Are You Really Ministry-Minded?

For my first post, I have chosen a subject that is controversial for many people in the Southern Gospel industry.
We have all heard the saying "Their heart is in the right place" when referencing groups or soloists who are just bad. I can't tell you how much that comment gets on my nerves.
Before I launch into my tirade about why it is wrong to totally focus on this part of a person's ministry, let me just say up front that I am not questioning anyone's salvation or their heart for God. These are just my observations, and one's I have gathered from others in my little world, on the prevalence in SG to accept less than the best.
My question has to do with whether the group or soloist who performs so badly that unsaved people walk out on them are truly doing it for God or for themselves.

According to Webster's New World Dictionary ministry is "the act of ministering, or serving". Minister is defined as "to give help to". Roget's Thesaurus lists help and foster as two words used in place of minister. Taking these definitions and synonyms into account, it is beyond me how anyone who performs SG publicly on a regular basis and sees people walk out on them on a regular basis can believe that they are ministering. I am not talking about people who have to leave or go take care of personal business during an event, I am talking about people who may be unsaved being disgusted with the quality of talent they are hearing and walking out, possibly never to know the Lord as their Savior.

In discussing this idea with several people it has been pointed out to me that there is a big difference between singing in your home church and going out into a public forum and singing. Once you make the leap to a public ministry, the requirements change. First of all, you are no longer singing to "home folks" who love you and are willing to overlook your lack of talent because they know you love the Lord. Once you make the move to a public ministry you are singing to people who do not know you, and (quite frankly) may judge you on the level of talent you have. What they know of you isn't how much you do at your church for the Lord, or how much time you spend in Bible study at church or at home, or how much you give over and above your tithe as ways to show your love of the Lord, what they know of you is what they hear coming out of your mouth. If it isn't good, people who are not saved and looking for the answers they need only see that you like to sing, albeit badly. Remember unsaved people aren't looking at the same things a saved person is, they are looking from a different perspective.

The Bible says "Study to show thyself approved." I want to know why this doesn't apply in the gospel music field. All it takes is to get yourself booked in places, and for the rest of us to say, "We know their heart is good, so it is okay." So the performers who do not have the ability to do it are given a pass by those of us who know better.

The Bible also says to play music skillfully. How is it skillful if it is off beat, out of tune, and just noise to all but the select few who don't care how bad it is? It isn't, and that is the gospel truth.
Skill is defined as a great ability or proficiency. I think we can all agree that music is meant to be on beat and on key at the very least.

The other thing about jumping to the public ministry forum from your home church is performance. Do you have to dance around or whatever to impress people? No, and I am not saying that it is wrong. Our group moves around, bounces, sometimes dances and can be seen as manic at times. However, the hardest groups or soloists to sit through are the ones that do not do anything accept sing. When you combine that with the lack of ability to sing, it is absolutely horrendous. It is not only boring, it makes even me question why they took that stage to begin with. If you take a public stage and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ through song, no matter how bad you are, people should be able to at least tell you enjoy doing what you feel the Lord has called you to do. Telling people about Jesus is the happiest thing in the world, and out of it, don't make an unsaved person think that it will be the end of their lives if they accept Him. They should be feeling like their life is beginning. In a nutshell, being a sourpuss Christian with no talent is even worse than a happy Christian with no talent.

Once you take your personal ministry public you have a whole new set of responsibilities. You become responsible for presenting Jesus to people not only through the songs you sing, but through your ability, your attitude and your public demeanor. Privately, we all have bad days and we fail, but the listening audience at that event should never know that. Does that mean to act and think holier than thou? No, but the way you present yourself and the message, if truly done with a humble heart, will do that for you. Your only purpose should be to engage your audience to get their attention to the Gospel message. You can't do that if they are struggling to get past your inability to sing the songs.

If no one tells you that you need to do something else for the Lord, or most people don't, you are not absolved of the responsibility of this spiritual gut check. Go into the studio, record yourself, listen to yourself. If you are truly listening with a heart for the Lord, you will hear how good or bad it is. If you think you are good, or settle for anything less than the best (not just your best) then you need to ask yourself if you are truly ministry-minded or if your real reasons are because you like to hear your own voice.