[This post is part of a brand new blog series, “Your Guide to Practicing the Essential Skills of a Worship Leader“. Check out the other posts here.]
“There is no such thing as a ‘self-made’ man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success.”
– George Matthew Adams
I always find it fascinating when someone frames a conversation about their musicianship with, “I never took lessons. I’m self taught.”
My first thought is, “What a waste! Why? You could be so much better!”
My second thought is, “You’re lying.”
The truth is, no one is self made. Even if you never took lessons, there are always people in your life that lead you to where you are. Whether you know them or not, their influence has shaped you.
I suppose the idea of a “self made man” stems from the faulty notion that extraordinary performers don’t need help. They have talent. They are self made.
Nonsense.
Worship leaders are no different. You must surround yourself with a multitude of mentors.
Maturity in the life of an artist comes when you admit you’re own barrenness. Everything that you are was learned from others.
I want to talk about your “unofficial” worship leading mentors – your influences. We should all have a mentor or two that we see, live in community with, and learn from.
But one of the greatest untapped resources in our day and age is having mentors who teach us from a distance.
The Secret Ingredient
The key, of course, is not just consuming someone’s work. It’s in studying it. I can listen to Matt Redman’s worship music all day but unless I study his songwriting, I won’t rise to another level.
You need to be specific about what they do and how you can apply it.
How is that done? I thought of a few tips that I employ:
1. Study their Passion – what makes them tick? Why do they invest their life the way they do?
2. Study their Message – what do they create? What is the content they produce? What about their body of work resonates with you?
3. Study their Methods – How do they do what they do? What is their style?
4. Mimic Them – The best way to learn is to mimic those you admire. If you admire a certain songwriter, mimic them in your own writing. If you admire a certain worship leader, try leading like they lead.
5. Live With Your Eyes Open – Every day is a new day to learn, to grow, to develop. But you may be sleeping through it all. Or too preoccupied to notice. You can become a better worship leader by being more present today and learning something new.
This has been the story of my life. The only reason I blog, write songs, lead worship, and pastor is because of the influence of others on my life.
Question: What about you? Who has mentored you in the area of worship leading? What about them is significant? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Photo Credit: Creative Commons (Flickr)
What’s funny, is that I used to say the same thing…I am self-taught. That really is a pride issue. There is nothing wrong with pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps, but there is something wrong with not admitting you have learned from folks that have ran a course in and out of your life.
I took very few true lessons on guitar or piano, but I have been “taught” by a multitude of people…folks who have shaped and influenced how I lead worship and how I approach each of those instruments.
As I approach mentoring some of the young people in our church this year, I hope to leave some type of lasting impression on them as they lead and play in worship.
Great post, David! Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks Joe. At first thought, it’s easy to think you’re self taught. But the more I’ve thought about certain skills in my life, I wouldn’t be who I am without TONS of people. It’s a healthy perspective.
I have never really had a worship leader mentor me. I have learned some from older guys (who I have lead worship with) though.
Do you have “unofficial” mentors? Other worship leaders that you “study”?
This is a great line: “Maturity in the life of an artist comes when you admit you’re own barrenness.”
One guy who “mentored” me many years ago was Kent Henry, though I just recently met him. I saw him lead worship at our church and the light went on – ‘that’s where I’m going with this worship thing”
Then I listened to his teaching tapes (see how long ago that was …) over and over.
In fact, I would say listening to audio books and teachings in many subjects has been huge influence.
Rob, I agree. Listening to teachings has been huge for me. But listening to music has influenced me even more.