LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Reflection Activity #8
Challenges and Pitfalls in Congregational Ministry
Submitted to Dr. Tony Cooper
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
WRSP 421-D01
Congregational Ministry
by
Garrett T Blackburn
Reflection 1: Miller Text
Ultimately and Biblically, the art that we are blessed to create is intended to point
to Jesus, the One who gave these gifts to us in the first place. Miller writes in Chapter 8 of his
book, “Worship leaders, we must aim to make the greatest art that we possibly can to serve the
greatest purpose that we were created for. We must labor to weave words together into a musical
tapestry that makes much of the only One worthy of being made much of.”1 Because God is
incredibly artistic and creative in all that He does, we must do the same as we were created in
His image and are ultimately called by Him to emulate Christ in our walk of faith. Miller also
writes, “The Artist made us artists. And all so that we might reflect the beauty of His character
and the wonder of His story! The art we are blessed to create is all ultimately intended to point to
the Creator.”2
Reflection 2: Whaley Text
The ten principles for leading worship, according to Dr. Whaley within his epilogue are
as follows: Have a Passion for God; Spend Time with God in Private Worship; Focus on the
Purpose and Power of Corporate Worship; Prepare for and Practice Worship with Your Children;
Don’t Try to Impress God (or Anyone Else for That Matter) – Be Yourself; Surround Yourself
with Those Who Enjoy Corporate Worship; Include All of God’s People in Corporate Worship;
Be Willing to Change and Adapt; Do Not Allow the Fear of Man to Control Your Motives for
Corporate Worship; and Enjoy God!3 I believe that out of these ten principles, I have most
achieved spending time with God in private worship. My reasoning behind this is that previously
1 Miller, Stephen. “Chapter 8: We are Artists.” Worship Leaders: We Are Not Rock Stars. Chicago: Moody
Publishers, 2013.
2 Ibid
3 Whaley, Vernon M. “Epilogue.” The Dynamics of Corporate Worship. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001.
in my life I had not had much discipline to spend private time with God, but for the last couple
years I have greatly prioritized this discipline so that I can be a better worship leader not only for
my congregation, but for my family and for myself. The principle I plan to work on fixing is the
principle of surrounding myself with people who enjoy corporate worship. In today’s Christian
world, many people have become tired of the Church or lazy and have fallen into the trap of
comfortability with virtual worship. While virtual worship in and of itself is not the worst thing
in the world in times of necessity, it cannot replace corporate worship. We were made for
community, so I will be working on bringing my friends back to church and getting them more
involved like they used to be before the pandemic.
