Demand Much

Keeping with the American Idol theme, today we’ll examine the other side of judging auditions: Simon Cowell. He’s my favorite person on that show, and frankly the only reason I ever watch. It feels at times like he’s stuck in a bad dream; a music lover and talented industry executive who almost has to help the contestants, but is constantly booed and harassed by a nation of teeny-boppers. Were it not for Simon, the level of talent chosen and improvement of the artists from week-to-week would be drastically lower. We can learn from Simon not to be harsh with people, but to Demand Much.

There is the belief that anyone who wants to should be able to help lead worship in church. In that case, why not let anyone teach? Or design the web site? Or organize kid’s activities, or oversee the finances? Scripture contains several examples, including 1 Corinthians 12, of gifts being given by God (hence the name: gifts), and the use of those gifts being for the edification of the body and his glory. While music and other arts are forms of expression, leading others in worship is not the arena to simply practice expression. You are there primarily to serve others, providing leadership and a platform for the church body to respond to God through song. What kind of circus would result if people were allowed to do whatever they want? (I was tempted to put a link, but decided against it- I don’t have time to reply to angry emails).

Whether it’s in the name of being nice or because they miss out on the reason to gather, many churches allow anyone and everyone to join the band. We have been guilty of this, in our case it was due to need. Like many churches, in our early days the pool of musicians to choose from was small. We were without a drummer, so when someone approached and said, “I have a djembe” I threw personal preference to the wind and asked them to join us. This person was unable to make rehearsal the week prior (mistake #1), so we agreed they’d come early on Sunday to run through the songs. When the morning came, this person brought the drum, and might as well have taken the price tag off in front of me. When they began playing; my first thought was literally, “Did you buy that on the way over here? There’s no way you’ve ever played that before right now.” Seriously, it was as if this person was allergic to the beat. The only explanation that made sense was that Pastor Tyler was playing a joke on me. There was no way this was going down on my watch, so I thanked the person for coming early and asked them to rehearse on their own before giving it another shot. That day I became a fan of auditions.

Holding auditions comes down to good stewardship and leadership. Not only do you want to serve the church well by creating the best environment for them to praise, it’s only fair to give the musicians trying out a fair picture of what you expect. To simply throw a song at them and rush through the audition communicates that you aren’t taking this seriously, so why should they? If you’re late and disorganized, they see what is acceptable behavior in serving in this ministry. If you overlook poor playing, a lack of preparedness, or someone ignoring the instructions that were communicated prior, the bar is set extremely low. You may have musicians, but it’s setting you up for years of frustration.

On the flip side, if you demand much, you will receive it. Make sure people understand the theology by which the ministry operates, the expectations of rehearsal and preparedness, and the level of humility and service asked of them. If God is calling someone to be involved in a particular ministry, their involvement should result not in a compromise of the vision he’s given you as the leader. Instead, their involvement should result in a fulfillment of the vision, a growth in the person to fit the vision, or an expansion of the vision. Note that each result is void of our own pride and glory, and allows the ministry to thrive.

Demanding much of people goes hand-in-hand with communication, which we’ll look at tomorrow.

- Matt Stevens