Train me up scotty

Tonight was the first night of worship training at Kings Church where I am the overall worship leader. We run these evenings as part of a 12 week course that allows people who have an interest in being part of the musical worship of our church to come along, learn about worship and have a go at playing with other people in the context of a contemporary worship band. We make people go through the worship training before we get them playing on a Sunday to ensure that the team is all on the same page spiritually and the music is kept to a high standard.

Tonight was the first session we had of this academic year and we had close to fifteen new people turn up which was awesome, if a little overwhelming when I have to try and coordinate all that. However, it actually turned out to go much better than I thought and the guys who came were really up for having a laugh as well as worshipping God.

People have often said to me that it is kinda harsh making people go through this to gain access to the worship team that plays on a Sunday. I just don't see it that way at all. First of all it is a huge responsibility to have any part in leading the most public regular meeting of any churches calendar and I think that requires we are 'selective' with who we put up there. Not to say we purposely exclude people, but we give time in allowing peoples attitudes and motives to come through, as those are more important than whether they know every Matt Redman song in the book. Second, I think that it allows us to really manage the quality of everything we do as a church. Often visitors come into church and are really put off with the fact that everything seems to be either stuck in the 1960's or is just really bad quality - like the microphones don't work, the preacher sounds so bored he is putting everyone to sleep and the man singing is really out of tune..... of course some sweeping generalisations there, but you get my point. I think that everything that is done in church should be done to the best possible standard and in a way that does not distract from the True and Living God - the reason why we are doing it in the first place.

And if that makes me harsh, then harsh me up baby.