Ever-Changing Tools Of the Trade

Every craftsman has a toolbox. A mechanic, a wood worker and a metal fabricator all use tools to help manufacture and maintain their wares. Even in a personal sense, we need skills to communicate and operate in society. Being an effective worship leader requires specific skills and tools, many of which have changed drastically in the past several years.

A degree from seminary or Bible school, with a concentration in choral music and a foundation in classical theory, doesn’t fully prepare the 21st Century worship leader as it may have in the past. Skills in areas such as team building, leading a worship band and singers while playing guitar or piano, instrumental arranging, knowledge in lighting, sound and video equipment, and proficiency in certain software programs for music notation, audio recording and video editing, all contribute to the success of a contemporary music minister.

A Modern Version of Corporate Worship

Actually, the job of a worship leader these days is not unlike that of a TV or live concert producer: The pressure to put on a full-blown music and preaching extravaganza each week–incorporating theater lighting and sound, captured on multiple high-definition cameras–can be typical fare.

A former pastor with whom I served for several years often said, “The problem with church is that it happens every week!” The fact is, once we complete last week’s production critique, there is barely enough time left to high-five our team members because we need to focus on next week’s production. Then there’s Easter, Christmas and a smattering of special services throughout the calendar year that require attention.

Look over the requirements for some worship leader positions and you may see a list of qualifying attributes that only Superman could fill! I’ve even seen small churches–200 in attendance or less–looking for super-heroes to fill their worship leader position. Usually, the salary isn’t commensurate with the requirements. Some churches like to add student ministries to the load of a worship leader, and when that is required, burnout is a big possibility.

Corporate worship–in the modern sense, and across denominational lines—usually involves a comfortable environment in a clean facility, with superb childcare, offering a spiritually uplifting message, with an excellent audio/visual experience, in the span of between an hour and an hour and thirty minutes. The worship experience in the 21st Century has evolved into a consumer-oriented activity, and the contrast between first century worship and today is drastically different.

What’s A Worship Leader To Do?

When I attempt to break down the “job description” of a worship leader, I state the essentials from an historic point of view–one that doesn’t take into consideration a building, technical aspects, or congregation size. It simply describes the function of the position:

•    To serve the local church with excellence
•    To be a servant leader
•    To follow the direction of the Holy Spirit
•    To help Christ-followers encounter God personally
•    To facilitate God-focused moments of corporate worship
•    To assist the leadership in fostering spiritual growth of the congregation
•    To make Christ known to the local community
•    To make Christ known throughout the world
•    To do all for the glory of God

The term “worship leader” isn’t found anywhere in the Bible. In 1Timothy 2:5, Paul states that there is no “mediator” between God and man but Jesus. Therefore, most instances in the Bible where worship takes place happens without a specific leader (although in the case of worship in the Tabernacle and the Temple at Jerusalem, there was a system brought to the process of worship). Still, even in the New Testament, as well as in today’s churches, God doesn’t require a worship leader to stand up with an acoustic guitar and a handful of worship choruses to foster worship among His people.

In Hebrews 10:19-22 Paul encourages us to draw near to God:

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us hrough the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. (NIV)”

In the Old Testament, there was a High Priest who went before God on our behalf (Leviticus 16). Rituals were practiced, including animal sacrifices, and blood was offered to cleanse our sin. These annual offerings on the Day of Atonement were but a precursor, a symbol of what Jesus would eventually accomplish in His death and resurrection. In the New Testament, our new High Priest, Jesus, became the sole sacrifice for our sins, once and for all time. Because of this we now have the confidence to meet and fellowship with God. We, therefore, are encouraged to draw near to God, having been cleansed, with a guilt-free conscience.

Back To the Basics

Jesus is the true Worship Leader! We as music ministers are simply servants in our churches, available to help facilitate corporate worship. This music leadership role has rapidly evolved in recent years, as the Church strives to remain culturally relevant and to keep up with ever-changing technologies. I believe that, while improving our corporate worship experiences, we also have an obligation to assist our congregation in their private worship time. As my wife Brenda says: “Often, one’s personal worship time is less a priority than their corporate worship; it should be just the opposite.” The songs we teach each week are excellent tools for spiritual growth, for spreading hope and encouragement.

In Ephesians 5:18-20 we read:

“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV)”

In Hebrews 10:25, Paul writes:

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (NIV)”

As we have seen, God does require believers to:

•    Draw near to Him,
•    Be filled with the Holy Spirit
•    Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit
•    Give thanks to God the Father for everything
•    Meet regularly to encourage each other in the faith

What Have We Created?

Outside of that, what have we created in today’s modern version of corporate worship? If in our churches we have strayed from the central focus of Christ, we must find our way back to the heart and soul of worship as it was originally intended.

I haven’t blogged in a while, but I found a reason today with a revelation from my newest gear acquisition.

 I’ve been searching for a great boost pedal lately, and after owning several boosters in the past, with a thorough search for something better, I broke down and finally purchased the Xotic EP Booster. There are posts and YouTube gear run-throughs galore, all of which seem to put the EP Booster on a pedestal. The hype is high, and when I received my own EP in the mail, I put it on my board, and concur that it deserves all of the praise.

First of all, for those who have never heard of this bad boy, Xotic took it upon themselves to emulate an often used trick of the trade that several guitar heros like Eric Johnson, EVH and Jimmy Page have used for decades: using the preamp section of the Maestro Echoplex 3 (ala, EP!) Even when those great riff-meisters weren’t utilizing the tape echo, they still heard an incredible improvement in their tone by simply keeping the Echoplex preamp going in the chain. The results were amazing. Xotic eventually decided to developed their own version of the circuit.

 There are other folks making an EP3 clone, but Xotic makes their version in a 3.5″x 1.5″ x 1.5″ enclosure, which takes up very little room on my board. Since it’s the first pedal I plug into, and it needs to endure stress and strain, I Velcro’d and zip-tied the little guy to the outside rail of my Pedaltrain Jr., and it doesn’t budge. The price is amazing in comparison to other clones, too. I got mine for $116, the general street price for brand-new Xotic EP Boosters. Other clones I’ve seen are going for almost $200, and most have larger enclosures.

My “mini board” consists of the Xotic EP Booster >MojoHand Rook >Barber LTD >EB volume pedal (w/ T1M buffer mod) >Danelectro Tremolo (very cool, and cheap, too!) > TCE Flashback> TCE HOF Reverb, on a Pedaltrain Jr., powered by a Voodoo Labs ISO 5, wired by Kevin Shaw.

The tone, when I place the EP before my first OD pedal on the board (a Mojo Hand Rook, then a Barber LTD), is punchy, filled with sparkle and girth. The fattened signal pushes the front end of my Shaw amps, just enough to add a little bit of tube compression to my clean sound. When I engage the ODs, the EP pushes them like my Les Paul humbuckers alone could never accomplish. It brings a new tone to my Tele and my Bluesman Vintage S-model, too.

 Even though the mojo of the Xotic EP Booster is difficult to put into words, the magic is there in the hearing. My new board is the smallest of the three I use. It’s now my favorite sounding of all, and super quiet, even when the drives and the booster are all engaged (thanks to Kevin Shaw’s amps and his expert pedalboard wiring skills).

I guess I’ll have to get two more Xotic EP Boosters for the other boards, asap. I am very excited about the new adventure in tone I’ll be taking when I plug in, live and in the studio.

This past, week Gary Sadler and I released our long-awaited collaboration called “Doxology.”

We’ve been working on this project (many of you have heard all about it here over the years) for too long to mention. We finally focused our energies toward a finish date, and here, right around Thanksgiving, 2012, we’ve stepped across the finish line.

For years, Gary and I have been known for our songwriting, together and as individuals. We have, for the last twenty years, seen our careers build as song writers for other artists and worship leaders with each new song release. Now with this project, we wanted to do all of the producing, playing, singing, arranging, recording and mixing in our own studios. We did, however, get a lot of help in areas from which we needed to steer clear, such as playing drums! We have some great players on this record like my son, Josh, playing drums on several cuts; Danny O’Lannerghty plays bass on many songs and arranged the strings for “Incredible God;” the drum/ bass duo of Tony Morra and Randy Smith graced “All This Time” and “He Loves You, Too.” There are too many vocalists besides Gary and I to count, but we are pleased with how Hetti-Marie Barroll sang with us on “Call On Jesus.”

The point is: Gary and I are players and singers, too, and wanted to showcase our musicianship on the project. The songs are varied, with many that can be used in a worship service, and several which are intended for listening, reflection and as radio cuts. Bottom line: our songs are God-centered and were painstakingly crafted.

“All This Time” is probably the most curious song of them all. Without a reference to God, Christ, etc., it simply displays the grace of God as we sometimes wander away from our Lord for a time, only to find Him there with open arms when we, like prodigal sons, run back into our Father’s arms.

We are pleased to offer the project as a download at all of the major outlets like iTunes, Amazon mp3, and our host site at the CD Baby Music Store.

Thanks for your support of this project, and please download your own copy from one of these great stores. It’s also available for a listen from top to bottom on Spotify.

The paragraph below is from CD Baby:

“Since their first recorded collaboration in 1992 ( Ancient of Days),these two platinum selling songwriters have had hundreds of songs recorded by numerous artists. Jamie Harvill and Gary Sadler have songs heard all
around the world in worship services, radio and film. Now they have come together again as artists to produce a recording of 10 new songs of worship and encouragement. Whether through a simple worship chorus or a
modern musical statement, this project highlights Jamie and Gary’s heart for God while pushing to the foreground their instrumental and vocal prowess. Songs like “Doxology” and “Incredible God” are both
congregational and radio friendly, while “All This Time” “River of Freedom” and “Hope of the World” display a high level of craftsmanship and artistry, both musically and lyrically. This is great album sure to
appeal to believers and seekers alike.”

I’m a cologne freak–a fragrance geek. This malady probably started to germinate back in the ’60s, when my next-door neighbor–who worked at a department store–brought me a bag of samples from the fragrance counter she managed. As a 7-year-old, I had all of the cool designer colognes of the day at my disposal. I was a mean-smelling second grader! I never lost the passion for good smelling stuff, and have a way over-blown collection of the best scents available on my bathroom counter.

A few weeks ago, I wandered into our local Macy’s store and into the cologne department. The sales lady immediately saw me as an easy target (way too much money spent there already), and had a sample of a newer cologne ready for me to test. I instantly loved it for it’s unique scent–and it did smell curiously familiar. I was intrigued. Since we are so close to Christmas, I thought it could be a good gift from my family. I kept smelling that cologne sample for the rest of our stroll through the mall.

I got home and went online to find the scent–maybe on Amazon for a cheaper price. A few days later, I was searching for some cologne to wear, and thought I’d peer into the back line of the many fragrance bottles, lined up like toy soldiers. There in the very back was a lonely bottle, not often used, and it looked quite like the cologne I was hunting online. I reached over, pulled it into the light and, behold, it was the very one I was searching for…I already had it!

That says a lot about me: One, I have too many bottles of cologne, two, I have spent way too much money on such fru fru items and, three, I have a terrible memory. But my main thought, as I found the forgotten cologne, was that so much of what we have is taken for granted, and  the things for which we desperately seek may already be in our possession.

I think of Moses and his staff, where God asked him: “What do you have in your hand?” The staff that he already had was then commanded to be thrown to the ground, consecrated, and used to lead his people out of slavery.

I know this Moses story is a far cry from my sorry cologne saga, but the point is: If we spend enough time in prayer, soul searching, and following after God’s Word, we may find that what we’re looking for is already in our hands, waiting to be dusted off and put into service.

I’m thankful today for the blessings I didn’t know I had–there are so many. I will take this reminder  into tomorrow as my family gathers for our Thanksgiving feast. Thank you, God, for Your many unseen blessings–and for my new found cologne!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Please allow me another indulgence…

I want to share with you a cool series of videos hosted by Randy Bachman (The Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive). Each video spotlights a particular guitar which has, in some way, played an important part in Rock and Roll. Every gigging guitar player would love to have each of these models in his/her arsenal. Even though the tone differences can be subtle between certain models, it’s clear that a few are very distinctive.

Which three of these tones are your faves? I’m missing a Gretch in my collection, and I’m sorry I sold my Gibson Les Paul Special a few years ago. Oh well, I still enjoy the ones living in my studio guitar boat, and they’ll NEVER get away!

All the videos are from a playlist and will play in sequence…it’s worth your time, git-pickers!

Enjoy,
Jamie