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I'd juggled my schedule to arrive at the conference a day early because this church had a reputation for great praise. It was Wednesday evening worship, and my anticipation was running high.
I didn't recognize the worship leader who took the platform, but found a seat in the third row.
The fellow was good, but I was disappointed right away. Let me explain. We all have influences, but this guy was going OUT OF HIS WAY to sound like David Ruis ("Sweet Wind," "Every Move," etc.). I supposed that early on someone told him he sounded like David, and from there, he went on to pick up David's keyboard style. And finally David's entire repertoire.
I'm sorry, but it was like having a Vineyard Elvis impersonator lead worship. He was talented, but...the whole thing just smacked of...well, dishonesty.
We'll return to this in a just a bit.
Creativity guru Todd Henry says, "cover bands don't change the world," and I believe him. We live on a planet that's awash in copycats and is always listening for an authentic voice.
At any county fair you can hear a group sing, play and look like The Beatles, but those mop-tops will never be the Fab Four. A guy with a microphone may sing circles around Sting, but "Roxanne" will always be a Police matter. When it comes to creative expression, cover bands are good entertainment, but are generally deep as a birdbath. Worse, a cover-band-culture quenches the fire of an artist. The individual who reaches down into his soul - with fear and trembling - to find an authentic voice is not usually very enthusiastic about Karaoke night.
What does this have to do with worship leaders? A lot.
Genuine worshipers are forever staggering from straight shots of a 200 proof encounter with the Living God. While reeling from this blast of His holiness and amazing grace, they cannot help but blurt out pure praise! Listen to the Spirit of God: "You are...His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." "He has placed a new song in my mouth; many will see and fear and put their trust in Him." (1 Pt. 2:9, Ps. 42)
Psalmist, you've been redeemed from the pit of darkness to proclaim God's praises in a fresh, creative way: with a new song.
Many churches have constructed model worship ministries, with the classic definition of a model: "a small imitation of the real thing." A praise cover-band. On the surface, such models may delight the masses and fill the coffers, but redeemed artists owe the Lord more than a praise-veneer. People may form a queue to marvel at the outward appearance, but in God's Louvre, the heart is on display.
It's right to honor and learn from the gifted mentors He's provided, but it's something much less to imitate those mentors. If Handel had simply imitated Lampe, our churches might never have thundered with the "Hallelujah Chorus!" Of what might our children be robbed, Saint, if you are content to simply recreate Chris Tomlin's cool arrangements or recycle U2 riffs?
Please don't misunderstand; I'm not suggesting our praise teams should offer only original praise-songs. This call is for something more radical: we need to marinade our hearts in God's Word and the very best of the arts on this planet. When we are cut, we should bleed Biblical praise. Regardless of whether our songs were written by Paul Baloche, Stuart Townend, Fanny Crosby or YOU, our declaration of God's glory ought to brim with the same rich creativity and honest expression.
That kind of authentic praise is contagious; congregations will catch it.
And that brings me back to the story about our David Ruis wannabe. Sometime around the fourth song in the set, a sobering realization hit me: this fellow had an extremely good excuse for sounding like David Ruis.
He WAS David Ruis. Oops.
The humble servant/worship leader had apparently asked not to be introduced that night; he'd taken the platform quietly and began leading the congregation in worship.
After a moment of appropriate repentance for my judgmental spirit, I immersed myself in a powerful time of praise. Part of my adoration was fueled by a fresh appreciation for the authentic, creative expressions this man was bringing into the room; David used his one-of-a-kind gifts to usher a congregation into the presence of God, and we went home transformed by the encounter.
No, a cover band - or a model worship leader – probably won’t change the world. But the Real Thing just might get the job done. | 
