Another post from a FB message I added my thoughts to. Speaking about the issue of older worship leaders who are being replaced by pastors in the pursuit of "youth"!

Wow… one of my current pet peeves.. Thanks for posting. I really liked the link that was posted as well.

As an… “Older” on again – off again leader I can tell you this is a real issue for the church today. The impact can be felt in a lot of ways and not just to the older worship leaders who are being passed by or turned away due to age either. There is a connectedness to a generation that is being lost in pursuit of the “youth at any cost” mindset in some churches.

As a father of 2 young adults and one teenager I understand the desire on a churches (or pastors) part to have someone at the mic that is closer in age than the younger crowd, but are we counting the cost to those who also want to be related too? And when did the idea of attracting youth trump the movement of the Holy Spirit?

I recently guested at a church that was in search of a permanent WL. The pastor did not say anything about seeking a younger WL but a lot of conversation was about relating to the youth and playing music a little louder and more assertive. I should have known there was an issue when the pastor (who was probably 10 years older than me) wanted the service louder! They eventually went with a young WL and the pastor told me they went with him even though he could not relate to the older crowd. Then… gulp, he asked if I might be interested in leading the classic service. Ouch!

I have two challenges with pastors or churches who seek out younger leaders.

1. How old is the pastor and are they ready to replace themselves to be relevant to a younger audience?
2. Is this what happens when a church or pastor looks at worship as the “candy to get them in door” rather than as an integral part of the larger movement of bringing people to a place where they can drop pretences and hang-ups and possibly live out a worshipful moment before being taught from the Word.

I am sure there is a history to why the churches are now calling everything worship, worship in song, worship in the message, worship in the offering and worship in the closing… but maybe it’s a little safer that way. No one gets to say one person’s contribution (the WL) is more important than another? And for the record… the most important thing happening in church on a Sunday morning is God’s Word being preached. He does not say “Worship songs will not return void”… He says His Word.. will not return void.

I think a church can miss the chance to have the worship portion of the service gird that message and bring all believers together.

And this is not to say people who want a certain style or temp or type of worship are all right either… it’s like we are family on a long car ride and we all have to figure out what station to listen to that will keep most of us happy.

Or, we can do what modern family’s do and everyone puts on their headphones with their Ipod and we all stop talking to one another till the trip ends.

Shared some thoughts on a recent post in FB on worship leaders and the challenge with leadership.

In real life (The one that pays the bills) I am a manager of others. I am also an artist (well, a guitar player) and I am of the belief that the gap between the artist and those in leadership (mostly pastors) can be wide simply because we look at so many things in a different manner.

I think the hurt sometimes comes from a naive believe that just because we might want the same outcome, we should all get along and see the path the same way.

But that is not what happens.

Artists are more sensitive to criticism in a lot of ways because we are the ones baring our emotions and our abilities on the platform so when someone says something that might offend us, deep inside we are incensed because that the person has no clue to the work that went into learning our craft and developing the ability to play an instrument or sing, or the work that went into the service set and all the hours it takes to make it seem “effortless”.

There may be something deep inside that says “How dare they…” or “How could you say that?” or possibly “Why don’t you lead?”… But we keep that inside.

We all want to profess humbleness in these roles, because we are called to be humble, not because it comes naturally. If it did, God would not call that out on us.

So maybe we need to build a better bridge to the people we work for, and those we serve. I can’t think of too many people that are called by a pastor to “come and lead worship how you feel it should be led, even to the point of disregarding what the body of believers who have been going here for years feel about it”. That would be silly… and too may WLs think they can come in and do some quick paradigm shifts with the body and they will eventually get it.

I have a friend who worked several years at slowly changing the culture of how the body worships and it is still not a place where people get the heart of matter. Or maybe they do and it’s a different way of worshiping than what is going on around them.

No easy answers on any of this… it will always have an element of artists “creativity” meeting lay people’s established expectations.

I suppose the answer might be a church filled with musicians and artists!

Wow, what a miserable place that would be… 500 people sitting in the body watching 5 people play on a Sunday and all of them thinking “Why that version?” or “That key is to high” or “That drummer can’t buy a beat” or “My grandma plays a better electric guitar” etc.

There is a creative outlet, and there is a servants duty… how blessed musicians are when these two align (which is not that often sad to say). Until then, press on…

I'm Dreaming....

There is a certain renaissance with Christmas that is unique to this holiday more than any other. It has a way of bringing you back to a different time, a younger time and some would say a more innocent time.

A time of rebirth when you would dream all year of that special day that would come with its surprises, its excitement and most of all….gifts.

There are probably a few among us who had moments dread at the thought of Christmas as well. Would those relatives you only saw once a year come back again this year? Would you be forced to sleep with your brother or sister to make room for them while they occupied your room? Could you endure another meal that was only trotted out once a year, and for good reason… I mean… really…yams? Really?

And I suppose there are those who are ambivalent about this great time of year. Maybe a hurt that has kept them from experiencing all the joys the season can offer. Maybe they work in retail and see Christmas as one long nightmarish sale after another with people so grumpy it must have been for them that this savior was born!

Renaissance can be good; it can be bad or indifferent. I choose for it to be a good memory.

And this act of bringing us back to our earliest childhood memories might not be an accident.

We live in a world that seems to spin out of control with every passing day. The best of intentions are often lost in the worst of responsibilities. A job, a house that needs attention, a sick pet, a child’s sports activity… all seem to make time get stuck in the fast forward mode and how easy it is for us to let the switch stay there and not slow down.

Maybe God knew what he was doing with this special holiday. Maybe this is the yearly break that is applied but for a moment, to tell us to slow down and see what is happening around us.

The smell of a fresh cut tree, hanging lights under the eaves, dragging out the ornaments and the smell of baked cookies for Santa will make most of us stop, if only for a moment and take stock in what we are celebrating.

Take that moment right now. Remember what this is about….. Something magnificent happened 2000 years ago.

God, in His loving desire to bring us back to a place of fellowship with Him, brought forth a child that would interact with His creation and ultimately save them.

We were created for fellowship with God; we turned from that perfect purpose and started down a road that continues to crumble to this day. But God in his infinite patience and grace had other plans. Plans to bring us back to that place of deep fellowship and friendship. But it required something of God. It required a sacrifice that he knew his creation was not able to fulfill.
Thus that baby.

That baby, meek and mild… wrapped in rags and lying in a manger…that baby was going to be the way back.

Christmas is a renaissance that brings us back to a time that heralded the coming Savior of mankind. Those who allow themselves to see it as a chance to get together with friends and family, as a chance to spread good cheer, as a chance to sing beautiful songs, as a chance to regift that fruitcake… see one part of this season but to see the whole season we must go back to where it started and understand that this birth was promised by God. Was delivered by God and through this birth, all mankind may now be birthed as a new creation in God.

It is a Merry Christmas when you choose to make it so….

The Depth

Oh the depth of my inability, my knowledge, my commitment, my fortitude.... of my understanding in general.

I believe life is a series of states of mind where we stand firm in our belief that we know more today than any other time in our lives and that we can't imagine that time in our lives, just a short time ago, that we felt that way given the fact that we were not in possession of what we now know! Circular, I know.

Every time I think I have it figured out, I am amazed how quickly that evaporates into thin air as soon as I am confronted with myself. I think I WANT to know more today than yesterday probably to make myself feel like I am in control. Then life gets in the way, or better yet... clarifies that I have so little control. I mean, I know I get up an decide what to eat, if I am going to exercise or if I will have 3 or 4 cups of coffee, but that is not the kind of control I mean.

I find myself making contingency plans for everything in life so as to somehow avoid being caught off guard in life. I call them my worse case, cases. If X happens, then I will go to Y, etc.

God is so patient, isn't He? Maybe to the point of amusement... but there is no denying He is patient.

When my children were small, they would describe their efforts in all activities they participated in as the most important thing they could ever do and how they were unique in how they approached the task at hand. I would would smile, knowing to some degree what lied ahead for them, what they would have to go through and how their view of themselves would evolve over time.

I hope it is not just a desire on my part... but I do hope, no trust...that God in His grace does the same with me. Seeing my bravado, my "knowledge" my control and my false confidence in myself... that He knows and is patient, ever leading me to the deeper knowledge of trusting only in him and living that trust out, day.. after day... after day. Building my faith, through His grace and Mercy.

Dreamy worship...

Man-o-man, I am turning into "that" critic of worship that as a worship leader, I was really bugged by.

It is such a big deal that there are canned pastors messages dealing with the "style" of worship and how people need to get over it because we are not there to be entertained, but to worship the Eternal God!

There are short movie clips, and music videos that churches can buy (I bought them as a worship leader!) that tell the body to chill out, paraphrased of course....

And yet, I attend different churches and find myself doing the Simon Cowel act... sitting in judgement of how well the leader knew the song, if the band was tight, was it the version I knew and why aren't they playing songs I know!?

Speaking with a friend that I sometimes play with at his church, I voiced my thoughts this way, it seems that leaders, vocalists and musicians in many churches are just not experienced at this stuff. The latest example I can think of is the "dreamy worship" that seems to be big with younger leaders. Take the 6 minute Hillsong United versions of slow worship songs and now play 3 of them back to back, break for offering then play another then again at the end of the service.

As a set list, it seems the person who does that is not understanding of the dynamic of telling a story through the song selection. Building to a point either in the coming sermon or telling their own story through the song selection.

The think I liked about Simon Cowel was his honesty in a persons ability based on his knowledge of the business. We need more honest people in leadership in church to instruct worship leaders in how to build a set.

A few more things they can teach them....
1. Not everyone has to sing a harmony part. If no one is singing the part the body knows (the melody), the body is not going to follow you!
2. You don't need a guitar solo on every song. (and as a guitar player who loves to play lead, that's a big statement)
3. Take the body on a journey through the song selection. And even though it might seem rehearsed, don't be afraid to instruct people and tell them why you are doing a certain song... use scripture!
4. Be honest about peoples ability... don't let them take a lead part because you are not strong enough to tell them how they really sound.
5. The sound guy is your best friend or worst enemy. In most churches we take whoever was kind enough to volunteer and put them at the soundboard. Half deaf, wearing headphones, clueless about who is singing melody and who is singing harmony and why they should not be at equal volumes, does not know who plays what solos etc.... it all leads to a poor production and a lack of impact.

Now you might say that all these things God overcomes... and I would say true. But why would we want to make Him work so hard when we can put a little more effort into it and thus give Him less to work on and more to be honored with!

Professional Christian

I find it odd that people can sometimes put a label on themselves that will more than likely not last. As somehow it will bring a deeper meaning to our lives and a sense of true purpose.

I have thought about this for some time… I really do not believe there is such a thing as a “Liberal” Christian…but…I don’t believe there is such thing as a “Conservative” Christian either. Just like there is no such thing as a Christian Musician, a Christian Plumber, a Christian Salesman, a Christian Contractor or anything else you want to put after the word Christian. Christians are followers of Christ first and we have an obligation to demonstrate that in our world views, our jobs and our relationships and always with the focus on what Christ has done on the cross and less on how we want others to react to the news of the Gospel.

Those of us with a conservative outlook on life, if we are honest with ourselves, should always be willing for God to show in our hearts where we need to demonstrate Grace and trust him for what he is doing in others lives. We also need to be honest and question where out indignant attitude comes from. Is it from that place that says “there must be people worse than me!”? I think all mankind takes pleasure in this because when we do this we deceptively place ourselves back on the throne of our lives and might really be saying I need no God. God came for the others, right? Those on the left must do the same and be honest about what God is showing them through the events in their lives and in those around them… and again, be open to Grace and the fact that God communicates with each of us in a different way from the next.

This is not to say the truth of God changes from one to the next, but everyone can be hardheaded and stubborn in their “view” of how things should go and being patient, kind and full of grace towards others is not always the first thing we turn too when we feel others are looking at things “all wrong”.

I listen to a lot of political talk and there is no longer.... maybe with rare exception…. voices that sit and reason together. Its like we have got caught up in a whirlwind of desperation feeling that we need to shout louder than the other, demean the other and in some instances really misuse scripture to make out point. At the end of the day, the only point we are to make as Christians is that God so loved the world that He would offer the greatest sacrifice needed to redeem His most beloved creation and a broken world back to Himself.

That is the view we really strive for… all the other stuff gets in the way and the true enemy will do everything he can to disrupt the Gospel from being preached to our loved ones and the world at large. It is only in his interest to have people think they can somehow meld the act of surrendering our hearts, our souls and our minds to the one eternal God who loved us first, with our professions or our world views.

I say let God sort out in the hearts of everyone what He means when He tells us what is best for us as individuals. Some of us are slow learners… taking years to understand the deeper things of God. God is patient. Some of us are too quick with a word and speak before we really understand what he is saying to us personally.

I believe truth is truth, it is not subject to my version of that truth. I also believe that God reveals that truth to each of us in unique ways. Some things are so plain and evident we wonder how others don’t see it, some things we don’t want to see and some things we see through a glass darkly and it will be made clear one day. The fundamental truths are not going to change, but we need to let God work through us in how we are to preach that, given the fact that he uses us to reach specific people… what an honor…..

Time to Move on....

Boy, lots of articles and story's on how to collect worship team members and how to grow the teams, how to work with a pastor etc. I don't know if I have seen one on how to "step out" of a worship position and or church where you lead worship.

Yes, I recently had that experience and it was awkward to say the least. Due to some issues that felt uncomfortable with (not the life changing or nuclear type issues, but serious enough to me to cause me to seek counsel and to finally leave) I found myself writing a resignation letter to my pastor that I was leaving the position and the church.

I know it probably hurt him, but I could not come to any other conclusion than to leave so I said my peace, gave him the letter and finished out the week.

I actually did some google searches on "how to leave a church position" etc and I did find a great blog of a pastor who spoke about the daily grind it is to be a pastor and the constant nit picking and fault finding they have to endure. It was a balanced post and in the end, I think it made me realize I was turning into one of those people who listens to every word trying to make my case or find flaws in what was being said. I told my pastor I did not want to be that person and it was not healthy for me or my family to stay at that point. There were some other issues, but those are of a personal relationship issue and not for general publication.

So... now I find myself looking for a new church. Not in too much of a hurry to lead, although I would love to continue that, right now my wife and I are looking to find something that we can settle into and have our youngest son find a group that he connects with as well.

Man... that sounds so church-hoppy doesn't it? When you are on staff at a church the staff wonders about those kinds of people... now I am one of them and probably happy to be that way.

pb