Sometimes I feel the pressure to prove myself.
It’s like I need to be impressive or to stand out in some way in order to be a success. Worship Pastor, do you ever feel this? Like you’re just run of the mill? You’re not talented enough, popular enough, or trendy enough?
Well let me tell you something. You don’t need to write songs, be insanely talented, or stand in front of large crowds to be a world class worship pastor. You don’t.
Because success is defined in a different way.
[bctt tweet=”Great worship pastors don’t need to have world class talent. They need to love and lead people.” username=”@dsantistevan”]
Before we go any further, let me tell you what this post is not. I’m not here to bash the professional songwriters who make their living writing worship songs. I love that.
I’m not here to disqualify the uber talented singer because they distract people from Jesus with their eons of musical brilliance. That’s ridiculous.
I’m not here to trash those who tour and sell out arenas for worship concerts. If I was invited to lead such an event, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
So the problem isn’t all these things.
But it’s also true that being a great worship pastor isn’t songwriting, albums, talent, & artistry. If you’ve ever felt the pressure to write hit worship songs but can’t, relax. If you’ve ever been saddened that your talent doesn’t stack up against others, calm down.
If you’ve never been invited to speak at a conference, it’s OK. If you’ve felt the discouragement of leading worship for 15 people on Sunday, please allow me to encourage you.
What Do Worship Pastors Do?
Do you know what great worship pastors do? They pastor people. They love them. They love to lead them in worship because they love Jesus and want others to see the glory they’ve seen – find the hope they’ve found. Matter of fact, you don’t even need to be on stage to be a great worship pastor.
When I interviewed John Cassetto from Saddleback Worship, I was surprised to hear he wasn’t on stage all that often. But from what I’ve observed, he appears to be one of the best worship pastors out there. He’s leading other leaders, guiding their hearts into truth, and setting the tone for what the Saddleback Worship culture is.
Great worship pastors don’t need to be world class artists. They just need to be great at loving and leading people. It’s easy to blur those lines – we have artists who are expected to be worship pastors. And we have worship pastors who feel they need to be an impressive artist. Sometimes a worship leader will have both, but it’s not essential to fulfill the role in a local church.
If you can write songs, please do. If you’d like to write songs, please do. If you possess enough talent to go on a big tour and play for thousands of people, that’s great.
But if you can’t, stop disqualifying yourself. You just might be positioned to make the biggest difference right where you are, loving people, releasing others, and creating a culture that echoes throughout generations to come.
Do you have anything to add to this? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
[ois skin=”Beyond Sunday 2″]
Right now I’m serving in an international church in Vienna, Austria and I feel like I am always trying to improve the standard of quality on the team. All of the musicians are volunteers and do not spend nearly the same amount of time I do practicing and preparing for what I take to be very serious. The leadership does not seem to be interested in raising the bar either. They do not want to alienate 10, 15, and 20-year members, because raising the bar would require these people to stop serving on the team and create tension in the church family.
I am at a loss about what to do. I hear you say to love people as a worship pastor. But I don’t think they should be leading worship anymore because it’s distracting to musical people like me who like it when the music is of a high quality. Do I need to lower my standards or simply find a different church where the standards are as high as mine?
Hey David.. well said.. loved the post and the encouragement!
We have seen talent come and go on our worship teams. This was a good reminder for me just love and lead the people God has currently blessed us with that are so willing to serve. Thankyou David:)
Stacy-Canada