(AUTHOR’S NOTE: I originally wrote this post in early Summer 2018. I didn’t publish it immediately and have adapted it since original writing. Though the problem isn’t as bad as it was six months ago [hooray progress!], it still persists. This is my encouragement to my fellow worship leaders and church leaders.)
I was so frustrated. There was no reason that I should have been getting calls from two different camps asking me to fill in multiple weeks of sessions where bands bailed out with less than 2 weeks until camp starts. Even worse, in my opinion, is that on top of that, there was also no reason for me to say “I’m sorry, I don’t know anybody who is available”. To explain, I’m not frustrated with the camps or with my friends who aren’t available. Church leaders, specifically worship leaders, we are failing at developing young and budding worship leaders. I am frustrated with you, and I am frustrated with me. This needs to change.
In an age where we require a higher level of quality in worship, we’re eliminating our student leaders and relegating them to cogs in the worship machine every week. How many recent high school graduates do you know who could easily take a week off of work in the summer (and typically get paid just as much) to lead worship at camp? How many of those students are musically prepared? Now, how many of them are spiritually mature enough and strong enough leaders to jump in and lead worship for a camp of teenagers slightly younger than them? What about 17-year-olds leading middle schoolers and children? Who do you know that can learn how to manage the logistics of leading worship for a camp on the fly? Do you have anyone on your leadership pathway that doesn’t already have a full-time job, maybe a family, maybe even kids? Our single, immature, teenage worship leaders need the on-ramp, and we need to do better at providing that to them.
My frustration leads me to have a troubled heart. I could try to exegete some scripture to explain why we need more workers for the cause of sharing the Gospel, but instead I’d like to share something else. I’d like to share my leadership journey. As a worship leader for the last 10 years, and still being considered a young leader at the age of 27, I feel like it would be more valuable (and hopefully inspiring) to simply share how I developed into the leader I am today. I don’t want this to come across as me bragging on myself, but as bragging on the leaders (who I will shamelessly name-drop and plug) who poured into me and offered me their leadership and friendship in order to help develop me into a church leader and worship pastor. Ultimately, as bragging on the God who orchestrated it all.
I started leading worship when I was 16 in my student worship band. My friends and I all were newer musicians and became the student band. We were not good (lol). I was especially rough, but I filled the role that was needed in our group. I played electric guitar, eventually sang background vocals, and later added on some basic keys (I had no formal piano instruction, I literally learned it by ear and a couple pointers from friends). After less than a year in our band, I started leading worship occasionally, and that Spring started leading for a smaller student ministry at another church on Tuesday nights, while I still served on our worship team on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights.
Fast-forward. When I was 17 I was given the opportunity to intern at my church under the modern worship pastor (at the time our services were split traditional and modern), Ben Shafer. I was given the task of planning, organizing, and setting up for our student worship services on Wednesday nights. That following summer as an 18-year-old recent high school graduate I was offered a chance to lead worship on a middle school mission trip. It was relatively simple, just me with an acoustic guitar, and I’m sure it wasn’t anything special, musically. I was paid as much as I would make working part-time that week at my Hollister job PLUS they paid my way to go. The student pastor, Dan McClannan, with that ministry valued worship ministry so much that he was willing to make that a major part of the budget. I went on that same mission trip 3 more times, and was paid more every time as I grew as a worship leader, allowing me to put more and more effort into the excellence of musical execution along with excellence of personal one-on-one ministry. After that first summer mission trip, I went to college in Arkansas, dropped out, came back home, got involved in a new church (simply because I had engaged in a new community of people my age, no bad blood) and continued serving on worship teams, occasionally being asked to lead a song or a service here or there (Nick and Erin Bradley, Ryan Shields, Margie Alford, Jed Logue, and Steve Yost encouraged me with these opportunities).
When I was 20, I led worship at summer camp for the first time. I’m sure I wasn’t much more skilled than I was two summers before, especially since this camp was the first time that I took a full band with me. I had the challenge of organizing, planning, and leading my team of 3 other dudes that week. It was a blast, but I’m sure it wasn’t the highest quality. The camp paid us, and the worship leaders at my church allowed me to borrow gear and gave me insight and guidance into worship leading that I needed. I was encouraged to lead my band offstage well. I was resourced with leadership strategies and practices. I was given spiritual guidance and leadership, and everyone adamantly reminded me that I could call or text with any questions anytime. Remember, I was 20.
Earlier that year, I had been hired part-time at my new church to lead worship for the college and high school ministries (I myself was a college dropout) for $200 per week (thanks, Ryan, Nancy, and many others). In the Fall, I was given more leadership resources and I was invited to join in at the collaborative service planning meetings for the main Sunday services at church (I sat in those meetings for 4 years, and learned how to plan and organize worship gatherings by just having a seat at the table and having my input invited to the discussion). The worship leader took me through a leadership book (Ryan, again). The college pastor, Jared Kliewer, and I went through a book about preaching (even though I rarely preach, this became invaluable to my interactions with preachers whenever I have been a guest worship leader). I was taught how to spiritually lead my worship teams as well as organize the logistics of our student services. I had to learn tech on the fly (we didn’t have a tech person in student ministry) and was resourced by our tech staff with information when I had questions. I was given the responsibility to plan our college retreat sessions. I became the curator for our student space, unofficially.
The next summer I messed up in work-related instances a few times and I was lovingly (though sternly) corrected. I almost lost my job because I wasn’t meeting some of the expectations, but instead of booting me out the door I was given the choice. Either walk away with no hard feelings, or take up the challenge and rise to the occasion. I chose to stick it out and leaned EVEN HARDER on the people who were encouraging and leading me (Ryan Shields, Brad Mock, Jared Kliewer). My understanding of the job became more clearly defined. The expectations and the reasons why they existed were explained to me in-depth. I was given a more holistic understanding of church policy and insight into the history of what had happened in the past and why things were the way they were. I was given the freedom to still disagree, but at least everything was explained. My growth led to me going from nearly-fired to being given more responsibility and a fair pay raise (still part-time ministry, mind you, but it was a notable difference to me!) thanks to Joe Jenson, Jared Kliewer, Brad Mock, Jed Logue, and Ryan Shields (and probably more behind the scenes). At this time, I was still only 21.
As our staff changed and grew, I was given more and more responsibility and seats at the tables. I was invited into more relationships with people on staff. People took the time to know me and encouraged me. I was asked often to fill roles for other events that needed musical worship, and was given the expectations so that I could fill the vision of that specific request, but the freedom to creatively plan how to execute (which made me even more prone to run everything by the event leads, collaborating along the way). I was equipped and encouraged to raise up new, younger worship leaders. Throughout, I was encouraged to identify the potential worship leaders to enter into that same mentee/apprentice role. I was not a perfect mentor by any means, but I was entrusted to lead and guide students who were even behind me in the leadership pathway. I got to experience some of my worship leader apprentices have victory and success as leaders (some who even went on to help at church plants and lead other ministries), and I got to experience the heartbreak of leaders who fell away or burned out or got swallowed up by the other activities in their lives. I experienced all of that before I was even 24.
As a 21-year-old, I was given more responsibility than I’ve seen given to some of my 28-and-29-year-old colleagues. I was given a seat at the table that some of my friends have never even been invited to. Without making me look better than I really am, I can honestly say that I have a lot of confidence when it comes to leading worship, organizing worship services, managing teams, giving spiritual leadership to the volunteers who serve on my music and tech teams, pastoring a congregation from the stage, shepherding congregants one-on-one outside of our services, strategizing and coordinating events, gathering and creating resources for my teams to prepare well, raising up new leaders, interacting with fellow believers who are guests, and engaging non-christians. This all started because someone, Ben, saw me as a 17-year-old who enjoyed playing music at church and they invested into me. As I grew as a leader, more people started investing into me. Some people invested money to pay me when I wasn’t even very good (WHAT!)! But people saw the leadership potential and called it out of me, developed me, gave me responsibility, and empowered me when I had questions or failed.
So now, when I get calls from camps who just need a worship band to lead 13-year-olds for a week, I am grieved when I ask around and nobody knows any 17- or 20-year-olds who could take a week off of their minimum wage part time job to instead work a job for a week that would serve these students but also give the worship leader and their musician friends a lot of life doing something they love. I’ve been frustrated that I hadn’t pursued anybody to raise up as a soon-to-be church leader. The blame goes around, even to me, and I’m thankful now to say that I’ve been convicted and have changed that. Church leaders, I invite you to join me: may we start identifying the 17-year-olds (and the 20-through-24-year-olds) who can be the leaders of, not just tomorrow, but today! The reason: because God wants to use them, and He wants to use us to prepare them.
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Thank you to the leaders in my life who encouraged and empowered me heavily over the last 10 years: Ben, Zach, Mike, Dan, Erin, Nick, Ryan, Steve, Jed, Joe, Margie, Caleb, Gabe, Gavin, Jared, Brad, Nancy, Shawn, Sonja, and so many more who have encouraged me in small ways.
If you are a young leader looking for guidance, discipleship, and friendship feel free to follow me on social media and shoot me a message at @KevinTMcClure on all platforms.
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Kevin McClure has been leading worship in the local church for over 10 years in different capacities of student and adult ministries. As a songwriter, musical artist, and worship leader he has had the honor of touring the United States both as a performer and worship leader over the better part of the last decade. With a heart to see believers learn how to take the act of worship beyond the setting of a group gathering, Kevin is incredibly intentional with his time on and offstage to help teach the practice of worship as a lifestyle. Kevin lives in Omaha, Nebraska with his bride Hailey and his two daughters, Everleigh (8) and Eliska (2). His favorite food is coffee (lifesource), loves bonfires, and is convinced that Jesus is a Chicago Cubs fan.
Kevin McClure 