The Cellar - Tell me everything you know about Colorado Springs

The Cellar (http://cellar.org/index.php)

- Cities and Travel (http://cellar.org/forumdisplay.php?f=19)

- - Tell me everything you know about Colorado Springs (http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=8335)

SM, when do you have to give them an answer on the job? I'd make sure you did plenty of research on what the salary vs. cost-of-living was in real world dollars. :)

I've never been to CS and have spent only minimal time in Colorado (and all of it in the wilderness) but I have a friend who throughout his childhood spent alternating years in Colorado Springs and Austin. He said he preferred Colorado Springs ever so slightly.

it's a long process. I've got several phone interveiws over the next few weeks, then I'm going to fly out in July for a week, and if that goes well, they'll fly my wife and I back out again in August. It would be september at the earliest.

It's a pretty massive position, so they want to move slowly to make sure I'm the right guy for them, and we want to move slowly to make sure that it's the right fit for us.

You're from Ellay. And from the music business. How are you going to convince them you aren't the Spawn of Satan?

From a strictly multiple-times tourist standpoint, I *love* CS. It is, in fact, my favorite place in Colorado.

I have a friend who lived there for several years, and he found it to be amenable.

So, SM, you're giving up the session/touring musician thing? Or will you still be able to grab gigs from a base so far removed from LA?

Also, Mr. Noodle...are you in The Springs? If so, then can we count on some musical collaborations between you and SM in the future? That'd be way cool, dudes. :devil:

Here's the deal - I live 5 minutes from every major recording studio, but I do 90% of my work here at the house, in my own little home studio. We're talking major label recordings, movie tracks, commericials, all kinds of stuff. They send me files, I do keys, and send them back. It's the way of the industry now, and the reason why the major recording studios are folding.

The upside is that I can move to someplace like Colorado Springs, buy a 4,000 sware foot custom home, build out a full studio in the basement (they have basements there!) and still do that work. And for touring, it doesn't matter at all. They'll fly you to where they want you.

But the truth is that this new thing seems much more interesting to me. It's been a long time since I've been thrilled by anything in the industry, and the idea of a huge church that wants to make a serious investment in building and sustaining a creative culture is exciting to me.

Also, lets be honest. The idea of a 4,000 square foot custom home on 2 acres is also pretty exciting to me.

You mean "The idea of a 4,000 square foot custom home on 2 acres that costs 1/3 of what it would in LA is also pretty exciting to me."

Get your baby out of LA brother. This sounds like a great opportunity as long as you don't disappear because you're out of sight.

And it sounds like the creative community can use your participation. Good luck with it!

Do you feel that you have the gift this church needs to create moments where God’s presence is felt through leading worship, transforming worship ministries, developing dynamic leaders, and restoring the spiritual passion of all involved in worship and the arts? Do you feel the gifts you have to offer are of a technical nature or the ability to give spirtual sheparding to those who are involved with the worship ministries who feel they have a calling to lead or use their gifts as passionately as you do. What comes first, the passion to lead God's people or to build the recording studio in your basement? What are your priorities?

Quote:

Originally Posted by MojoTexan

I dunno. I don't feel like I know much yet about the church, apart from the public presentation. I haven't met the people in the church, I haven't met the people in the broader community. That's the main thrust of my question here, what sort of cultural and artistic values does this broader community hold, how well does the church represent those values, and do I fit with that. It'll help to be back there, meet people, get the sense of the community. If the cultures don't fit, all the desire and motivation in the world are going to lead to frustration and misdirected energy.

Quote:

Do you feel the gifts you have to offer are of a technical nature or the ability to give spirtual sheparding to those who are involved with the worship ministries who feel they have a calling to lead or use their gifts as passionately as you do.

Shouldn't it be both? Seriously, this is one of my hang-ups about how churches go about staffing ministry positions. They staff people in positions that demand a high level of technical competence (both artistically and organizationally) on the basis of their personality, or their "pastoral" qualities, and the program sinks to match the level of their technical competency. A person can have a great heart for sheparding other people, but it has to be coupled with abilities, competency, particularly in artistic programs. Nothing frustrates creative people more, or dampens their enthusiasm for ministry quicker, than being led by someone that doesn't approach the arts ministries as an artist.

Quote:

What comes first, the passion to lead God's people or to build the recording studio in your basement? What are your priorities?

If industry work were still my driving passion, I wouldn't even be thinking about the move. This is part of an evolving change of values for my wife and I. I'll probably always be involved in session work and playing for artists, if for no other reason than because it keeps me plugged into a community that makes me a more complete person, and a better artist. But to think that I would move 2,000 miles away from LA in order to spend more time on my music career? That seems like a bad move.

Mojo, I can't help but feel like I'm somehow being vetted by someone on the search committee ... is that the case?

-sm

He is with you, always.

Nope not on the search committee, just someone who has been involved in worship ministries over the last 16 years in several churches. I've been pastored by the best, hurt when they were no longer politically correct, asked to leave by self-centered, power mongers. I've seen when churches hurt those who give so much to 'their family' by dismissing their ministry and the heart they have for the Lord and the worship ministry of the church. The leader is first and foremost - oh yeah we can add singers and instrumentalists.

So how would you step into a church and promote and help their ministry? What if it is an established Worship and Arts ministry with contacts with the Christian music industry, local artists, drama and dance?

I believe that a good leader can shepard those who give their heart to the Lord in voice, instruments, drama, dance, etc. They should also be good technically and hopefully have a sound theological background (hopefully a degree both in music and attended a seminary).

There is only 1 person in the audience when we worship and the congregation needs to understand that and the spirit of that worship should be directed to our Lord. It's easy to be in the congregation and listen to great music but it should be the goal of the Worship Leader to transform those bodies in the pew to lean mean worshipping machines for our Lord.

Churches have problems today with the the different age groups and their 'heart' music. Music that allows a Boomer to worship with all their heart may not be the same music that allows that Gen-Xer to worship. How does one pull all the age groups together and have them appreciate each other, understand their worship . Many churches have split over these groups not understanding each other and wanting "their way of worship".

This thread suddenly got a lot more interesting...good questions, Mojo. Heck, I perform leadership duties in my own spiritual community, and I wouldn't have thought to ask these particular questions...

Do continue! :corn:

The Flying W is a blast!