Johann Acuña earned his Master of Divinity at Midwestern Seminary in 2020. With more than 15 years of experience leading musical worship in the local church, Acuña is the Worship Pastor at Broadmoor Baptist Church and serves as Assistant Professor of Music and Ministry at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Aubrey, live with their sons in Mississippi.
MBTS: Tell us about how God led you into ministry and worship leadership.
Johann Acuña: I grew up in a small, Spanish-speaking Baptist church outside of Houston, Texas. My older sister served as the church pianist, and my older brother played guitar for our church band. I believe that hearing them practice and watching them serve piqued my interest in music. Though I began actively serving in our worship ministry when I was about eight years old, I had no intention of pursuing vocational ministry. Instead, like most of my peers at the time, I planned on pursuing a degree—and eventually a career—in music performance.
But that was not God’s plan for me. One night, after my youth pastor’s ordination service, a visitor to our service approached me and struck up a conversation. He took an interest in my plans after high school and encouraged me to pray about pursuing a life of vocational ministry. The thought had never crossed my mind, but God quickly confirmed this calling through prayer and wise counsel. Thinking back to the ordination service, I am thankful that God used this singular conversation to call me to ministry and change the course of my life.
MBTS: How did your studies at Midwestern Seminary equip you practically for your ministry today?
Johann: I am incredibly thankful for the theological preparation I received at Midwestern Seminary, for it has proven to be foundational to my ministry. Not only did the M.Div. provide me with a robust and comprehensive understanding of biblical and theological concepts, but it also cultivated an increasing appreciation and affection for God’s Word.
MBTS: Why is theological education important for those called to serve the church through music?
Johann: We live in an increasingly complex and divided society whose advances in technology have enabled the creation and distribution of new music to occur at an unprecedented rate. These technological advances have also created a contemporary Christian music and worship music industry that is often driven more by profit than by biblical fidelity. Additionally, social media has created platforms for every worship ministry with an internet connection, pressuring many churches to prioritize talent and charisma over character and integrity. This often leads to questionable decisions, ministry burnout, and a seemingly endless supply of news headlines covering the moral failures of ministry leaders.
What is the remedy for this leadership crisis? The church is in desperate need of musical shepherds, servants who love God (Deut. 6:5), treasure His Word (Ps. 119:11), and equip His people (Eph. 4:11-13). We need worship leaders with a rich understanding of the Scriptures, who thoughtfully and faithfully test the lyrical content of each song, choosing only those that are biblically faithful and doctrinally sound. And we need those who have been trained to properly understand and embrace their role as servants and ministers—not artists or musicians—for the glory of God (Ps. 96:3) and the edification of His people (Col. 3:16).
MBTS: What are some ways that music ministry leaders in the local church can participate in teaching and proclaiming the gospel to their congregations?
Johann: During a sermon in October 2012, John Piper stated, “Worship is the goal and the fuel of missions: Missions exists because worship doesn’t.” In other words, you cannot worship a God that you do not know. Worship flows from a genuine understanding of, and heartfelt response to, who God is and what he has done. As worship leaders, the primary way that we can proclaim the gospel to our congregations is to choose songs with rich lyrics, songs that faithfully teach and declare the gospel rather than those that merely express our response to the gospel. This is not to say that we should not include songs that express emotion. There is a time and a place for this in corporate worship, just as there is a place for repentance, supplication, and intercession. However, we must remember that congregational worship is primarily meant to glorify God and edify His people, and this cannot occur without songs that are rich in their theology.
Additionally, music ministry leaders must remember that their role in teaching and proclaiming the gospel extends beyond music—it includes their ministry leadership, their words, and their ability to disciple those under their care. In other words, the ministry is people, not music. Successfully navigating the tension of musical responsibilities and the biblical expectation to shepherd and disciple God’s people is essential to cultivating a vibrant and biblically anchored music ministry.
