As worship leaders, we pour our hearts into serving our local churches. But what happens when you start feeling restless, like you’ve outgrown your current ministry context? How do you know when it’s time to make a change?
We recently came across this dilemma in a worship leader forum. A worship leader shared that while nothing was exactly wrong at his current church, he was feeling stifled and longed to grow as a musician and leader. His church was small with lots of family involvement and he felt stuck in a bubble. He wondered if wanting to spread his wings was a good enough reason to look for a new church home.
The responses from the worship leader community were insightful. Here are the key takeaways:
- Seek God’s guidance above all else. Many wisely advised that a decision like this should be saturated in prayer. Ask God if your assignment at your current church is complete. Is this desire to grow and expand coming from Him? Or is it motivated by selfish ambition? Be ruthlessly honest with yourself. Sometimes God grows us most in the “small” and “hidden” places.
- Look for open doors. Rather than leaving, wait patiently for God to clearly open a new door of opportunity. In the meantime, bloom where you’re planted and serve faithfully. An eager, teachable spirit will take you far.
- Check your motives. This is a biggie. Are you running toward a fresh calling or just running away from discomfort? God is more concerned with the state of your heart than the state of your music. He desires humble, submitted vessels He can pour into and out of. Make sure you’re not making this about your ego, pride or need for recognition.
- Communicate, don’t isolate. If you feel you’ve outgrown your team’s skill level, have you lovingly and proactively addressed it? Offered to do some extra training? Invited guest musicians to help fill gaps? Hiding your frustrations will only breed resentment. Start an honest dialogue with leadership about how you can maximize your gifts.
- Consider alternatives to leaving. Could you take a sabbatical to pray, rest and refuel? Serve at your church part-time while volunteering elsewhere? Think creatively about how to get your needs met without abandoning ship entirely. But if God gives you a clear green light, leave graciously with blessing.
Remember, worship leading isn’t ultimately about us, our talent or our platform. It’s about stewarding the gifts God gave us to serve His Church and advance His kingdom. Sometimes that means dying to our grandiose dreams and desires. Other times it means taking a leap of faith into the unknown.
The key is staying surrendered. God knows the plans He has for you. He sees the full story arc of your life and ministry. If He’s called you to worship leading, He’ll place you where your gifts can have the greatest eternal impact. Trust His leadership and He’ll make your paths straight, even if the route looks different than you imagined.
