Skip Collins

For those of you in church work I have a question….  what do you find to be the most difficult part of your job?  Of course we all know that church work is not just a job.  It’s a God ordained calling that is fulfilled in a local church.  But that doesn’t mean it comes without challenges and difficulties.

So what frustrates you? I can guess some of the answers we would get.  Lack of resources, people that don’t want change, senior pastors, associate pastors, board meetings…..  I’m sure we could get quite a list and all have a good moan in the process.

I’ll tell you what it is for me.  This particular thing is a distant first from anything else on the list.  Hands down the most difficult part of my job is actually practicing what I preach!  It’s so easy to stand in front of a group and tell them what they must do and how to do it.  But try to live what you just spoke about….. that’s an entirely different thing!

In the beginning of 2011 I preached a sermon as part of a series called Reboot.  It was about having a plan for your spiritual growth in 2011.  The other day I went back and read the notes that I preached a year ago.  If I had just done what I said, I would have had a great year!  Instead there were struggles that could have been avoided if I had just heeded my own advice.

James 1:22 says “don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”  I don’t think it would be that far fetched to paraphrase it this way.  ”don’t just proclaim God’s word.  You must do what it says.  Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves”.

Hard stuff…. I don’t have 7 steps to living out what you preach, or 5 things you must do or 10 things you shouldn’t do.   The only thing I can think to do is evaluate more often; take an honest look at where things are at and make regular mid course corrections.

I guess it all boils down to a small “swoosh” on the side of a sports shoe……

In my last blog I spoke about creating space in the music.  (OK I know it was a long time ago….. 2011 wasn’t my finest hour.)  Today let’s talk about creating space in a church service.

 I’m a production guy.  I work best when a service is thought through, planned, and rehearsed.  In our context we work hard at crafting services.  We have a series of creative meetings with lots of collaboration before we finalize any particular service.  Our hope is that this approach lends itself to creative, innovative, thought provoking services.  But the danger in this approach is that when it’s all said and done there is no space left in which God can work. In a sense God has to work into our program.  Therein lies the tension that has been the conversation of many worship people throughout the years.

In my last entry I made the statement that the beginning of all creativity is space. If that is true, then we must take it into account when crafting services.  In the same way that I believe music needs to have space, I believe that a service needs to create space in which God can, if he so wishes, speak into the hearts and lives of people.  I’m not talking about trying to manipulate the moment, or having to “call God down”.  I’m just speaking of space.

I think that space has to be fairly void of noise, or at least distraction. Music can help in creating space and it can distract.  Sometimes absolute silence can also be a distraction (especially if a person isn’t used to it) so a little music can be helpful.  Which ever your choice, be careful of distraction.

I don’t think space has to be long periods of time.  We don’t need 5 minutes of silence in every service to give God space.  We just need a moment or two in which we say “speak Lord you servant is listening”.

I think that space that is guided by scripture is always a good thing.  To give people a chance to reflect on a short passage of scripture in a service without commentary from the front will, I believe always yield good results.

So we are trying to learn how to craft a journey, not just put together a set.  A journey that takes people to a place in which the voice of God can be heard, the love of God can be experienced, and God can do what only God can do.

Genesis 1 begins with the words “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. We all know that. Most of us could quote it. But recently I was reminded of something that has blown my mind. Before God created anything there was only God. There was no time and no space. Before God created heaven and earth he had to create space to put his creation in.

The beginning of creativity is to create space.

The artist puts a blank canvas in front of him…. space

The writer begins with a blank computer screen…..  space

The actor steps onto an empty stage…. space

The sculptor begins with a rock or a piece of clay…. space

There are so many implications and applications to this theological thought, but let me put it in my world….

Over the years I’ve told our musicians (and I’ve regularly reminded myself) that the difference between the amateur and professional musicians is not so much in what you play as it is in what you don’t play. Great music is about the space between the notes.  If you don’t believe me sit down with some great music (80′s music and Lady GaGa don’t count) and listen for the space between the notes.

One of the biggest criticism I hear of church bands is that they just produce this wall of noise that comes at you relentlessly throughout the worship set.  While I acknowledge it could be a mix problem, or an acoustics problem, more often then not, it’s a musicians problem. Here are a few tips that might help.

 1.  Play simple!  In my opinion the number one problem in church bands is that everybody plays way to busy.  The drummer the bassist the guitarists the pianists, everybody!  If everybody would cut back by 50% (that’s not an exaggeration) it would make a vast overall improvement right off the bat.

Dynamics have everything to do with simplicity. If you want a quiet intimate moment you don’t just try to play softer you play simpler. Put lots of space between the notes.

2.  Don’t play all the time. If everybody plays all the time you get that wall of noise that I was talking about. The bigger your band is the more this applies. It’s hard not to play.   Believe me I know. Ask a drummer not to play and he will play little cymbal parts. The guitarists will want to play a little lead line. We feel like we have to play something!  If you are playing all the time you are not creating space.

One thing that helps is to worship during the time you are not playing!  That is a novel idea. Its way to easy to hide behind your instrument. I know, I’ve done it. Turn your instrument down, put your hands in the air and worship God!

 3. Listen to each other.  Of course that is only the beginning because as we listen to each other then we create space for each other.  When there is a great guitar riff stay out of the way!  When the drummer is doing a hot fill then don’t fill at the same time. Only when we listen can we create space for each other.  As we get more proficient we can learn to play in a way that not only stays out of each others way, but complements what the other is doing; then you are truly creating great music.  But it all starts by listening to each other.

There is more that could be said but I I think that is enough for now. Take these thoughts to your next rehearsal. Try it out and see if things don’t change a bit.

In the next blog (which I promise won’t be so long in coming) I’m going to talk about creating space in a church service for God to work. See you then.

I’ve been going to church my entire life.  As long as I can remember, I have been in church every Sunday, morning and evening.  My mother was the pianist when I was growing up and she played in every service and most choir practices so I was always there.  My friends and I knew every inch of the church property.  We knew how to sneak into the gym and swing on the rope swing off the balcony (which was not actually allowed.)

Most of my memories of the church services are of inventing ways to deal with my boredom. I counted the tiles on the floor, made up games with the names of the songs in the hymnal, and scribbled on the bulletin.

But here’s the thing; I love the church.  I love church work.  I actually believe the cliché that ‘the local church is the hope of the world’.

A lot of people are really “over” the local church.  I get that.  I understand why so many people, especially artists, are disillusioned with the Church.  I too know the pain of church gone bad.  But it makes me sad when people bail on the Bride of Christ.

I remember one time Bono saying that he is ok with Jesus, it’s just the people of Jesus that he has a problem with.  Yes, there are strange people in the church but as my friend Aaron says, the problem is that everybody is welcome!  That’s the church.  That’s the body of Christ.  That’s the way the Jesus meant it to be.

So if you have been hurt by church members or if you are disillusioned by what you see around you don’t give up on the church.   Forgive those who have hurt you, and move forward.  If you need to change to a different church community do it, but don’t just walk away.

The church is part of God’s redemptive plan to change the world.   He invites us into the process by inviting us into this community.  Yes, at times it’s messy.  Yes, at times it’s a struggle.  But this is the plan, and there isn’t a plan B!