I’ve played on Church worship teams for nearly 20 years now in some form or fashion.  One of the issues that seems to keep coming to the surface - especially in the larger venues - is that of self-indulgence.  When does a player “cross the line” and go from worshipping God to worshipping himself or herself?

First of all, don’t believe the anti-performance nonsense that many in the church and in Christian music in general are preaching.  To have a venue with a large auditorium, stage, lights, PA system, and then tell musicians that they are not there to perform is ridiculous.  There’s a medical term that describes this type of mindset: schizophrenia.

Sure, you are not there to garner all the attention towards yourself - duh.  But this is true of any musician in any professional group or band.  Musician’s have to know their roles and work as a team whether they’re singing about God or secular themes.  Instead of preaching “don’t perform”, we should be preaching “be professional”.