Advice for Worship Leaders 38 and Older (Podcast) - a podcast by NLW International

During one of my sessions recently at the Sweetwater worship conference, someone asked me, “Dwayne, what do you tell worship leaders who are 38 and older?”

The first thing that comes to mind is that if a person is 38 years old, then he or she has already started into their second half of life. Wish I didn’t have to break it to them, but if we do the math, we’ll realize we might as well face that fact. The good news is, we still most likely have plenty of good years left, and with the Lord’s help, we can stay “fresh and green” no matter our age!

Since the conference, I’ve thought more about that question, and I’ve come up with a few things I’d like to pass on as advice for worship leaders who are older.

 

1. Be confident.

Confidence in your skill set is important. Look back on your experience. Think about all you can do and all you know now because of your experiences, both good and bad. It gives you an edge over younger people. You’re not necessarily better than them, and it’s not that you can’t learn from them. However, the truth is you have talent that’s been honed over the years, and you’ve been blessed with strong skills, abilities and experience. You need to remind yourself of that and be thankful.

Also be confident in your calling from God. Think of what He’s called you to do, and know that He’s going to work through you to accomplish it. As long as there’s breath left in your body, He can keep using you. So, dig down deep and know who you are in Christ. Be careful not to allow your identity to be wrapped in your job. Jobs can end–even church jobs. Nothing is really permanent or secure in this world, except who we are and who we will always be in our Savior. So above all, put your confidence in His love for you and for your family. (If you need a powerful reminder of your position in Christ, do yourself a favor and meditate on the first chapter of Ephesians.)

 

2. Be courageous.

The last part of Hebrews 3:6 says, “…we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.” Courage and confidence go hand-in-hand. But while courage certainly flows out of our confidence, courage is more than just being confident in who we are; God-given courage is doing what we know we should do.

Sometimes we just need to step out in faith and do what the Lord is leading us to. (I know that’s easier said than done!) When God called Joshua He told him to “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.” It takes godly courage to step out of our comfort zones into an unknown and uncharted territory. What God-planted dream have you not seen fulfilled yet? Maybe it’s time for you to make some bold moves toward that seeing that dream become reality.

Sitting in the library one day in college, I remember reading a powerful statement carved into a desk of all places. It said, “The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.” You see, if God is leading us, then how can we fail? I love this quote from an old Imperials song. It says, “He didn’t teach us to swim to let us drown. He didn’t bring us this far to let us down.”

[bctt tweet=”The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.”]

God went on to say to Joshua, “Be strong and very courageous.

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