First off, a slight disclaimer: this worship album is actually one my church just released this summer. That being said, I didn’t write any of the songs on the album and I only played on one of them. When the album was actually released I approached it with some trepidation because I had been involved in another worship album project in a church in the past and the result was…well…let’s just say less than professional. Boy was I ever surprised! The team that did all the work on this did an excellent job. The mixes are tight and everything sounds just plain professional.

If you’d like to take a listen to the album, hit up northwake.bandcamp.com. You can stream and listen (for free!) to the entire album there, and you can even purchase it through that site as well as on iTunes and Amazon. And the sheet music is available on the North Wake website.

Now, with all that linkage out of the way, about the album itself. Why do I like it? First and foremost it has a theological depth which many albums today (including many Christian albums) lack. There is centrality of the gospel which permeates the entire album. Connected to that theme is another which is definitely lacking in this day and age: that of the depravity of man and how man could do nothing to save himself – salvation is only accomplished by the grace of God manifested through Christ and his work on the cross (as well as life, resurrection and ascension).

Highlights on the album? My top three songs (after much deliberation) are “Christ Our Savior”, “Yes in Christ”, and “Children of the Free.” The latter of which is an incredible song which grows to this awesome chorus at the end – just listen to it, you won’t regret it. “Christ Our Savior” is a hymn which was redone and is, quite frankly, incredible. There is rarely a dry eye in the place by the time we finish singing it at church. And “Yes in Christ” is a song about the promises of God and how they were fulfilled in Christ – not a subject matter undertaken by songwriters very often.

Other songs of note are “O Christ What Burdens Bowed Thy Head?” which has a very haunting feel to the verses; “Rescue“, a song about how Christ came to rescue us; and “The Depths of Your Love“, which is about how the love of Christ is greater than anything else.

It’s hard not to talk about every song on the album, but since you can listen for free off Bandcamp, I’d highly suggest you just head that way and check out the album. I’m certain you won’t be disappointed.

In Genesis 4 we find the story of Cain and Abel. Every worship leader should meditate on this passage because it is the first recorded act of worship after the fall. The Bible doesn’t detail how they knew they were to make an offering to the Lord, only each of them brought an offering for him. What the passage does emphasize is that Cain and his sacrifice were unacceptable to God. This is why the passage is so important for worship leaders to meditate upon, because it clearly details an act of unacceptable worship.

Note how the Bible emphasizes that both Cain and his offering were unacceptable. My pastor pointed this out this past Sunday, and it was something I had never noticed before. The person is as important as the offering they are making. Note Hebrews 11:4, “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.” (ESV) The author of Hebrews helps us better understand what is going on in Genesis 4 – Abel’s  faith is the key to his accptable worship.

Even at the beginning of the Bible, when men are just beginning to worship the Lord, God is establishing a standard for the worship offered to him. The condition of the heart is what is important to God in worship. But never neglect the understanding that what is done is also just as important as the heart that offers it. Do you really care about worshipping God if you do not take the time to understand what type of worship is acceptable to him?

So what is the difference between a worship leader and a Worship and Arts Pastor (or whatever title is used for yours…)? I think the essential thing to understand is that a ‘worship leader’ is something which every mature Christian is called to be. In one sense, a Worship Leader is the person leading the music and/or directing the service up on stage (whether a full-time, part-time employee, or a volunteer). In another sense, every person on stage is leading the congregation in worship – practically speaking a team of worship leaders.

I’ve heard of churches who plant ‘worship leaders’ in various locations throughout their worship center so that they can encourage/inspire those around them to worship.

I almost tend to think that a worship leader is merely a person who knows how to biblically respond to God and does so. That’s it.

So the difference between a worship leader and a Worship and Arts Pastor? Simply put, a Pastor (any type of pastor), must be a worship leader long before he takes an official staff or ministerial position. In fact, I would propose that every person on the praise team (or up on stage in the sight of the congregation) should be a worship leader in their personal practice.

Every Christian should grow and mature in their walk in such a manner that they can, in effect, lead others – teach others, show others how to – in worship.