Mentors

I am continually humbled as I witness leadership on a level above where I am currently operating. Like it or not, there is always a level above. Maybe there's something to be said about the ability to recognize this. Good leadership demands of the leader the ability to see yourself honestly, accurately and clearly. Recently I went fishing on one of Michigan's pristine rivers. April is a great month for steelhead fishing and this became my focus with my very good friend Mark. We did something a little different this spring. We hired... a guide. Since we already know how to catch these fish, our objective for the day was not to catch great numbers, but to learn how to more effectively catch fish. And we learned some valuable lessons. So it is in leadership and ministry. There's an art to effectively encouraging and leading God's people. It is learned over time and requires power of observation and the utmost patience with yourself and others. There is much to learn from valuable guides. As a music pastor the position of facilitating someone elses vision has always intrigued me. For those with the alpha male complex, always having to be out front, the man with the answer, you will expend alot of energy. Your life in ministry will become wearisome over time. Watch and learn. James tells us we must be "...quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry." James 1:19-20 Things happen more effectively when the load is distributed, Jethro taught us that in Exodus. His words ring in our ears when he said (with great concern for Moses), "Why are you trying to do all this alone ?..." If your response is "because I'm the only one with a good answer" look out! I have spent the last 10 years building a team simply for worship and drama. Wow have 10 years really slipped by? But as I look over the landscape, much has been accomplished glory to God! The valuable input of those I trust litters the landscape and has helped develop the place we stand in today. We have a long way to go as well. But in all of it, I carefully view my life in terms of God's word, His call, and wonderful examples I see around me. Keep your eyes open and lead on!

Tim Covert

Tags: Christian Music, Devotional, Worship

Resource Materials

Recently, I picked up a DVD I hadn't looked at in a while. It wasn't long after that, an intern came bouncing into my office wondering if I had anything he could use to help the youth worship band. Do I? I believe in empowering the next generation and helping them thrive in their giftings. Here's one way of making an investment in the future. If you haven't looked at leadworship.com you need to check it out. Paul Baloche does an incredible job of "showing" people the elements of a good worship set in the DVD "Leading Worship: Creating Flow". Additionally, another DVD "Music Styles" breaks down several styles part by part. The idea of every instrument in it's rightful place, and less is more can easily be understood through this demonstration. Certainly Paul Baloche has gained the respect of those involved in worship through his gift of song writing and relaxed confidence as a worship leader / guitarist. Now you may not be able to do all that Paul does, but his DVD's are worth taking a look. He all about teaching. If you're going to spend money on an instructional DVD, you should consider starting there.

Tim Covert

Tags: Christian Music, Devotional, Worship

Easter Musical

For our Easter musical we used Brentwood-Benson's "The Christ, The King, The Risen Savior". This year Brentwood-Benson provided a CD format option that we were able to take advantage of. Since our church does not use an orchestra but a praise band, we were able to use their Orchestration Minus Rhythm Click-Track CD. For us, we had the best of both worlds - live music with orchestration. This worked out extremely well with our Aviom monitor system. We simply placed the click track on the Aviom so the worship band member could control it's level in comparision to the rest of the orchestration and other players. Wow! what a great sound.... and most importantly, effective ministry. Worship band players thrived and everyone was excited to have them on board for this year's musical. Several mentioned they would do it again if given the chance.

I hope things worked out well for your Easter services. God is good!

- Tim Covert

Tags: Christian Music, Devotional, Worship