undistracting, and to be well thought out. But what matters more is that corporate worship is corporate worship. So we must be recipients. We must be worshipers. And in order to do so we must take reasonable and rigorous steps to guard against the temptation of critique and open ourselves up to the truth and beauty of Jesus.
