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Adam Smith | November 10, 2009 | 13 Comments

Bad Church Vocalists and Musicians

I visit a lot of churches. There are some really good church vocalists and musicians, there are some decent church vocalists and musicians, and then there are bad church vocalists and musicians that should just stop.

What level of excellence do you think church vocalists and musicians should have?

Filed Under: Communication

Adam Smith

I teach people how to have a greater impact through their work and their time. You can read more about me on my about page.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Coenraad says

    November 11, 2009 at 7:54 am

    I am with you on this Adam. Was in a church on Sunday, where the band had no coherence at all.

    While they say “all things that exalt God is beautiful in His ears”, I do however feel that when you do something for the Lord, to it to the best of your ability. Strive for excellence, and never settle for something less that exceptional.

    The Lord has given everybody talents, and you should use your talents given by the Lord. everybody did not receive the talent to be a great musician. How cool it may look to play the guitar or whatever, you will not look cool doing it, if you make a hash of it.

    That is my view on the matter. I do however feel that you should give people the opportunity to discover their talents, but do it in a non-public way. Let the people join in at practice time, and when you, and they, feel that the time is right, then let them 'perform' on stage.

    Reply
    • jackalopekid says

      November 12, 2009 at 5:39 am

      I like it

      Reply
  2. Pastor_T says

    November 11, 2009 at 10:29 am

    To steal a line from above"……when you do something for the Lord, do it to the best of your ability."

    I absolutely agree with this statement, but that probably puts me on the other side of the fence. Yes, give your best, but my best may not sound like Tomlin's best. I'm not a big fan of those who are obviously on stage to put on a show. I would much rather you not be the best singer, but make it clear that your heart is in line with Christ at the moment you're leading me in worshiping Him.
    I mean if my singing is that distracting to you, there are probably other churches for you.

    Reply
    • Coenraad says

      November 11, 2009 at 12:33 pm

      I agree with the sentiment 100%, but this statement is also relevant for a worship team, and thus the leader has to make that call.

      If you try to give a show rather than give your heart, please rather stay away, because you do more harm than good, as people in the congregation will pick up on it very fast.

      Reply
      • jackalopekid says

        November 12, 2009 at 5:37 am

        Seen that b4

        Reply
    • jackalopekid says

      November 12, 2009 at 5:38 am

      Hmmm…

      Reply
    • Kyle Reed says

      November 12, 2009 at 4:11 pm

      Great question….
      Look how long God spent describing and instructing the construction of the temple.
      It took 200 verses and 6 chapters to detail the technologies to be used for worship in Exodus.

      But, does that mean that we can be so judgmental as to say you are not good enough get off the stage because you are not perfect? Probably not (even though sometimes i wish I could).

      The biggest thing is responsibility for me. If you are responsible to the call that God has for you and are working at what God has placed on your heart you are in right standards.
      Now, if music is not your thing and you have a voice of someone they make fun of on American Idol well then you should probably look into being faithful somewhere else.

      I think the standards churches can set can say that we aspect there to be some responsibility in the way you practice, prepare and then sing. Once that responsibility is taken musicians will get better and so will the music.

      Reply
      • jackalopekid says

        November 15, 2009 at 3:55 am

        good stuff

        Reply
  3. Christian Haiku says

    November 13, 2009 at 1:42 am

    Seriously non-gifted singers and musicians should be talked to in love before they ever reach a Sunday AM platform and encouraged to look for other gifts that can edify the church. But as for those who might not be really gifted, but they're not bad and/or distracting, I'll take "heart of worship" over skill if I have to choose between the two. If people are distracted more due to their own problems with a critical spirit/nature, then that's a different problem. 🙂

    Reply

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Hi, my name is Adam Smith and welcome to asmithblog.com. I am the author of the book, The Bravest You. Because of my work as an entrepreneur, consultant, writer, and speaker, I have been named a top industry influencer by American Genius. I live with my wife, Jasmine, and three children in Shenandoah, IA.

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