When Worship Pastor Todd Foster got to Bible college, he started getting people together to pray. He was a little older than most students coming right out of high school, and couldn’t figure out why they weren’t getting together to pray all the time.
“During one of these gatherings, I was singing and a girl in the group — her dad was the head of worship at the college — suggested I try out for the worship team. My whole family sings, so I tried out,” Todd said.
At the audition, Todd shared his story. The worship director “was the kind of person who could really hear your heart, and he cried. It was the story, not the song.”
Fast forward a few years, and Todd was called to lead worship at Blue Ridge. Todd felt ill equipped. He was a singer, but was unprepared to coordinate music for the church.
“I wrestled with it. I thought, ‘Who wants a leader for worship who doesn’t lead music?’”
During that time, Blue Ridge also brought in Judson Lee as Arts Director.
“He just wanted to do the music side. I just wanted to lead worship. As opposite as we are, it is amazing the unity God has given us in leading worship and music at Blue Ridge,” Todd said.
The worship team could have seemed complete, but Todd began to feel a discontent.
“So a few years ago, we began meeting in my basement every Friday night for about six months. We asked, ‘God what do you want worship to look like?’”
At the end of that time Todd lost his voice. He went to doctor after doctor, but nothing seemed to make it better for long. He began to think maybe God didn’t intend for it to get better.
“But how’s a church going to use a guy who can’t sing to lead worship?” Todd wondered.
He spent a long time looking at Romans 12:1: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
Todd focused on the “therefore,” which points to the first 11 chapters.
“That’s where Paul spells out the reason we worship,” Todd said. “The next chapters after Romans 12:1 show us how. It talks about loving your enemies, putting other people’s needs above your own. None of it talks about singing.”
Todd said he now sees worship differently. And he shares this perspective between songs — and throughout his life.
“Here’s what I’ve learned about worship: songs are the overflow of our life of worship,” Todd said. “Our whole lives should worship.”