Leading In Different Cultures

I think and write about culture regularly. I am fascinated by the way our families, cities, countries, and the age in which we live shape our lives, values, priorities, and the things that we celebrate and demonize. As worship leaders we carry our own cultural background into every environment where we serve - this is true even if you were born, raised, and lead in your hometown. We bring our own unique culture into the collective culture of a team, and a church, as we attempt to shepherd all of these cultures - including our own - to more faithfully embody the person and work of Christ.

My family lived in England for four-plus years, and I have had the chance to lead worship internationally and cross-culturally a number of times. While these opportunities have been gifts of kindness toward me, they have also shaped how I lead worship week in and week out at my home church in North Carolina. Maybe some of these thoughts will help you in your leading as well:

I bring my own culture. Every person has been uniquely wired by God, uniquely shaped by their family of origin, their country of origin, and the people and times in which they come up. If I want to effectively serve in any space, I must first realize that I have a specific way of seeing and being in the world. And that way is different from other people.

It’s just different. One culture or way of seeing the world is not right and the other wrong - they are just different. And in all things, there are pieces of our culture that need to be received, redeemed, or rejected. Truthfully, I believe this is one of the hardest parts of leading cross-culturally. You do not realize how many things you have turned into ‘gospel issues’ that are mere preferences, or cultural norms. Often I am first aware of a growing frustration - ugh, why are they doing that? Why did they say that? Clearly, they don’t care about… One of the things I am learning is that frustration can be an indicator light that I could be bumping up against cultural differences. And if I can invite the Holy Spirit to help me see specifics rather than a cloud of annoyance and frustration, in the Spirit’s power I am better equipped to laugh about, give grace toward, speak to, or just forget about my own frustration with differences.

Whose image? A fellow American living in England said to me: “Our goal in being here is not to make these British people more American, it’s to help them be more like Christ.” If we do not have an awareness of our own culture, and the differences in other people, we will naturally make people in our own image. We will hold up, value, and celebrate the things that are most like the best versions of ourselves - rather than constantly, and continually asking God to conform each of us to the image of Christ. A culture being conformed to the image of Christ will uniquely image the beauty, and diversity of God to the world.

Don’t swing the pendulum. Lead lovingly as the Spirit shapes you, and the culture. Unless there are things that need to be outright rejected, you can let go of the desire to correct the culture, as you prayerfully and scripturally lead toward a better way. Less directing, and more invitation.

A culture that values efficiency may need to be invited to linger.

A culture that values theology may need to be invited toward doxology.

A culture that values head knowledge may need to be invited to engage their hearts.

A culture that values individuality may need to be invited to think corporately.

A culture that values a small, family feel, may need to be invited to consider the outsider.

A culture that values beauty may need to be invited toward intentionality.

A culture that values excellence may need to be invited toward humility.

And the reverse is also true. All these things and more. May we be leaders who see, know, receive, redeem, and reject the culture which has shaped us and the ones we lead.

11 June: Liturgy + Set List

• REJOICE

  Call to Worship: Exodus 34:6-8

  This is the posture of a worship - God reveals Himself, and we bow our lives. Many churches, denominations and Christians love to emphasize God’s transcendence - that He is holy, set apart, glorious and other than us. And still other churches, denominations, and Christian’s emphasize God’s immanence - that God is near, knowable, and close. But the reality is God is both of these things, fully, and completely at the exact same time. He is transcendent and immanent at once. One of the things that has struck me during our time in the 10 Commandments is how God has always desires to be near His people. We see this throughout Scripture, from the Garden of Eden, to the 10 Commandments, to the temple, tabernacle, and sacrificial system, and ultimately we see that through the person and work of Jesus. And this morning we are going to teach you a song that I hope will help us to hold both of these ideas together: God’s transcendence and God’s immanence:

• HOLY FOREVER

• A THOUSAND HALLELUJAHS

  Sermon: Exodus 20:7

  An opportunity to live on mission and restrain evil in the world: World Relief donation drive.

• ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING

  Benediction

Budgeting Before Need

Maybe this seems obvious, but budgeting is important - both in your life and also in your ministry. If you are leading worship as a volunteer, in a bi-vocational capacity, in a small church, or a church plant, you are likely reading this and thinking, ‘And what if I have no budget?’ I get it! I’ve been in those spaces too. Those are times when you have to be creative, and careful, and learn to appreciate what you do to keep your heart from being bitter or coveting the gear, budget, or ability to make regular repairs and upgrades like your neighbor.

If this is you - I have found the best way to budget is by maintaining what you have. Take care of your gear, put things away, wrap cables properly, and spend time maintaining and learning the ins and outs of what you have so that you can make repairs on your own as needed. Keep a running list of new pieces you’d like to add, and the order in which you think gear may need to be replaced. Keep an eye out for deals on used gear, but also places that may be offering special discounts or pricing.

The reality is whether a church has no available budget, or a modest budget for Worship Arts - the equipment needed for our area of ministry is so costly, even a modest budget can quickly be drained when a speaker goes out, or you need to replace a soundboard. I currently serve at a church that provides a modest annual budget and I have slowly been able to make updates and changes in the last few years I have served on staff. Selling old and unused gear gave me the ability to add ‘non-essentials,’ as a part of the equipment for our team.

In the same way that homeowners are encouraged to set aside money monthly to replace a roof or an air conditioning unit every ten years, if you are able to set aside money to go toward making updates to your equipment without draining other areas of ministry your team, and your church will be served well.

4 June: Liturgy + Set List

• GRACE ALONE

  Call to Worship: Psalm 24

  There is only one who has clean hands and a pure heart. There is only one who has never lifted up his soul to what is false and has not sworn deceitfully. There is only one who has continually constantly sought the face of God - and that is the God man, Jesus Christ. And if you’re here this morning as a follower of Christ, you are covered in the perfect and complete righteousness of Christ. And because of Christ we can respond lifting up clean hands, pure hearts, lifting up our souls, and seeking God because of Christ. Let’s look to Him together. Let’s sing together…

• GOD YOU’RE SO GOOD

• DOXOLOGY|AMEN

  Sermon: Exodus 20:4-6

  Repentance, turning away from our sin and turning toward Christ is not a one time act when you first become a follower of Christ. Repentance is the continually posture of heart as every follower of Jesus. And my hope and prayer for you and for me this morning is that God, through His Spirit has revealed to you the subtle and significant idols of our hearts. The places where you have exchanged the glory of the Creator, for created things. And if the Spirit is speaking to you, and revealing those things to you, that is God’s kindness toward you because it is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance. I am going to pray, and then we will pause for a few moments to ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you, to reveal to you, and then together we will confess our sin to God and to one another. Let’s confess our sins to God and one another:

Merciful God,
We confess that we have sinned against You
in thought, word, and deed,
By what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved You with our whole heart and mind and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

In Your mercy forgive what we have been,
help us amend what we are,
And direct what we shall be,
So that we may delight in your will and walk in Your ways, To the glory of Your holy name.

Through Christ, our Lord. Amen. [Book of Common Prayer]

• O PRAISE THE NAME (ANASTASIS)

• HOW GREAT THOU ART

  Benediction

Experience or Formation

Can I make a confession? I have an allergic reaction to the word ‘experience’ when tied to the corporate worship gathering. I certainly want our gatherings to be experiential - challenging and informing our minds, stirring our affections, and emboldening us to be sent out on mission. But the word experience unnerves me because that is the same way we describe entertainment - it was an experience. We had an experience. We use this word when speaking about goods and services, and products that we consume.

But my conviction is that the purpose of the corporate gathering of the people of God is the spiritual formation of the people of God. Formation does not happen in an instant. And therefore can often not be quantified, or codified as an experience. That is because formation is slow, steady, consistent process which occurs over time.

In the same way, the elements and the centuries have combined forces to shape the Grand Canyon or the Giants Causeway, so too our lives must be shaped by the Word of God, the people of God, and the Spirit of God faithfully over many years.

Experiences can be substitutes for formation because we can measure experience faster than we are able to measure formation.

Our culture is quite content with emotional Summer camp highs and quite uninterested in anything that does not spring up immediately. As followers of Jesus - and as worship leaders leading our team and congregation through the corporate gathering - we would do well to remember Jesus’ parable of the sower:

“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”” Matthew 13:1-9

May the Lord find in you and me, in our teams and in our congregations, good soil that produces the deeply-rooted character of Christ.

Lead Toward Need

There is a difference between a song leader, and a worship leader. Being a worship leader is primarily pastoral before it is musical. And the idea of pastoring is really about shepherding. Knowing, loving, caring, and providing for sheep.

Now, I’m not what you would call an ‘animal person.’ We don’t have a dog, and we were just barely persuaded to let our children use birthday money to buy fish. So I have no authority to speak to animal care. But I have learned as a parent caring for little humans that my children will be malformed if I give them whatever they want. I have to set and enforce loving boundaries for their good and ultimate joy.

If as a worship leader you see yourself as a shepherd of people, you will have to be comfortable with not giving the congregation everything they want, but leading them toward what they need. This is no small or simple task. It requires knowing your people, understanding your culture, and a willingness to learn, grow, and be attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit as you lead. It means sometimes people will be unhappy with your leadership, and unhappy with your decisions. It means sometimes they will leave your team, or leave your church. But worship leaders are not jukeboxes or cruise directors. Nor are we dictators or tyrants. Our leadership should always lead to the flourishing of those under our care.

“But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Matthew 20:25-28

We lead among, not over. We lead as sheep before we are shepherds. We lead as those whose convictions are firm, philosophy intentional, and heart-tender to the Lord and His people.

Every Resurrection Sunday

The Sunday following Holy Week can feel… well… anticlimactic. Likely you have invested more time, energy, creativity, and intention during Holy Week than almost any other time of the year. Does the Sunday following Easter just mean ‘business as usual’? My personal conviction is that there is no such thing as just another Sunday. That every Sunday as we gather with the people of God matters to our formation as the people of God, and matters as we declare God’s worth and value corporately. But I get it, you’re still recovering, and the excitement can sometimes feel deadened by the normalcy of life.

But the truth is, every week is a mini-resurrection Sunday.

That is why Christians gather on Sunday rather than Saturday. We are reenacting this day, orienting our lives around the day that Jesus rose from the grave. Every Sunday should stand as a marker in the week and in our life that Jesus is still alive, still ruling and reigning, and that He is worthy of our worship.

Remind your team, remind your people, and remind yourself that this Sunday is a mini-resurrection Sunday.

Judging The Service

It is very difficult to assess week to week if you are making progress. Because week-to-week evaluations can largely become asking the question ‘Did people respond the way we hoped or anticipated?’ If the primary purpose of the corporate gathering is for the spiritual formation of God’s people than we can only tell as we look back over months and years if we are making progress in the work that we feel called to do as worship leaders.

So how do we judge the service? Honestly, we can’t. I encourage a service evaluation. But ultimately, we aim for intentionality and consistency. We labor to build trust in and among our people so that as we stand in front of them and lead them in sung worship, that they feel safe, and trust that we will lead them to a good place.

Ultimately, as followers of Jesus, our main job is making disciples. And part of making disciples is realizing that discipleship is a lifelong work. It is slow, ongoing, and never ends. So rather than judging a result, we have to become comfortable with tension. We have to be comfortable in allowing the Spirit to guide us into using the best of what we can offer to do what only He can do - lead people to Jesus, and transform their lives.

Go slow. Be consistent. Formation takes eternity.

Head and Heart

When it comes to life, I tend to lean heart. When it comes to song choice, I tend to lean head. Something I learned from worship leader, Charlie Hall, is that our congregations will always be best served when we can balance head and heart in our worship songs.

Our congregation must have their minds informed, and filled with the truths of Scripture, and the weight of God’s character, but if all we do is give them knowledge, we so easily become brains on sticks. If all we do is sing rich theology, every corporate gathering will feel more like an intellectual exercise, heavy and dense, rather than an opportunity to respond to God’s revelation of Himself through those truths. Likewise, our congregations must have their affections stirred for the person and work of Christ. We must give people the opportunity, space, and language to express the full scope of their lives and response to God. Simple songs of devotion, honest prayers of confession, joyful celebration, and raw lament have to find their place within the life of our congregations.

Ideally, these two things would live to together - songs that are deep and true, while yet simple and emotive. Maybe you have a few of those songs in your rotation now. What I have often seen is that songs - like me - tend to lean one way or the other. So as you are building your master song list, taking an inventory of your songs, and building set lists that reflect the Gospel story, one of the rhythms you can incorporate is building set lists where songs that lean head, are next to songs that lean heart. And songs that lean heart, are next to songs that lean head.

Soundchecks

In many ways, sound check is the foundation of a good rehearsal. But in the scope of our preparation, the sound check can often receive the least amount of attention.

Like most things, the main work of a soundcheck begins before a soundcheck. Have you ever walked into a soundcheck where things are still being set up? It is a bit like being invited over to someone’s house for a meal, and they are just coming home from the grocery store. Whether it is a team, you as the worship leader, or the person running sound, you have to make sure that the right equipment is set up for serving.

Whatever the rhythm for your context, communicating that expectation to all involved is essential. Will they show up to plug and play because someone else has set up the sound? Are you a mobile church that requires all hands on deck to get the equipment set up and torn down each weekend? Whatever the situation, the instruments, inputs, layout, lyrics, any printing, and set lists need to be ready for the band to run with their primary responsibility - leading musical worship. Don’t waste valuable rehearsal time on set up.

Once the space is set up, finding consistent rhythms will help your team have a plan as to the way you move through soundcheck. I’ve worked with some sound people that like to dial in the EQ of each instrument before the band begins to play a note. I’ve worked with some sound people that like to do a line and level check, and EQ on the fly. Knowing the rhythms that work for you and your sound person will help you know how to plan, prepare, and communicate to your team about what they expect during a sound check.

For a team to be able to play well together, they need to be able to hear. This means part of your soundcheck needs to be spent making sure that everyone can hear in a balanced and clear way. Whether using in-ear monitors, or floor wedges, rehearsals will feel disjointed and discouraging if there are constant starts and stops to adjust levels of monitoring for the team.

One of the things that I have experienced slows every soundcheck to a stop is musicians playing or talking over the top of the sound person attempting to check, or communicate with a specific member of the team. There is a level of respect and care we provide for one another when we are aware that there can be time for conversation and playing around on our instruments - and the sound check is not that time.

Worship leaders need to help lead the team through a soundcheck so that they can ultimately lead a team through the rehearsal.

Spirit and Truth

Dualistic thinking is easy. Black or white. All or nothing. No grey. No nuance. We can bring this same idea into the way we approach a passage like John 4:23-24:

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

As worship leaders, we will all have a proclivity toward being ‘word-focused’ or ‘spirit-focused.’ And likely our congregations and denominations will have a similar preference or leaning. But the Word of God and the Spirit of God are completely uninterested in false dichotomies. In fact, we see from this passage that true worship and true worshipers are those who worship in spirit AND truth. It is the Spirit who inspired the written Word of God, it is the Spirit who leads us in all truth, it is the Spirit who illumines the Word of God, and it is the Spirit who awakens our hearts to know, love, and obey God. It is the Word that is sharper than any two-edged sword, reveals the character of God, and acts as a mirror to our own sinfulness.

We need head and heart, weight and wonder, beauty and depth, spirit and truth. All of these realities should make up not just our songs and services, but our lives of worship.

Leadership Growth

Leadership is important. Just look at the top sellers on Amazon and the most downloaded on your favorite podcasting app. We all carry some level of responsibility and influence and are trying to figure out how to steward those things to become a blessing, rather than a curse on those we serve.

I’m not a leadership expert. I have not written a book on the topic, or hosted a podcast. But there are a few questions I ask myself regularly to help gauge where my team may be situated under my leadership:

Are there more leaders here than when I started? This is not the Aaron show. I want to constantly be working to raise up other leaders. Whether that is someone who can build a set list, run a rehearsal, lead a band, or lead the congregation. Or if that simply means that people are seeing themselves as worship leaders not just musicians, vocalists, and sound or production volunteers.

Are people growing in their knowledge and discipleship with the Lord? Are the people I am serving alongside increasingly looking and leading like Jesus? Or am I so focused on equipping them musically and practically, I am failing to invest in their hearts and lives and point them toward Christ?

Am I calling forth the gifts of others? Those leaders who have - and continue - to have the most significant impact on my life have been the leaders who called out and forth gifting I didn’t know I possessed. Am I looking for people that have heart, skill, passion, and potential that they may overlook in their own lives that I can fan into flame for the glory of God and their good?

Am I giving away leadership and authority? This is one part of raising up leaders, and another part of guarding my own heart against being too precious and possessive of a role, title, or responsibility.

Are the people I lead increasingly buying into the vision and direction? This means that not only do I need to have vision and direction, but I need to clearly and repeatedly articulate those truths to the team, and allow them to equally shape and be shaped as we serve together.

What are the ways you know that you are growing in your leadership?