This week I’ve been playing in the pit orchestra for CYT Wichita’s production of Cinderella Enchanted next week. My participation has reminded me of some sage advice I received from Wade Williams of Perimeter Church in Atlanta. He encouraged me to regularly play in groups outside the church. Stan Endicott believes most church worship and music directors should earn part of their income through musical endeavors outside the church.
As I seek to gig more in 2012, I think I’m starting to see some of why these brothers advise the way they do.
Here’s 10 reasons to consider why every church music or worship director should sing and/or play in groups outside the church:
10) It will stretch you musically. If you’re in a contemporary church, you may find the music gets old after a while. How many times can you play a 1-4-5 progression? Even classical musicians will find themselves challenged in good ways when they play repertoire from outside the sacred realm. Playing outside the church gives you the chance to spread your musical wings.
9) You’ll be reminded of your role. When you sit under someone else’s direction, you’ll get a chance to review the role of each person in a musical ensemble and the importance of your leadership role–and if you’re an instrumentalist, how that fits into the whole.
8) It gives you fresh perspective on why you’re doing what you do on Sundays. When you play in bars, concert halls or for parties, music is the main deal (or can be). In worship, music serves a greater purpose–underscoring the celebration of God’s goodness and glory.
7) Take time to watch how others lead. When we constantly lead and take little time to be directed, we forget some of the subtleties involved with clear communication and building camraderie among your group members.
6) It will keep you humble. Many times the worship leader is often the chief musician in his church. Playing outside the church helps us realize there are many phenomenal musicians who are more passionate about their music than we are. This has inspired me to take my practice time more seriously. When you’re the best in your setting, you don’t feel pushed to pursue God’s best for you.
5) It keeps us connected with how the rest of the world views 
music. Playing in a club last weekend, I realized that many view music as a way of escape. I’m also amazed how many people know all the words to ALL these songs we do by people like Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and The Who. Why is that less true in our churches? Hmm…A topic for another day. 🙂
4) You’ll have a chance to brush shoulders with people you would never meet otherwise. Music breaks down many barriers. I have talked to people in bars and in the theater that I would never see in church. God has used some of those conversations to form some new musical and ministry opportunities.
3) You can focus on improving your craft without feeling guilty. I don’t know about you, but I sometimes feel guilty building in time for practicing my instruments. It doesn’t feel like a spiritual ministry that the church should pay for. Yet, to be good leaders in our church, we must keep our skill sets sharp–lest we fall into mediocrity. Playing in outside venues provides a good excuse and motivation to focus our practice time.
2) You can show off your musical chops appropriately without being accused of being a showboat. I’ve found it’s important for me to have musical outlets where my improvisational skills are expected and desired. Otherwise, I will force them on my congregation and distract their attention from their primary duty of worshipping God.
1) If you take other church musicians with you, you’ll find chances to learn how to be salt and light. I’m playing with a group called Evan LaRue and SoloBone. Several Christians came together to start this band because we want to be salt and light. This becomes obvious through our stage presence and song selection. More than once this has opened the opportunity to start spiritual conversations.
Your turn:
I’m sure there are more than 10 reasons to play regularly outside the church. What are some of your reasons?
Prior to becoming a worship leader, I played professionally in 2 different touring bands over a span of about 12 years. Both bands’ bread and butter were live performances, so a primary focus of 12 years of rehearsal was crafting a great set list. We worked up interesting arrangements to keep old songs fresh and fun, interesting transitions to keep the set flowing from song-to-song with little dead air or talking, and worked in cover tunes to keep the audience engaged and energized. That has proven to be very helpful in the church setting, thinking about the flow of the liturgy and tying in the elements of the worship service into a single story. It’s helped me think creatively about arranging songs and set lists to keep interest for both the musicians and the congregation.
– Russ
Russ,
That’s some great perspective. I know I’m trying to implement some of the same things when I’m doing solo gigs. I’m more adept at this point in reading a congregation than an audience at a party, but I’m learning.
2) You can show off your musical chops appropriately without being accused of being a showboat. I’ve found it’s important for me to have musical outlets where my improvisational skills are expected and desired. Otherwise, I will force them on my congregation and distract their attention from their primary duty of worshipping God.
Wow, what happened to Psalm 66..”Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious!”??
We need to teach our congregation better if we are being accused of doing what we are called to do. I think there is timidity being taught in place of boldness. No wonder we hesitate to speak his praise around worldly people. I think when the worship leaders are playing/singing to the best of their capability, that is when the praise becomes glorious. There should be no limits on what can achieve through our physical bodies, one being musical performance. When we really practice hard and then show off what God has accomplished through us, I think we take it to a whole different level. It’s no wonder the church people are bored with the Worship Music most of the time. We are holding back.
Herbie,
Thanks for your comment. I agree that God calls us to pursue excellence in our craft and offer it to Him (wherever we are). I also agree that congregations need to be taught to respect, expect and appreciate excellence. I’ve been caught up in the performance vs. worship conversation too many times. In fact, that’s why I wrote this other post that you may not have read: http://ctw.calledtoworship.org/2011/12/02/excellence-in-worship-7-ways-to-overcome-the-tension-between-excellence-and-performance/
The reason I wrote what I did is that I find (as a jazz saxophonist) that I can play for the applause of man if I’m only offering my music in worship. When I’m playing in a wide variety of settings, it’s a lot easier for me to remember my role in bringing praise to God. If the only time I play is on Sunday morning, then I find myself (inappropriately, I think) seeking to play as much as I can. Not as much an issue of excellence as it is appropriateness. Make sense?
Phil,
I read your other article you suggested above. Good thoughts and I recall having many of those same thoughts myself over the years. I hope we all can continue in the performance vs. worship conversation because I don’t think it is settled. When we pick up our instrument or vocal and use it before people, then we are performing (assuming someone is listening). I think that is just about the definition of performance. When we do it absence of other people, then we are performing to ourselves. When God sends his spirit into our being, he also becomes a listener and if you can accept it (I think you can), he becomes a director at the same time. So, I think we become both the performer and the student when there is that relationship we have with God that is called being a Christian. I like to think of the process as a whole though, when it comes to worship. First of all, I don’t think playing music in church is worship, per-se. I think God said to worship him in spirit and truth. Showing up though and offering ourselves as a living sacrifice is our spiritual worship. We need to do that everyday though, not just on Sunday. It means, going into our practice area and having a quiet time, and not so quiet time with God. That is where the truth aspect comes I believe. The truth is if you don’t work, you don’t eat and you also won’t be able to lead and inspire others like God intended for us to do in our time of fellowship with other believers. For me, it happens on the stage (alter) sometimes, but not always where I am having that conversation with the Holy Spirit, which is more listening that speaking (I am using speaking metaphorically…really meaning directing my own playing verses following his direction). If you begin to have this conversation in your practice area, it becomes much easier when on stage. After all, practice makes perfect, so why not invite God into your practice as well. So then, being fully prepared in your daily chores about playing (or singing), you are not worried about how you will do on stage. You can just have that conversation. If the conversation is happening, then I think God can take your mere abilities and transform them into a glorious praise. I believe that is then when the audience can become engaged at a higher level, which can offer inspiration to them. The mature believer will understand where the gift is coming from and can say amen to God. We can teach young believers not to look upon the performers as idols, but to say it is not a performance is just denying the truth. Let’s accept it for what it is and take it to the level God intended. God’s grace can sustain our learning. It is not an unpardonable sin to try and offer our best, even if we fail to do so with 100% adoration of Him in the process. I think it is evil however to discourage our folks from expressing the gift (without abandon) God has placed within us. One day I hope that people who like music will come to church because the music is better there than at the local bar or concert hall, especially if they are the kind of people that don’t know Christ. Because, those of us that do know Christ can say to them, look what God can do with ordinary people by his grace. What if they told Micheal Angelo to go paint his stuff somewhere else, but not in church! The best stuff ought to be in church, not somewhere else. Having said that, I agree with taking it to the streets also and that playing outside the church can be very helpful, just as you have outlined. So, thank you for bringing that perspective.
Thanks again for your thoughtful response, Herbie. I don’t have time to respond to all of it, but two things stand out:
1) I totally agree that what we practice in private will influence what happens on stage. I was surprised a few years when I surveyed some Christian professional saxophonists about their practice habits to learn that few of them actually practice anymore. I also know that it’s easy as an experienced worship leader to only practice the new songs (which is more music rehearsal than worship preparation).
2) I also agree that the best music should be in the church. Bach achieved that in relative obscurity during his day. We should find the same to be true someday of the music coming out of our churches. I must confess that the guys in my band work harder to learn and memorize the songs they are doing than most worship bands I’ve been part of.
May God help us all learn to give our best each and every day – whether in music, work, relationships or any part of our lives! Amen.