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The Heart of the Artist: A Character-Building Guide for You and Your Ministry Team
Discover How to Flourish as an Artist in the Church. Over 150,000 Copies Sold.
God is interested in your art and your heart. The Heart of the Artist, now in an updated second edition, deals head-on with issues every person in an arts ministry faces,
Servanthood versus stardom
Excellence versus perfectionism
Handling criticism
Jealousy and envy
Managing your emotions
The spiritual disciplines of the artist
And much more
Each chapter includes provocative questions for group discussion and personal action steps for individual application. Somewhere between pride and self-abasement lies true humility--just one aspect of the balanced character God wants to instill in you as a musician, a technical media artist, or other creative person involved in ministry.
The Heart of the Artist will give you a better understanding of yourself and your unique place in the body of Christ. You'll find wisdom and encouragement that can help you survive the challenges and reap the rich joys of a ministry in the creative arts.
God is interested in your art and your heart. The Heart of the Artist, now in an updated second edition, deals head-on with issues every person in an arts ministry faces,
Servanthood versus stardom
Excellence versus perfectionism
Handling criticism
Jealousy and envy
Managing your emotions
The spiritual disciplines of the artist
And much more
Each chapter includes provocative questions for group discussion and personal action steps for individual application. Somewhere between pride and self-abasement lies true humility--just one aspect of the balanced character God wants to instill in you as a musician, a technical media artist, or other creative person involved in ministry.
The Heart of the Artist will give you a better understanding of yourself and your unique place in the body of Christ. You'll find wisdom and encouragement that can help you survive the challenges and reap the rich joys of a ministry in the creative arts.
- GenresNonfiction
326 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 23, 2021
28 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Rory Noland
17 books9 followersRory 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 11, 2024
In a nutshell, a self-help book for members in worship ministry.
Noland starts by getting worship team members to consider their character (which Noland defines as "becoming who God made us to be") and integrity (Noland defines this as "doing what God wants us to do"). He then invites the reader to an attitude of "servanthood" rather than "stardom", calling them to Christ's example of servanthood and humility, examining their ambitions and humbling themselves before God and others. The third chapter touches on the importance of teamwork and being a team player. The fourth chapter, titled "Excellence versus Perfectionism", covers the negative effects of perfectionism and how to avoid it, including looking to God for your self-esteem, and going to Jesus whose yoke is easy and burden is light.
The fifth chapter is on how to handle negative feedback, and the sixth touches on jealousy and envy (with a few words on avoiding pride and flaunting as well). The next chapter touches on managing emotions, especially sadness and disappointment/disenchantment (also linked to this, how to learn to be content and practice gratitude). The eighth chapter is on leading a worship ministry, eg. on servant leadership, the need to love, exhort, encourage, and challenge the people in the ministry, etc. The penultimate chapter is on resisting sin (Noland posits that those with artistic temperaments (eg. passionate, like to be stimulated, have vivid imaginations) are more susceptible to sin), and lastly, the final chapter is on nurturing spiritual discipline, including prayer, quiet time, and memorising Scripture.
Overall thoughts
I think this book is a decent read, but it is more of a self-help book than a Christian one. While there is nothing explicitly 'wrong' with it, it is shallow, vague at times, and lacks solid grounding. With little to no biblical and/or theological content in most chapters, I find it hard to recommend it to anyone who is looking for anything concrete. Given that popular forms of evangelical Christianity today lack theological depth (see, eg., Noll's The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, or even another book of Noland's, Transforming Worship, and what prompted Nolan to want to write that book), I am also hesitant to commend this book to any Christian, ministry, or church in general. I think one who is seeking spiritual formation will be better served in consulting other resources like The Valley of Vision for prayer, Motyer's devotionals on Isaiah or the Psalms for Bible-reading, or Be Thou My Vision for general spiritual discipline/a general devotional. Alternatively, there are other resources for more specific needs like Ortlund's Humility in dealing with pride or Our Church Speaks as a devotional to deal with an attitude of stardom. While these books are not specific to a worship team member, I do not think that a member of a worship team requires a radically different diet for spiritual formation (indeed, almost everything covered in this book can be applied to all Christians). Similarly, for one who leads a worship ministry – books like Transforming Worship (another book of Noland's) or Horton's A Better Way invite the reader to consider worship, the role of the worship team, the elements of a worship service, and one's theology of worship (among other things) in much more concrete, theological terms.
Noland starts by getting worship team members to consider their character (which Noland defines as "becoming who God made us to be") and integrity (Noland defines this as "doing what God wants us to do"). He then invites the reader to an attitude of "servanthood" rather than "stardom", calling them to Christ's example of servanthood and humility, examining their ambitions and humbling themselves before God and others. The third chapter touches on the importance of teamwork and being a team player. The fourth chapter, titled "Excellence versus Perfectionism", covers the negative effects of perfectionism and how to avoid it, including looking to God for your self-esteem, and going to Jesus whose yoke is easy and burden is light.
The fifth chapter is on how to handle negative feedback, and the sixth touches on jealousy and envy (with a few words on avoiding pride and flaunting as well). The next chapter touches on managing emotions, especially sadness and disappointment/disenchantment (also linked to this, how to learn to be content and practice gratitude). The eighth chapter is on leading a worship ministry, eg. on servant leadership, the need to love, exhort, encourage, and challenge the people in the ministry, etc. The penultimate chapter is on resisting sin (Noland posits that those with artistic temperaments (eg. passionate, like to be stimulated, have vivid imaginations) are more susceptible to sin), and lastly, the final chapter is on nurturing spiritual discipline, including prayer, quiet time, and memorising Scripture.
Overall thoughts
I think this book is a decent read, but it is more of a self-help book than a Christian one. While there is nothing explicitly 'wrong' with it, it is shallow, vague at times, and lacks solid grounding. With little to no biblical and/or theological content in most chapters, I find it hard to recommend it to anyone who is looking for anything concrete. Given that popular forms of evangelical Christianity today lack theological depth (see, eg., Noll's The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, or even another book of Noland's, Transforming Worship, and what prompted Nolan to want to write that book), I am also hesitant to commend this book to any Christian, ministry, or church in general. I think one who is seeking spiritual formation will be better served in consulting other resources like The Valley of Vision for prayer, Motyer's devotionals on Isaiah or the Psalms for Bible-reading, or Be Thou My Vision for general spiritual discipline/a general devotional. Alternatively, there are other resources for more specific needs like Ortlund's Humility in dealing with pride or Our Church Speaks as a devotional to deal with an attitude of stardom. While these books are not specific to a worship team member, I do not think that a member of a worship team requires a radically different diet for spiritual formation (indeed, almost everything covered in this book can be applied to all Christians). Similarly, for one who leads a worship ministry – books like Transforming Worship (another book of Noland's) or Horton's A Better Way invite the reader to consider worship, the role of the worship team, the elements of a worship service, and one's theology of worship (among other things) in much more concrete, theological terms.
April 7, 2024
What's the big idea and/or unique approach of this book?
The creative aspects of church ministry often are seen as complicated and separated from the rest of the church ministry. They're held to different standards (some higher, some lower) and outsiders are intimidated about challenging that. This book is written by a highly respected pro in the space and busts myths, raises the bar and does so with grace and wisdom.
Note: the book starts with the basics and I almost didn't keep reading. I'm glad I did. It got progressively better as he moved into more specific stuff.
How am I smarter, better, or wiser because of it?
My first career was as a creative/performer and my transition to the second career phase in non-profit/ministry work began with being a musician, singer, actor in churches. I've lived all the chapters of this book. However, by the time I read this book, I had already learned all of these lessons--some the hard way--so I wasn't new information for me. But I was reminded of many major life moments and encouraged by God's faithfulness and patience with me.
Was I entertained/did it keep my attention?
It was well written (smooth language, personal stories, etc.) so it was easy to read.
Would I recommend it to others?
Yes, if you're in creative ministry, this is a great book to read. I'd even recommend you work through it as a team, chapter by chapter.
The creative aspects of church ministry often are seen as complicated and separated from the rest of the church ministry. They're held to different standards (some higher, some lower) and outsiders are intimidated about challenging that. This book is written by a highly respected pro in the space and busts myths, raises the bar and does so with grace and wisdom.
Note: the book starts with the basics and I almost didn't keep reading. I'm glad I did. It got progressively better as he moved into more specific stuff.
How am I smarter, better, or wiser because of it?
My first career was as a creative/performer and my transition to the second career phase in non-profit/ministry work began with being a musician, singer, actor in churches. I've lived all the chapters of this book. However, by the time I read this book, I had already learned all of these lessons--some the hard way--so I wasn't new information for me. But I was reminded of many major life moments and encouraged by God's faithfulness and patience with me.
Was I entertained/did it keep my attention?
It was well written (smooth language, personal stories, etc.) so it was easy to read.
Would I recommend it to others?
Yes, if you're in creative ministry, this is a great book to read. I'd even recommend you work through it as a team, chapter by chapter.
January 28, 2023
While I’ve been very fortunate to be part of a ministry team that is relatively free from the issues addressed in this book, I found it personally insightful nevertheless. There are some generalisations about Noland’s definition of the term “artist” that aren’t necessarily true of all artists, but I think it hits a lot of the big points. Really helpful if you are leading a team as a creative; while I don’t lead a ministry, this was more of a personal assessment of where I stand currently. Helpful and generally informative, and a good place to start for creatives in the faith.
May 11, 2025
The scenarios can be a little cheesy, but otherwise, it has some great principles! Whether a worship leader or a church leader at any capacity, it’s a good read!
July 6, 2022
THIS! Was literally Life Changing! My personal ministry with music has been enhanced tenfold since reading this. While this was also utilized in a small discussion group, the application of the text has been greatly received by all. A literal, spiritual eye-opener!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews