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

by Rory Noland

• Great for individual or group use • Includes provocative discussion questions and practical action steps • Features four-color art plates and literary quotes It’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.

Genres: Christianity, Religion, Christian

272 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2004

About the author

Rory Noland is the director of Heart of the Artist Ministries, an organization dedicated to serving artists in the church. He leads retreats for artists, speaks at workshops and conferences, mentors worship leaders, and consults with churches in the areas of worship and the arts. Rory currently leads worship for the Transforming Center, a ministry that cares for the souls of pastors and leaders. Rory is Head of the Worship Department at Nebraska Christian College where he teaches courses in worship and spiritual formation for artists. He is also a regular contributor to "Worship Leader" magazine and his "Daily Praise Offering" is posted every day at www.heartoftheartist.org. Rory is a published songwriter and has authored four books, all published by Zondervan:

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
The Worshiping Artist: Equipping You and Your Ministry Team to Lead Others in Worship
Worship on Earth as it is in Heaven: Exploring Worship as a Spiritual Discipline

Rory earned a Bachelor's Degree in music from the Chicago Musical College at Roosevelt University as well as a Master's Degree from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies. He is a trained spiritual director through the Christos Center for Spiritual Formation and has a certificate in spiritual formation from The Transforming Center. Rory served as the music director at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, for twenty years and most recently as Pastor of Worship for Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.

Reviews

[Gina]

A book I've wanted to read slowly and with someone because it would be sure to inspire discussions and one cannot discuss with oneself. It's really nice to have journeyed the year with this book as companion.

[Nico Lupșa]

Cartea nu e doar pentru "artiștii" din biserica. Majoritatea principiilor descrise sunt general valabile în relațiile de zi cu zi.

[Aletheia Weisz]

Extremely helpful and insightful. It was full of advise that I swear was written just for me. I haven't read The Heart of the Artist, but I most definitely will after reading Thriving as an Artist in the Church.

[Adam Z]

Fantastic resource for artists in the church. This book is a treasure trove of wisdom & encouragement for all artists in the church, whether you're new to using your gifts in the church or you've been doing it for years. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!