Worship Podcast
If you look on the typical job description of a worship leader, you’ll see a lot of necessary skills. The ability to sing, arrange music, recruit a team, communicate, lead, and pastor people.
But none of these are the most important qualities. Matter of fact, the most important quality is what we assume and take for granted.
But this can no longer be assumed. What is that quality?
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I love seeing what God is doing in churches around the world – leaders mobilizing diverse people to reach their communities. That’s why this conversation with Aaron Ivey is such a treat. Aaron is the Worship Pastor at The Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Texas. They are a church of 8 campuses with a weekend attendance of 8,000 people. They have no central building, yet are growing like crazy and have a thriving creative arts ministry.
Aaron and I discuss the practicalities of his worship ministry, how to lead and unify artists, taking care of your volunteers, how to organize worship teams at 8 campuses, as well as how to record a live worship album.
Some great stuff here. Enjoy!
You are an artist. Really, you are.
You may hate to paint, cringe at the thought of singing, and would rather be imprisoned in Afghanistan than visit the art museum.
Still, you are an artist. Why? Because you are created in the image of God. And you’re here. And you have work to do.
Art isn’t just about being artistic. It’s not just being involved with “the arts” of film, music, painting, sculpting, or dancing.
Art is the act of leading something you care about. It’s not just what lead. It’s how you lead. It’s about taking a stand. It’s about making a difference. It’s about releasing something into the world that has the potential to change a life. Whether that’s a song or a staff meeting, you are an artist.
Creativity has become the buzz word of the modern, local church. Lights shine across our stages. Rock bands bounce to great grooves that rival pop radio.
Pressure compounds every weekend as we try to make one service better, smoother, more polished, more excellent than the last.
Everyone is on the quest for greater creativity. But what is the reason?
In a recent podcast, Mark Batterson talked about how the church should be the most creative place on the planet. There are ways to do church that no one has thought of before.
I’m all for creativity. Followers of Jesus should foster a massive imagination. We should constantly be pushing ourselves to see something new, create with a new canvas.
Wouldn’t it be great to have a team of the very best musicians?
Not only talented musicians, but ones who continued to learn and develop. Imagine this with me: team members who were constantly researching new gear, investing in their setup, trying new techniques.
Add to that the fact that their attitudes were top notch – they had a heart for the local church. They loved Jesus. They were on time, reliable, not big-headed, willing to do whatever was necessary no matter how glamorous.
Sound like a great scenario? What if I told you this was possible? But what if I told you it wouldn’t come easy and it wouldn’t happen overnight?
I know, it’s not a very sexy answer. Most worship leaders look to the ministries with a lot of notoriety. We wish we had the talent of Bethel. We covet the size of Hillsong. We long for the budget of a megachurch. We want to be handed an ideal situation without putting in the work to build something.