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Ministry Poll – What do you dislike the most …
Posted on April 15th, 2009 in Church Life, Faith, Worship Leadership by Fred McKinnon
Hey Gang,
This post is targeted to those in ministry, but anyone is free to answer as it relates to your profession.
What do you “dislike” the most about your job, ministry, role?
This isn’t a question to cause strife – it’s a standard question that ANY GOOD BOSS or EXECUTIVE would ask his personnel in my opinion.
For me, I think it’s the reality that I’ll never please everyone.
Like most of us, I want to make everybody happy, I want everyone to love every song, every style, every tempo, every choice. Being in music ministry makes that extra hard. The music is considered one of the most (if not THE most) subjective aspects of a worship service.
Every single week, I have to come to terms with the reality that there are those who didn’t like my choices. And I dislike it, because I wish it didn’t have to be that way.
What is it about your role in ministry, your job/profession that you dislike the most, and why?
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15 Responses to “Ministry Poll – What do you dislike the most …”
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The expectation of perfection, and the lack of mercy and grace when it’s not attained.
For me, I think it’s the lack of open communication. There are very few people who will come to me with feedback about the services. But folks don’t mind talking about the services with each other. Regardless of how often I ask for opinions or requests I get very little. It’s hard to do any job without some sort of performance evaluation.
I hear that! Our worship planning team had our first “candid” conversation in a long time yesterday as we debriefed from Easter. We were able to be pretty honest with each other as we critiqued ourselves. I liked that… only once we realize what we’ve done wrong can we work towards doing it right!
Shawn,
Hmm .. I dunno, I’d almost rather it be that way, haha – at least you don’t have to hear a million opinions!
I wish I were trusted with the freedom to utilize social media to further the ministry of OSLC (my church). I need to have patience that this change will eventually come. It’s just hard to sit by and watch other churches have such an impact on others via the internet and for me to just be sitting by. Being the youngest person on staff (24) has it’s pros and cons I suppose.
Graham,
Yeah, I understand – it’s been slow for us, but I’m beginning to make some progress there – make a vision, write it down, form a strategy, and present it … and keep on believing!
Fred – in reference to your dislike: “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” Bill Cosby. In our case, we seek to please God first (of course) and then enable/lead our congregations.
God has placed me in a great church, under a fantastic pastor who pretty much gives me the freedom to go where I feel God leading (of course, I’ve earned that trust). My dislike (which is probably a character flaw in me…and constant point of counsel from my wife!) is being a compulsive perfectionist and expecting that from everyone around me.
Of course, I’d always like more of the advanced tech gadgets and cool A/V stuff, but God is honored and glorified with or without that stuff!
A little while ago I did a post on the Top 5 Things I dislike about being a worship leader, that got me in a little heat. I’d say the number 1 thing though is becoming the #1 or #2 reason people leave the church. If it isn’t the pastor’s fault it’s yours most likely. I never enjoy hearing people tell me they left because of me and my music.
I struggle most with separating my preferences for worship services and the “worship experience” from what is “best for my church.”
New blog post: Ministry Poll – What do you dislike the most … http://tinyurl.com/dhdmxk
Definitely identify with yours Fred, and also Travis
But what I dislike the most is the priority juggling…having deadlines changed and that causing everything else to have to be rearranged as well.
To a certain extent, that comes back to trying to please everyone, but mostly it’s just that I don’t like having to go back on my word because of external factors.
Watching people with tremendous gifts and talents that they seem unaware of or don’t value as they reject encouragement and sit on their hands.
“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” Bill Cosby- thnks2 Dennis Arriaga http://is.gd/sEzz
For me it’s definitely an expectations as it pertains to my skillset/personality thing.
I was hired to craft excellent marketing visuals (web/print/video/presentation/etc) and to coordinate everything music-related (morning gatherings/special events/rehearsals/etc)…
Yet somehow in the middle of all that (and leading the teams as small groups) it seems I’m expected to be a “people” person as well when I’m not doing those things. For example, I’m expected to be in the lobby greeting people as they come in simply because “I’m full-time staff”.
It’s tough.
Before anybody thinks I’m a total jerk for not WANTING to greet people, just know that I’m not really a big crowd, meet a new face every second, extroverted kind of guy. I’m a loner. An introvert that excels IN FRONT of large groups, but not IN large groups.
However, I do my best.
Fred
Thank You for all you do. God Bless You.
Now, for me personally it’s ‘The Box’. God is not in the box and I am continually surrounding myself with the box, and God is continually telling me to break out of the box and be myself. With every song I write there is a breaking free to enter into God’s Presence and God’s presence flowing through me. As a writer, singer, bard, worshiper I’ve finally stopped trying to fit the mold, but it’s a day by day process to work out what God has worked in us.
What I’m saying is that it’s ME, not the structures, not the people, it’s my attitude and perspective (my focus) that determines my effectiveness in God.
It still burns inside me when Jesus said, “I only do those things that I see my father doing.” And THAT is my goal.