When I was called to the ministry, I told the Lord I would go but I would never lead praise and worship. It just so happened that in my first church, you guessed it, I had to lead praise and worship. Not only in my first church but in the second church and I have been leading a praise and worship team for at least a year and a half now. I think it is funny how God will lead us down paths that we don’t necessarily want to go.

If you know anything about music ministry, you will know that there are a lot of big egos that come with the territory. When I first started in the ministry, in the late 1980’s, some music ministry leaders were calling themselves, “psalmists”. I found that most of them were on a huge ego trip. Oh sure, they acted like they were broken spirits, only wanting to be the humble and meek servants that Christ had called but in fact, they were the flakes that try to take the lead in everything and try to usurp all power and authority in a church. Many a church split has been orchestrated by such believers.

Recently, I have been receiving emails from a gentleman who led praise and worship teams for at least twenty five years, or so he says. He played on our worship team and every time our team would get together, he would remind us how he had been a praise and worship leader for many years and that he has so much experience that everyone needs to learn from him. Yet, in his last emailed devotional, he states, “Talents are worthless, schooling, degrees, great performances, lead parts... they are meaningless in the face of Christ.” He also asks, “Worship leader, are you the genuine article? Is who you are while leading who you are at home, and at work, and at play? Is your worship leadership genuine, or just for the display?”

This man had leaders in our group convinced that he was the one that needed to lead praise and worship because of his experience. Granted, he could play the piano and guitar well but when he led praise and worship, no one could follow him. It was almost as if he was there to prove something to someone, maybe even to himself. I had him lead praise and worship about four times. Each and every time, it was a train wreck.

His email devotionals wreak of hypocrisy. The ministry for which I lead praise and worship is a recovery program. When this man first came to our group, he had been caught in a thirty year life of sin. For thirty years, he had been practicing sexual infidelity.

Yes, God can heal people and help them walk free of sin. We see it every week. But when a “minister” is involved in a lifelong habit of cheating on his wife, there is a major problem. In many churches, when a person has committed this sin, they can never be in ministry again. I don’t necessarily agree with that. I believe that when that person seeks help and finds it, God can restore him/her to the ministry. But, this is not something that happens in just a few days or even a few weeks.

One popular, well known minister, was caught in a homosexual relationship. He stepped down from the ministry (his own) and three months later declared himself free from his sin and he restored himself to the ministry. Another, more well known minister, caught twice in the same sexual indiscretion, cried out to God on national television for forgiveness. The denomination to which he belonged has a program to restore ministers that fall into sexual sin. The first thing they do is take that minister out of his/her ministry and place seasoned and tried ministers over that ministry to keep it going. Then they work with that fallen minister through counseling and other methods. After a minimum of one year, if that pastor has shown remorse and has repented and has done what has been required of him/her, then the denomination will allow them to fill limited roles in ministry like teaching Sunday School, etc. If, after two years, that minister has shown a true heart of repentance the denomination can restore them back to the ministry.

The last minister of which I spoke, gave more money to this certain denomination than anyone else. I wondered what they would do when his sin was exposed. Would they “let him slide” since he was such a big giver or would they require of him what they would require of any other minister? The denomination required that the minister step down. Instead of doing so, citing that he was afraid his ministry would fall without him, he resigned his ordination through them and went on his own. How sad!

As for the man that played with our praise and worship team, there is a reason he is not in a music ministry now. That reason is sin. He needs a time of healing and counseling to find out why he has had a life full of sexual sin. He does not need to be “leading” people in worship ministry because it is “all about him”. He does not need to be writing online devotionals until he can find true healing himself. What he says is true but he has not been able to exhibit that he can live what he writes. He also tries to elevate the music ministry to more than it should be with his flowery, colorful words. Be very careful of what you read and know who is writing it.

1 Thessalonians 5:12

And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;