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| Claude Monet: Sunrise |
I came across this post last week on Carlos Whittaker's website:
Dear Worship Leader…It’s not your job to…
It’s not your job to get them excited.
It’s not your job to sing a perfect melody.
It’s not your job to make them all love you.
It’s not your job to pray the perfect prayer.
It’s not your job to write the perfect worship song.
It’s not your job to preach a mini sermon.
It’s not your job to have the best looking guitar.
It’s not your job to look like Nathan Finnochio (of if you live in Australia, Joel Houston).
It’s not your job to make all the hands go up.
It’s not your job to sing that cover song.
It’s not your job to connect the sermon to the music.
It’s not your job to get them to put down their coffee cups.
It’s not your job to make them into worshipers.
It’s your job to worship God with every facet of your life Monday – Sunday.
When that happens…
All of the above may follow. Or may not. But you will actually have the credibility to be called a “worship leader”.
I like this.
I also wish I had read something like this while I was still on the worship ministry team at my church.
I found a lot during my time on my church's worship/music ministry that there was a lot of time (as a team) spent on how we sounded, what the stage set up looked like, how we could "impact" the congregation more, making sure the songs all flowed effortlessly from one to the net, being manic in making sure the emotive music didn't stop during announcements or while the preacher was wrapping up their sermon, and on and on. There was so much focus on making sure that the congregation was going somewhere with worship, I have no idea where that somewhere was but we wanted to take them there.
I also spent a ridiculous amount of time on Sunday mornings making sure that my shoes matched my outfit and that whatever top I had one didn't show the jiggly bits on my arms when I raised them in worship.
I realise now that what I did in a service for 40 minutes on a Sunday isn't half as important as how I lived a life of worship Monday to Saturday.
I also knew that when I was on the team, but I didn't always live it out.
I sometimes think that I live more of a worshipful (???) life now than I did back then. I think it sometimes takes stepping back to see the whole picture more clearly.
A little like a Monet painting.
It’s not your job to sing a perfect melody.
It’s not your job to make them all love you.
It’s not your job to pray the perfect prayer.
It’s not your job to write the perfect worship song.
It’s not your job to preach a mini sermon.
It’s not your job to have the best looking guitar.
It’s not your job to look like Nathan Finnochio (of if you live in Australia, Joel Houston).
It’s not your job to make all the hands go up.
It’s not your job to sing that cover song.
It’s not your job to connect the sermon to the music.
It’s not your job to get them to put down their coffee cups.
It’s not your job to make them into worshipers.
It’s your job to worship God with every facet of your life Monday – Sunday.
When that happens…
All of the above may follow. Or may not. But you will actually have the credibility to be called a “worship leader”.
I like this.
I also wish I had read something like this while I was still on the worship ministry team at my church.
I found a lot during my time on my church's worship/music ministry that there was a lot of time (as a team) spent on how we sounded, what the stage set up looked like, how we could "impact" the congregation more, making sure the songs all flowed effortlessly from one to the net, being manic in making sure the emotive music didn't stop during announcements or while the preacher was wrapping up their sermon, and on and on. There was so much focus on making sure that the congregation was going somewhere with worship, I have no idea where that somewhere was but we wanted to take them there.
I also spent a ridiculous amount of time on Sunday mornings making sure that my shoes matched my outfit and that whatever top I had one didn't show the jiggly bits on my arms when I raised them in worship.
I realise now that what I did in a service for 40 minutes on a Sunday isn't half as important as how I lived a life of worship Monday to Saturday.
I also knew that when I was on the team, but I didn't always live it out.
I sometimes think that I live more of a worshipful (???) life now than I did back then. I think it sometimes takes stepping back to see the whole picture more clearly.
A little like a Monet painting.
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