MISTAKES, Part I

Unfortunately, I'm not talking about 'flubs,' those innocent mistakes that worship leaders make from time-to-time (or all the time, depending on what kind of season you're in, right?)

No, I've been thinking about bigger things. I've been looking and listening an pondering on what sort of "big mistakes" that worship leaders make. Please understand, I know that our God is gracious and merciful and able to forgive...but I also know that mistakes often bring consequences. We learn from them, and hopefully, learn to avoid repeating them.

So that's why I'm writing about mistakes. I'd like to examine some situations where a worship leader has messed up. Some of these situations are hypothetical, some will be true, and some will be (sadly) biographical!

Trey is 23 years old. He's wrapping up college, actively involved in his church, dating a great girl and doing a pretty good job of being a Godly young man in the world today. Like most 23-year olds, he's got his favorite bands. Since the line between sacred and secular disappears with each new CD release, his iPod is likely to be filled with every single genre and form of music you can imagine.

On Tuesday night, Trey is at dinner with his girlfriend and he spots the worship leader from his church. This excites Trey because Trey just got back from a fantastic retreat sponsored by a campus ministry. As an added bonus, the retreat planners booked one of Trey's favorite worship bands.

Trey walks over to his worship pastor and they talk for a few minutes. Trey then tells his worship leader about this great retreat. He's bragging on the planning, the study guide and application and then he hits the band. Can't stop talking about the band.

The worship leader, actually, is familiar with the band. And he doesn't really like them all that much. It's nothing theological, mind you...it's just a preference thing. The worship guy doesn't dig Trey's band because the pastor thinks the band uses too many programmed drum loops in their sets. So, as Trey wraps up his story, the worship guy starts talking abut the band. And within two minutes, he tells Trey that the drum loops are annoying. Not content to leave it there, the worship leader makes it another minute or two before he starts giving examples - singing snippets of popular worship songs and then trying to beatbox them. Then laughing uncontrollably.

And Trey...doesn't know what to do. So, he smiles at the worship leader's joking, and then leaves the guy beatboxing over the chips and salsa.

It's a sad thing, and almost all of us have done it. I'm not sure why we do it. I know what we tell ourselves, though. We tell ourselves that we were just kidding or that "music matters" as if we're somehow responsible for giving a college-level music course to each and every congregant. And for some of us, it's pure musical snobbery.

But whatever the reason, none of it works. That worship leader didn't do anything uplifting by slamming Trey's band. Not only did the worship leader quickly "reveal" that Trey's band is dumb, he also showed himself to be a very poor conversationalist.

Listen, worship leaders...preferences are fine. Making wise musical choices based on your congregation is fine. Heck, it's required! But disrespecting those that would come to you to engage in discussion or debate about worship - your field of expertise - is one of the most idiotic things you could do. That amateur hour stuff, right there.

If you've got valid concerns about a CD or artist, trust me, you'll get the chance to explain yourself on those.

But sometimes you gotta' keep your big mouth shut and be honored that a guy would even want to talk worship with you instead of eating fajitas with his girlfriend.

Let's remember that we are pastors on stage and off. Let's remember to use our words to uplift and to humble ourselves constantly. It's not enough to maintain the appearance of humility on stage if you're not able to truly walk humbly in every day life. Fix the every day stuff and the stage will take care of itself.