[This post is part of a new series on “The Christian Musician“. Check out the rest of the posts here.]
Have you ever felt that your music was made for those outside the church walls?
Does your heart break for those who would never set foot within a church and clap and sing to modern worship songs?
If so, how do we reach them?
There are many Christian musicians who feel called to minister in this way. They have a heart for Jesus, they love the Gospel, but they want their music to influence those on the outside.
This is amazing, yet extremely difficult to do well. Artists tend to place too much confidence in their ability to deal with fame or resist the world’s influence.
I believe Christians have historically struggled with this tension. A recent commenter said it well:
Since Christ is Lord over all of life that means the goal of any Christian (not just a musical one) is to see Him glorified in all of life. It stands to reason then that believing Creatives will write and create art that speaks to all of life as a natural response of being changed by the gospel.
I think where people tend to get confused is how all of this practically works out for a musician who may find him or herself in a wide variety of “non-Christian” contexts…
I agree. How does evangelism really work in a non-Christian context? Can it be quantified or do we just trust the Holy Spirit is moving?
7 Questions For Musicians Who Feel Called to the World
If you feel called to this, that’s wonderful. But I have a few questions to ask before you set out as a Christian musician in a secular marketplace.
1. Is your heart right with God? – A close relationship with Jesus is essential for effective ministry.
2. Do you have a habit of sharing the Gospel with others? – If you’re not sharing the Gospel with others now, what makes you think you’ll do it through your music?
3. Are you connected to and actively involved in your local church? – It’s become popular to forget the local church and fly solo. But stay in relationship to the people of God. It’s part of your calling.
4. Who is your pastoral oversight? – Before you hit the road, make sure you have the spiritual covering and blessing of a pastor. He or she will be a great source of encouragement and strength for you.
5. Do you know what you are getting into? – There’s nothing easy about this. Are you prepared to handle the pressure?
6. What boundaries have you established? – Know what you will and will not engage in. Boundaries are helpful in keeping your heart pure and from falling into sin.
7. What is your plan? – Before you go, think through your plan. What is your strategy for going? What does it look like? Who are you trying to reach?
I hope and pray that more Christians reach out through their music, yet don’t lose their soul in the process.
Question: How do we effectively evangelize and reach the lost through music? Let’s get the discussion going in the comments!
But is it even possible to do this? If yes, has anyone been able to combine singing secularly and living the life of Christ.
What do you think, David?
There are several “secular” bands and artists that bring God to the populace…Skillet, P.O.D., Switchfoot…I read the Twitter feeds of all of the members of Skillet and they are always praising God and talking about how blessed they are to bring Christ to people through their music. Quite a few of their songs are ones I use when I need a little boost in my faith. Same goes for P.O.D….I’ve been listening to them since I was a teen and part of the reason I’m such a huge fan is that they bring a positive message and the Word to many that otherwise wouldn’t know Christ. The idea is bringing the unsaved to God, right? What better way than through music?
And for the record, music is what brought me to APC. It’s the wonderful people there who have kept me coming back. Just saying 🙂
Good examples, Jaime. I wonder if these bands had accountability set up before they went out? I wonder if they’re still strong in their faith?
Skillet and Switchfoot started as “Christian” bands before they went “mainstream”. If you listen their music hasn’t changed a lot between those two sides (besides their natural progression). The only noticeable difference is that recent albums don’t explicitly mention God as much.
That comment stunk, sorry guys. I was trying to point out that those guys seem to be doing it right. Heck, Jon Foreman (Switchfoot) wrote one of my favorite worship tunes we do at my church (Your Love is Strong).
Need to re-read comments before hitting submit so they make sense outside of my head…
I think a clear vision and accountable relationships (like 3 &4) are essential for good soul care of the artist.
Indeed. So important.
I agree with all 7 for sure. And each point is as important as the others.
Anything you would add, Khamille?
Maybe ask yourself for who are you doing it and why..
Once again an excellent post, David! – I agree with all – cannot think of something particular, but #4 is the one that is very important. We all need a pastoral overseer, also a place that can be your anchor. Many people think that they can just reach out and touch others but it is important that you also get back to a place where you can get a ‘refill’ and some encouragement and even guidance.
I have seen many artists an musicians that gets the ‘feeling’ that they need break away from the congregation to start a ‘music ministry’ and a few months later they are down in the gutter!
Even if you are part of a group, you need to be able to go back to someone that can give you spiritual guidance and help you to resolve issues from an unbiased point of view.
So true, Gert. I never knew the importance of this until I served on staff with a great leader. It really helps to keep you balanced.
Jamie, that’s it. Music attracts, but a trusting relationship leads the potential convert to the Lord. So anyone involved in any ministry to the uncoverted has to be a willing participant in relationship with the uncoverted. As topic point 6 stresses with boundaries, I will add ‘loving’ boundaries, absolutely ‘Affirmation, loving encouragement, along with Exhortation loving discipline’
Praise God – Moving forward – Peace Isaiah 26:3
I still think that it goes back to making good art.
I’ve heard people who’d never set foot in a church talk about Delirious. If you do something interesting and do it *well*, people notice.
You asked in the post if evangelism should be quantified. I don’t think it should be, really. God is the one who changes hearts, not us, so we should really be trying to be only a mirror of truth. We won’t know the true numbers this side of heaven.
We should focus on 1) running hard after God, and 2) being the best artist we can be.