Biggest beef this year at CCF has got to be worship. Worship coordinator, being an external position to CCF committee, has always been kind of a haphazard job. Thus I can't really lay any blame on the coord for the state of worship at CCF. Rather I will address some common misconceptions as to what worship leading is about.
Firstly, it is NOT a time for you to preach. I do appreciate a couple of inspiring words and verses, but when you begin to have entire messages during worship, that's just stupid. The worship leader's "message" at best bores the heck out of people, and more often than not actually confuses the program's message. To top that, every moment you spend spewing your "message" is a moment that you're NOT leading the congregation in worship, which simply means you're not doing you job. We have a pastor/program who will give the message! We don't need yours.
Secondly, in conjunction with "Saying NO", worship leading is NOT easier than bible study leading or small group leading, etc. Just because you can play an instrument or sing DOES NOT make you a worship leader. I am quite frankly tired of kids joining CCF worship just thinking that worship is singing and playing songs, and that just because they've had some musical training (which Chinese kid hasn't?!) they should lead worship.
Worship leading is actually HARDER to do than bible study leading. In a bible study you have 7-8 minds coming together to study the Word. The leader isn't expected to know all the answers, or even to have all the proper questions lined up smoothly. Everyone works together to get the most from the Word. Worship leaders have a MUCH bigger responsibility in creating the atmosphere of worship, because you alone are playing the instruments, you alone are holding the mics and working the amps, no one else is going to come up and share it with you. Not to mention the crowd is no longer 7-8, it's 20-30; and their attention is not longer corporately on the word, it's on YOU.
See the difference? It's not as easy as most think.
Firstly, it is NOT a time for you to preach. I do appreciate a couple of inspiring words and verses, but when you begin to have entire messages during worship, that's just stupid. The worship leader's "message" at best bores the heck out of people, and more often than not actually confuses the program's message. To top that, every moment you spend spewing your "message" is a moment that you're NOT leading the congregation in worship, which simply means you're not doing you job. We have a pastor/program who will give the message! We don't need yours.
Secondly, in conjunction with "Saying NO", worship leading is NOT easier than bible study leading or small group leading, etc. Just because you can play an instrument or sing DOES NOT make you a worship leader. I am quite frankly tired of kids joining CCF worship just thinking that worship is singing and playing songs, and that just because they've had some musical training (which Chinese kid hasn't?!) they should lead worship.
Worship leading is actually HARDER to do than bible study leading. In a bible study you have 7-8 minds coming together to study the Word. The leader isn't expected to know all the answers, or even to have all the proper questions lined up smoothly. Everyone works together to get the most from the Word. Worship leaders have a MUCH bigger responsibility in creating the atmosphere of worship, because you alone are playing the instruments, you alone are holding the mics and working the amps, no one else is going to come up and share it with you. Not to mention the crowd is no longer 7-8, it's 20-30; and their attention is not longer corporately on the word, it's on YOU.
See the difference? It's not as easy as most think.
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