The Tensions Of Working On A Church Staff As An Artist

I was talking to a worship pastor friend of mine a couple weeks ago who loves what he does.

He loves his church, is engaged with the mission, and looks forward to what he gets to do. He and his pastor have a wonderful relationship.

I have another friend who seemingly wants to slit his wrists every time we have a conversation about his church and his full time job as a worship pastor.

This seems to be common. Many worship leaders I know love what they do and where they get to serve. Sill, many more seem completely dissatisfied and disillusioned.

I know lead pastors are the same way – oftentimes, their worship leader or creative staff can drive them absolutely mad. They don’t see eye to eye. They don’t communicate well with each other. They assume the worst and hardly work on their relationship.

There are a lot of factors at work here, and I want to simply list some of my thoughts in order to be helpful. But more importantly, I want to hear from you and your experience.

7 Thoughts For Artists On Staff (and those who lead them)

1. Know Your Role – Artists, the local church is not primarily a place for your artistic development and opportunity – the local church is about discipleship. It’s about reaching people and growing into full maturity in Christ.

You may be dissatisfied with your church because you’re trying to make your role something it is not – less a pastoral position and more of an artistic one. Art will always have a place in worship, but never as an end in itself. A possible solution is maybe a more full time role as an artist and a more part time role as a worship leader.

2. Bless & Release Your Artists – Pastors and church leaders who fail to bless and encourage the artists in their church – giving them space to develop, create, and serve – will struggle to grow. Artists want to feel valued and want to contribute to the local church’s mission.

Don’t view them as competition to the Great Commission. Don’t assume they have self-centered, rockstar motives simply because they’re artists. Envision them, pastor them, and give them a place to lead others in worship. They will add beauty and variety to your weekly services.

Imagine having a local church where the best musicians love to serve – where highly skilled artists congregate. Imagine the possibilities.

3. Own the Vision – If you cannot pour yourself 100% into your pastor’s vision, you shouldn’t continue to serve where you are. There needs to be a mutual trust and unity for this to work. You may be dissatisfied because you disagree with your leader. Either talk about this and work it out, or admit this isn’t the place you should be and step down in a humble, respectful way.

4. “This Might Not Work” – Pastors and church leaders need to give their creative staff space to experiment and even fail. They need to learn to be comfortable with the idea that “this might not work.” True artists thrive on challenges like this but if they feel like they will be scolded if something doesn’t work, they’ll never want to dream or try something new again.

While creative staff needs to learn to keep a budget, get things done, and be a respectful team player, they also need to be given space to do what they do best. And feel appreciated for it.

5. Be Clear on Expectations – If you are paid “part time” at your church but are expected to work full time hours, you will burn out. You need to guard your part time schedule (and part time productivity) with care. Sit down with your leader and get very clear on expectations.

Otherwise, this will breed burn-out and massive tension with your spouse. If a full time salary is not an option where you are, start a business or work another job for extra money.

6. Never Stop Creating – Artists, if you feel like you don’t have the time to create, that is a problem. You need to be able to do this. It’s part of what makes you feel fully alive. Have a conversation with your pastor about what is acceptable “artistic” and “creative” work that fits into your job.

For everything else, use your creativity to find time outside of work to create. Consider it a creative challenge to find those timeslots. Don’t cheat your local church by writing songs during work hours if that hasn’t been blessed by your pastor.

7. Lay Down Your Dreams…for Now – Artists, if you want more privileges, artistic freedom, and the opportunity to work on your dreams, lay it down for a season and pursue your pastor’s priorities with all-out passion. You may think your pastor devalues your art when he really just isn’t sure you are being present with the local church.

Go over and above what is expected. Communicate often about how you’re making things happen, how appreciative you are, and how you’re going “all in” with your pastor’s priorities. You’ll never be able to fulfill your vision until you are able to serve someone else’s.

Let’s talk about this.

What struggles are you facing as a creative on your staff? What struggles are you facing as you lead creatives?

See you in the comments. You can leave a comment by clicking HERE.

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