Worship Leader As Victim

I've continued to track Integrity Music as they attempt to recruit Review Bloggers. I submitted my information for consideration a couple of weeks ago. They indicate they will respond to your application within 24 hours. I haven't received a response yet. I was beginning to feel rejected and ignored. Rather than follow up on it, however, I decided to just play the passive-aggressive and do nothing.

Today, though, just a few minutes after returning from a particularly productive and satisfying workout, I decided to see if anything interesting had changed with my access to Blog Worship. A few random clicks seemed to suggest that nothing had changed. In fact, nothing had changed.

What I did notice, though, was a small but significant typo in the profile information I provided. My blog's URL was off by one letter. The word "site" was inadvertently spelled "sute". I'm guessing that the good folks at Integrity Music found nothing waiting for them at http://nobloginsute.blogspot.com. Not much for them to do but wait for me to make that correction. I expect they will have better luck now…

Something for all of us to consider: it's much easier to wring our hands and shake our fists in the air than take control of our situation. It's easy to point the finger at others than to accept responsibility for our actions (or inactions). As worship leaders, it's very easy to play the Victim card. I have done it very well myself.

Over the number of years I have led worship, I have constantly struggled for acceptance from my congregation. It has been very easy to criticize perceived narrow-mindedness and the romanticism of traditional worship. What hasn't been easy (and has been slow for me to realize) is the significant role I play in the lackluster reception.

Let me equate it with food.

I love pizza. Done well, pizza can be extreme, beautiful artistry. Now, just because I love pizza doesn't mean I love ALL pizza. A poorly made pie is cause for some (melodramatic) grief.

All too frequently, I have delivered sub-par pizza to my congregation. There are plenty of people who aren't pizza fans, and regardless of how well it is prepared, they will not enjoy it. But there are also a great number of pizza lovers that would gladly indulge if the product were of a certain standard.

My worship team is great. And our music is very good. The quality of leadership, unfortunately, has been inconsistent. In case you weren't already aware, I am the leader.

Recognizing that I have been a weak link, I have consciously focused on honing my skills as a leader of worship over the past nine months. I am only now truly beginning to see the fruits of my labor.

God requires my best, and it is time for me to step up and ensure He receives it. Will you do the same with me?