Stop Pleasing People, for God's Sake

I’m a worship pastor. In my job, it is impossible to please everyone.

If you regularly lead worship, you are aware of the long list of possible complaints:

Too loud

Too soft

Too new

Too old

Too many people on stage

Not using enough people on stage

Too much lighting

Not enough lighting

I could go on, but you get the idea. I am not complaining; in fact, I’m grateful that apathy is rare in conversations about worship gatherings. Passion is hard to stir up. There’s a lot of passion about what we do in worship ministry.

This dynamic offers a massive temptation: to make decisions that displease the most people. It cuts down on the complaints. It makes for better personnel committee meetings. It just makes life easier.

So why not focus on pleasing people?

Because it’s not enough. Not nearly enough.

“Don’t just pretend to love other. Really love them.” (Romans 12:9)

Pleasing is pretending to love.

If it’s too loud, love the person who offers that complaint by considering them. Listen to them. Honor them.

If it’s too soft, love the person who offers that complaint by considering them. Listen to them. Honor them.

And then make the best decision you can about the volume level in your worship space.

Some will be pleased and some will be displeased, but all will be loved.

That’s the better path.

With that in mind, savor some of Romans 12…

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them.