What is excellence? You’ll find that most people have a different opinion of what excellence is. Some say that it’s a set point on a bar graph. You either meet the goal or you don’t, and whether you do or not is determined by the excellence of your product or service. Others will say it’s a set standard that has to be met in order for people to accept your product or service. These perceptions of what excellence means are not only misguided, but they are also unbiblical. Author Harold Best determines in his book, Music Through the Eyes of Faith, that excellence is simply “(…) the process of becoming better than I once was”. In other words, excellence is about learning and growing to better oneself. One’s talents or skills may not be perfect or even meet the guidelines of what is considered to be the industry standard, but excellence in what you do is determined by what you put into it. It says in Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
You may be in a position in your local church where you have every resource you could ever need to make your Sunday morning worship experience similar to what we see on tv, online or on social media. In most cases however, we find ourselves always lacking “something” that keeps us from putting our best foot forward. The goal of achieving the highest standard isn’t for the sake of being perfect or innovative. It’s about finding new creative ways to put ourselves in a situation where we can effectively and efficiently proclaim the gospel in an excellent way.
Now how do we channel our excellence (our best) into ministering to those who come from different backgrounds and cultures without alienating, discouraging, or shaming them? This is done through creativity. Creativity is often thought of in combination with the arts: writing, painting, music, singing, dancing, photography, etc. However, creativity is much more about process and delivery rather than bells and whistles. The foundation of creativity is in the planning, the experiments and the failures. Furthermore, we can use our excellence in our planning to allow our creativity to be the driving force of how we deliver not just our talents and interests, but more importantly the gospel.
We can see real life examples of this in both the Christian and Secular world. McDonalds, which is now a multi-billion dollar fast food company, was not always drive-thru accessible. It wasn’t until 1975 that McDonalds implemented their first drive-thru and it was done to serve a need. 1975 in Sierra Vista, Arizona, near Fort Huachuca, a military installation, a McDonalds was having trouble servicing members of the military because of off-site regulations. Members of the military were not allowed to get out of their cars off base in their uniforms, which prompted McDonalds to establish their first drive-thru window to service military members. This was not only a way to stream in more revenue for the company, but it was also a way to serve those who needed something that they couldn’t get anywhere else.
We as pastors, music ministers and volunteers have the challenge of meeting different needs through the Sunday morning experience and through interactive resources online (music, podcasts, etc.). How do we proclaim the gospel with excellence and creativity while meeting the needs of the masses? The answer is Jesus. Jesus should always be the focal point of every song, every sermon and every decision made in reaching the lost. Through him there is eternal life, healing, hope and a calling that establishes us to love God and love our neighbours. Through excellence and creativity we can fulfil the two greatest commandments: love God and love others. Let us be inspired to worship God with all of our hearts and reach the lost in new and creative ways. Let us embrace the process of learning and growing within this changing world. Let us “sing a new song to the Lord” for he is worthy of our best. Be inspired. Be excellent. Be creative.
Carlos Rising
Re.Created Music