MISSING THE POINT

As I was on the road this morning I was, as usual, trying to find a way to lovingly talk about how far worship has drifted from biblical reality in most of today's churches.  It's a difficult topic to discuss because many of us, unwilling to confront and discuss possible problems, simply divert the conversation saying that "worship is personal" which basically means - shut up.

For some reason (I like to think God was behind this) the image above came to mind.  This is the eternally famous center of the Sistine Chapel ceiling painted by Michelangelo.  I've never see this in real life - I can only imagine how awesome it must be!

I had to go find an image to prove my belief about one aspect of this painting - something that really bugs me - it bugs me a lot, in fact.  I'm not even sure if you notice but, to save time, let me tell you what it is that really bugs me.  For clarity, the figure on the left is Adam (first man).  The figure on the right is God surrounded by His angels.  It is heaven reaching down to touch earth.  The only thing is... GOD'S FINGER IS NOT ACTUALLY TOUCHING ADAM'S FINGER!  It just sort of lingers there, not even making contact!  And that bugs me!  I am focused on the fact (and it IS a fact, because you can see it right there in the painting!) that the fingers ARE NOT TOUCHING!  Would it have been so hard for the painter to just add a few more micro-inches of paint and make the fingers TOUCH?  I bet even I could have done that!  Grab a brush, dab on some paint and FINISH THE PAINTING!

I bet at least one of you reading this thought to yourself, "Hey, uh, Dan - you are missing the unbelievable beauty and effort of the rest of the painting that surrounds what you perceive to be a mistake..."  To which I would say, "Yep."

Friends - this is exactly what we are doing in most of our churches today.  We enter a sacred room set aside for the purpose of completely glorifying (and I mean REALLY glorifying) the Creator, the Master, The Awesome God of all we have ever, or will ever know.  But instead of doing that, we "notice" that there is one extra music stand on the stage that should not be there.  Or we "notice" that one (or dare I say two) of the slides flipped a few seconds late.  Or we "notice" that the worship leader sang the word "the" instead of "a" during the song.  Or we "notice" that one of the lights is out in the sanctuary.

We "notice" that the fingers are not touching...

In a time when the worship in many churches has become not much more than a hectic attempt to produce and perform well-crafted "sets" that include songs about God (so you can call them "worship" with a sense of integrity) but never really ushering the congregation into a deeper awareness of being in the transforming presence of God, through Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, it is upon each of us to stop noticing the disconnected fingers - and focus on the beauty and wonder that surrounds those fingers.

HELLO, GOODBYE

That's me - well, you can't see me - I'm off-camera... but I'm the fellow the imaginary doorman is calling out to.  Read on...

The church in which I have served for nearly four years suddenly announced that, due to an array of changes that have taken place in the church (we're on our 3rd interim pastor in about 3 years) numbers and finances have drastically dropped causing the church to eliminate a few key staff positions, one of them being mine.  So, I'm on the job-hunt, waiting on God for what's "next."

Of course this has led me to seek new ministry positions on sources like ChurchStaffing, Indeed, Linked-in, Google and others. 

If you've read any of my posts on this blog you already know I have a deep passion for worship that is more than a show or just a collection of well-choreographed God-songs.  For me, worship is not a song set, or a style, or a format... worship is about one thing - responding to the Almighty God who created all with every part of my being - my brain and body; my heart and soul; my mind and strength.  I am not interested in watching a thematically-driven, media-laden worship performance.  (If I wanted that, I'd head over to a "worship concert" being performed by one of today's "worship celebrities."  Or just pop in a Hillsongs DVD... did I say that out loud?)  

But I am in church - gathered with other men and women who need to sense the powerful and transforming presence of God empowered by the Holy Spirit.  

Today's church culture, sadly, has turned worship (an ACT; a RESPONSE of THE HEART) into a commodity (a THING; something to WATCH and ENJOY).  So, it's not surprising to me that nearly every single job listing for "worship director" or "worship leader" or even "worship pastor" begins with a long list of biblical qualifications to be a church leader and then eases into the performance aspect of the job.  Some of the descriptions have, honestly, left me with my mouth wide open.  

"... under 40, a healthy appearance, not overweight..."

"... accomplished vocalist and front man..."

"... able to perform worship well..." (what? PERFORM worship well?)

About 1 out of 25 shows hope. It is clear by the church website and their description of worship (and other aspects of the church) that their first love - the primary passion - has nothing to do with learning how to become yet another church that simply performs worship on Sundays.  They are intentional about truly worshiping (adoring, glorifying, honoring, praising) God - regardless of music styles, the age of the team, the make-up of the band, or the color of the room!  They simply want to give to God all He deserves with all that they are.  That is so refreshing!!  And, sadly, so rare.

Most of these churches want to see footage of you in action.  On one hand, this makes perfect sense, especially if you are looking at a church out of state.  They simply want to know that you can do what you claim to do on your resume. (side note - it seems odd to me that the fact you have served in this role at other churches for long periods of time doesn't seem to "prove" your value.)  The truth is, these churches want to see how well you "perform."  One church even listed the requirement of sending in... "footage of yourself performing worship."  And a-one, and a-two... Eeek.  

"I'll take a side of worship, please..."

The other thing I notice is the very low level of care some churches even give to the office of "worship leader."  Generally speaking, and certainly because of budgets, I am sure, many churches want a "music leader" in a very part-time position - yet the job listing is nothing close to a truly part-time job.  Basically, they say, "we want someone to totally transform the hearts of the congregation and help us build a worship culture that changes the community by leading large teams made up of band and singers and be someone who attracts others to the church because of your immense talent and showmanship and ensure all songs fit the pastor's theme and recruit and train more musicians to create multiple praise teams and know all about sound and lighting and media and be able to create media-driven gatherings with exciting visuals and also, as time allows, lead the youth ministry." And then the next line says, "10-12 hours per week."  These churches simply have no idea of how important a ministry of worship (not just "music" but the overall call of God for us to become people of worship) is to the body.  Deep down they realize what they know they should be seeking (as made evident in their description) but then they treat it like a side-dish.  But if you truly desire to fulfill all the wonderful (and needed) elements in the job listing, then you need to realize there is a value for that - for the experience and skill - and that it takes a lot of time to actually develop a worship culture in a church.  It's a full-time job if you want it done right.  If, however, you simply want a great showman to lead the band - then just say that - be honest about it.  

Several things I need to consider on this new journey...

1. I am not a hip millennial who looks good in torn jeans with hair (ha!) dripping over half of my face.  I'm more of a "seasoned worshiper with a comb-over." 

2. I do love performing - COMEDY.  And I even enjoy SINGING as a performance.  But no part of me is interested in "performing" worship.  I can't imagine that pleasing God. 

3. I am called and gifted to guide a gathering into a deeper awareness of being in God's presence through music (and, really, any styles is fine with me) - but that music has a purpose and it is not to entertain the audience (or, as we used to call them, the "congregation.") 

So, the hunt continues.  I pop through revolving doors joyfully anticipating God saying, "Next!" And when He does, I go.  

Because that's what a worshiper does.