The Discipling Worship Leader: How Perceptions Impact the Role of the Worship Leader

Although worship and discipleship are often envisioned as two distinct practices, they share fundamental aspects of spiritual formation. Worship is often restricted to music, emotional expression, and outward performance, while discipleship tends to be associated with intellectual study, biblical knowledge, and structured learning. However, both disciplines encompass holistic contributions to a believer’s spiritual growth. Discipleship extends beyond epistemology; it involves personal transformation. Worship is not merely an experience or the expression of emotions but rather transformative in nature. Both worship and discipleship, however, encompass more than the contemporary church culture often acknowledges. The two-fold research plan combined findings from a survey of church leaders and congregants on their perceptions of worship and discipleship with an analysis of current worship leader positions available in Southern Baptist Convention churches. Findings revealed divergent perceptions and expectations for worship and discipleship among people with differing roles in the congregation. The disconnect between worship and discipleship perceptions was most evident in the roles assumed by music and teaching in the churches, but it may have roots in the fundamental differences between the cognitive (head) and emotive (heart) approaches to spiritual formation in Christianity. It also impacts how people perceive the worship leader's role in Christian growth.