This End Down

I wish I could say I have a well-researched, Biblically-based opinion here. I don’t. I’ve just thought about this some times and want to have a discussion with some people. I don’t have all of the answers–in fact, I have far more questions in this area than I have answers. I also don’t want to repeat my experience of starting huge, divisive comment flame wars. So, as a preface: if any discussion happens and if it starts getting heated, I will just shut off the comments and delete any heated comments. That having been said, here’s my thought:

I’m trying to figure out what I think about professional worship musicianship (the title/position/cultural entity, not them as people). There are a lot of things involved in this discussion and a lot of things that affect how I can look at the discussion. Here are a few.

• I’m a full-time employee of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, a Christian campus ministry. I’m essentially paid (although, since I fund-raise, it’s a little more complicated than that) so that I can do all day the type of ministry that all Christians are called to, but have less time to do because of their full-time jobs.
• I love the worship leader at my church, Steve Adams. I don’t think he should be asked to do the work he does without being compensated.
• I believe someone could make the point according to Biblical precedent that no one should be “paid to minister” (the term “professional ministers” comes up often in these discussions). However, I believe that these sorts of arguments–at least, in the context of what I’m discussing here–forget that there’s also no Biblical precedent for “churches” like we have today, so unless you’re a part of a house church type movement, I’m not sure if I think this argument holds a lot of weight. Also, there was this guy in the Bible named Paul who set a little bit of a precedent here.
• I regularly enjoy the music recorded and written by professional musicians. I’m currently listening to music from Eddie James, and have benefitted greatly by the ministry of many modern Christian worship leaders/musicians–among others, Jason Upton and Fred Hammond.
• I make a distinction here between Christian musicians and Christian Worship musicians. I know that all Christian music can be called worship; however, a musician who is a full time musician who is a Christian is, in my eyes, different than a full-time worship leader/musician. Derek Webb writes desperately God-focused music, and while his music reflects more strongly a deep relationship with God than many mainstream worship leaders, I consider him a Christian musician, not a worship leader. Tell me if you think I’m wrong. I’d love to think more on this topic.
• I recognize that the previous point is debatable, as I have a somewhat tenuous distinction between the two. I have a very arbitrary distinction in my mind that is definitely a stretch and which I recognize as incomplete: I feel like Derek Webb and his compatriots (for an extreme, see Pedro the Lion’s David Bazan) have the freedom to have whatever relationship with God they have. They can have good days and bad days, they can question God and their faith, and they can show themselves as regular people. I don’t feel like worship leaders are given the same allowance to be human.
• Compelled to feel joyful: I would venture that every Christian, at one point in their lives, has sat in a Christian gathering while everyone else smilingly sang “You Give Me Joy” or another such song, and thought, “I have no joy! I’m such a hypocrite for singing this!” I would urge them to sing anyway, and see how God moves in their hearts. As a worship musician, I have a similar experience–yet it’s so much easier for me to sit and play the bass lines to “You Give Me Joy” without engaging at all in the lyrical/spiritual content of the song. This is definitely a danger.
• I recognize the value of smiling if you’re on stage at church. I also hate being told to smile, and cannot force myself to do so if someone’s required me to.
• I feel something of a weight when I’m in a church full of people dancing, jumping, and singing. On the one hand, I’m so happy that God means so much to people. On the other hand, I can’t say that I can confidently claim that the church is bringing that sort of joy out into the world. Yes! Given one or the other, I’d prefer people be joyful and passionate when they’re intentionally in fellowship and in God’s presence. But I feel like we can have both.
• Local versus Traveling: I also struggle some with the concept of the traveling worship musician. I spent much of my middle school and high school free time as a part of a very charismatic, spirit-filled group of worshippers who loved spending time in a literal upper room praying and singing and crying out, but who never (to my memory) helped a single poor person or saw anyone come to Christ. That same “worship culture”, for a desperate lack of a better word, is present in a lot of groups that jump and hoot and holler when their favorite worship musician comes into town, and they all have a big emotional Jesus fest, and then they go back home and do nothing. I’m not saying that anyone who goes to Christian concerts is bad! I’m saying that I worry that traveling musicians may feed into the subculture of Christian “worshippers” who are passionate at church and unengaged outside of church. Where local musicians/worship leaders are members of the congregations they minister to/with, traveling musicians don’t have the same connection. Again! I listen to worship CDs, I listen to other church’s podcasts, and I’ve been to plenty a worship concert in my day. I’m just somewhat troubled by the entire mindset of the traveling worship musician, and I’m struggling to find out why–and completely open to the conclusion that it’s just my personal issue.
• I may add more here. I feel like it’s a broader issue, but all this typing has made me forget all of my original thoughts about it.

The pastor of my local church body, Mike Patz, said something recently that I really appreciate. The gist was this: “I was thinking about watching Religulous [(a movie critical of religious people)]. Then I realized, I can criticize the church plenty on my own. I don’t need someone else to help me with it.”

In the same way, the last thing I want is for this to be a complaint session about the modern church. I’m sick and tired of “enlightened” Christians in my generation sitting around and complaining. Instead, I’m trying to develop a right theology so that I can be a part of bringing the church closer to Jesus, and would really love some people with more wisdom than me to share their insight into the areas of my confusion.

NOTES (added later)

• My friend Jeff asked “What’s a professional worship musician,” and then “What’s a worship musician?” This prompted me to think about what exactly makes one a worship musician–considering that “worship” certainly means more than music. Could part of my problem be a feeling that one can be a church/Christian event musician without being a true worshipper? I don’t know, but I definitely think that’s very close to the heart of the issue–at what point is there so much structure in something that it allows someone to “participate” in it without actually getting the point? Maybe it ties into my early  dislike for all things rigid and traditional.