Thriving as an Artist in the Church: Hope and Help for You and Your Ministry Team

by Rory Noland

Publisher:

Zondervan

, 2009

• Great for individual or group use• Includes provocative discussion questions and practical action steps• Features four-color art plates and literary quotesIt’s not easy being an Artist in the church.But whatever your passion—music, visual art, drama, dance, writing, technical arts—you can not only survive, but thrive. And the rewards far outweigh the pressures of weekly services, artistic differences, and relational conflicts. After all, where else could you consistently make a contribution of eternal significance, experience deep community with other artists, and grow closer to God as a result? Thriving as an Artist in the Church is a practical guide, full of wisdom and pastoral guidance, that will help you surmount the obstacles and flourish in your ministry. It’s packed with examples, discussion questions, personal action steps, and mega-doses of encouragement. Most important, it tackles the real-life issues every artist in the church has to deal with: • Sustaining passion • Developing key relational skills• Dealing with rejection and failure• Cultivating confidence• Resolving artistic differences• And much more! Written by an artist for artists, this book will help make your ministry experience sustainable and life-giving so you can fall in love with the church all over again.Rory Noland is director of Heart of the Artist Ministries (www.heartoftheartist.org), an organization dedicated to turning teams of church artists into communities of grace. A composer, songwriter, author, and speaker, Rory is a graduate of the Chicago Musical College at Roosevelt University and served for twenty years as music director at Willow Creek Community Church.

Contents

Contents
list of illustrations. . . . . 6
preface: how to use this book . . . . . 7
introduction: it’s not easy being an artist in the church . . . . . 9
1. how to keep your passion alive . . . . . 19
2. five relational skills every artist needs. . . . . 41
3. coping with rejection and failure . . . . . 61
4. working through relational conflict . . . . . 81
5. how to develop a genuine “can-do” attitude . . . . . 99
6. cultivating confidence . . . . . 125
7. dealing with your “stuff” . . . . . 143
8. how to survive as a leader in the church . . . . . 169
9. rising above our artistic differences. . . . . 197
10. how to fall in love with your church . . . and stay there. . . . . 225
appendix: “those artsy types”: from the introduction to The Heart of the Artist. . . . . 251
about the author. . . . . 267
notes . . . . . 268

Product Details

• Title : Thriving as an Artist in the Church: Hope and Help for You and Your Ministry Team
• Author: Noland, Rory
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Publication Date: 2009
• ISBN: 9780310542605

About Rory Noland

Rory Noland is the director of Heart of the Artist Ministries, an organization dedicated to serving artists in the church. A songwriter, speaker, church leader, and consultant, Rory is also the author of three books: The Heart of the Artist: A Character-Building Guide For You and Your Ministry Team, Thriving as an Artist in the Church: Hope and Help For You and Your Ministry Team, and The Worshiping Artist: Equipping You and Your Ministry Team to Lead Others in Worship. Rory currently serves part-time as a pastor of worship at Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, contributes regularly to Worship Leader magazine, and also leads worship for the Transforming Center, a ministry that cares for the souls of pastors and leaders. Rory graduated from the Chicago Musical College at Roosevelt University with a degree in theory and composition and served as the music director at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois.