“I am looking for someone.” “When did you last see them?” “It was quite a while ago.” “When were you expecting to see them?” “I was hoping to see them Sunday.” “I’m sorry sir, but the person is not missing until they haven’t shown up, we cannot help you with someone you are supposed to see. This is an emergency number set aside for many things including people who can’t be found but your case has not happened.” “But I can’t find this person.” “Sir, I believe there is some misunderstanding. Let me clarify some things. You can’t find someone you are supposed to meet on Sunday?” “Well, yes, sort of.” I can’t find the person today for Sunday.” Okay, I think I understand, you were supposed to meet up with this person Sunday, but you can’t find them today.” “Yes, you got it, can you help me? Our worship drummer is away and no one else can play from the church, it’s an emergency, please, I can’t find a replacement, I am desperate, I’ll take anyone…” “Sir, this line is for emergency calls only…” “It is an emergency, we have no drummer…”

Crazy maybe, but it has some truth.

My former drummer in our worship band (20+ years my junior) was telling me about a text he got from a friend who was the worship pastor at a church in town. “I have no one available, can you play drums this week?” He asked. My drummer had hit a rough patch in life and had walked away from his faith. His friend, a pastor, never talked to him, never bothered with him, after all why would he associate with this guy going down the wrong path?  I guess that isn’t true, he had no use for him until he needed a drummer. While my drummer struggled, I tried to do my best, but I will always come off as dad. He needed someone his age to walk with him. Oh, I forgot to mention, the worship pastor was also his best friend during high school but now, a stranger with an emergency looking for someone to replace others, he needed to find someone, anyone to be a part of worship.

We had a rule.

Worship was not a chance to play music, an opportunity to perform but rather an- we were there to lead people as they lifted their voices to God. We all agreed that to lead worship, by this I mean to be the group leading, not just the worship leader, you had to also be a worshipper. To be a worshipper you had to believe. How can you worship what you don’t believe? My drummer in his journey, no longer believed or at least felt unsure of what he believed. He, following his convictions, said he could not drum that Sunday at church.

But what if that Sunday he…

We heard it over and over again. I know this guy at school. I know this girl from band. They are incredible at this instrument, or, they have a great voice, they’re not Christians but they are good; we should ask them to join one our worship teams. Not a Christian? For sure a great musician? Join a team leading followers of Christ into the presence of a God they don’t believe exists? Sure, why not! Maybe they will hear the sermon, listen to the Bible reading, take to heart the words of the songs and come to faith. Yes, that’s it, this is outreach. My drummer should fill in, maybe even join a team long term because he could find his faith again.

I’ve been a musician long enough to know…

I want to play. I want to sing. I want to perform. Short of lyrics that are satanic, racist, incestuous, or encourage acts of sexual or physical abuse, I will join any band. I don’t have to believe it, just perform it. Come to think of it, there was a time I would have had an even shorter list of themes I would not perform, after all, it’s just music.

It’s not just music and it’s not an emergency.

Until you are ready to ask someone who does not follow Christ to preach on salvation, a stripper to dance in your worship service, a medium to talk about the Holy Spirit, a Satan worshiper to lead your Bible study, a Scientologist actor to be your youth pastor (they are usually good looking and would draw a crowd) or even a pedophile to do security for the children’s department, you should not be asking unbelievers to lead believers in worship just because they might find Jesus. As a matter of historical fact, there is little evidence in the Bible of people becoming followers of the way at a meeting of the believers, but rather the vast majority ended up in the collective of Christ followers because they were believers. No drums is not an emergency, and no worship is just music.

We must respect the times we gather to lift up the name of Jesus.

While I must admit I know of one case where a person asked to join a worship team and became a Christian, I know of many more where it was just a gig. Let’s go further. We gather to worship God; we come expecting to grow in our faith and further our connection with the One we follow. This is a pillar that supports our journey as disciples of Jesus Christ. When we make the gathering of the believers into a show, we remove that pillar from the practice of our faith. When we make our weekly gathering into outreach, we elevate the growth of the church over the growth of the believer which also removes that pillar from the practice of our faith. Outreach is part of our calling and quality musical presentations important to undistracted worship, that being said, we are not called to sacrifice one for the other. Not being able to find a drummer is not an emergency and finding just any drummer is not outreach. We worship what we orient highest in our lives. The question we must answer is, do we worship worship, do we worship outreach, or do we worship God?

“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.”’ Mathew 15:8-9 (NIV)