Derrick Logan

[Quick note... I was going to use the word misperceptions but I wasn't sure if it was a word. Dictionary.com says it is and it basically means the same thing as misconception but the dictionary in Firefox doesn't recognize it as a word and I hate seeing the red swiggley line under my text... looks like I need to find another word for swiggley too...]

DISCLAIMER:
I obviously can't speak for every worship leader in the world but in my experience, these observations hold true for a large number of them... and if not for a large number of them, they at least hold true for me :)

I can honestly say that outside of my relationship with God and with my family, I enjoy leading worship more than anything. I've been doing it for nearly a decade now (wow... I'm old) and it's been my profession for 16 months. I didn't drop the "d" word to imply that I'm grossly experienced or... even have the slightest clue of what I'm doing... I'm simply have just done it for a while. Over time, more and more people I know associate me with leading worship or being a music leader at a church. A ton of people I've met and talked with about worship leaders (who isn't one) have some sort of misconception about us, thus this series of posts.

CMoaWL #1:
Worship leaders are the world's biggest fans of Christian radio. Heck, they play Chris Tomlin and Lincoln Brewster... must be like heaven on an FM dial for those guys!

We're really not big fans of Christian radio.

I always giggle a little inside when someone comes up to me on the weekend and asks, "hey, do you know that one song that such and such sings. It's on KLOVE all the time..." I usually don't have a clue what song they're talking about.

Yes, I've heard of Air1 and understand that they play more "edgy" music and it's "cool" for a younger audience and blah, blah, blah. In reality, they play half of the same stuff that KLOVE (adult contemporary) plays and their "edgy" stuff is like Kenny G running through a distortion pedal. Seriously.

Oh... and if ever hear "what if cartoons got saved" again, I might put my size 12 through the digital display.

Yes, I know the saying about the baby and the bath water... but Christian radio just doesn't get it done for me. I love good music. So much of what I hear on CR is just plain bad. Often, it's a sorry imitation of something secular (which might not have been good to begin with) or worse yet something "Christian." In large part, CR lacks originality and uniqueness. I grew up
listening to it. Today, if I turn it on, it's not uncommon to hear those same songs I was jamming to 15 years ago from the back seat of my parents minivan.

Notice I said "Christian radio" not Christian music. There are a lot of solid Christian artists out there. I simply tend to gravitate more towards stuff like John Mayer (shut up Adam), Coldplay, Goo Goo Dolls, Foo Fighters, Counting Crows (I've got an Adam Duritz story), and stuff like that. In my humble opinion, they do music the best.

Honestly, I don't usually listen to much music on the radio. If I'm driving in my car (which, unlike Kim's car, doesn't have an iPod jack), I'm usually listening to talk radio. I'll take Colin Cowherd over Michael W. Smith everyday of the week... and, yes... twice on Sundays. My apologies to all you Smitty fans.

If you're a fan of Christian radio, I hope I haven't discouraged you from it. Listen to what you like and don't worry about what I or anyone else listens to. I met a guy who recently gave his life to Christ and I know that Christian radio plays a part in keeping him encouraged throughout the day. That's awesome. Keep listening. It's just not for me.

So, when you're chatting with your local worship leader this weekend, keep in mind that he may not be up on the latest Phillips, Craig, and Dean or Avalon tune.