Rowing in the Same Direction at the Same Time: Towards a Unified Approach to Worship and Teaching from the Book of 1 Corinthians

If you have ever had to participate in one of those team rowing contests (and I say had to, because I’m not sure whose idea of “fun” that is), it can be quite a challenge to get the boat headed and moving in the right direction! If the participants aren’t rowing in the same pattern and at the same time, it is largely an effort in futility. If the rowing isn’t coordinated, the boat inevitably veers off to the right or left and any forward momentum can be difficult to achieve.

There is a similar phenomenon that can happen to our worship services and broader church culture if the Senior Pastor and the Worship Leader are not coordinated in their efforts. If they do not row at the same time, they can find themselves quickly off course. If they do not row in the same direction, they can actually find themselves fighting against each other in their efforts and pulling the whole church off course with them.

For this reason (and many others), it is necessary for the Senior Pastor and Worship Leader to align themselves not only in heading, but also in the specific steps of how to row and when to row. Both have an oar, but communication and process are vital to rowing effectively.

It is no wonder that this relationship is one that the Devil likes to mess with the most in the church. If the Devil is able to breed division between the Senior Pastor and Worship Leader, then much of the direction for worship services and beyond can be threatened.

In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul stresses the danger of the division that can be created by lining up behind one particular leader at the cost of division with other leaders. Paul writes,

10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,[a] in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas[b]”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

(1 Cor. 1:10-17)

This is a tall task for anybody, but particularly the Senior Pastor and the Worship Leader in any given congregation. The instructions are to agree with one another in word, to keep from division, and to be perfectly united in mind and thought. In other words, row the same direction at the same time!

Now, this does not mean that everyone in the church will think alike on all matters, nor does it mean that Paul is asking for followers to be only “yes” men or women for those they follow. Rather, Paul is calling for each one, in their giftings, talents, and passions, to be united in Christ for the purposes of God’s service.

Paul goes on to describe this dynamic later in his letter to the Corinthians, in 1 Corinthians 5:5-15. Paul writes

5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

(1 Corinthians 5:5-14)

The key in this passage is that it is the Lord who “has assigned to each his task.” In other words, the Lord calls the shots on when to row in what direction. It is the responsibility of Paul and Apollos (and Lydia and Phoebe and Priscilla, for that matter) to line up behind Christ. And it is the responsibility of the church to line up behind Paul, as Paul follows Christ (see 1 Corinthians 11:1).

Our only foundation, then, is the foundation laid by Christ, whom is the head of the church. Each of us comes to him with our diverse abilities to row, and we find that our efforts are multiplied according to the grace of God’s Spirit, to the glory of God.

So, seven thoughts about rowing in the same direction at the same time for us Pastors and Worship Leaders:

Amen!

Tyler Thompson is Senior Pastor of Christ’s Community Church in Glendale, AZ and Adjunct Professor in the College of Theology and College of Arts and Media at Grand Canyon University.