I have decided to shed some light today, on the difference between a worship leader and a psalmist as many don't really understand the distinction there.
I believe that as a worship leader, not understanding the full worship potentials at your disposal, means losing your personal expression; limiting yourself and the flow of the anointing through you.
I will explain shortly. Stay with me :)
To be honest, I myself didn't until a few years back, place much emphasis on it nor did I bother to make the distinction clear to my worship team at church.
Well, I thank God that the need has now arisen for this , after I was recently asked by a sister-friend where the difference Lay between both.
So what does a Worship Leader do?
He/she leads the songs during the Worship time on Sunday, Wednesday night, Friday evening Service or other christian programs. They lead others in expressions of worship in a public setting.
Essentially, they are leading others in the singing of pre-written songs by others, either aided by lyrics displayed on a screen or in a book.
For the most part, the Worship Leader puts together a list of songs to be sung for a worship service. Most of the time, the Worship Leader is singing songs that others have written, due to the fact that it’s easier to lead people in what they have already known and become familiar with. This is very common in African
praise/worship.
The Psalmist
Is one who receives revelations, either in words or mostly as a song (at night or any other odd time) that God gave them, which they then put into music.
I believe that all of us are called, in one way or another, to be Psalmists unto the Lord like David was.
All of us have a sound and a song to release back to the Lord as praise. However, not all of us are going to be called by the Lord to lead others in expressions of worship in a public setting.
The difference.
Most of what the Worship Leader does, is lead others in singing revelations that other people had.
There is nothing wrong in leading songs in this way and have people repeat them, however I do think it is wrong when a Worship Leader and the congregation lean solely on the pre-written songs, to define for them who God is and how they will encounter His nature and character. If we lose our personal discovery because we rely on others to discover it for us, we are missing something that God wants us to discover in a personal way.
Let's bring it all home.
Everyone can be a Psalmist but not a Worship Leader. A Worship Leader must, in addition to their calling, be fully operating in the gifting of a Psalmist. The latter is a must, while the former is a could be...if you're called to it.
Be Blessed
LCH