To address the latter, I’ll say that you’re right, there is a “crazy tension” in doing ministry, especially with music or any area that has a very visible non-ministry, or secular, cultural presence. Yes, it is about God (as should everything in our life be); but also, it’s about what we let God do with the gifts he gave us. The “musician’s curse,” as I call it, is that there is always someone better than you and always someone whom you are better than. This is true for individuals as well as bands, though I think we feel it most strongly as individuals. Questions to ask: How has God gifted me, and what has he called me to do? What is my responsibility to that? Should I always strive for my and my team’s best (even when that might “offend” others)?

There can be horrible tension in a church environment that doesn’t value excellence or doesn’t know how to effectively employ people in their area of gifting. For as many churches that state outright they value excellence in ministry (in other words, it’s okay to be good, real good, at what you do, and God probably even enjoys that!) and effectively manage ministry teams accordingly, others have a hard time with this issue. It’s not always easy to balance the sometimes conflicting requirements imposed by church leadership. For example, we may be asked to provide good, attractive, relevant music while at the same time be asked to not offend someone who “doesn’t like rap” or an unqualified but “sensitive” individual who thinks he or she should be allowed to sing a solo or play with the band “because God gave me this desire and I’d be crushed if you don’t let me.” Again, some churches handle these situations well, others don’t.

For what it’s worth, I’ve observed a high correlation between churches that value, pursue and achieve excellence and those that do effectively reach out to their community. This leads directly into the other point of connecting with our world.

I’ve heard the comments, too, about churches with too slow music and no young people. I’ve probably made similar comments myself. I agree, these comments sometimes are made in an insensitive, disrespectful manner, which is not cool. However, the reality is that that type of church, while catering nicely to the “flock,” is probably not connecting well with the world. Few and far between today are churches that effectively target and reach an audience by “traditional” or nontraditional-but-mediocre means.

To me, this is where the rubber meets the road in seeing my responsibility to not flinch at reaching out to those in my community that aren’t yet living for God. In today’s day and age, it takes a purposeful and well executed strategy to position a local church in such a way that people are attracted to it and its members are confident in inviting others to it. So, not only are we providing good music to facilitate worship, we also are “putting on a show,” at least in the sense that we want to communicate to newcomers that we value them enough to put forth our best effort to catch their attention, or “entertain,” them. Think about it, most people who haven’t yet decided to believe God and claim Jesus aren’t going to “get” worship. They will, though, recognize a good groove and appreciate good musicianship.

More tension, right?

God wants us to be humble, but he’s also gifted us, some of you more than others and more than me certainly, for the purpose of bringing him glory. To proclaim a message our world is going to hear and understand requires us to bring a level of quality to what we do that, if we are not careful, can result in pride or, at least, be misinterpreted as such.

By the way, I had the privilege of attending Riverview several times last summer and fall. The first time I entered your auditorium, as music was playing at the start of the meeting, my jaw dropped when I saw the number of younger people there. That was one of the most encouraging sights I have ever witnessed. Keep doing what you’re doing, and do it well!

That’s exactly what I teach the kids in the highschool band I lead… a simple “thanks” is the easiest and best answer…

I’ve also struggled with the whole affirmation thing – I used to immediately ask my wife how we did when I got off the stage – honestly seeking constructive criticism and compliments, but also seeking little elements of self-identity assurance. I was convicted one day by a teaching I heard and stopped asking for affirmation. Now as soon as I leave the stage I spend a short time in prayer and seek God for HIS comments for the morning. Getting compliments from others is always a blessing too, but I try not to seek it out anymore.

The appropriate response to a compliment? “Thank you.”