Semper Gumby (Always Flexible)
There used to be this character on TV named Gumby, he was made out of clay and could bend and flex to whatever he needed to be in whatever situation he was in. In my opinion that is how every worship leader needs to be flexible, bendy and accommodating. I am not saying to bend or flex with your faith in God or Belief in Christ, but I am saying you need to be subject to your leadership and what they have planned for the church.
I have gone to many worship conferences, and there is always one breakout group with a name like, “Can I just get along with my head pastor?” or “butting heads again!”. I could never really understand why they always had a session like that. I figured it must be a big problem if there was a whole class assigned to it.
Like I said, I have been at this church as the worship leader for 15 years. I am almost 50 now and to this day I get along great with my lead pastor, who is actually retired now, and I get along just as well or even better with our new lead pastor. Now don’t get me wrong, I have had differing opinions, ideas and ways of doing things with both of my lead pastors, but I can say that it really has never gotten to the point of me leaving because of the differences.
I have had some pretty heavy prayer sessions with some godly people that I can be open and completely honest with and my wife (she is a Saint) has heard me complain and rant and rave on numerous occasions. But I have never marched into my lead pastor’s office and demanded change or I am out!
Here’s the thing, if your lead pastor is a God-fearing man who has a God given vision for your church, and that vision is not against anything in the bible, and you don’t agree with it, well…suck it up.
Do you know that God actually works through others as well? Do you know that you are not the most important person in your church and your opinions are not the ones that matter the most? Do you know that if there was no band lights, or haze machine church would still happen? I am being facieses here, but you get the point.
Now I realize that there are circumstances where parting of the ways is best for everyone involved, some people no matter how hard they try just cannot seem to get along. But let me just say it like this, if you have been a like 5 churches in the past 10 years and every time you left a church there was some sort of “problem” or “miss communication” or “difference in philosophies” maybe, just maybe you were the problem.
There are many verses in the bible about being subject to leader, Hebrews 13:17 says “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
I like this verse for several reasons, as a the worship pastor I have a flock inside of the bigger flock. I feel responsible for that flock, and according to the bible I am to give an account for that flock. Your lead Pastor, has that authority over you as well. He has to account for you, why would you want to make his job harder by bulking at every suggestion or change he wants to make in your set list? I know you have a flow, I know you have a feel for a certain song, and I know that sticking in a 1994 version of El Shaddai in your set list is “just not us”, but is it against the bible? Does go against your belief in Christ? Is it really worth getting frustrated to the point of bitterness?
IMO it is really not…SEMPER GUMBY!