07 Dec, 2011
Desiring God Interview
Posted by: Bob Kauflin In: —Children|—Leading a Congregation|—Worship and Christ|—Worship and Culture|—Worship and Eschatology|—Worship and Life|Videos
Last month I had the privilege to lead a few songs at John Piper’s Gravity and Gladness seminar, and participate in a Q&A with Dr. Piper. It was somewhat of a surreal experience sitting next to John answering questions about worship. I first heard the audio of John preaching this series around 2000. As I listened to him again I realized how much his message of both knowing and treasuring the supremacy of God’s glory in Christ has affected my thinking. So grateful for the ways God has used John to magnify the glory of Jesus Christ.
After the seminar was over, Jonathan Parnell, content strategist for Desiring God, asked me a few questions related to congregational worship and more. Here’s the hour long video they posted of the interview, along with time markers for the questions.
Time markers:
01:04 — How did you come to Christ and become a worship leader?
04:21 — Tell us about how God brought you through a battle with hopelessness.
07:59 — How should we think about worship as an event and as all of life?
11:35 — What does it mean for worship leaders to be clear and specific?
14:30 — What should we do with songs that don’t explicitly mention Jesus?
17:07 — How do we anticipate the new creation in our worship events?
19:45 — How might worship be different in the new creation?
22:06 — How should we consider the horizontal elements of worship?
24:55 — Why do humans sing?
30:32 — Should we give preference to our voices over the music?
32:27 — What does it mean to sing the gospel to ourselves?
37:57 — What encourages you most about worship in the church today?
38:46 — What adjustments would you make about worship in the church today?
41:58 — How does a church train new members for their worship team?
45:57 — How can we help our children to enjoy the worship event?
48:31 — How should we think about the cultural barriers at work in music?
52:24 — How should worship leaders handle criticism?
57:10 — What’s your favorite song?
