Don’t Take it Personally

Inevitably, those of us involved in leading worship will encounter criticism. And at some point, this criticism might be along the lines of: contemporary music is evil. Or, drums are of the devil. Or, I can’t stand that kind of music. Or, electric guitars were designed by aliens to one day destroy the earth.

OK, maybe not that last one, but you know what I’m saying.

There are many godly, sincere, good people who believe that contemporary music or anything related to it (drums, guitars, projecting lyrics, synthesizers, etc.) is not appropriate for use in church. Some of these people articulate their objections respectfully and kindly, while others are less generous in their distaste for the genre.

It can be difficult for contemporary musicians and those who believe that contemporary music can and should be used for God’s glory to know how to respond to the line of thinking that says just the opposite.

The number one mistake I have made when being faced with the argument that contemporary music is evil has been to take it personally.

In my mind, it goes like this: They don’t like acoustic guitars, I play acoustic guitar, therefore they don’t like me, and now I don’t like them.

Or: They think the rock beat is evil, I think they’re wrong, therefore they think I’m ignorant, and now I think they’re smug. And I still don’t like them.

And so on and so on. Now we have different members of the body of Christ who don’t really understand where the other is coming from, who are taking it all personally, and who can’t talk with each other.

I’ve read the books and listened to the arguments that seek to portray contemporary music as demonic at its core, or thoroughly inferior, or designed for the purposes of rebellion, or as the enemy of those who prefer traditional hymnody and classical music. I’m convinced they’re misguided on all counts, and that a biblical perspective on music encourages endless variety, stylistic pluralism, skillful execution, and spiritual discernment all for the glory of God.

But instead of hearing the criticism and responding with Christ-like patience and Spirit-enabled charity, I so often find myself responding out of sinful pride, and seeking to defensively protect my turf. It’s silly. I take it personally and in so doing, ensure that nothing fruitful happens.

To my fellow worship leaders, and contemporary musicians, let me encourage us to respond in three ways:

Understand where they’re coming from. Listen to their arguments, read their books, consider their concerns, and try to see them as God sees them.

Dialogue with them. We can learn from them, they can learn from us. It really shouldn’t be an “us versus them” thing anyway. Whatever we can do to stay unified by the Gospel, let’s do it.

Don’t take their concerns personally. It’s not about you, even if they think it is. Even in the face of mean-spirited criticism, respond with grace and understanding.

Justified or not, contemporary musicians have a reputation of being insensitive, untrained, not well-read, oblivious, callous, and boastful. When we’re presented with critique or criticism, we just shrug our shoulders, murmur under our breath, and turn the amps up louder. This is not good.

Instead, may we seek to be as approachable as possible, informed, aware of the sensitivities around us, and surprisingly willing to dialogue. Who knows, maybe electric guitars really are an alien invention…

Don’t Overreact to Minor Course Corrections

I have a love/hate relationship with paddling a canoe. On the one hand I enjoy spending a warm summer day on a river or a lake with friends and family, having a picnic on the shore, and gliding through the water, but on the other hand I don’t enjoy the prospect of tipping over, the sore arms, and trying to maneuver the canoe and make it go where I want it to go. Just when it starts to head in the right direction, it veers left and I have to paddle hard on the right, or vice versa. I’m constantly paddling on different sides in hopes of correcting course.

Growing as a worship leader is a bit like paddling a canoe. You know what general direction you want to go in (hopefully), you know the basics of how to get there, you have some knowledge of what you need to do, you know that a good deal of responsibility has been entrusted to you, at certain points all you’re trying to do is keep from sinking, you can get discouraged when you see other people around you having an easier time, and it’s not as easy at it looks.

Another similarity between growing as a worship leader and paddling a canoe is that worship leaders are constantly in need of minor course corrections. From time to time you might get totally flipped around or capsize and need major help. But most of the time, you’re doing a pretty good job of doing what you need to do, and you just need to periodically adjust your course so that you don’t collide with a tree.

Minor course corrections can come in many forms for worship leaders. Here are some ways I’ve received these little nudges from time to time:

  • My wife telling me that I looked frustrated when I led an unresponsive group of people
  • My brother letting me know that I had a bad habit of glaring at musicians when they made a mistake
  • My pastor cautioning me that when I interjected in-between lines of a song I could sometimes sound bossy
  • A friend warning me that I was trying to force change too quickly
  • A worship team member mentioning that we were doing too many similar-sounding songs from the same writer
  • A mentor telling me that I shouldn’t be so timid when I spoke
  • A sound engineer pointing out that I was over-playing and singing flat

It can be awfully tempting to overreact to minor corrections as if they mean we are terrible worship leaders, we have no idea what we’re doing, and we should just give up. But that’s silly. It would be a like a man paddling a canoe, realizing he’s drifting towards the bank, and then instead of simply correcting his course and continuing forward, he calls his wife to tell her he loves her one last time. That’s an overreaction.

There are definitely times someone gives you advice, and it’s bad advice. And there are times you receive criticism and you just need to ignore it. But God oftentimes uses people who know us to give input into how we can grow. The next time someone approaches you and suggests a way you might be to improve as a worship leader, don’t overreact. Ask yourself: “is this a minor course correction?” Most of the time it is. When we ignore these kinds – we end up in need of more serious help.

When you sign up to be a worship leader, answering God’s call on you to serve the church in this way, understand that you’re embarking on a never-ending journey of growing, maturing, gaining experience, making mistakes, receiving correction, keeping your eyes on Jesus, adjusting your course from time to time, and the occasional capsize. It’s not always easy, but God is always faithful. Keep paddling.

The Many Smiling Faces of Kathryn Scott

“Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” (Psalm 34:5)

A few weeks ago I was watching a worship service online that had Kathryn Scott as the guest worship leader. I’ve always enjoyed her songs (she’s best known for her song “Hungry (Falling On My Knees)”) but had never seen her lead worship before.

I was struck by the joy, enthusiasm, and smiling that permeated her leadership. Here are a few snapshots:

I’ve been told that I oftentimes look really intense, sometimes a bit angry, when I lead worship. I could learn a lot from Kathryn’s genuinely joyful example. What a difference it makes and what a message it sends!

Don’t be fake when you’re up front – plastering on a smile or putting on an act. Worship God genuinely and whole-heartedly, and model to your congregation God-centered worship.

But remember that what we’re celebrating and proclaiming each week is that God has rescued sinners through Jesus Christ – this is the Gospel, this is “good news” – and it’s worth smiling about!

Do You Take Requests?

Tonight is the monthly men’s ministry gathering at my church, when about 100 or so guys get together for some food, a time of corporate worship, teaching, and prayer. I usually lead about 20 minutes of singing at the beginning of the meeting, and try to pick songs that men from the various different services will know, or learn easily.

This happens to be a very busy week, with a bishop visiting this weekend for baptisms and confirmations, Palm Sunday the following weekend, then Easter, then Student Sunday, then a big conference in mid-April, and then finally a little break in about five weeks. I’m happy to lead a few songs tonight, but don’t have an awful lot of time to devote to choosing songs.

So I was quite glad to receive two emails this morning – one from the guy who will be playing piano, and one from the speaker – each requesting a particular song for tonight.

My pianist requested “I Come by the Blood” by Steve and Vikki Cooke, and the speaker requested “Give Us Clean Hands” by Chris Tomlin, Both good songs, both familiar, and both seem like they’ll work well tonight. 

There are days like today when I’m very glad to take song requests and, since they’re requesting good songs, go ahead and use them. The guys who requested them will feel honored, I have two less songs to have to pick, I’m trusting that God is using their good suggestions to guide my selection of songs, and praying that God uses these songs for his glory.

But there are also days when I get an email or a phone call or a request after church when someone asks me to use a song that I don’t particularly like. Most of the time it’s because the lyrical content isn’t great, but sometimes it’s more a subjective response and I just don’t like it.

What do you do when you get song requests?

If the song they’re requesting has bad theology, or wouldn’t work in your specific setting, I’d just thank them for their suggestions, encourage them to share suggestions any time they want, but be specific (and brief) and kind about why you don’t think you’ll use that song.

But if the song they’re requesting is a fine song and you just don’t happen to like it, I would thank them, encourage them to share more suggestions, and then either go ahead and use the song, or just tell them you’ll keep it in mind. I’ve gotten suggestions for songs that I haven’t liked at the time, but eventually I warm up to the song, or a service comes along when their suggested song would actually work really well.

Just because someone asks for a song doesn’t mean you have to do it. But when you get a request, honor the person by seriously considering it and letting them know what you think. And if you’re like me, and you get two good requests in one day, your life will be a little easier.