I have worked with worship leaders for many years. Over these years, I have noticed that there are (how to say this?) four types—tribes, perhaps—that fit almost every worship leader.
What are these four types? They are
(a) The Artist-in-Residence/Singer-Songwriter,
(b) The Music Educator,
(c) The Liturgical Wanna-be, and
(d) The Future Senior Pastor.
What type are you? Take my simple (nine-question) quiz and find out! Each of the answers below (a, b, c, d) fit the four types of worship leaders above. Enjoy!
1. Where did you receive your training?
a. From youtube videos, an awesome conference, and I worked some things out with friends
b. From an accredited institution who taught me about how different people learn
c. From some old books that haven’t been checked out of my library in a long time
d. From a seminary
2. Where did you find the last few songs you have taught your church?
a. I wrote them, mostly
b. I have several subscriptions to ministries who send me their latest worship resources
c. The text was originally part of Bishop Osmund’s "Use of Sarum"! Isn’t that cool?!?
d. The Trinity Hymnal (either the 1960 or 1991 versions)
3. What type of feedback do people provide about your worship leading?
a. Everything from “I’m bringing my friends next week” to “Is that a real tatoo?”
b. Everything from “It’s so wonderful to see so many people on the platform” to “we’re not going to force our son to sing in your children’s choir anymore.”
c. Everything from “It’s so wonderful learn about the historical roots of our faith” to “Sometimes it seems like this church is just going through the motions.”
d. Everything from “I love to sing a song that has so much theology in it” to “How would you explain the lyric about propitiation to my four-year old?”
4. What type of relationship do you have with your senior pastor?
a. We’re good friends, as long as he doesn’t preach too long.
b. We’re good friends, as long as he doesn’t change the topic of his sermon.
c. We’re good friends, as long as he observes the Liturgical Calendar.
d. We’re good friends, as long as he lets me preach a couple of times a year.
5. What type of musician is involved in your ministry?
a. My band is made up of some of the most intimate members of my community.
b. Our church welcomes musicians of every level and works to help them grow their gifts.
c. The truth is that the voice of the congregation is the primary musician, as we follow the true worship leader who is Christ.
d. True, we don’t have the best musicians, but each one of them serve as a community group leader in our church.
6. What was your major budgetary expense last year?
a. We purchased a bunch of new recording gear.
b. A new set of timpani—the Adams Philharmonic Classics (20”, 23”, 26”, 29” and 32”) with the Super Kalfo head and the ratchet and pawl mechanism! They don’t have wheels, so we’re going to leave them where they are.
c. I don’t understand the question.
d. We sent several of our key staff and volunteers to a conference to learn about a deeper theology of worship.
7. What’s the problem with churches today when it comes to worship?
a. The church music is out of touch with the music real people actually listen to.
b. There’s a lot of poor musicianship.
c. It’s a showcase for ego and personality which leads people toward consumption rather than participation.
d. There’s a troubling lack of theology. You might go for months without singing the truth about Christ’s ascended role of mediation for his church.
8. If you could sit down with anyone from Church history and ask questions of anyone about worship, who would it be?
a. I don’t know.
b. Lowell Mason!!
c. Alexander Schmemann.
d. Probably John Calvin.
9. What is your favorite worship song?
a. I’m working on one right now that is really blessing me
b. There’s this version of “Jesus Loves Me,” but it’s sung in five languages and interpreted in American Sign Language.
c. I’ve been singing Taizé songs along with some internet videos.
d. Anything that celebrates the full picture of the gospel, like “In Christ Alone.”
Thanks for reading!
This is a great article/survey. I'll share this with students!