Worship Pop Stars and a Celebrity Church Culture??

– February 7, 2008Posted in:

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Hi friends!

Its been an amazing week for me… I spent time at "Re:Create" a think-tank gathering for worship leaders from across the US and abroad. Great to meet new friends – "Re:creaters" please join my Blog and keep in touch! (A big hello to Rick and Laura Muchow and the gang from Saddleback CA, Carlos and Heather Whittaker from Buckhead ATL, Brian and Alicia Chandler from Fulsom CA…and too many other names to mention all the GREAT people I met, but you were all such a breath of fresh air to me : )

Here is my Blog thought for today… It’s a conversation I’m excited to start with you guys, as I love your insights….

We need to get great songs out to the wider church, and we need worship leaders and songwriters. But how do we ensure we are not creating a ‘celebrity culture’ within the Church? How do we as worship leaders approach marketing and imaging, without trying to look like Worship Pop Stars? Where are the lines and are we crossing them?

Are we creating an unhealthy division between local church worship
leaders or people who play guitar in home group (who are the true
unsung heroes!) and what we now refer to as ‘worship recording artists”?

Lets be honest and vulnerable here – I don’t look much like the photoshoot picture I attached above, if you saw me at 7.30am on a Sunday morning when I drive in to church clutching coffee and praying that I’ll get through morning rehearsal and 3 services!!!! But are we communicating through our CD packaging or website images that local church worship leaders need to look glamorous and do photoshoots in order to be in wider ministry?

Should we sign autographs after playing? Should we call what we do ‘a concert”? Are we slowly drifting away from the ‘John the Baptist, friend of the Bridegroom, He must increase and we must decrease, pointing to Jesus’ role we are called to play?

I’m playing devil’s advocate on some of this (!)… and speaking my true thoughts on some of this too…But its fun to explore some controversial territory, so share below!

Loving your company on the journey of life and worship,
Vicky : )

No related posts.

http://billmartinblog.blogspot.com/ Bill Martin

Hey Vicky,

I’m not sure we can totally avoid the bent of our culture toward creating celebrities. Maybe it’s more universal than that: even in Jesus day crowds gathered because of his fame.

But I think we can/must work against the tendency toward idol-making. And I think your deliberately confronting the issue is a means of warring against it. I think some other ways to confront include a deliberate unmasking of “the image” as you, Nichole Nordemann and others have done and an internal determination not to take ourselves too seriously. God just isn’t all that impressed with us; He loves us…anyway!

Just one more thought: “celebrity” is really hollow, and celebrities are way too often defined by their shallowness. To me, the essential thing is to be people of depth, relationally and reflectively, so that there is enough beneath the surface to take whatever censorship or praise “celebrity” temporarily brings on.

These thoughts are fresh, since I just experienced some real depth with Chris Tomlin’s ministry… if you have the time, please see my post about it. Best wishes. Sorry I can’t be short!
http://www.myspace.com/nathanarnoldmusic Nathan

Oh man… this has been huge on my heart. I am in no way a known “worship artist”, but having the music become about me was a paralyzing fear for years that kept me from even sharing my music. But God basically laid the beat down on me and said the songs he gives are not for me alone, and if I’m not willing to share them then he won’t give them. I don’t know if anyone wants to hear them, but at least I’m being obedient. :)

So knowing, like you said, that songs need to get out, what do you do? I think much of what you are doing is key. To remain accessible and real is huge! I know the bigger an artist gets the harder it is but I think being willing to hang out with people after worship services and being real when you talk (and blog) about your heart (both good things and struggles) is important.

I also think part of being accessible is being willing to play in places that may not be able to afford you. I’ve seen the cost associated with bringing in some artists and it amazes me. I understand the cost of doing business, and I know what I need to get my band places and help them all pay rent, but is it always necessary? Should worship artists every “out grow” doing 50 person retreats that can only pay you gas money and meals, or 100 kid camps with terrible sound systems and noisy overhead projectors? Beyond that. Are we selling everything we can (charing for lead sheets, music books, etc.) so we can get rich, or simply earning what we need and giving wherever we can?

I think like Bill stated above that drawing crowds and being famous for some folk is unavoidable. God doesn’t call and gift everyone to be a leader, so by virtue people will be following you. But what do people see when they look up at you? It’s all in where you point, not just with your words, but with all the pieces of your life.

As far as marketing… well, that’s another beast I think. I’m still not sure where I land on that. Or course it’s not as big a deal for some of us. Not all of us have to worry about looking like a pop star. lol.
http://kellymonahan.blogspot.com Kelly Monahan

Great questions…

Two thoughts came to my mind as I read these questions…
If we are taking away from the glory of God or sharing in the glory of God then we have crossed the line. Is this not what condemned Satan for all eternity- attempting to glorify or “promote” himself over God?
There are times when there is no way to avoid the “limelight” but do we use that time to promote ourselves- pointing people back to us (such as autographs, employing the latest marketing techniques to attract the eye during worship rather than allowing people to focus on the Spirit) or do we use that position to point people back to Jesus Christ (simply being a yielded vessel, getting out of the way as much as possible)?
A good question to ask is, “Does this promote me or Jesus Christ?”
Best way to ward against this is by assessing the amount of time we spend in the prayer closet versus the amount of time spent on the front lines. When the front lines define our relationship with Jesus rather than our quiet time with Him, we again have crossed the lines.
Second thought Paul writes, “Imitate me, as I imitate Christ.” We can only imitate one we know- knowing Jesus should be the forefront pursuit and then imitating Him even when no one is looking.
Frank Holley

Vicky,

I think that it is healthy for all of us to ask ourselves every time that we get up to preach, or play and sing with the praise team, or do anything that falls under the umbrella of ministry, “What is my purpose? Why am I doing this? Who is being lifted up here?” Whether you are the pastor of a church, or a worship music leader, or a songwriter or recording artist, or an engineer, businessman, or a school teacher (whatever you do in life), I find it helpful to prayerfully and continually remind myself that I am just a servant. We are all servants. So, since you mentioned the Saddleback Church leaders, the Muchows, I am reminded that their pastor, Rick Warren starts out his book, “The Purpose Driven Life” with a very simple statement: “It’s not about you.” (Could be the start to a great new song!) What a great way to begin any venture in your day, or worship time, or home group time, or whatever time it is. When you are up in front of the church, it is good to remember that, “It’s not about you.” So just sing out to the Lord with all your heart. That is when the things you do give God the greatest pleasure. And when you are singing in a concert (that’s what it is if you charge admission – it’s OK, because you have to eat, etc.) its good to remember who you are singing for. “It’s not about you.” When you sign an autograph (and you should do that too), make it a time with purpose, and use that moment in an eternal way to point the one who seeks your autograph to Christ, with a simple scripture reference or verse that lifts up Christ and lets the autograph seeker know your ministry is all about Jesus, the Giver of every good gift. “It’s not about you.”

You’ll find that the lines you wrote about crossing in your starter thoughts above don’t become blurred when the primary focus of your ministry or your job is all about serving Christ and all his people.

Good primer thoughts though. Just remember, if James and John, sons of Zebedee struggled with the idea of who should be first in the Kingdom, all of us will struggle with it too.

Blessings, Pastor Frank
Kyle

Hey Vick,
I really struggled today. The Lord was (still is) doing something, and it’s difficult for me. Anyways, your discussion is kind of part of it. (coincidience?) I don’t believe that you should have to market worship albums (although if you didn’t I probably wouldn’t have heard of it.) So I have no answer there. However, I know that we as Christians should not idolize music artists, obviously. But we should also hold them accountable. The Church is set apart from the World, and thus shouldn’t sound like it. I’m sick of “feel good lyrics” with “a great hook in the chorus.” Christian music should emulate the Bible. I love when you’re lyrics are straight from the Bible. I don’t need to wonder, “Is that how Jesus really feels?” because I know His Word is Truth and I need not doubt. I have no answers, and I’m tired, so all I can do is pray that the current Christian music industry wake up, and stop playing for the masses and play for Jesus. They should ask themselves, would Jesus be grateful of my music? They may not be too popular with the world, but at the end of the day, does it really matter? As long as we’re walking in line with God’s word and His plan, we can rest easy.
I fear I’m rambling, and I have homework, so Thanks for not being mainstream Christian, Vick, and when we meet in Heaven, we can talk some more!! :D May God make Himself known to you today!
Jen Harris

I think a lot of our problem today in the “Christian” culture is terminology. Even the fact that we call something a “worship” concert is idolatry or phrases like “ultimate worship” or things like that, that is idolatry. And it does create worship pop star images, etc. Only God knows if someone is “ultimately” worshiping Him for His glory alone. Worship concerts are a relatively new phenomena in our media-entertainment-driven culture. Biblical “worship” used to be known as a total-life orientation to serving and honoring God with no concern for names and faces. Now it is a genre of music that you can find in Wal-Mart. But we don’t have to go along with culture and we can repent of idolizing musicians, speakers, and others. As I see this changing in my own life, in our church and a few other churches, I know that we can influence our culture to see what “worship” actually means according to the Bible. I think a lot of it starts with our terminology. Everything we do in life is to be a total-life response of worship to Him. I’m reading a book called “Engaging with God” by David Peterson. ANd it outlines the theology of worship in the Old Testament and New… a total-life orientation, not just a concert, not just a Sunday morning church service, and not just music. We need to change our terminology. That way, our speaking, thinking and living will be oriented to Christ and for His glory alone! A great website resource for all you “music leaders” in the church is http://www.doxologist.com.
http://www.jonathanpaulmusic.com Jonathan

First, please permit me a brief aside… Bill, I enjoyed reading your January 25 post on perfectionism. I’m a perfectionist on the road to recovery and had to laugh at your depiction of us. :o) It did sound familiar. Pray for my family…

Secondly… Vicky, I considered posting this monstrosity to my own blog and then referencing your post here – in order to avoid hijacking a foot and a half of this comment section. Please feel free to suggest that I do so in the future if that’s what you prefer. In that case, I’d probably make a brief post here and reference the longer one there… I doubt I’ll match the length of this comment again (let’s all hope), but just in case, it wouldn’t hurt to have an action plan. :o)

Ok. Now to the topic at hand. This is a good one, and I’ve got a number of thoughts that came to mind! If you start nodding off, please just skip to the next comment… :o)

Have you ever been in a worship service where it seems like the person leading the music is more of a distraction than a help in worship? I think the celebrity mindset is sometimes a contributing factor here, and I think this is a point that worship leaders should keep in mind. Are we distracting people from God or are we helping them get closer?

For Christian leaders, the focus should be outward and upward rather than inward. Oddly enough, this applies even to false humility – something that does actually draw attention to self… even if the only attention drawn is your own. It’s not any healthier than pride; both overly inflated and overly deflated views of self are out of balance.

On the other side, Christian “consumers” should avoid putting recording artists and worship leaders (or anyone at all) on a pedestal. It’s no good for anybody, and it’s kinda silly.

I’ve noticed that because music is such a powerful form of communication, it naturally creates very strong emotions and connections. People are drawn to the artists they identify with and this can grow into a sort of idolatry that we should look out for and guard against. It’s much better to recognize the stronger connection that we all have to God and His spirit in us and take joy in that.

Here’s another thought on celebrity and idolatry. When people idolize an artist, they often do that to the exclusion of enjoying – at least as completely as they might – the incredible people who are all around them. They somehow think that the people they see in various facets of media are better than those they see every day. It’s easy to put talented and successful people on a pedestal and wish that we could connect with them. However, it’s tragic that too many of us miss out on the incredible people that are around us every day. If you start to pay attention to the awesome people you are around regularly as well as those you come into contact with only briefly, you’ll be amazed. Really.

Also, some attempts by a Christian artist to not be “showy” can go too far. It’s difficult because the line on either side of balance can be hard to distinguish sometimes. For example, I recently put up another concept for a music website I’m working on. The picture on the front page shows the musician in a rather grubby version of your basic Hanes white T-shirt. A couple of friends recently expressed the opinion that maybe something a little nicer in the clothes department wouldn’t hurt…

I think the biggest key is the heart of the writer/artist/leader, and the good news is that this shows through pretty clearly. I’ve been at shows with all the latest lights and video and huge banners and bells and whistles and lasers… that still clearly centered around God. Rebecca St. James is one of those people who does this well. I saw her play at a church in Grand Rapids a few years back, and you can tell she has a heart of gold. The message comes through loud and clear. Jesus.

Finally, one of my favorite local worship leaders, Ken Reynolds (recently signed with Integrity), wrote a great article a couple years back that applies to leading in worship. I found this very helpful and it kind of applies to this discussion as well. Check it out here: http://www.purposedriven.com/en-US/WorshipCommunity/SongSeekerCafe/million_question.htm
http://www.myspace.com/nathanarnoldmusic Nathan

I actually posted a topic very similar to this a few months back on Tomlin’s forum, Worship Frequency. I think that the folk their had some great insights. It’s not really long if you wanted to check it out.

http://worshipfrequency.com/community/index.php?topic=3548.0
Linz

“she’s always the first to post on my blog!” – Vicky Beeching
not true, I am totally the 9th person to comment your blog. ahaha! I win at life!

I sincerely apologize for waisting your time with this nonsense of a post.

okay back to the subject line:
I’ll make this short and sweet seeing as how some people already posted a few novels on here.

I’d like to be on the other side of this debate.
I think its incredibly awesome to support worship leaders. they work just as hard at what they do as everyone else. I dont think idolizing them or creating a celebrity persona is the way to go. however, I do think we should recognize them as hard working individuals.
as for photoshoots and stuff like that, it’s all in business, your label wants to get your ministry out there, to reach the world. they are trying their hardest to keep you from having to flip burgers for income. I dont think theres anything wrong with that.

cheers!
Linz
http://www.myworshiprevolution.com bobby

Thanks for hangin with us at Recreate this past week. It was great getting to share some time worshipping with you. Will definitely add you to my reader too.

As far as the celebrity thing, not much of an answer except to say yeah, it’s an issue. First time I really noticed how much it bugged me was a YouTube video from a United concert. As the arena was going nuts before they started to even play, something inside me just didn’t feel right. For some reason, it didn’t seem like it was really directed toward Jesus.

Then again, maybe I was just really jealous cause I wasn’t able to be there. ;)
http://www.richkirkpatrick.com Rich Kirkpatrick

We LOVED you at recreate and I am a fan..oops..no..er..well…

This is hard. It is not a bad thing to symbolically see certain people represent what lot of us do. At the same time, obviously, I like having fun hair and even my own church puts too much on me and I am not touring or anything.

Celebrity is not a problem for me. Jesus and even his team were celebrities. Influencing many people can have that effect, even thought that is NOT THE GOAL nor a validation of divine blessing.
Carli Lessing

Great topic and very relevant. I think a lot of the worship pop star culture is unavoidable unfortunately. However, I believe God gives us favor for a reason and we should use the opportunity to reach people for Him and encourage other worship leaders.

For me the test to see whether I’m crossing the line is to constantly test my motives. If I start making decisions based on what other people wants or think is important rather than going to God for direction, I know I’m on the wrong path.

In my ministry so far God has spoken to me a lot about changing my thinking about what the definition of success is. I found that my definition i.e. gospel music awards, getting to play at big festivals etc etc had very little in common with His. He’s been showing me that being a success in His eyes has much more to do with putting Him first and being willing to serve. It’s an ongoing challenge – one we definitely cannot do without help from the Holy Spirit.
http://www.oneredpilot.com nate davis

I like these question A LOT, bravo Vicky.

I think it all comes down to CALLING and being fulfilled with that call. I believe that some of us(worship leaders)are called to the communities of our local church and some are called to the communities of the Church. Tomlin, Crowder, United, Redman, Hughes, Delirious and so many more before them and so many more to come have been called, in my opinion, to the greater Church. Where would we be without the calling on their lives to write songs, get promoted, play events, etc? You don’t get much more rockstar than Delirious and they played a huge part in my coming to Christ.

On the flip side, let’s think about the worship leader that no one knows who leads at the church where I was saved. He played a major role in my salvation singing those Delirious and Matt Redman songs. Because he’s content with his calling to lead within the local church, he’s played a huge part in many coming to Christ.

So, if you are a gifted songwriter and God calls you to take it out to the Church…GO! Go get your hair highlighted, do a photo shoot, and record them! If you are called to be the person who sings those songs every sunday morning for 200 at your church in Kansas…GO! Be excellent in leading those people into the heart of our Lord!
Matthew

I think it is very brave of you to share your heart on this subject. It encourages me to hear someone like you speak openly about the stage that is both your blessing and your curse. I don’t think there is an easy answer to be found here because just like the album packaging of you and your peers’ albums, the church has marketed itself in a neat, pretty, appealing way. The Christian music industry is, in this sense, an extension grown out of issues American Protestantism has yet to deal with.

Real Christianity isn’t nice. It isn’t pretty. You can’t package it in ways that appeal to the senses, only in ways that it appeals to the heart. Life is messy, church is messy, the industry you find yourself in is messy. That is how it is suppose to be. That’s why we have Jesus in the first place. Because we can’t do it on our own.

I think you should continue this dialoge with others. Other Christian artists, friends, church members. It is in asking the questions that you find you already have the answers. Just keep seeking. It’s when you stop asking the questions that you’ve lost your way. Leave the rest to God.
http://www.stevenbush.org BUSH

great questions. ones that i ask myself often…along with many others. questions that i sometimes can’t seem to find an answer for. alot of these areas have answers that are going to be found in the balance or the gray…and especially as a Christian culture we’re sometimes scared to be in that balance or gray. for most it has to be one way or the other. i’m just not convinced that its that way.

i really don’t have any answers to your questions. it’s good to know that other artist are asking the same things. 12 hours in a van or bus can make ones mind wander a bit. thanks for asking these questions, and opening the dialogue.
http://www.CriesOfTheHeart.com Paul J.

Vicky,
I met you at re:create. Thanks for worship and for your work. I’ve linked you on my blog, and you’re in my RSS reader now. Looking forward to the conversation!
http://www.PursuingYahweh.com Bryan Patrick

Vicky – just wanted to let you know that God used you in a powerful way at re:create last week. It was a surreal moment for me to return back home on Friday night and finish off re:create week by going on a date with my wife, Amy, to your “concert.” Again, powerful worship – I am grateful for your leadership.

As for the topic at hand – Last week at re:create, Jon Tyson of Origins Church left us with a powerful quote – “We are not here to change the world, but to create culture.” I think it is imperative for Christian artists to set an example of directing the praise of men to the One who deserves all praise. At the same time, it is imperative for those of us who are not in a global spotlight to lift up those of you who are – not on a pedestal, but in prayer that Christian artists remain centered in Christ.

I really appreciate the way you and the other EMI song writers were so open and real with us at the Anchor. Even though everyone on stage was an amazing artist, no one came across as a diva – on or off stage. After the worship time on Friday in Baltimore, I watched as you greeted two young ladies with tremendous grace. Everytime a Christian artist makes a connection like that, then there will be one more person, one more congregation who understands that those on stage are real people – no divas, no green M&M’s backstage – just redeemed sinners attempting to reflect His glory. That’s what I learned from you guys last week and am committed to praying for you and all others in your line of work to stay focused in the chaos.

Be Blessed My Sister,
BP
Lee

I think that posting pictures of you in foil getting your hair done and standing with everyday people for pictures helps combat the tendency to make you more than you are. Those pics demonstrate that you are a real person and not some “mega-star” who is different from the rest of us. Also, acknowledging that your marketing pics, like the one attached to the post, don’t accurately and fully represent you as a person helps as well.

I do think that signing autographs is important when done in the right way and with the right motive. It gives you a chance to meet people and direct conversations. As long as worship leaders are using those opportunities to promote the kingdom and not themselves then there is nothing wrong with signing a book,T-Shirt, etc.

Lee
natalie

I’ve been reading your blog for a bit but haven’t said hello – so hello first off! :) Your music is beautiful and has meant so much to me in the past few years. I just turned 27 and, because I’m a dork, the last thing I listened to before midnight was 26 Summers. I love the intimacy in that song and I love being at a place where I can look back and think about all the ups and downs with God right there holding on. You are a tremendous writer and I’m so glad you share what He’s teaching you with the world.

I’m also a writer and my current deadline is a project that has something to do with worship. I’ve been doing some research and really thinking about what it is and looks like (or should look like) in my life. One quote I happened upon was phenominal, from the book Searching for God Knows What. Donald Miller talks about the celebrity culture that infiltrates some aspects of Christianity – how the covers of “Christian” cd’s and some of the more airbrushed pictures in mags or websites have become Christianity’s way of trying to redeem ourselves back to the world.

A few years ago, I worked in event planning and met a group of girls from a popular Christian band. They were rude to the staff and workers before going out on stage and trying to “minister” to the students attending. I thought that was a sad picture of one extreme. Maybe it’s segregating it to an “on stage” mentality that makes a difference? After that event, I started thinking about my own life and whether it was compartmentalized that way. I hope I’m growing mature enough in the Lord to see everything in my life reflects him, not just the moments specifically labeled “ministry”. I hope I’m living my worship, I guess is what I’m trying to say.

I think more than anything, our generation aches for real in all the glittery fake (which is why I so appreciate the authenticity in your music!). I don’t need giant screens or MediaShout or any of that stuff to worship God. It doesn’t even enhance the moment for me. And if my heart is in check, I don’t even notice the person leading worship. I just focus on the God I’m worshipping.

Keep up the great blogging!
Ceci White

Hi Vicky,

I think a problem that intertwines with celebrity culture is our desire for entertainment.

Embedded in our culture, we have been raised desiring to be entertained. A lot of people have decided that entertainment music is not christian music. Others, have decided to take “worship” and make it their entertainment.

It’s hard to decide whether that’s wrong or not. What I do believe is that we need to be more open about what is being offered. Is it a good time with good music in an arena filled with christian youth? OR are you gathering for worship?

Is the ‘flipping’ back and forth that is confusing to everyone. You expect to come and worship God and find that God is definetely not in your top 10 thoughts. Or you come to lead worship, and find a crowd that doesn’t intend to join at all but to make it a good opportunity to be entertained.

Worship leading is not only a matter of inner convictions, ministry goes beyond intentions, it has to be lined up with God’s Kingdom on earth… or we labor in vain.

Just a few thoughts :)
Have a wonderful day,

Ceci White
Brandt

Vick: I’ve just been recently more aware of your music. I am the youth worship coordinator at Harvest Bible Chapel in Barrie, Ontario. “Yesterday, Today, and Forever” is going to be in our lineup of songs for the last quarter (April-June).
I think you hit on some pretty key issues. Even when I’m being mentored and that as far as song-writing I have to take everything I hear with a grain of salt (or sometimes half the shaker!). The goal is to write not songs that just “sound cool” but songs that glorify God. Good call on picking up Grudem’s theology book. I picked it up the other Sunday at the back of church. As far as being a pop star – no, there’s no getting away from that. But whatever we do or how the world sees us- our whole focus should be on glorifying God.
That’s a daily struggle – and I know I’m probably the last person to have the right to remind you of this.
I love doing what I do. I love mentoring kids to discover worship not just on a Tuesday night but during the week. I may record a couple CDs in my time, but I think my main calling is to be pastoral in the worship gifting God has given me. Other people have more evangelistic giftings perhaps. No, there’s no avoiding the “pop star” image – and that’s not a reflection of you, it’s a reflection of the church today. It would be fun to be on tour sometime, yet there is also a lot of benefit to just sitting back and building up a local body.
If you ever just want to chill from it all, come up and visit Jody Cross (our worship pastor) and myself at Harvest Barrie. How cool would it be to have you lead worship at youth! Sweet! :) (oh man, there I go)
You are fantastic… i really have to get my moral theology homework done now…k, bye.

P.S. Jody told me you showed him this cool tuning…

Z
(Ecc. 5:7)
Rebecca

Hey Vicky ,
I don’t have any problem with Worship leaders or artists having a website and everything ; I think it’s cool acctually . But I think they are more like brothers and sistrers in Christ so I think they should take time to answer more e-mails , messages and letters to let us know we really are a family in God.

Worship Pop Stars and a Celebrity Church Culture??

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