Six Things Worship Pastors Would Like to Tell Their Senior Pastor
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Wed, September 28, 2005
- Viewed 216
- (63) comments so far
4. We think and feel very deeply, so we can tell whether you really appreciate us or not, yet we are insecure, so we might let you exploit us for awhile...and shame on you if you do.
3. We love music and we worked hard to develop our skills, so it's frustrating to us when you ask us to perform alongside untalented people who love only the spotlight.
2. For us, doing music is its own reward, and you don't need to pressure us, heap praise on us, fawn over us, nor guilt us into doing what we already love to do.
1. Nearly every other church within a ten mile radius of my home is starving for capable musicians...and I choose to share my God-given talent with your church.
OK, all you worship leaders (I speak as a former one)... is this an accurate list? What would you add? (Feel free to post anonymously if you wish on this one). And the final question? What don't you just tell him these things? 
Todd
Billy Cox posted an interesting list of things that most worship pastors would like to tell their senior pastors: >6. If we could afford to play/sing all the time we would. 5. In our minds, music is valuable in its own right and not just as means of filling your sanctuary…
Comments
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bernie dehler on Wed, September 28, 2005
In context of the article, the relationship looks like a husband/wife situation. They are supposed to be a team, one. Yet you get stories like “What husbands want their wives to know,” etc.
...Bernie
chris on Wed, September 28, 2005
Colossians 3 indicates the music is a prelude to the teaching ministry of the church, not a prelude to your sermon.
Chuck Musselwhite on Wed, September 28, 2005
What a load of selfish eccentric crap!
Rich Kirkpatrick on Wed, September 28, 2005
I don’t know what all the fuss is. I’ve said these and more! I have the scars to prove it, too.
How about: a few “questions” for the pastor that NEVER get answered. (Bill, if you are reading this, forgive me and..um…this is about my last pastor!)
1-Why can’t you finish your sermon prep earlier than 30 minutes before the service?
2-I need more money for gear, please??
3-Do I ever have to do Christmas again?
4-Do you know that your wife can’t sing?
5-Are you aware that you have no ear for music….sir?
6-Can you cut a couple point out of your sermon so we can sing more, please?
Those are my questions…
Bart on Wed, September 28, 2005
how about some things pastors want to say to the musicians.
1. Playing louder than everyone else doesn’t make you more Godly.
2. You may be talented, but no one wants to listen to a ten minute drum solo.
3. Don’t treaten to leave. It’s just as selfish as the pastor asking for a raise or treatening to leave.
4. A 7-11 song (the same seven words sung eleven times or for an eternity) is not always worship.
5. We greatly appreciate your talent, but the rest of us tone deaf people also want to worship with a joyful noise, put up with us sometimes.
6. Lead us in worship, don’t make it a personal concert of your talent.
Music is a valuable part of the worship experience. It can be a valuable part or even the entire service. But when it becomes about us, it is no longer what God desires.
Pastor Dan on Wed, September 28, 2005
The comment about the pastor shortening his sermon for more music reflects a widespread and dangerous trend to move our serivces away from a focus on God’s word and towards an emotional experience that is primarily self-centered.
Ben on Wed, September 28, 2005
Wooah…this sounds like there might be a pot boiling out there that needs to be addressed before it explodes all over the kitchen!
I’ve been leading (I use this term VERY loosely) a worship team for about 3 years now. I have to say that we “artists” are definitely a bit on the “colorful side”. It can be very easy to have these types of confrontations with artists using their gifts in the church.
I can say (and this is NOT a kissup as my pastor does not surf the blots, that I know of anyway) that my pastor and I have a great working relationship. He, as pastor is given the vision of where God wants our church to go, I as worship leader support that vision in my role through worship. If there’s a problem that I have with the pastor, I will GO to him, not post my complaints on a blog site. We’re really big on using Matthew 18 as a reference to dealing with disagreements. But who knows, maybe Billy Cox is not writing about his current experiences as a worship leader but just attempting to speak out for us worship leaders from past experiences of his and others.
If I were to add to the list it would be this…
1. It is EXTREMELY important that pastors define the role that you want your worship leaders to play in creating the services. Please tell us if the worship is really ours to lead, or will you be pulling every string from backstage.
2. And to the worship leader…YOU are NOT that important. Get over yourself! God could just as easily bring a different person to fill your role as he brought you. It’s the role of worship leader that is important, not you.
I love it that there’s another worship leader out there blogging on these types of issues.
And we need each other to accomplish the vision. We also need to be able to communicate with each other and discuss our concerns about our positionas without feeling threatened.
Ben on Wed, September 28, 2005
Ok, I just went and read Billy’s blog, man, there’s a LOT more going on there than just worship leading problems. I answered my earlier comment that these are problems he’s dealing with currently.
This is a danger about blogging for sure. I hope the guy can make it. Rough stuff.
Pastor Dan on Wed, September 28, 2005
Ben,
You may have taken my comment in the wrong light - I have no conflict with my musix director and it is a joy to share in the planning and preperation of our worship services. The center of the service is proclaimg of God’s word.
I appreciate your comment about the worship leader - it also applies the pastor as well. It is the message of God’s word that is to be the focus - not the messenger.
wjm on Wed, September 28, 2005
It’s true…...I’m a worship leader as well. Over 25 years….full time…go figure.
As usual, Bernie missed the point and takes a lickin’ “but keeps on tickin”. Chuck….well….let’s move ahead shall we.
Additional questions might be:
- can you communicate your wishes more clearly and give me a chance to work the plan?
- do you realize that the service is also NOT about you but the combined tools we use to get the message we’re trying to get across to some needy people?
- do you know that I can’t talk to you plainly about “service” stuff because I fear the loss of my job if we disagree? (it gets personal…both ways)
- can you understand that not everything in the music selection may be to your liking and that God can speak to more than one person at a time? (yes, I realize you’re the authority here….and I’ll follow your lead….when we’re going somewhere.)
There’s more….but this is a late post and probably won’t be read anyway.
Thanks Todd. Keep up the good work of keeping our minds and spirits “tuned up.”
Monica on Wed, September 28, 2005
Thank you, Bart!!! I’m a worship leader and I SOOOOO appreciate your perspective! Those things (I’m speaking as a melancholy, moody artist) may be tough to hear, but I wholeheartedly agree!
Thanks to you, too, Todd! I don’t identify with the article’s perspective, but it sure reminds me to keep my ego in check.
Rich Kirkpatrick on Wed, September 28, 2005
I hope that some got the attempt at humor in my list of questions—especially the one about shortening a sermon. God’s word in song and in preaching are both valid, so it funny to ask the pastor to share a bit and let the people (not the worship leader guy) respond in song or other acts of worship. How about a second offering once in a while?
I am just trying to keep something biblical here on this next point. The so called “7-11 songs” might be more biblical than songs with a lot of wordy theology. Rev. 4:8 “...and day and night they never cease to say. ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.’” The worship of heaven seams to allow repition. The Lord’s prayer is another example.
Billy Cox on Wed, September 28, 2005
Yes, when I went to MondayMorningInsight.com this morning, I saw a title that looked very familiar. For the record, the original title is ‘Top 6 things that musicians want their pastor to know’.
Yes, I was writing from present (but soon to be past) experience. My final day in this assignment is October 2.
The pastor actually asked me to stay on when I resigned, but I declined because sometimes a ‘divorce is better than a bad marriage.’
tad on Wed, September 28, 2005
since when did “worship” come to refer ONLY to singing time at church?
it seems the modern church is so hungry for the sacraments (and doesn’t even know it) that it has made “sing time” into a sacrament of it’s own.
interesting…
in Christ,
tad
Peter Hamm on Wed, September 28, 2005
I’ve got a great one I’d like to add…
-Musicians feel ill-used when you have someone who can barely sing… AND they use an accompaniment track… AND the worship band could’ve played the song and it would’ve been better.
And here’s a reality check for all you church musicians.
-Every piece of positive feedback you’ve ever gotten from a friend has been useless. Some of the negative feedback is useless, too. Your friends are your fans, that’s their job. Go find someone who doesn’t know you real well and get feedback from THEM!
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