In this Worship Planning Tip I want to discuss boundries and how to deal with them. Years ago, I read an interview with world renowned bassist Stanley Clarke. Stanley is an amazing composer and, truly, a uniquely skilled instrumentalist. The interviewer asked why he had stuck with bass throughout his career. After all, it would seem that he had the creativity and musical knowledge to master any instrument he wanted. Stanley’s answer to that question seemed counter-intuitive to everything I thought about music, but it completely changed my thinking.
He said is fascination with the bass was specifically because of its limitations. He said he loved the challenge of finding new ways to pull sounds out of those fours strings.
As worship artists, we face many challenges that are unique to our situation. Also, each church or ministry will provide new boundaries that we must face. At times, I have spent more time and energy pushing against those borders than I have leading God’s people in worship. Wouldn’t it be more productive to assess the situation realistically, and then work within the confines that are present? Wouldn’t it actually show more creativity to put forth excellence inside the present limitations?
Some of these boundaries could be:
A pastor who wants to limit volume…
Not enough quality instrumentalists for the band…
Inexperienced vocalists…
Don’t misunderstand – some boundaries are inhibitive to worship and are worth the fight to overcome. Learn to discern what these are, and choose your battles wisely. However, far too often we find ourselves banging our head against a brick wall that just isn’t going to change regardless of our efforts. In those situations, it isn’t the situation that needs to change, it is your mindset that need to change. Be more creative.
Think inside the box.
