The Compass and the Crowd

In almost 40 years of local church music ministry,
I’ve learned something important about vision.

If I paused for every critique,
Every strong opinion that blew through the pews,
I’d be left with a dusty old upright piano.
The one with a tarnished brass plate,
honoring someone who died at least forty years ago.
And a short list of hymns.
Not even the best ones.

One thing is a certainty: the very instant that you step into your calling, the commentary begins.

Some want 1885 with hymnals in every hand, wooden pews, and enough starch in the collars to stop a revival.
Some want 1985. Complete with overhead projectors and a saxophone solo.
Others just want whatever dropped on Spotify during the announcements.

And some…
Will stare at you like you kicked their puppy
because you added a drum loop to How Great Thou Art.
Scandalous!

But the vision God gives you,
it’s not designed by committee.
It’s planted deep, tested by time, shaped in secret.

Still, ignoring the climate is a rookie mistake.
If you want to last, you'd better learn to read the room.
Not to change your ultimate vision, but to carry it wisely.
To speak in a language people can hear. To serve, not just perform.
Because stubbornness isn’t a fruit of the Spirit.

But there’s also no power in fear.

So I’ve learned to lead with humility.
To listen to the crowd, but continue to carry out the vision.
Adjust without abandoning.

Because at some point, I have to come back to why I started.
Why I stepped into ministry leadership in the first place.
The main reason I ever sat on a piano bench.
It wasn’t to impress.
It wasn’t to keep everyone happy.

It was to help usher lost, weary, and broken people into the presence of God.
To clear the distractions.
To point hearts upward.

Clarity comes when I remember my calling.
Not the applause. Not the critique.
The calling.

So when the noise gets loud, when other voices threaten to distract from the vision.
I retreat to the silent place of my calling.
That’s my compass.

If this encouraged you, would you share it with one friend who might need it too?

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