But then, no artist is normal; if he were, he wouldn't be an artist. Normal men don't create works of art. They eat, sleep, hold down routine jobs, and die. You are hypersensitive to life and nature; that's why you are able to interpret for the rest of us. But if you are not careful, that very hypersensitiveness will lead you to your destruction. The strain of it breaks every artist in time.

~ Irving Stone, Lust for Life

Friday, August 10, 2012

Heat, Light, and Magic


Have you ever taken the time to really look at our worship team? We are a bunch of neurotic, quirky, passionate, intelligent, and deeply devoted people! Each of us brings something completely unique to our team that we would be absolutely lacking if a person were missing. No matter how small or large our contributions, they all play a role in the bigger picture of bringing people closer to Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:22-25 says, "Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor... But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other."

In order to develop all that we have to offer into something that God can edify in our team, we need to bring all of our spiritual gifts to our team. Noland states:

"I've seen too many artists neglect their other spiritual gifts. They perform and that's it. What about an artist who also has the gift of mercy or encouragement or helps or shepherding or evangelism? The team is incomplete without these gifts... There is such a wide variety of spiritual gifts, and we we need to look for opportunities to use those gifts whenever the team assembles. For example, rehearsal is more than just practice. It's yet another opportunity to use our spiritual gifts and raise up our fellow artists. Even if you think you don't need rehearsal, you always need the fellowship and the fellowship needs you. If you have the gift of encouragement, you can come to rehearsal looking for someone to encourage. If you have the gift of helps, you can be on the lookout for someone to serve in this way, someone who just might be sitting next to you at rehearsal. Instead of asking, "What do I get out of this?" we should be asking, "What can I give?" (108-109, Noland)

Hebrews 10:24 tells us to "consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." This means that we need to see our role on the worship team as using our gifts to lift others up by asking ourselves "How can I use my spiritual gift today to stimulate my fellow artists spiritually?" or "Is there anything I could do or say that could benefit someone else on the team?"

The result of this is that our role on our worship team is valuable not matter how small. Noland states:

"Every team has members who know their roles on the team and perform them well. They're content to play their roles, because they know that if they don't, the group will not function as a team. The best team leaders are the ones who help their members identify their roles and set them up to be succeed in those roles. Some roles are more behind-the-scene than others. Some are more prominent than others. But the mature team player knows that a team can't function without all members pulling their own weight, without all members performing the roles they play to the best of their ability." (109, Noland)

In addition, being a part of the worship team means that we are all actually a part of our Church's mission and success. Thus, we may be required to step out of our comfort zone and help out in the church in other ways. We may find ourselves helping Grounds and Maintenance fix a wall or serving food with the Deacons on Wednesday evenings. Noland states, "We need to do our fair share whether it's in our job description or not."

Next, we need to give of our spiritual gifts without caring about who gets the credit or the glory. Noland states:

"If you really believe in the cause of [our] team, does it really matter who gets the credit or the glory? Is it more important that you get the credit or that the work gets done? It's typical for us to want to receive all the credit and glory for something we have done, but if you look below the surface, there's almost always an unhealthy, self-serving motivation behind this desire. In many cases there's a craving for attention that drives us to seek the spotlight. And nowhere was this more prevalent than in the world of the arts." (107, Noland)

"Sometimes we get all bent out of shape when someone else gets all the credit we deserve or glory we covet. A wise man once said, "It is amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit." (108, Noland)

No matter how much we try to not care about attribution, eventually we may come to a point where we feel the need to say something. Noland states:

"If credit is constantly attributed wrongly, it can be very demoralizing. It's true that God sees in secret, but it's the wise and sensitive leader who makes sure credit is given to the appropriate people. Sometimes people are not looking for a large display of public recognition. They just want to be thanked and appreciated for their contribution, so let's be sensitive to this on our teams." (108, Noland)

Conversely, if you are unhappy with your perceived role or you're unclear about what your role really is on the team, "I would suggest that you talk to your team leader about this right away. If you don't, you will end up frustrated, bitter, and resentful. Don't let this happen to you. If you're confused or disappointed about your role on the team, please talk to your team leader." (110, Noland)


If this conversation feels like we have come full circle, it's because we have. As a team, we need to make the members of our team feel valued and have a specific role on our team. Think about members of our team whom we have seem to lost some contact with, members of our team whom do not seem to have their own role and purpose, and members of our team who may be feeling overworked. What can we do to incorporate them into our team? What can we do to give more roles and areas for ownership? What can we do to take away some of the stress of other members?

In the comment section, write about a specific thing that our team can do to help utilize everyone's gifts on the team by using the previous rhetorical questions as prompts.

4 comments:

  1. I think that it would be awesome to have some member of our team in charge of birthday celebrations. Wouldn't it be fun to acknowledge each other's birthdays with a card/cake?

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  2. I think Andrea's idea of a cake is awesome. I have a birthday coming soon and I've never personally seen an incident arise from too much cake.
    We have a ton a places in our church where team members can serve in other ways. How cool would it be if every member of the band could run the sound or put lyrics into easy worship. Run the lights or put the stage together before practice. Make coffee, put out donuts, serve in the nursery, pull sheet music from the various databases, make copies. Sometimes it would be really nice to have someone with a good ear just sit out with the congregation and listen. Let us know what's going on when we can't hear from the stage. I think the team has done great trying to get out and talk to people, either at the entrance or out in the foyer. That's an uncomfortable thing for some of us. If we haven't seen some of our band members in a while, pretty much any one of us could bootleg their email address and send them a message. I think this list could on for a super long time. And the qualifications for any of these jobs is a pulse and willing spirit.
    Larry

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  3. I think we should start monthly get togethers, even if its just meeting at someones house for games, or dessert, or just to visit with the WHOLE team. I know there are a few people I havent seen in months due to the scheduale it would be nice to just be able to catch up with everyone once a month.
    Sarah

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