Editor ’ s Note : Our friends at MultiTracks sent us this insightful conversation to share with our readers .
Zach Neese is a worship pastor at Gateway Church , overseeing all areas of worship education including discipleship and worship training classes . Zach believes there is a difference between " leading worship " and pastoring people in the presence of God , and his leadership reflects his passion for helping people develop vibrant , transformational relationships with Jesus .
Our Gospel Brand Manager and Grammyaward winning producer Chris Baker sat down with Zach to speak on the effect his compelling book How to Worship a King ( 2012 ) has had on worship teams across the world . Zach encourages us to not prioritize engagement over transformation when leading our congregations and declares that : " Worship isn ’ t something we do — it ’ s who we are .”
[ Chris Baker ] Zach , man , how are you doing ?
[ Zach Neese ] I ’ m doing great , Chris . It ’ s good to be with you . I ’ m excited about this .
[ Chris ] Listen , I want to tell you your book “ How To Worship a King ” has been a game changer for me . It recalibrated me . It took me back to my “ why .” And as a worship pastor sometimes we can get so bogged down with what we are doing that we sometimes forget why we are doing it . We can get so busy doing the work that we forget the God of the work . And I love how your book re-centers us . Thank you for writing this book .
I want to ask you a very simple question , and I want to start here because somehow we have mystified and made worship so complicated . I want to ask you Zach , what is worship and why is it essential ?
[ Zach ] Worship is to love the Lord your God with all your heart , mind , soul , and strength . That is the bottom line . I think Jesus defined it best . The reason it ’ s essential is because every meaningful Christian endeavor is birthed in worship , is sustained in worship , and produces worship . That means everything that I do in Christianity that means anything , that matters , if I ’ m an evangelist , I ’ m a worshipper first and that ’ s why I evangelize . If I ’ m a preacher , I ’ m a worshipper first and that ’ s why I preach . If that ’ s the “ why ” then what happens is when you preach , you produce worship in other people . Right ? That ’ s the calling of the church . The calling of the church is to prepare worshipping people for the Lord . That ’ s what a disciple is .
Chris Baker Zach Neese
[ Chris ] It is extremely important . Worship is a lifestyle . It ’ s not something we do , it ’ s who we are . I love in your book , you start to talk about our identity and our role as it pertains to worshippers . I love what you said with this