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| Ability vs. Attitude |
Date Posted:
3/13/2000
Author:
Stuart Townend
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It’s also important for people to realise that God gives gifts to people for different reasons. Some musical gifts are for the international stage, some are national or regional, some are just for the local church, some are for small groups, and some are for private use before God. Whatever the level, they can all be used to give glory and praise to God, and people need to be wary of the ambitious drive for recognition that can overtake the desire to serve.
I really enjoy the worship at big celebrations such as Spring Harvest and Stoneleigh, but when I compare it with our home situation, with less able musicians, less freedom to move in the Spirit and so on, it actually can be quite depressing! How do you ‘take it home’?
The simple answer is, you don’t! Big conferences and bible weeks are a time of refreshing and envisioning, but essentially they are ‘false’ situations. No local church is like that in the real world; even if you have great musicians to hand, and are given a carte blanche to ‘do your thing’ each week, I doubt that the congregation will have that same sense of expectancy and excitement every Sunday morning! So don’t get discouraged because your weekly service doesn’t have that same ‘specialness’.
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Stuart Townend grapples with some common questions and problems faced by many of today’s worship teams.
I face the dilemma of ability v. attitude. We do have some very good musicians in the church, but they don’t seem very committed to the worship team. They are more interested in the bands they play in. At the same time, I have people who are desperate to play on Sundays, who are there at every practice, but who aren’t very good! What should my priority be?
In an ideal world, you will be working to improve the attitude of the first, and the ability of the second! And if you can structure it right, maybe they can learn from each other...
First, don’t measure commitment simply by how many practises they can make. The better a musician is, the more likely they are to be in demand from other groups and projects. Obviously you need them to get to rehearsals etc, but you might need to be flexible and ready to change things from time to time to help them fulfil their other commitments.
The more important question is, are they worshippers at heart? Do you get a sense that their hearts are hungry for God? If so, stick with them and help to nurture a passion for leading others into God’s presence. Pray for and with them, and as their hunger grows they will want to make a priority of being involved in worship.
With people who are enthusiastic but have limited skill, although it’s good to take them further, if they are pushed too far out of their depth you may destroy any confidence they have. It is possible to work out very simple parts for instruments, which nevertheless are effective in the overall sound. Find out their limitations and work within them. Take the time to acquire/prepare parts for solo instrumentalists who aren’t confident enough to ‘play along’. Let them take music home so they can practice it.
Of course, the hardest thing is breaking the news to those who aren’t really good enough to play in the service. Phrases like “you’re not ready yet” are better than “you’re not good enough”, but don’t imply promises of future glory that will come to haunt you later!
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