If you lead worship, you know what it’s like to need musicians.
Sometimes all it takes is a living, breathing human who can hold an instrument and they’re welcomed to the stage with open arms.
You want to sing? You’re on the team.
You know what a keyboard is? Consider yourself scheduled.
Played the guitar once? How’s this Sunday look?
It’s just the nature of the ministry – people come and people go. You need people to fill out your team. The problem is that we give more thought to people’s skill than we do their attitude. And bad attitudes can erode a team’s culture.
Have you ever thrust someone into a leadership role because they were super talented? But you didn’t do the hard work of teaching them how to love and serve God’s people? Yea, me neither.
There are just some people who can’t help but complain about everything. I especially see this in church. Rather than dive headfirst into what is happening in the Kingdom of God, they’d rather sit from a distance and complain about it.
The problem with this attitude is that Jesus loves his church. And he’s not asking you to reform it as much as he is asking you to be it.
In the midst of all this talk about improving the worship experience, picking better songs, raising up greater talent, and leading powerful worship, lies the hearts of our team members. And therein lies my heart and your heart. God has given us talent and He calls for excellence, but excellence with a bad attitude is not honoring to God.
That’s why, today, we’re talking attitudes. Excited?
The Problem With Being On Stage
One of the struggles we face with modern worship is how closely the form resembles your typical rock show. There’s a stage, lights, hazer, and an audience with their eyes on you. And it’s not only the rock worship band who is prone to this. Anyone who’s been on stage knows, it can be an addicting experience. You feel important, valuable, liked, maybe even adored. The thought of “serving your local church” may not even enter into the equation. Because you’re a musician and you belong on stage.
Right?
So what do you do? Sunday morning becomes a gig. You roll in with your gear, play the sets, and roll out. It’s quite possible that the only time you’re in church is if you’re on stage.
This is unhealthy on a number of levels. Believe me. I’ve been there.
Let’s consider I Peter 4:8-11:
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
I love this verse. Let’s draw from this our theology of attitude:
3 Reasons Why Attitude Matters
1. Serving in the Local Church is About Love – The motivation that should rise above all motivations is that of love. The reason you play your guitar in church is to love people. The reason you are on stage is to love. And this verse doesn’t just say love. It says to love each other deeply. That lays bare my selfish motivations. How dare I step into a leadership role on stage, leading the Church who Jesus died for, and seek to use their attention for my own gain? Lord have mercy.
2. Serving on the Worship Team is a Ministry of Hospitality – I love this idea of “offering hospitality to one another without grumbling.” At its core, Sunday morning ministry is about hospitality. We are creating an environment for people to encounter God, not to bask in our awesomeness. What does it mean to be hospitable? It means to create a warm, friendly, welcoming environment. If I’m on stage with a scowl, fully immersed in my own parts, tone, and image, how is that being hospitable? It actually has the opposite effect. Imagine visiting a restaurant where all the hostesses and waitresses were taking selfies and didn’t even acknowledge your presence? I don’t think you’d stick around.
3. Using Your Gift is an Extension of God’s Grace – If you can sing, play keys, or lead a production team, it’s not just a reflection of how talented and hard working you are. At its core, it’s a distribution vehicle of God’s grace. This is of massive importance. Why? Because it keeps any of us from taking credit for something we are not responsible for. Rather, we do what we do in the strength that God supplies. And in the end, God gets the glory. We work hard, we develop our gift. But we do it because of God’s grace, for the glory of God’s name.
So let’s have an attitude check. Look inwardly at your own attitude. If you lead a team, take a hard look at how you’re leading your team to have a great attitude.
Teach them how to love the church, be hospitable, and serve in the strength that God supplies.
What struggles are you facing in regards to attitude? Let’s talk about it in the comments.
[ois skin=”Beyond Sunday 2″]
I couldn’t agree more David.
I currently serve at two separate churches and the experience is very different in terms of giftings (talent) and attitudes. One church requires some ability but it is not the main focus. We will mentor anyone that has a healthy attitude, some passion, some talent, and is willing to commit at some level both of their own time, and at rehearsals at the church. At the other church, talent doesn’t matter so much and neither does commitment. I disagree with the latter. God gifts everyone differently and I have found many times our brothers and sisters have yet to discover their gift so they want to try everything, Worship seems appealing, looks fun, and maybe they even have a good worshipping heart but can’t play an instrument, keep time, and unfortunately can’t sing a lick. My question is how does one handle these situations in love?
This church lets them participate yet turns their mic down so you can’t hear them. They don’t seem to mind but now they have opinions, attitudes, and the like but aren’t really contributing anything. Have you experienced this challenge? And again, I say all of this from a loving heart and constantly question are my motives right before God, am I being carnal, what is the right thing to do? There has to be a loving way to handle these situations but I strive in finding it.
Nice article. Thank you for bringing up this important issue. I need to disagree with parts of it however. You started it off by addressing bad attitudes of the team members. To make this a great article is to look at it from a team member’s perspective also and write about how the bad attitude or large ego or sheer arrogance of the WL can affect the praise team. To be a team member of a praise and worship band it can be very frustrating at times. It can get very frustrating whenever you spend a lot of time and money – a lot of years learning and practicing and a lot money on private music lessons – learning your particular instrument, playing with other musicians over the years in various bands and combos, continuing private practice sessions, etc. all to have some NEW, random – never-before-met or voted on – Worship leader take over the band without even bothering to learn everyone’s skill level AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME every musician in the band is a beginner – a complete novice – they have to start from square 1 and coach and teach BECAUSE their ego won’t let them assume anything else. It gets very frustrating having a new WL come in and automatically assume they are the best and brightest musician among the group and treat everyone as such. THIS attitude of the new WL is what demoralizes praise and worship teams faster than anything and what causes band members to leave the band. That and the new WL simply refusing to allow others to contribute their insights, collaborate, help consult or help arrange charts to fit the band’s style and expertise because they know what the band is capable of, overall band experience playing together, etc. because they have played with the band for so many years.
Over the years I have communicated with many musicians who have told me they simply quit playing in a praise and worship band simply because they got sick and tired of the egotism and arrogance, the “rock star mentality”, the “my way or the highway”, or the “treat the rest of the band like absolute beginners”, or all of the above, attitude of the Worship Leader.
When writing about the difficulty of Worship Leaders, Please, PLEASE try to view the frame of reference from a team member’s perspective on how a WL – young and new or old and experienced – affects the overall attitude and dynamics of the team. You need to factor in the WL’s age, emotional stability, ego, arrogance, control, musicianship, experience leading people, mannerisms, etc.
Great post David, I have definitely struggled with this over my time in leadership in church, also impacts my own attitude (misery loves company). It’s is important to not only be spiritually healthy but emotionally healthy as well. (Prov. 17:22)