I created the blog series "Confessions of a Worship Musician" to uplift other worship musicians and to give non-musicians a glimpse into the thoughts of some of the most visible servants within the church. This confession is going to sound arrogant, but hang with me. This honest story represents a valuable lesson that took me TOO LONG to learn.
One Sunday about five years ago I was approached after morning service by a gentleman who was complimenting me on a "job well done". To appease my introverted mind, I had developed this fake half-smile and canned "thank you" response that I gave everyone who approached me in like manner. The problem was that it happened way too much. So much, in fact, that I quit appreciating the appreciation. It became awkward. I actually got tired of telling people "thank you" when they complimented me and the worship team. I told you that was going to sound arrogant. I'm just trying to be transparent.
I got to the point that I didn't know what to say. "Thank you" became a cold, meaningless response. Truth was, I got tired of saying it, but I didn't have an alternative response. What else was there to say? Imagine this conversation:
Brother in Christ: "Great job today, man!"
Nick: "Yeah, I know".
Or, how about this?
Nick: "Uh, not really. I made too many mistakes. Hopefully next week goes better".
I actually starting avoiding people after church so I wouldn't have to be fake with anyone.
One morning I arrived at church early and I noticed the vehicles of the folks who had gotten there before me. I had always seen cars in the parking lot early on Sunday mornings, but for some reason they stood out to me. Class was in session; God was the teacher.
It hit me that I wasn't the only one "sacrificing" by being at church a lot of hours. God began to convict me by showing me all the thankless jobs within the ministry. How many times do the van drivers get recognized? How about the nursery workers? How about the cleaning staff?
You see, we musicians are the lucky ones. We get to perform our ministry on a stage before the entire church. We get to use a beautiful tool called music to communicate with the church body. Music is a beautiful art that *most* people enjoy, even outside of church, so they especially appreciate good musical performances within the church.
When does the nursery worker get told "holy cow, when you changed that diaper right at the peak of that child's cry, I almost took off shouting!" Or when does the church van driver get told "thank you" for the hours he puts in? When we're at home having lunch with our family on Sunday afternoons, he's driving all over the county delivering folks back home. Oh yeah, and he got to church 2 hours before we did.
Romans 12:10 says "Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other". (NLT) God showed me the source of my problem. It wasn't my introversion, it was an honor imbalance. I had been filled to the brim with honor from others, but I wasn't giving any out myself.
It's easy to be so focused on our own ministry responsibilities that we miss what's going on around us. I made a vow that day that I would try to show appreciation and bestow honor upon all of those laborers within the church that never get noticed. The children's ministry workers don't get to parade their contribution on the platform in front of everyone. The janitorial staff only gets recognized when the bathroom runs out of paper towels.
We're the lucky ones. We get multiple opportunities a week to be recognized, to be appreciated, to be honored, to be told "good job", but the other workers don't have the same luxury. We're on the stage in the spotlight; they are in the back corners of the church making everything run smoothly. It's true that none of us should do what we do to be recognized - if they see us more than they see Jesus, we're definitely doing it wrong. But honoring those who labor for the ministry is totally something God expects us to do.
I encourage all worship musicians to do two things:
1) Ask the Holy Spirit to restore a sincerity to your "thank you". Remind your flesh that a compliment of your gift is really a compliment to your God. Take pride in the way God uses you just like you would be proud of your child when someone brags on their behavior. Recognize that someone going out of their way to say something nice, especially in today's society, should always be treasured.
2) Do your best to show appreciation to the lesser-seen members of the church body. The nursery workers, the van drivers, the sound/media folks, the cleaning/facilities crew, the security team, the children's ministers and staff, the Sunday school teachers, the missions workers, the parking lot attendants, the ushers, the clerical staff, the prayer team, etc. They are the unsung servants who are missed by the stage lights; try to shine a little light their way with your words and your actions.
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