Foundations

Coming from a musical family (my father is a vocalist and guitarist) I was always surrounded by tunes. My mother who secretly wanted to be an audio  engineer at a young age, wound up becoming a dental assistant and then one of the meanest members of the local steel workers union.

They both enjoyed very different music, as did I. Ill do my best to connect links to some of these songs. I thought this wold be a way to get our conversation started. Hope you enjoy.

Songs from Dad

Crystal Chandeliers (Charlie Pride) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shmyrS9RgEM 

Hello Walls (Faron Young) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMSWAUAKJn0

Mississippi Squirrel (Ray Stevens) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhjYWfHwFHM

Songs from Mom

Aqualung (Jethro Tull) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7-EEGiABBU

Fat Bottom Girls (Queen) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMnjF1O4eH0

Carry On Wayward Song (Kansas) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQru7oCdYXA

As you can see, I already have two very different musical influences in my parents. These are the song I can remember them singing or listening to as a child. Since then my Mother has become a fan of Modern Pop music, and my Dad has somehow found a way to combine the worlds of Blue Grass and American Jazz Standards.

The Weight of Vision

"Slow and steady gains are often the most sustainable ones."

There are times when working towards a vision I've been given, I become so excited my heart begins to race around inside my chest.  I just want to see the THING!

I can see it.

I can see it in my brainstorms and on paper. I can see it as a circuit of systems, layering communication, media, management, training programs, and rehearsals. I can see it in my minds eye, that ethereal place that moves ever so slowly towards materialization, but some times I WANT TO SEE IT NOW.

I want to put my hands on it, and hold the thing, and lift it over my head and show it to the sky and say here it is, the thing you gave me, I made it real. I want to see it working, moving in communities, connecting lives, and changing cultures. I want it so desperately I could smash all the parts together with fury and passions and let it loose on the world.

I believe however that this is not the most effective creative process.

For this reason, and the sanctification of my heart. The Lord has given me visions that are simply to big to be born of one man's efforts. Ambitions that I am altogether unequipped to bring forth, and by their size and scope I am forced to lean on Him if I ever hope to see them fulfilled.

I am driven to see the ideas He has given me realized, and I am driven to Him for the wisdom to do so.

What vision has the Lord given you?
How will it bring Him glory?
How can He help you bring it to pass?

What it means to be the New Guy,

     One year ago my family moved to Richmond, VA, and on top of all that goes along with a cross country move we also started work at two new locations, I began an MFA program at VCU and we were blessed to find a new church home rather quickly that has been a remarkable model of community and faithfulness to us.  In all of these situations we were new. The newest employee, the new TA, the new young couple, were were the New everything. In particular for me, I found employment with our new church as the Contemporary Service Music Director, basically that's a list of words that means the New Worship Guy, doing the New kind of Worship. 

     I don't think I ever stopped to take in what exactly it meant to be the new guy, or what implications came along with the territory. All I knew was that I was blessed to have a labor that I loved. So I hit the ground running. Now this post is going to be slightly different than previous, we have seen posts on vision, theology,  mission, and Christian Gangster Rap. 

     Today's tack is going to lean towards the Leadership Training side of things. In hindsight when I first looked at the job listing for my current position the first thing I thought was... 

     "This is too good to be true, I want to have this job, it's what I feel called to do, but I'm sure it will be gone before you know it."

What I have come to learn is that there is much more tied up in those few little lines of job description on the church web page. The fact that there is a Job Listing at all lets you know first that God is interested in doing something in that Church, he is bringing change by adding new players to the equation, and through the  passions, gifts, and talents of those individuals He is seeking to be glorified.

     Here is a breakdown of some of the implicit needs that I believe are layered underneath the post that reads "New Hire: Worship Leader Position"

1. New Leaders Bring New Vision

    Any time the Lord is bringing in a new leader there is inevitably going to be a change or augmentation of vision. As the Executive Head of an organization you should anticipate major shifts in vision, If there is a new Head (in an earthly organizational sense as Christ is always the head and as his character is unchanging so too is his vision.) then there must as well be new eyes to see, and new thoughts to share. However as Department Head, in a position like a Worship Leader we are called to bring change through augmentation of the corporate vision established by our Pastors and Elders.

2. Culture Shifts Ahead!

    With the introduction of new people into preexisting environments you will inevitably encounter a clash of cultural expectations. On a lay level this is why so many people church hop. They walk into the door with a carefully groomed list of do's and don'ts and depending on how your church matches that list, you are judged compatible or otherwise. In the event that you are being implanted into a new environment and you happen to be in a leadership position you have to know they have expectation of you already, just as you also have expectations.

3. New Hire: Leader Trainer

    As a "Worship Leader" you are not really "leading" worship so much as Jesus is leading worship and he has invited you to invite everyone in your congregation to come along. That being said, its important to know its not about you. It may seem like a bit of semantics, but consider this...

What we really desire for our congregants is that they would begin, continue, and grow in their faith through full recognition of Jesus, His work, and Power. That their response to these truths would fill their everyday moments with worship of Him. So this means growing our congregations one member at a time into Leaders who Worship. Parents leading their children in worship, Bosses leading their employees, Teachers leading their students, Bus Drivers leading... I think you get my point. 

4. Success is Systemic 

    To implement the vision, support the shifting culture, and develop new Leaders who Worship, you're going to need something to do some of the work for you. The larger your team and more expansive your responsibilities, the more you will need to rely on systems to communicate, plan, train, and manage the events of your ministry. This will allow you more time to dream big visions, engage in your community and culture and worship!

5. We need a Magnifying Glass

    This is the most important thing yet. This congregation needs someone to come on a regular basis with a heart that sees God for all He is, and wants nothing more than to exalt His name and make Him great among His people. Just think about it, if someone was doing this already, they wouldn't be looking for you. 

It also helps if you can sing and play an instrument.

There Is Always Something To Do In The Kingdom

I have known people to grow bored with church and weary with fellowship.

I have seen believers burdened by their calling, and tired in their outreach.

      Unfortunately our culture and our enemy support the notion that the primary end our out time in fellowship is our comfort and satisfaction. This same opinion is held by many believers. Whole sections of the church attend regularly with a consumers mindset, and unless this mindset is being catered to, these folks sit around with a uniform look of boredom.

There is always something to do in the Kingdom. You can humble yourself!
   
     Its a foolproof plan with a big payout, eternal benefits and it gets right at the heart of worship. Dictionary.com gives multiple definitions but here are the three associated with the word as a verb.

1. To lower in condition, importance, or dignity.
2. To destroy the independence of
3. To make meek

So that we don't spend too much time self focusing on the issue of humility, you can also think of humility as being a direct result of lifting Christ up. By doing so you instantly lower your self importance by making him the focus. By seeing Christ lifted up you are faced with his expressed desires for you and with the truth of his glory in comparison to our failures, this alone should be sufficient to check our independent spirits. In light of all of this, as we lift up Christ we also become aware of his mercy and overwhelming grace and its hard to be haughty when faced with all of these things.

     To further excite you towards humbleness here are a few verses that cast a light on its importance in the life of a believers:

Psa 18:27

For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.

Psa 147:6

The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.

Pro 3:34

Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.

Luk 1:52

he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;

Jam 4:6

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

1Pe 5:6

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.

For the humble is promised salvation, favor, grace, and repeatedly the word declares that the humble will be exalted, and if humility is synonymous with meekness then you can add inheriting the earth to the list.

And all of this can be yours if you'll only worship Jesus praise his name above all other names.

Resurrection Power & The Audacity of Hope

     Since coming to faith in Jesus, with the exception of one, I have ministered in song and/or dance for every Easter Service. I have been in churches of 20 that swelled to 40. I have worshiped in communities of 105 that suddenly became 160. I traveled to a church that routinely drew around 400 but had seats for 1100. And this year with much less preproduction and stress than I have experienced in years past, the church I serve in, a church that consistently hits the 220 to 250 mark when everyone shows up (and that counting those serving) seemed to filled to capacity with a sizable representation holding it down in the balcony as well. The body count easily tripled for this single service.

     Just as we were closing service, hanging up the choir robes and putting away the music stands, one of the gentlemen singing in the service turned to me with tears in his eyes and said, "Do you think with something like this we can move mountains?" Then turning his teary eyes over the brimming sanctuary alive with chatter and color he spoke again, "I hope we get some inertia out of this." Now I am not entirely sure as to what was going on in his heart and mind, perhaps he was speaking to the unity of our combined "Traditional & Contemporary" worship services. He may have been considering the power of Handel's Messiah to move people into worship (I myself can't sing it without tears), but it was my first inclination that he was looking out over the people and speaking to the sheer number of bodies that were present, many of whom will not return for another calendar year.

     Part of me hoped that he was right, that some would be called to join us in fellowship and worship. Another part of me kind of wished that all the extras had just stayed home. To be honest I have grown accustomed to the faces that I see on a regular basis, their smiles, their voices, their trustworthy positioning in close to empty 600 person sanctuary, and having been a formerly Easter Only Believer I knew that ultimately this visit would turn out to be like so many that preceded it. And still another part of me was moved in concern for the man next to me, I asked myself "Whats going to happen to him next week when the 400 visitors and 20 of our regulars decide to stay home?"

     The irony of this for me comes in that just the night before the service I had been going over some graphs that chart the attendance of congregation as a whole, comparing this current year to the previous two. Both 2011 and 2010 in comparison had wild spikes, up 95 people one month, then dropping by that and a half for the following two, only to return to close to normal by the end of the school year before family vacations. Ultimately loosing a couple dozen to matriculation and "graduation." However as I looked over the first three months of 2012, the numbers have been really steady, no big spikes no big drops, and this encouraged me. In fact I thought to myself, "If we could keep this going for another six months that would be great!" Having the same 200 people committed to growing as a community in Christ, developing a like-minded vision, employing their gifts in mission, and building each other up through worship and edification. Thats the kind of thing that drives relationships deep into the hearts of people and makes them hard to get rid of. This is what I was longing for in my church when suddenly the reality of Easter Sunday struck me with 200% increase in attendance.

     To my fellow musician, the image of a room full of conversation and life on a gloriously sunny Virginian Sunday gave him hope, let him believe that something good was happening right where he was, and that he was a part of that.  The power of the message of Christ's resurrection and also some likely misplaced religious guilt filled our sanctuary and gave hopeful eyes to those who have seen the pews of this building grow increasingly more available over the years. I pray that his heart saw the hope of what is to come and that he is empowered by that to sing and serve in this community, because no single service or message will bring the bring the crop of his hope.  It's clear that the harvest is plentiful, I'm just praying that more laborers will join in the song.

The Check List

I have been trying to formulate this thought into a post that would both encourage and challenge the church, but what has really come of all this thinking has been very enlightening. I have had multiple discussions over the last couple of weeks with many different people and all I could really do is ask the question:

"When you walk into a new (-------) what is the check list that you run through your head that will ultimately determine if you will be coming back or not?"


*I leave the space blank for the sake of making the conversation applicable to people in various positions of life. If I were to only use the word Church, I would receive many responses that would indicate the negative "I would never walk into a church!" I have found it useful to use the terms: faith community, spiritual environment, and community group.


The responses that I have received to this question have been remarkably insightful and challenging, many have required some translation but the process of getting down to the core of what is being said is equally as revealing. This question has also led to some great conversations and opportunities to share my faith and elements of my testimony. So...

"When you walk into a new (-------) what is the check list that you run through your head that will ultimatly determine if you will be coming back or not?"

The Core

Some very exciting things have been developing in my worshiping community. There has been a general acknowledgment of God "doing something", and there is a growing excitement on the worship team and in the congregation as we wait to see what that "something" will become.

When we get to be an observer of God at work it is a truly amazing thing. I think of Israel standing before the Red Sea, the alter of fire on Mt. Carmel, or Jesus turning two little fish into a feast. All of these things inspired wonder for the observer, but to be a participant in the event must have been simply mind numbing. Simultaneously you are observing and serving in the event, possibly thinking "I don't know how this is actually occurring but I hope I don't mess it up." So you just keep holding your stick in the air, or walking back with an empty basket until it's over.

Personally, as my musicians grow in skill, and the church grows in expectation, I am trying to grow in understanding. Doing my best to foster a culture and community of worship that honors Jesus and serves my church. A few months ago I wrote about Who we at St. Giles are and, Why we do what we do. Recently I have been looking at developing and growing the team.  As I have done this I have been challenged with effectively communicating the foundational principals and core values of the Worship Ministry. After re-reading some posts, meditating on previous conversations, and praying, this is a draft of what constitutes the core of contemporary worship at St. Giles.

• We aim to know the Position, Power, Sacrifice, and Work of our God.
• We believe that all Believers are Equipped to worship Jesus.
• We believe that worshiping Christ in Spirit and Truth changes the life of the Worshiper.

Why do we enter into worship the way we do?

     -Because eternity is resting on the congregation's/ individuals relationship with Jesus

How do we hit the mark in worship?

     -Through music that reaches the heart of our congregation, and lyrics that speak the truth.

At what are you aiming with the actions of your ministry, and what are the values that guide your decisions? How are you attempting to reach your goal, and is that supported fully by your core values? Most importantly, Why do you serve in the capacity you do?