#352. Preachers that want to be Worship Leaders.

When my father, the Reverend Acuff, was coming up through the ranks, people told him, “You would make a great worship leader.” He heard that often because he would sing a song every now and then at church and he can play the piano and the recorder. (By the way dad, thanks for giving my four year old and two year old their own impossibly loud recorders. We already had to instill a “never in the car” rule for those instruments of torture.) But I have to respect that he stuck to his guns and never tried to secretly become a full time worship leader.

It’s tempting. Worship leaders are like church rock stars. They have a fun job and I once briefly flirted with the idea of learning to play the guitar until I realized it would take longer than a weekend. But maybe you have never personally experienced this fascinating evolution from preacher to worship leader. If not, here are a few warning signs:

1. The instrument
A preacher that wants to be in the worship band will always have his (or her) instrument on hand. They’re hoping that your guitarist will get a flat tire and you’ll have to ask them to sit in. Or that a spontaneous jam session will break out and they’ll be able to get their guitar out of their office closet and join in. They’ll often feign surprise that they have the instrument with them, much like that dude with the guitar at camp. My favorite example of this is in the British Version of the Office when the boss goes home and brings in his guitar to play some of his original music including “free love freeway” and the spaceman song. (“She’s dead.” “She’s not dead.”)

2. Music
Preachers know that an appreciation of music is often the currency that worship leaders deal in. So every now and then they will casually drop a reference to some band that they think a worship leader might like. For example, they could say, “I really like Portishead, but for me, there’s something even more haunting in the music Pedro the Lion creates.” Or maybe, “I was going to get the new Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, but I think Death Cab for Cutie might have more of that lyrical guitar sound I am looking for.” There’s probably a Carman CD on repeat in their car right now, but they’re not going to admit that.

3. Early and Late
This is my favorite move. Often the band gets to church early to set up and do a sound check. Or they stay late to break things down. Hey, what’s the preacher doing here so early? Why is the preacher staying so late? I’ll tell you why, he wants to play. He hopes that if he plays his cards right, he can help you set up the microphones, the drums and his guitar.

I always joke about starting my own church, but if I do, I want to promise you something. I will never try to be a worship leader. The only two jobs I will try to take over are “Worship Eagle Handler” and “Pastor of Pop and Lock.”

There are two sides to this idea. Read the other side of the story, “Worship Leaders that want to be Preachers.”

p.s. Both of these posts were inspired by Amanda and Curtis. I know you have that guitar on you right now Curtis.