My pastor and I always like to say that, in some ways, we should lead artists exactly the same as everyone else, and in other ways, we lead them differently. What should be the same are the categories that apply to all Christians—in other words, artists shouldn’t get a pass or be the exception to the overall character guidelines in Scripture and for your faith community. We can’t coddle artists just because they are gifted, or allow them to behave in ways that aren’t Christlike. While we recognize that all of us are continually growing, what is nonnegotiable is that artists are increasingly surrendering themselves to Christ and humble and open enough to live in accountable relationships.
But in other ways, we must lead artists differently. For example, most artists don’t thrive in a highly corporate kind of environment. Many of them do their best creative work alone, off campus, and even at different hours of the day (some on my team flourish most at midnight!) I expect artists to attend a few key meetings, but try to keep those to a minimum so that they have enough unstructured time to actually do their creative work.
Never underestimate how much artists need specific feedback and encouragement. I have always been surprised by how even the most gifted people struggle with periods of insecurity, wondering if what they are doing is making a difference at all for God, and struggling to believe that they should keep striving for beauty, excellence, authenticity, and transcendent moments. We must frequently recast the vision for artists on why their contribution matters, and whenever possible, give them evidence of life change in the congregation that can be traced at least in part to their role in the kingdom. When we do need to offer constructive criticism to artists, we must take great care with our words. Start with the big picture, and then explore the specific ways in which the artistic expression seemed to miss our goals or hopes. The arts are and always will be highly subjective, so we must be careful not to make sweeping statements without acknowledging that there are certainly different perspectives on every work of art.
Finally, I urge you to create a culture where artists feel the freedom to experiment, take risks, and even fail. This is very hard for those of us aiming for eternal fruit through our weekly church services! But without room for risk, there can be no creativity. Give your artists the tools they need, as best as you can, to flourish and soar. And above all, treasure them. The church would be a very bland, heady, boring place were it not for the arts and the artists who create moments of wonder and beauty, drawing us to God. Love artists and thank God daily for creating them.
