7 Tips for Starting Well

Maybe you are about to start in a new place of ministry. Or maybe someone is about to begin serving in your church. A dear friend has just relocated to a new part of the country and asked for some tips. So while I wrote this for him, I hope it can serve you too...

My best 7 pieces of transition advice, some of which I did well upon arriving at Woodburn and some I wish I'd done better...

1) Build prayer into your schedule. Pray alone. Pray with others regularly. Pray with your pastor. Pray in your meetings. Pray in your rehearsals. Let the people hear your "praying voice." Ask others to pray so you hear theirs.

2) Build margin into your schedule. This is enormously difficult early on, but if you grow frustrated by people interrupting, you will communicate to them that your task is more important than their time.

3) Build fun into your ministry. People want to feel good. You can do that without compromising the seriousness of your faith. C. S. Lewis said "Joy is serious business." Make it fun to be in your ministry. 

4) Build people, not programs. Great musicals, great services, great rehearsals...all of those are wonderful and we should strive for them. But use the schedule of ministry to build people, not the people of ministry to build programs.

5) Build relationship time into your early months. I started my last two churches with what I called: "From Trios to Quartets," (get 3 people together and I make the 4th) where I asked everyone who would sign up 3 questions: What was it like growing up as you? If God could see His dream come true in our worship ministry--something that would put a smile on His face--what would that look like? (Not musical style.) How can I pray for you? 

6) Build for the future. Have a long view, not a short one. We are all (I think) tempted to do a lot right off the bat to change what's broken. Sometimes this sabotages our ability to have long-term success.

7) Build better before you build different. Of course improvements are also changes, but if 9 of 10 people believe your making something better, rather than making something different, you will earn leadership capital with those folks to really change things later. Quick example, we changed the appearance of our screen content when I got here. Nobody thought of it as a change because everybody knew it was better--clearer, easier to follow, more consistent, etc.

Oh, one more: let your pastor know he is your pastor and your authority. Remove any doubt in his mind that you want anything but the best for him. He is your most important relationship, next to that of your wife, when it comes to effective ministry. Guard that relationship.

What would you add?

Music and Mission

I love hanging around wise people. They are likely to toss out off-hand comments that are better than my most carefully turned phrase. For example, I was in a breakout session with Rory Noland at the National Worship Leader Conference a few weeks ago when he commented, off hand of course, "Just choose music that fits the mission of your church."

Of course, Rory. It sounds so simple!

Wisdom usually is.

So his quip prompted some questions...
1) Does your church have a mission?
2) Do you know your church's mission?
3) Does the church know her mission?
4) How does music reflect mission?
5) What if my church prefers a body of music that differs from our mission?

Let me offer just a couple of thoughts about each that may serve our journey:

1) Does your church have a mission? Of course it does. The mission of your church is to get what your church is getting. You may have to re-read that one.

Many churches have a mission to engage the culture around them, connecting with those far from God. To read more about that, click here. Other churches have a mission to build up and strengthen their congregants, empowering them to live out their faith. Churches like this tend to be open to mission-critical change.

There are also churches with a mission related to preserving the past, avoiding persecution, or indulging in preferences. They would never admit that they are self-focused, but try changing the style of music or the order of service and see what happens. Now, I'm not saying a church like that has the wrong mission; that's for someone else to discern. But I am saying that if you are in a church like that, you will be most effective if you follow Rory's counsel and choose music that fits your church's mission.

2) Do you know your church's mission? This is tricky, because you probably know what you wish your church's mission would be. In fact, you may be leading/serving your ministry based on what you wish her mission was. But that is likely to lead to inner and outer conflict. And depending on how divergent the missions are, a lot of conflict. For those of you reading this who are in the early stages of a local ministry (the first 6-12 months, say), be a detective for a while. Ask questions. Watch those you lead. (aka "read the room".) It will be important to know your church's mission. Maybe you can be part of strengthening, encouraging, or even steering it. But first you have to know it.

3) Does the church know her mission? And to be honest--we have to know it in the Biblical sense, in the deep places. Intimately. At my church we have a mission to plant 20 churches by 2020. Virtually everyone in the church knows our mission. Our finances are structured toward that vision. Our building is. Our preaching, music, and other worship elements are. If we had a different mission, we'd do things differently. I'm very blessed to be part of a church who knows her mission.

4) How does music reflect mission? This may be a question that deserves a book rather than a paragraph. But still... is your congregation, like North Point Community Church in Atlanta, creating a church that unchurched people love to attend? Then you should probably use music that connects with people who are unchurched. Are you a church more like ours, which I think of as a church that de-churched people love to attend? Then you might need to use a little older content with newer sounds. It works well for us. (For more about this concept, read here.) Or are you in a church that focuses on being a really great church that great church people love to attend? Then you wouldn't want to pick the same music as the team at North Point. Regardless, I suggest this is a helpful question.

5) What if my church prefers a body of music that differs from our mission? Then your personal mission becomes to align your church's mission and your music/worship ministry. Start with your pastor, please. Then the rest of the staff, if there is one. Then the primary, secondary, even tertiary leadership groups. Have conversations with those who love to worship and lead in worship. Then have more conversations. Talk about the "why" of matching music to mission. Ask for ideas from your folks about how to make this happen. The older the demographic you're talking with, the more time they will need to process and internalize the concept. I don't mean any disrespect by that comment. It's just plain gerontology. The older we get, the longer we take to embrace different viewpoints.

One bonus question: what if I prefer music that differs from my church's mission? That's hard. Seek the Father. Ask if He wants you to be there. If so, die to yourself in this way. At least for a while. Then start having the questions about mission with your leadership team. If it is clear that nothing is likely to change, seek the Father again. Hear from God. Do what He says. Serve your people. Love them with your musical choices. Fuel their mission.

Better yet, do everything you can to fuel His mission.

What are your thoughts?

Worship Leaders, Let's Learn from Disney's new movie

I was skeptical.

Even though several people I love and trust said good things about Disney/Pixar's new film "Inside Out," I went into the theater looking for hidden agendas and sociocultural steering. (I know, I'm so weird!)

But I experienced an absolutely delightful, fun, and insightful movie.

And then, as I took time to reflect on the themes of the writers, several things I believe worship leaders should pay attention to emerged.

Without creating a "spoiler alert" I can tell you the moviegoer learns about 5 primary emotions and how they interact inside of head-quarters: joy, sadness, fear, disgust and anger each try to take over the role of "primary" in the life of young Riley.

Joy keeps trying to change the other emotions. She suppresses them. She even ignores them. It's as if she believes joy is the only valid, valued option. Don't get me wrong, she does all of this with joy. It's the only way she can be.

Few emotions are as helpful as fear... as long as we fear the right things. Riley needed to be afraid at times. It was when she feared the wrong things that her other emotions needed to kick in. As with all emotions, fear can take over and become crippling. But fear can also preserve our life. Biblically speaking, fear of God is commanded. When we minimize fear, we risk losing an essential part of who we are. What does this have to do with worship? Simple, actually. If we shouldn't suppress fear in life, we shouldn't suppress it in worship either. If people are afraid but we "play pretend" in church by ignoring that powerful emotion, we make it impossible to help our folks love God with all of who they are. How can we obey God's frequent command to be strong and courageous if we pretend not to struggle with fear?

Few emotions are as avoided as sadness...especially in American church culture. I wonder if this is part of the reason we have so many depressed people in our churches. I know the issue is far more complex than this, but perhaps by not giving expression to sadness we actually create a depressed culture. I'm way out of my league here, but let me come back by saying it is imperative that we allow people to feel sadness in our services. In fact, that's one of the reasons I'm convinced Matt and Beth Redman's song "Blessed Be Your Name" has been so popular in the modern church. It is honest about things like "being found in the desert place."

Few emotions are as neglected as disgust. At least when it comes to what I might call righteous disgust. Oh, we comfortably express disgust by our judgment of those far from God. That emotion is emboldened in pulpit after pulpit and pew after pew. But we fail to express disgust at our real enemy. Or at our own sin. We somehow leave out disgust for the sin inside of the church in favor of feeling disgust at the sin outside the church. Brothers and sisters, this simply cannot be. Apart from providing a time for confession, I have no clue how to integrate this into worship, but I imagine some of my song-writing and script-writing friends could help us here.

Few emotions are out of balance as much as anger. But we need to acknowledge that even anger has a place in our faith. Jesus Himself said "In your anger, do not sin." (Ephesians 4:26) Notice He did not say "In your emotions, be not angry." In the Biblical record, Jesus got angry several times. I believe He was angry at things like addiction, oppression, and favoritism. There is no doubt He was angry at those who hijacked the faith for selfish purposes. He expressed anger at those more concerned with religious practice than with a pure heart.

And, I'm increasingly convinced, few emotions are as essential to worship as authentic joy. I wish I didn't have to use a qualifier, but pretend joy has become prevalent. It is powerless. Indeed, it is counter to our mission. (Inauthenticity always is.) But the joy of the Lord is strength. And the church desperately needs strength. Christian worship should be characterized by joy. I love the way Walter B Knight put it: "Joy is the flag that flies over the castle of our hearts announcing that the King is in residence today."

So what can we learn from "Inside Out"?

Minor spoiler alert: when the emotions all take their proper place, life becomes full for Riley.

So let's learn to be honest in worship, to give time and space to our church families to express their full range of emotions. And to learn that we were made in the image of a mighty God, Who created fear to protect us, sadness to release us, disgust at sin--all sin, anger toward injustice, and joy to strengthen us.

And then maybe, just maybe, we will learn to worship with all of our heart.

A Tribute

We met one of the first Sundays I was at Woodburn Baptist Church. I remember her approach to me as strong, gracious, and friendly. She spoke quickly and purposefully, telling me she was in her late 80s, very much missed her days of playing piano in church, and started playing long before I was born. I think I remember she said she had played in churches for more than 70 years.

Amazing.

One of her first post-worship-service comments was to express her appreciation of the way I helped make many of her favorite hymns come alive, specifically ensuring they would connect with younger generations. There was no doubt about her bias: she loved old hymns. No doubt she played more hymns than I’ve ever heard—and I have a master’s degree in church music. 

Don’t be misled, her passion was not gentile. It was fiery. She loved hymns. She wanted to know if I loved hymns. And she wanted to make sure that I continually pointed people to our heritage of faith through hymns.

But let me quickly add that she was mature enough to understand that, as our pastor often says, every church is only one generation from being extinct. And so she was open to “the new music.” She didn’t always like it, but she assured me it was okay that she didn’t like it. “It isn’t just about me,” she would say.

Amazing.

But as I ponder on why I loved Kathryn Jarboe so much and so quickly, I think this is her legacy to me: she loved me regardless of the music on a given Sunday. She was for me even when she was against a song choice. (She wasn’t real fond of the Casting Crowns remake of “Glorious Day” and told me plainly.)

She compelled me toward thoughtfulness, excellence, and consideration.

Oh, how I long to be that way a few decades from now.

I want to compel younger worship leaders—even when they are old enough to have grandchildren—toward thoughtfulness, excellence and consideration.

Thoughtful in terms of song choice, based on Biblical strength, poetic beauty, and lyrical substance.

Excellent in terms of crafting music and technology. She would remind me that God deserves the best we can muster, not the best we feel like mustering at the moment. The reason she wasn’t fond of the newer “Glorious Day” was because the melody was flat and boring, not near as singable and expressive as the one she knew. That level of excellence. 

And considerate in terms of all 4 or 5 generations present in the room in any given worship gathering. Considerate of the hearing issues that face our oldest adults. Considerate of the desire for passion among our younger adults. Considerate of ways to connect generations.

And above all these, love. She really did love me. And I really did love her.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget our last visit in the hospital. We were both at peace with the fact that she was in her last days. I asked her what she thought the music would be like in heaven. She responded with a joke. We both belly-laughed. I pondered with her about what it would be like to be reunited with her husband. We talked about the things she was learning about Jesus in these finals weeks of her life.

There’s something amazing about a senior saint being ready to go, anticipating heaven. Her time on earth was winding down. She had raised extraordinarily Godly children. She had fought the good fight. She had loved well.

I asked her what she’d like me to tell the church when we gathered to pray that night. She requested they know she was at peace and ready to go to Jesus.

Then she asked me to sing.

Through the tears—mine and hers—I sang:

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll.

The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well with my soul,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Her faith is now sight.

Hallelujah!

Critical or Constructive?

Constructive thinking and behavior can build an amazing team.

Critical thinking and behavior can be utterly destructive.

The line between them is sometimes as fine as a frog's hair.

This struck me unexpectedly in a recent rehearsal. I was thinking about someone I used to work with (not on our team at WBC, if you're wondering) who seemed to be able to find a way to criticize everything.

And everyone.

We loved that person anyway, but it sure was hard.

When I think of the countless mentors I've had--in a variety of settings--I remember them as geniuses at analyzing, correcting, instructing, and building, but they were seldom if ever critical. They were always constructive. Building. They built songs, concerts, services, programs.

More than that, they built people.

So I started pondering the difference.

Here are some key differences I've noticed:

Critical                                           Constructive

negative                                          realistic

harsh                                               honest

angry tone                                       gentle tone

depressing                                      inspiring

sad face                                          happy face

off-putting                                       attractional 

defeating                                         victory seeking
value product over people              value people over product
tear down                                        build up

I've decided that I don't want to be critical. I have to be constructive.

And there's something in the scriptures I've been challenged by for years now. I'm not sure exactly how, but I think it speaks into this dynamic:

"Do everything without complaining and arguing,

so that no one can criticize you.

Live clean, innocent lives as children of God,

shining like bright lights in a world

full of crooked and perverse people."

(Phil 2:14-15)

Maybe in a world (and sometimes, in a church-world) of critical people, those who are constructive really do shine like bright lights.

Maybe the more we look like Jesus, the less we complain or argue. Do you remember what comes before these verses in Philippians 2?

Verse 5 says, "You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had."

Oh sure, Paul. No problem. How do we do THAT?

I imagine he anticipated the question, thus the words that follow:

Though [Jesus] was God,
   he did not think of equality with God
   as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
   he took the humble position of a slave
   and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
   he humbled himself in obedience to God
   and died a criminal's death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
   and gave him the name above all other names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father.

So when I lay my life out next to that passage, I see the most flaws when I ask questions like these:
a) Do I lead like I'm in charge, basically taking over the role of my Sovereign Savior?
b) Do I cling to status? Am I spending energy trying to get others to think highly of me?
c) Am I quick to give up privileges like Jesus was?
d) Am I okay with other people treating me like their slave? 
e) Do I humble myself in obedience? No, really? Every day?
f) Who am I elevating? Me or Jesus?
g) In the deep places of my soul, do I want people to bend their knee to me or to the Father?

I guess when I try to connect all these dots, I realize that the less I look like Jesus, the more critical I become. Those times I look increasingly like Jesus, the more constructive I am.

Nobody built people better than Jesus.

Enter at Your Own Risk

I'm leaving Kansas City this morning, having just spent 4 days at the National Worship Leader Conference. I'm reminded of how blessed I am, of how big the world of worship leading is, of how much I don't know, and--most of all--how great God is and how transforming worshiping Him can be.

I'm now one of the veterans in a room like this, sort of an old guy. That changed the way I attended. I hope you can benefit from what I experienced.

Specifically about the word "enter."

I attended the conference. Entering was minimal.

I attended the worship venue. Entering was optional.

I attended in the fringe of the group worshiping. Entering was still optional.

I attended in the middle of the group worshiping. Engagement became nearly unavoidable.

But when I went from attending to entering God's presence, engagement was complete.

Let me unpack just a bit, thinking about some who attend the worship gatherings at our churches.

Attending is not entering.

It was as simple for me as the journey from observing to paying attention to singing. Honestly, I was profoundly reminded of why God is an advocate for singing. (see Psalm 96)

You see, because I was here to learn, I spent a lot of time observing the worship leaders, the technology, and the worshipers. And I did learn some things.

But I didn't encounter Jesus.

Then I started reading the lyrics, and choosing to enter the truth they contain. I started to feel drawn in.

But it wasn't until I started using my own voice to express the words on the screen that I went from observer to enter-er.

It was sort of like being on the sidelines of a baseball game, then the bench, then the field. God beckons us to the field.

As Robert Webber reminded us decades ago, "Worship is not something done to us or for us, but by us."

I know. It's risky. What if I don't sing well? Or what if I sing horribly? Or what if someone else notices me?

Here's the reality--you can't win from the stands. But if you're on the field? There's nothing like knowing you are the victors.

And when we fully enter worship, singing, giving not only our attention but also our affection to God, we will more fully know what it is to be the victors God says we are. (check out Romans 8:37)

Risky? Yes.

Worth it? No doubt.

So go ahead. Enter at your own risk. You won't regret it.

Consider Psalm 100...

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
     Worship the Lord with gladness.
     Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
     He made us, and we are his.
     We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his games with thanksgiving;
     go into his courts with praise.
     Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good
     His unfailing love continues forever,
     and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Should It Be Better...?

A good friend often says to me, "If it can be better, it should be."

I'm not so sure.

My hesitancy may not be what you're thinking. I'd actually say if we can afford to make it better, we should--down to the very last dime of the budget. If we have time to make it better, we should--using every minute of available time. If our people have the skill to do it better, we should keep improving each other.

Money. Time. People. The big three.

By the way, I learned a while back that you can almost always have one of the three, sometimes have two of the three, but it is very difficult to have all three. Of course when you do, the result should be pretty astounding. (Like a major motion picture where they have nearly unlimited funds, create their own timeline and hire the best of the best.)

Can you imagine Bach or Michelangelo or Chris Tomlin or the team at Hillsong having an approach that leaned toward--whatever...it's good enough. We probably don't need to do it any better than that. I can't!

But I think there may be some times when it shouldn't be better. And maybe those giants of Christ-centered creativity would agree.

Let me assure you, my struggle is real. I always want things to be better. Always. Better flow. Better music. Better spoken words. Better technology. Better attitudes--mine and others.

But sometimes I fear we want things to be better at the risk of damaging people, specifically relationships with people. And I may be off base, but I think if the "product" (song, sermon, service, ministry, etc.) gets better and the people get hurt the cost is too high.

That's why I try so hard to call those I lead "higher" while working tirelessly to keep from manipulating them. It's why I set the bar high and extend grace in abundance when we fall short. It's why I sometimes allow rules to become guidelines--people are more important than rules.

After all, isn't that what set Jesus apart from the Pharisees? The religious leaders of the day--and if you're reading this there's a good chance you'd be described by some as a religious leader--they were pretty focused on the rules.

Jesus was focused on the people.

Now to be fair to my friend, who is likely to read this, Jesus always called people to be better. Like most things in the Christian journey, I don't think it is an either-or decision but a both-and tension.

If we have the money in the budget and it isn't taking away from meeting the needs of people, spend it. If we have the time to do it well and not steamroll one of the unpaid servants we lead, go for it. And if a member of the team has the ability and can be stirred on toward higher quality output without breaking their spirit, call 'em higher!

If it can be better--and no one is treated any differently than Jesus would treat them--then it should be.

Absolutely.

What do you think? Am I being too soft?

Now that hurt!

Her words cut me deeply. They weren't meant to be insulting, I know. But when we sat down in the cafeteria for lunch after the service, I wanted to talk with everyone at our big table, a "10 top." It was noisy. There were many folks stopping by the table to talk with me--people from the worship ministry. The ministry I'm charged to lead. 

This sweet lady and her wheelchair-bound teenage daughter started to leave. I apologized for not getting to spend a few minutes getting to know them. And then she spoke the words that still cut deeply today, more than a year later:

"It's okay. You need to spend time with your music people."

Do you see why her words were wounding?

I don't lead music people in worship. 

Music people--of whom I am one--lead God's people in worship. 

If I don't know the people I'm leading in worship, I can't lead them well. 

And yet I justify myself, "There is so much team building, logistical coordination, spiritual coaching, not to mention just knowing those on the team! How can I lead a team and lead a congregation?"

[Someone else once wanted to justify himself, and Jesus told him the story of the Good Samaritan.]

Honestly, I'm not sure I know how to do this well, but I have a trio of ideas. I'm eager to know what you do, too.

1) Get off the stage. I can't serve the spiritual journey of people I don't know. Individuals. Families. Groups. Even communities. So I need to spend time off the stage and in the rows of seats, meeting people. Then asking them about their story. Rather than retreat to my office or a green room or a huddle of worship leaders, we need to break the huddle and know those we lead.

2) Pastoral Care. My pastor continually encourages me in this direction. When I care for one of the senior adults, I demonstrate that I care for all senior adults. A word of caution--I don't consider this a political calculation. I consider it an extension of Christ-in-me. I think of it as caring for those whom I desire to lead to the throne of grace. They are far more likely to follow me if I love them well.

3) Pray. I need to start each day asking God to provide divine opportunities for me to connect with those in my church. I need to pause each day and ask God to do something magnificent in the lives of folks in my church who are struggling. I need to pause each time I've heard from someone in the church--maybe on the spot--and pray for/with them. And to do this, I need to leave margin in my schedule for this kind of prayerful relationship building.

How do you do this, brothers and sisters? How do you care for the people you lead in worship?

In Other Words: Cross-Generational Worship

In many of our churches there are now 5 distinct generations gathered to worship in the same room. In other words, there's no longer A generation gap, there are MULTIPLE generation gaps.

And sometimes these gaps become massive, gaping holes, over which wars are fought.

Brothers and sisters, this should not be.

One of the things I've started to notice more and more often is how each generation is looking for ways to express the same life-changing truths in ever-changing ways.

This jumped out at me once again recently. On that particular Sunday morning we sang Chris Tomlin's latest "hit," Jesus Loves Me. In order to introduce it to our very inter-generational congregation I paired it with a beautiful congregational setting of the old-school, timeless "Jesus Loves Me." It went really well.

But that's not the part that struck me. The first time I sang Tomlin's new song, I was overcome by the profound nature of the simple phrase, "He is for me." Honestly, overcome isn't strong enough. I was undone. To think that the God who slung stars into space is for me...well, it just astounds me.

And then in a recent Sunday evening service we sang the old hymn, "Have Faith in God." And there it was: "He's on your side."

Same biblical truth. Different generation.

This is part of the beauty and the challenge of cross-generational worship. Every generation wants to learn, know, experience, remember, celebrate, and proclaim Biblical truth in their own way.

And on any given Sunday morning, we have 4 or 5 generations in a service.

What to do?

I don't have all the answers. In fact, I don't have most of the answers. But here are 5 things that have really served our folks well.

1) Repackage hymns. If the melody is singable and the text is accessible, update the harmonies and add modern sounds. We do a repackaged hymn in 90% of our services. This often helps all generations sing in their heart language at the same time. (Click here to read a previous post on the subject, including specific song suggestions.)

2) Use modern hymns. Keith Getty, Stuart Townend, Bob Kauflin and others have been crafting amazing hymns for the modern church. They tend to work well with a rhythm section or a full orchestra. More importantly, they tend to connect with multiple generations.

3) Have multiple generations on the platform leading. When I am standing by a teenager and a grandmother and we lead worship together, we are modeling for the congregation that we can--and should--worship together.

4) Learn new songs. In other words, don't just sing new songs. Help the congregation get familiar enough with the newer songs you introduce that they feel like they can sing it without trying to figure it out. You can't give away what you don't have. If you don't have a song in your mind and heart (by knowing it) then you can't give it to God as an act of worship.

5) Know those you lead. Remember, you are leading people not songs. Pay attention to the way they engage. Do more of what engages them and less of what doesn't. Keep looking for the best songs for YOUR people, which may be different from the songs that are best for MOST people. In our church we sing half a dozen songs that I'm pretty sure very few churches know. But our folks connect their hearts with the heart of God every time we sing them.

One more thought. Let those you are shepherding in on what you're doing. It doesn't have to be a lecture, but with a phrase or a well timed comment, talk about the need each of us has to "own" our faith. Use your own testimony and the testimony of others to describe how that happens with and without singing. One of the lingering learnings I have from a seminary prof seemed like an off-hand comment at the time: "a great teacher's favorite phrase is in other words." So lovingly serve and teach those whom you lead to sing their faith in other words.

I'm curious. What other things do you do that help the generations sing together?

A Benediction

Inspired by Ephesians 1:18...

And now may your hearts be flooded with light so you can see the hope the Father has given to you--to you, His holy people, who are His rich and glorious inheritance. And as you walk in the Spirit, may you understand the incredible greatness of God's power--the same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead. Amen and amen!

The I in Leadership, Part 4

The last few posts have been about self leadership, the "I" if you will, that needs attention in order to lead optimally.

First we talked about the importance of self leadership, then the ways I'm learning to lead myself spiritually and personally. This time I'd like to talk about how I am leading myself professionally.

Just a reminder, I'm not sharing as a guru but as a learner. The longer I serve in a leadership role, the more convinced I am of the need to take care of and lead myself well. I fail more than I succeed. But I succeed more than I used to. And it is in that spirit that I'd like to tell you three things I'm finding especially helpful about leading myself professionally.

1) I read. There's an adage you may have heard: "Leaders are readers." The more I read, the better I lead. Or perhaps I should be more specific and say, the more I read the right stuff, the better I lead in the right way. Some of the reading I do is because it is what is being "talked about" in the arena of worship leaders. I do it to stay current with my colleagues. Some of the reading I do is because others have suggested it--especially others I respect and want to lead like. My pastor, for example. Or my mentors. And then some of what I read is because I think it will help me get better. I read for pleasure (usually fiction; I love Ted Dekker's novels), I read for development (usually about leadership), and I read for spiritual growth (usually the authors I want to learn from--men and women who are getting it done).

2) I listen. My job is to serve the people in my ministry, my church, and my community. So I ask questions and I listen. When I get differing viewpoints, I do my best to choose what will serve the most people in the best way. When I get consistent answers, even if it goes agains my opinion (not my conviction), I humble myself and serve from that information. I ask my pastor (aka my boss) for feedback. I have the heart of an artist, so this is risky. Chances are, he will say something that hurts a little. But 99 out of 100 times he is right. And if I listen well, and adjust, I will get better. It's worth the pain.

3) I watch. When I'm around people who do what I do--either they work in the church setting generally or in worship ministry specifically--I watch them. I learn from them. I watch what they do that is ineffective and try not to do that. I watch what they do well and try to do that. Sometimes this is very evident--like talking before a song. But more often it is subtle--like the way they talk to someone in the hallway between services, or the way they communicate with facial and body language. I watch the folks I serve on staff with. That's low hanging fruit because we're together most days. I watch others who serve in my community. And when I can, I get to another church and experience a service or a ministry. And I watch like a hawk.

So to get better at what I do professionally, to lead myself in that way, I read, listen and watch. I'm curious: what do you do that helps you keep getting better?

The I in Leadership, part 3

Welcome to the middle of a 4-part series about "self leadership" an area in which I'm hoping to grow this and every year: Spiritual Leadership, Personal Leadership, and Professional Leadership.

I'd like to share a little bit more of what I'm learning about leading myself personally.

First, you should know this is my weakest area of self-leadership. I'm writing out of weakness and failure, not success or strength.

Among my personal goals this year are to be more active, to lose 50 pounds, to love my wife and adult daughters better--given our specific circumstances, to gain control over my calendar, and to meet with at least a dozen people I'd like to learn from.

It's that last part I'd like to share with you, just in case it might serve your journey too.

I asked around, trying to identify worship pastors and pastors that are just a few years ahead of me and doing a great job (I'm nearly 50, so I was looking for anyone older than me but not retired.) I compiled a list from my own network and asked 2 or 3 colleagues that are strongly networked as well. The first two I've contacted are Rory Noland (formerly of Willow Creek, sought after author and speaker) and Mike Harland (head of Lifeway Worship).

I've offered to take them to lunch, ask questions, and listen. Their choice of location. I'm  traveling to where they are, and I'm picking up the tab.

My three questions may be very different from questions you would ask. They are reflective of my own areas that I need to grow in and my stage of life:

   1) How do you lead yourself well? (Especially time management, self-control, etc.)
   2) How can I be a great husband in this season of life? (Entering empty nest)
   3) What makes for a great worship pastor, and how can I take my next step?

How did I arrive at these questions?

Simple, really. I have identified limitations to my own personal development and then crafted questions that I hope will help me break through those barriers.

I do some of the "time management" gimmicks well. I tend to deal with tasks/paper only once, I block out time to do the things that are important to me, I prioritize based on importance more than urgency, etc. And in many areas of my life I exhibit healthy self-control. But not enough areas. And especially at the cross-roads of these two areas, I fail to lead myself well. In other words, if I could exhibit self-control when it comes to my time management, I would lead myself better personally.

My second question comes out of unique circumstances that are too complex to bore you with. Regardless, I think this is an essential question to ask at every transition in life--with no kids, or when kids aren't in school yet, or in school, or teens, or moving out, or entering retirement, etc. Our relationships change as our circumstances change. I want to know how to love my wife like Christ loves the church in THIS season of our marriage.

A huge part of my personal life, because of the nature of my job, is connected to my professional life. It's the nature of ministry. And I love that. But it does make my last question relevant to personal self-leadership as well as professional self-leadership. These folks I'm meeting with know this as well. And I want to learn from them.

Your questions are likely to be quite different from mine, and honestly, I'd love to see them! Why don't you leave a comment and share 2 or 3 questions you'd ask someone who is just a little farther down the path? Better yet, why don't you identify a handful of those folks right now and offer to buy their lunch? Not only will it help you lead yourself well, it will deeply encourage those you invite.

Next time--self-leadership professionally. I'm looking forward to it!

The I in Leadership, Part 2

Last time I shared three areas of "self leadership" in which I'm hoping to grow this and every year: Spiritual, Personal, and Professional.

I'd like to share a little bit more of what I'm learning about leading myself spiritually.

You may be familiar with the classic "spiritual disciplines" like prayer, scripture reading, confession, fasting, etc. I find them most helpfully discussed at length in Richard Foster's book "Celebration of Discipline." I have also learned a great deal from other authors, but as an overview, Foster's book is superb. He divides a dozen different disciplines into three general categories: inward, outward, and corporate. 

The twelve he explores are tremendously inter-related, a reminder that everything we do in our spiritual journey affects the rest of our spiritual journey. This is true of fasting, for example. It's also true of sin. 

The hardest thing for me to remember is that the practice of spiritual disciplines is primarily for these two purposes: "training in righteousness" and intimacy with our Father. 

Training in righteousness is a telling phrase. No basketball player spends time in the weight room so they can be good with weights. They work out on the treadmill or do bicep curls so when they hit the court they can play basketball well. And win. The same is true in our faith. We spend time reading God's word not as an end, but a means to and end. We pray the same way. And submit. And confess. And worship. And meditate.

I want to ever-increasingly do the activities of my faith to increase my faith. I want to train for the battle and actually engage in the battle.

And win.

These things are essential for worship leaders.

In addition to training, we lead ourselves spiritually to increase intimacy with God. A trio of writers that have helped me with this are Ken Gire, John Eldridge, and Max Lucado. If you don't mind reading a Roman Catholic who excelled in this area, check out the writings of Thomas Merton. Amazing stuff.

I'm not sure there's a whole lot I can offer to specifically aid your journey toward intimacy with God. For me it's a matter of posture and attitude. When I read scripture, I place myself under its' authority. That's posture. As I pray, I come to God as His son, not His subject. That's attitude. Perhaps those will inspire better thoughts in your mind.

Back to the bigger picture as we wrap up: Jesus led Himself perfectly. He only did what the Father told Him to do. He was so intimate with His Father that He could say they were "one." And His training in righteousness was effective enough to see Him through the agony of the garden, the anguish of the cross, and to the emptiness of a tomb. He fought and won.

We can too.

Worship Leaders: Leadership starts with ourselves

[A caveat - this post focuses on the human side of spiritual leadership. I don't mean in any way to diminish the spiritual forces at work.]

1 Peter 1:13 says, "prepare your minds for action."

Before we act, we prepare.

Before we lead others, we lead ourselves. There actually is an i in leadership.

Every significant failure I've experienced in leadership was preceded by a failure to lead myself well.

There are at least three ways I want to lead myself better:
   1) Spiritually (especially through wise use of spiritual disciplines)
   2) Personally (my physical body, my role as husband and father)
   3) Professionally (as a pastoral-team member and as a worship leader)

I will expand on each of those in the posts that follow, but here's a quick touch on each.

SPIRITUAL SELF LEADERSHIP
While reading through the Bible this year (for the first time I'm following a chronological plan) I have to remind myself that I'm pursuing intimacy, not an accomplishment. When I pray for people, I remind myself that I'm doing this partly to foster relationships--both with my Father and with those for whom I pray. When I confess, I remember that I'm doing it to humble myself and pursue intimacy, not just to "model" the right behavior.

PERSONAL SELF LEADERSHIPAmong my goals for this year are:
   --getting healthier physically
   --becoming a better husband
   --being a better father to my adult (or very nearly adult) daughters.

In order to reach those goals, I am pursuing the wisdom of men just a few years ahead of me. I've crafted 3 questions to ask them, hoping to lead myself well personally. More about that later.

PROFESSIONAL SELF LEADERSHIP I spend time every week trying to get better at my job. I listen for input and feedback. I read to learn. I write to clarify. I teach others to make sure I'm thinking rightly. I really try to get better every single week.

Still, every time I have failed to lead others well, I can point to the source as a failure to lead myself well in one of those three areas. Conversely, every time I have led others really well, I can attribute it to leading myself well.

And here is an amazing mystery of our faith: it is the grace of God that enables me to lead myself well, blessing that leadership. At the same time it's the grace of God that covers my failures to lead myself well, even using those failures to glorify Him and build His Kingdom.

How about you? Do you experience the joy and frustration of self-leadership and see the connection to your ability to lead others?

A Letter to a Young Worship Leader (aka 'The Stakes Are Too High')

As I was writing the letter that follows--a long time back--I kept thinking, "I wish all of our worship leaders knew this." Then I thought... maybe it would help some other worship leaders to read this. So I removed all hints at who the letter originally went to so I could share it with you.

Maybe it would serve you to read it as if addressed to you. Or maybe you can adapt it and send it to folks in your worship ministry. As always, I'd love to read some comments about how it helps OR about how you might disagree or say something differently.

So here it is...a letter to a young person, a new believer, who had been invited to play in the worship band for a Sunday. They had responded that it didn't seem fair that they couldn't play if they had to miss "just one rehearsal."


I'm sorry you won't be able to play.

As far as missing "one rehearsal," we only get one rehearsal. I know you're still learning this whole God/church thing, so I hope you will benefit from this...

1) God deserves our best. Not "good enough." Not "we'll get through it." Not, "I won't mess up." He deserves our best. That only happens we we are all really well prepared.

2) The church deserves our best. People come into church (and sometimes you and I are those people) hurting, frustrated, hopeless, and in need of something good, powerful, beautiful, etc. When we craft our music well, we give those things to our church.

3) Those far from God deserve our best. As you know, if someone doesn't believe in the whole "God thing" or doesn't buy into the "church thing," they will be skeptical. It's normal. When we make GREAT music--well planned, well prepared, well rehearsed--both individually and together--we earn credibility with those far from God. Our excellence gives them a chance to hear the life changing news of the gospel.

So we only get one rehearsal to do all of that. One. Thursday night is all the time I have to help between 5 and 12 people feel fully prepared to give their best. For us in the Sanctuary, coming early on Sunday morning is a time to sound check, run-thru, and "remember what we did at rehearsal," as well as fix anything that just isn't working out.

That's why I, as the worship leader, require everyone to be at the "one rehearsal" we have. The stakes are too high. The honor we give God, the encouragement we give the church, and the hope we offer those far from God matter too much for me to "just get by" without rehearsal.

My friend, I don't mean any of that to be "coming down" on you. I just want you to know my heart. This is why I value what we do so much.

On a recent Sunday we had a "Night of Worship" with 12 songs in it. The rhythm section practiced 4 times for a total of more than 7 hours, and then--on top of that--we did the sound check/run through thing on Sunday afternoon before the service.

It was amazing.

We were well prepared. We were together musically, but also relationally and spiritually. That should happen every time a group of people lead worship together. That's what I'm after.

Hope that helps you understand. It helped me to remember, even as I wrote it out.

I'm really looking forward to the next time you get to play with us in the Sanctuary!

Grace. Peace.
Rod

"He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy." - Job 8.21

Worship Music's Dirty Little Secret

There's one reason people don't sing in worship that trumps all others.

This dirty little secret won't seem so dirty to those outside the church. In fact, they don't care, which is one of the reasons I try not to talk about worship style too much. The perception of those still far from God is a part of what makes this secret a dirty one for those of us inside the church. We're talking about things that distract us from our mission--to share the great and glorious news of grace--but sometimes we talk about it in ways that actually endanger our ability to fulfill our mission. Jesus said people would know we are His followers by our love for one another, not by our worship.

I'm prompted to write about this "dirty little secret" by at least a dozen conversations I've had in the last week. One was about a church trying to find the way to have spiritual vitality in their worship again, one with our youth pastor who just got back from the Passion event (for college students) in Atlanta, one with an adult church leader who is concerned about musical style and a couple with teenagers who have the same curiosity about musical-worship style.

Before I tell you the dirty little secret, I need to share a few quick contextual statements:

1. Every week I lead the most engaged, dynamic, and spirit-freed congregation of any Baptist church I've ever seen. I am blessed beyond explanation. It hasn't always been that way for them or for me, so we all recognize this as the work of God.
2. I have seen congregations go from enthused, engaged worship to a dry, weary gathering. It's sort of like watching something die.
3. I have seen congregations go from dry bones to dancing soldiers. It's sort of like watching a resurrection.
4. I am not sitting in judgement of any person or group of people.
5. I am sitting under the judgement of God's word on my own heart, my own sinfulness, my own battle to choose songs that serve those I lead rather than songs that serve my own preferences.

Despite the great popularity of a recent blog post called Nine Reasons People Aren't Singing in Worship, I'm convinced there's one reason that trumps those nine. (If you're interested enough, at the end of the article I will respond to each of the author's nine reasons.)

The dirty little secret?

The one reason people aren't singing in worship is because they are not passionately in love with Jesus. Or at the very least, they are more in love with something than they are with Jesus.

Some days "they" is "me."

That's it. The secret is out.

We may be hungrier for what we like than Who we worship.

Consider Psalm 42:1: "As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, O God." (NLT)

I'm not sure a thirsty deer would worry about the temperature of the water, a few imperfections here or there, or whether or not the water is from a creek, stream, river or lake. A thirsty deer longs for water.

Oh that we longed for God in our worship in the same way.

And remember Jeremiah 29:13, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." 

If I'm seeking old songs, new songs, familiar songs...for goodness sake, if I'm seeking songs, I'm not seeking God with all of my heart. 

Singing in worship is far more a spiritual issue than a musical one. More a pastoral concern than a songful one. More about relationship than musicianship.

I'm reminded of a guy who led worship with me for a while. He got really frustrated when I shared an article about why the key we choose for a song is so important. His response was something like, "I don't care what key you pick, I'm just gonna sing because I can't help it." That dude had a passionate love for Jesus and nothing was gonna stop him from singing his love for his Savior.

When it comes to the way we worship, I wonder how many of us are so ablaze on the inside that we might appear that on fire on the outside.

The words of Jesus to the church in Ephesus are ringing in my ears: "I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first." (Rev 2:4)

The other side of that same coin maybe mis-placed love rather than missing love. And the love we have misplaced can be for just about anything.

A few possibilities...
Novelty (I like what's new.)
Tradition (I like what's old.)
Familiarity (I like what I know.)
Sounds (I like what pleases my ear.)

Music--even worship music--makes a wonderful path to Jesus but a terrible substitute for Him.

So... want to know the secret to great, engaging, dynamic, life-changing worship gatherings?  It's no secret at all. It's the greatest commandment, according to Jesus. Love the Lord your God with all of who you are.

All.

That leaves no room to love novelty or tradition or familiarity or sounds. When we love Jesus with all we are, it doesn't matter if it is 20,000 college students singing "It Is Well with My Soul" accompanied by a single piano at midnight (a highlight of the Passion event this year, I've heard) or if it is "Oceans" accompanied by 7 synthesizers, 4 guitars, drums, percussion, etc. (a highlight of a worship conference I and hundreds of middle-aged worship guys attended a few months ago). When we are consumed with love for Jesus, we cannot be consumed with a love for anything else.

That's why one of my favorite and most used phrases with our worship teams is to make much of Jesus. When we make much of music, we create idols. When we make much of Jesus, we make disciples.

Before I respond to the "9 Things..." post, I need to share one more thing. None of us is innocent of what I just shared. This is a sin common to all Christ-followers. Again, I am not sitting in judgement of any person or group of people. I am, however, sitting under the judgement of God's word on my own heart, my own sinfulness, my own battle to choose songs that serve those I lead rather than songs that serve my own preferences. I sometimes get it right. I sometimes get it wrong. We're all falling short of the glory of God. It's part of what makes grace so amazing.

I would really love to hear your thoughts. Really.

Now, to share my perspective on Kenny Lamm's very helpful article "9 Reasons..." And it's just my perspective.

1. "They don't know the songs." This is so important to me. If we don't have something in us, we can't give it away. Until the song becomes part of us, it is terribly difficult to give it to God as a sacrifice of praise. I work diligently to help new songs become familiar to our congregation. We use Sunday nights and Wednesday nights to reinforce the songs we introduce on Sunday mornings.

2. "We are singing songs not suitable for congregational singing." This seems to depend on the congregation. There are some songs we do in our Sanctuary service that aren't very singable in our Cafe service, even in the same congregation. Others work the other way around. I've used some songs in other churches with great effectiveness that have been hard for other churches to sing. I certainly agree that we have to consider the complexity of rhythms and the range of the song--but each of us has to do that for our individual context. And that means we each need to deeply understand our context, the people we lead.

3. "We are singing in keys too high for the average singer." Yes. Too often the key is chosen for the leader rather than the congregation. This is an issue in many, many places. Too be honest, I sometimes miss it too. But sometimes a half step down saps the energy of the song. Sometimes a half step up means the highest notes are inaccessible. If we want to enable the most people to sing, choosing the right key for those we lead is--pardon the pun--key.

4. 'The congregation can't hear people around them singing." Oddly enough, this is also dependent on the congregation. We do a lot of a cappella singing in our services, and we love to hear the sound of the room. But many people don't want to be heard, so as soon as they hear individual voices they will sing quietly or stop singing. Again, know the folks you lead. Manage the tension of how loud the accompaniment should be week by week. Whether the pipe organ is too loud, the drums are overbearing, or you can't hear the instruments enough to allow you to sing with confidence is a--pun alert--dynamic to be managed, not a problem to be solved.

5. "We have created worship services which are spectator events, building a performance environment." Yes, we have. And no, we haven't. This is a severe exaggeration. I have been in worship venues with moving stage lights, lots of haze (aka fog/smoke), electronic sounds, and superstar-level-talent where my focus has been magnificently aimed toward Jesus. And I've been in those formats where I forgot Jesus was part of the mix. This is a matter of attitude first, artistic sensitivity second, and technology third. Remember my comments above. No amount of technology--from none to millions of dollars worth--can shut down a passionate worshiper.

6. "The congregation feels they are not expected to sing." I'm not sure how to respond to a comment about how a congregation feels. It's awfully hard to speculate on someone else's internal experience, let alone that of a large group of people. I will say this: if you focus on music, those in the congregation will pay attention to music. If you focus on Jesus, those in the congregation are far more likely to do the same.

7. "We fail to have a common body of hymnody." Yep. But this isn't going away. There are tens of thousands of songs written every year. Thousands and thousands are recorded and put in print. Local churches write their own songs. This is a huge challenge. But I think the hymnal Jesus used was pretty clear: "Sing to the Lord a new song" appears in some form or another throughout the Psalms. Again, wise and sensitive leadership is important. Let's remember, there was a time your favorite song to sing in church was brand new and had a hard time breaking into use. This one is just plain hard.

8. "Worship leaders ad lib too much." Yep. Some do. And some don't. The basics are so essential. Start the congregation well. You don't have to conduct; you can use breathing, posture, facial expression and other tools to let us know when to start. Lead the congregation well. If we don't know where we're going, your ad lib shuts us down. But if your ad lib gives us guidance and helps us connect with the text--and therefore with Jesus--help us.

9. "Worship leaders are not connecting with the congregation." Yes. This is so important. We don't lead songs, we lead people. (Click here to read a whole post on that subject.) Know the people you lead. I can't tell you how many times I've watched a person in a service sing one particular phrase and, knowing their story, I just about break down because I know just a little bit about what it means for them to sing those particular words. Listen to what the congregation sings. A phrase I've just started thinking about is when "the whole room sings." It isn't that people are singing, or that people aren't singing, it's that the whole room erupts in song. If the room isn't singing and someone had their favorite song included, I'm not sure if that serves the whole church or not. Know the people you lead. More importantly LOVE the people you lead.

I hope this helps. I know many of you who read this post--especially the ones who made it to the end--are being confronted by people in your own congregation with this insightful commentary. Please note that Kenny Lamm never talks about a preferred musical style. Nearly every observation he made could be leveled against nearly any musical style. 

By the way, if you and your congregation could benefit from having someone from the outside come in and talk through these challenges, I'd love to have the chance to serve you as a worship coach.