Women in Worship by Debbi Barnett Worship Leader December 03, 2006

They are out there in every service, at every Bible study, on our worship teams and in our prayer and cell groups. They could be a friend of yours, or even a stranger. It could be you or me, your husband, boyfriend, your children, aunts, uncles, cousins or your great, great, great grand pappy. The list can go on. They are wherever we lead worship, teach or preach. They are the “wounded,” those who cannot enter fully into the experience of worship. They are wounded so deeply that it hinders them from seeing Him clearly. The severity of pain is on different levels. Some of us have learned to function very well with it, and some of us can’t hide the pain as well. What I am about to say may not apply to everyone, but the coverage reaches deep and wide. A study that we as worship leaders should know and be familiar with is, The Psychology of Worship - Wounds that Hinder.

All of us have issues and dysfunction in our life that we must work through. We need to look at it and deal with it. While it may not be that easy for most of us, we can be aware of it and pray. When we came to Christ, we were saved spiritually and no longer separated from God. But, because of our fallen state, our emotional selves still need an inner healing. Only Christ can truly heal us through and through, and He is faithful to complete everything that concerns us - Spirit, Soul, Mind and Body.

As a worship leader we should be aware that just as we have been brought out of darkness into God’s marvelous light, there are those who have a much darker past than we do. This worship leader included. Some of these issues start way back in childhood. If you are involved with the youth ministry at all, these things are going on now. Some hindrances to worship that affect our congregation’s ability to enter into worship are:

The divorce of parents

Physical or sexual abuse

An alcoholic parent

Abandonment and neglect

Conditional love based on performance

A home filled with strife and disunity

Emotional abuse and harsh and inconsistent discipline

While each of these areas respectfully requires in-depth study, just knowing that these situations exist is sobering enough for me. From within our congregation, we utilize volunteers to fill our various department and ministries. This isn’t even mentioning the musicians and vocalists that serve on our teams and lead worship. I have often wondered why some people cannot get involved during the song service, let alone get involved with people from within the congregation. We are brothers and sisters belonging to one Father. We need to reach out and minister or serve these people. We are to let them know that God is concerned with every area of our lives. We cannot do this if we are hurting inside ourselves.

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naked no more I am always so inspired by your articles, but this one especially. I'm reminded of the words of Brennan Manning in "The Rabbi's Heartbeat"... "Our hearts of stone will be turned to hearts of flesh when we see where others weep." And usually that begi...more Submitted by: Mo Location: Perkins, OK Timing Hello, I am a praise team member in my youth group and although I am probably not the audience you were directing this article at, I want to thank you so much for writing it. During my youth group's last winter retreat, I was talking to a local evang...more Submitted by: Sophie Location: California prayer Thank You for this expression of God's love. Father God, help us to see with eyes of understanding and hearts of compassion for ourselves and those around us, to be sensitive to the wounds that are deep and even hidden. Give us the grace and mercy...more Submitted by: Paula Location: Pennsylvania

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