By Bob Burroughs
We are experiencing unprecedented times of financial strain. Everyone, every family, every business, every church is having difficulty meeting budget and/or making ends meet. People are being laid off by the thousands — with no end in sight, at least in the near future.
Creator magazine has been inundated with e-mails and letters from church musicians all over the United States wanting to leave their churches for greener pastures. Some are feeling pressure to leave, even if there is no grass in sight. Others are being asked to cut back to part time or are being dismissed because offerings have decreased and times in the church are tough.
Recently, one of my former students e-mailed me about an opportunity he had to consider changing churches. He had been contacted by a church and asked if I knew about the church as well as my thoughts on what he should do.
In brief, this is what I told him:
If, after times of sincere and heartfelt prayer with the God who first called you to your present position; if you are having a good experience in your present church; if the people still love you and respond to your music ministry leadership; if you are somewhat free to do your thing without too much interference from pastor and people; and if you are enjoying your time in this community — STAY!
The reasons?
If you move to this new position and the pastor decides to retire in two or three years or decides to move, you will be at the mercy of an incoming pastor. The new pastor may have another music minister in mind. Or he may want to change the church emphasis to something like “hip-hop religious.” Unless you can do this, you’ll be looking for a new position, which will be difficult to find.
If you move to this new position and financial times continue to get worse, the church may decide to cut staff to a lesser amount of time. This will include a salary reduction. As “low person on the totem pole,” you’ll likely be the first to cut or go. This could happen in the current situation, but it is less likely unless times change drastically.
If you move to this new position, you will be starting over, beginning anew regardless of how successful the previous music program in the church may have been. You will still be the new kid on the block; whereas, in your present church, you are considered “the” music minister, “the” music man, “the” music guru — which may or may not be true.
If you move to this new position, you will be taking your family from “roots” put down during your time there. New roots are hard to plant — regardless of how attractive the situation may be to you. Consider seriously the effect the move will have on your family.
So, to make a long story short, I encouraged him to remain where he was until he begins to feel the gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit and has the feeling that God is involved in doing a new thing in his life and ministry, and when this happens, his family will be on board, too.
I also reminded him that the grass may appear greener on the other side in another place — but it still has to be fertilized — and this takes hard work, and even then, it may fail.
I think he will stay where he is.