I guess I'm not exactly hip!

[tuffy]

I am currently the worship leader at my church which i absolutely love. I have been here for a couple of years now. The worship team is doing great. We have really become a team. Heres the thing i know my Pastor isn't really happy with me and would rather have someone else. I am just the only option he has right now as there isn't anyone else in our congregation willing and able to be the worship leader. He would rather have someone who is younger and more hip, i'm not old by any means unless you call 30's old. He just has a vision of having a famous worship leader who will draw a big crowd, someone who has star quality. I know that I don't do this for any human so when I lead I just put my focus on God and thank Him for this opportunity as long as it lasts. But I am human and sometimes its tough to know that I am not really what the pastor desires and that i'm just filling in until someone cooler comes along. Has anyone else ever been through this or is there any advice you can give in this situation?

[worshiptheKing]

I have the luxury of being chosen for my position.

Is this a perception that you have or have you been told this in some way shape or form? I can't see a pastor not being supportive of the people who have stepped forward to serve, and I can't see your pastor being supportive if you are not who he wants in that position. Have you had a heart to heart with the pastor?

Just from what you have posted, your focus is in the right place, keep it there. Since when is worship about being cool anyway? And if he is depending on a particular person to draw a crowd I'd say he has bigger problems than having his choice of worship leader.

[tuffy]

Well you ask if this was just a perception I have and the answer is no. He has said several different times that we need a cool young guy. (It seems alot of times hes looking for the quick fix to church growth, kind of a spiritual gimmick I guess you could say). To this my response is always if at anytime you feel that there is someone more gifted, talented or a better fit to your vision, I will gracefully step down I never want to stand in the way of God's plan. I even tried to step down at one point, to which he said "you can't right now we have no one else".

My desire is to keep my heart right in this situation and to never lose focus of what its all about (HIM).

[worshiptheKing]

Again, I feel like your focus is correct. I can't say I agree with your pastor's though. I agree with you that he may be looking for a quick fix as far as church growth. What type of music are you doing? Do you have a band? Does your team fit the description he is looking for? How is the worship time? Does it seem to be having an impact with the congregation?

Unless you're doing older/traditional music and he is looking to move to contemporary I don't quite understand his thinking.

One other question I have is this. If he is looking for the music to draw people in, what are his messages like? Are they not drawing people? If his messages are impactful, his congregation should be getting people thru the doors as well. He may be looking for someone to make up for his shortcomings.

[tuffy]

We do alot of Chris Tomlin, Passion, Hillsong, Paul Baloche, Ross Parsley and we do an occasional hymn or older chorus. Our music for the most part is very contemporary.

I usually do about 5 songs i try to do the fast songs all in one key and the slow songs all in one key so that we can go from one song to the next without breaking the flow. Occasionally we throw in an older song there is no set rule for this. I just do it when it seems fitting. I usually try to select a theme for my set that will go along with the sermon. I love it when the lyrics to all the songs draw on a common theme. This doesn't always happen perfectly but i've found a theme seems to help the people focus on a certain characteristic of God and it opens there eyes to a deeper level of His goodness.

I am very open to the Pastors input if says lets go old school we go there, if he says lets keep it upbeat we do. But for the most part our set lists will be contemporary.

For the most part the feedback that I have received from the congregation has been very positive. Most people really feel that they are connecting with God thru their worship time. There is the occassional reprimand from an older member saying i wish you would sing only hymns. But those are very few and far between and really we only have a couple of older people who even feel this way. The majority of our older congregants are very supportive, appreciate the fact that we do sing some older songs and worship no matter what i sing.

We have a great band. We are blessed with a very talented group of musicians. We have acoustic guitar, 2 electric guitars, bass, drums and keys. Our Pastor has even said himself that we have the best band in town.

I don't really know what the deal is. I have been singing on the worship team in some capacity either leading or back up since I was a young teenager and have never come across a situation like this.

[fmckinnon]

tuffy -
I'd like to take a guess - is your overall church size less than 100? It pains me greatly to read this recap of what's going on, and I certainly hope that maybe it's not quite as bad as you say ... I just cannot quite comprehend a pastor saying those things ... more importantly, saying something like that directly to you. I wish he could come post here, and let us know exactly what he's thinking!

[carguy1]

I feel your pain brother. I find myself feeling some of the same feelings that you describe here. I often feel that my vision and the pastors are not the same. I have been called into full time ministry. When I first received this call, I thought it seemed like a no brainer that I would come on staff at my current church part time for a while and then full time as finances allowed. Well, it has become pretty clear that this is not what pastor has in mind, at least not at this time. I struggled with this quite a bit in the beginning and at times I still do. However, I have some to understand that pastor is the one called to lead our church. So, I must trust whatever decisions he makes as the vision for this church was given to him, not to me. If God wants me on staff at this church, then he will communicate that to pastor. So, where does that leave me. Well, I am not the hippest, coolest guy in town either, and I don't believe that I am what my pastor has in mind for leading our other services (I currently lead a classic service), but I can't help but think of those people in the Bible that were not exactly perfect for their roles, David was a child when he killed Goliath, David grew up as a simple shepherd, but became one of the greatest kings of the Bible, Moses was a murderer but went of to recieve the 10 commandments, lead the people of Isreal out of captivity and would have lead them into the promised land were it not for their corruption. None of these people were good enough for the roles that God had planned for them, yet they went on to shape history.

So, my suggestion; keep your focus as it seems you have and remember also that those of us that serve we do it for God, not for any one else. So it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, how much or how little those around us do, or even if the pastor thinks we are hip enough. Our service is for God and so long as we remember that, then God willwork out the rest.

[fmckinnon]

Hey Guys -

I want to share a word with you that profoundly impacted me years ago. I was struggling about my place in a former ministry, and I was away with a few men, fasting and praying for three days.

I don't know if you believe in the gift of prophesy, or if you'd call this "that" ... but as we prayed, one brother (who is known for hearing from God and communicating those direct words back to you) spoke up and said, "Fred, I believe that God is saying that He wants you to be in a place where you are CELEBRATED, not TOLERATED".

We elaborated on this, and the essence was that God has gifted you with those giftings and callings, and He would want us in a place where the gift is appreciated.

I share that with trembling, because I do NOT want to be encouraging you to find another church or place - not at all ... but I do think you can pray this way:

"Father, I thank You for the gifts and calling that You've blessed me with. My desire is to serve You and maximize those gifts for the building of Your kingdom. Please bring me into a place where my offering is celebrated, not only by You, but by those who I co-labor with. Give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and wisdom. If that place is right here, I ask for favor and vision that is in step with the overall vision you've given the leadership of this house. If You have another place for me to serve, I pray that You'd open those doors and give me the peace and wisdom to know when to go, and where to go".

It's just my $.02 ... but is the prayer and counsel I felt led to offer this AM.

[worshiptheKing]

I agree with admin and carguy as well. I too can't understand why the pastor isn't thrilled to have you. Aren't you a volunteer? If the congregation is connecting and being pointed toward Christ, misssion accomplished!

I encourage you to maintain your focus, keep your submitted attitude and press on. Seek the Lord every week and you won't fail.

Just so happens I am operating very similar, with similar planning and song selection and attitude as you, just with support from my pastor, but without the band that you have. Man, count yourself BLESSED to have talented musicians that are willing to serve.

LAST THING- when something good is happening in the Kingdom, satan will do anything he can to disrupt it. Whether it be thru your pastor or your perception of something he will try to influence the situation. Cover it with prayer and don't give him an inch! I join admin in prayer for you and this situation.

[tlhartsfield]

I suppose the smart alec in me would respond with, "Pastor, I'll be more like Chris Tomlin when you're more like [whoever his favorite preacher is]. Deal?"