Michael Weatherspoon’s New Book Aims to Improve Music Ministry Leadership

By Bob Marovich

For the past 30 years, musician, producer, and record label executive Michael Weatherspoon has seen what works and what doesn’t in church music ministry.

In particular, he’s noticed that church members are often elevated to leadership positions without the proper leadership education. A lack of training, he says, can be detrimental to both minister and ministry.

His new book, The Cost of Indecision: A Plan for Music & Life (Faithwalk Publishing), is a collection of lifelong observations, lessons, and directives on music ministry, as well as action items that can be learned today and put in practice tomorrow.

Michael Weatherspoon

Weatherspoon, whose career also includes 14 years in higher education admissions, assessment, and curriculum, believes The Cost of Indecision could well be the first book of its kind written specifically to help enhance African American church music ministries.

“The Black church is probably one of the only institutions on earth that has no measurables,” Weatherspoon told the Journal of Gospel Music. “We don’t hold people accountable, we don’t have any training, we don’t have a structure in place to evaluate our music ministries, so people are free to do what they want to do.”

The seeds for the book were sown in late 2010 when Weatherspoon was named minister of music at Valley Kingdom Ministries, under Pastor Jeff Newton.

“In preparing myself for the position,” Weatherspoon said, “God shared with me that some people who are put in ministry are not trained. We take people with talent and give them a leadership role, but they don’t know how to manage and their music ministries lose their effectiveness. Just because you have a title, it doesn’t mean you know how to supervise and manage. Just because you know how to play doesn’t mean you are a minstrel. Just because you know how to direct doesn’t mean you should be over the choir.”

He responded initially to this revelation by teaching a four week class on the history of Levitical priesthood and how to restore order to the music ministry.

“I taught the classes at [Valley Kingdom] to new members who wanted to sing and dance and play,” he said. “When other churches heard about the classes, I was asked to come and teach their music ministries and administrations. I’ve been also asked to teach at conferences.”

Weatherspoon recognized he could reach even more people if his ideas were collected in book form.

“I like to write, I like to express myself,” he said, “but staying focused and getting through the book—everything that needed to be said—was the most difficult part. I had writer’s block, so I put the book down for five or six months, then I would do a conference, and more revelation would come to me, and I would add these ideas to the book. So I’m glad the book wasn’t written in 2011, because conferences and speaking and teaching since then provided additional insights.”

Weatherspoon said his book includes specific guidelines on establishing assessment and measurement tools for a music ministry. “At the end of each section of the book, I have tips for order, tips for personnel, tips for service, tips for planning. They can be incorporated so that not only are individuals advancing, but the entire music ministry is getting better.”

He hopes the book will be used for training ministerial groups but also for individual reflection. “I hope the book allows people to look at themselves and ask if they are in the right assignment. ‘Am I in the right role? Am I doing all I need to do in my servanthood position?’ And I hope leaders and pastors will use it to examine their own state of ministry.

“The book is not a condemning book, it’s not an expose. It’s asking, ‘Hey, what are we doing here? Are we operating the way God wants us to operate?’ And the answer is, no we haven’t been.”

The Cost of Indecision is available for pre-order in hard copy, digital download, and as an audio CD at www.thecostofindecision.com.

In addition, Weatherspoon will host a formal book launch on Monday, April 4, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the La Banque Hotel, 2034 Ridge Rd, Homewood, Illinois. Those who pre-order the book are encouraged to attend the book launch, where Weatherspoon will personally deliver and sign pre-ordered books and pose for photographs. He will have extra copies of the book available at the launch for those who did not not pre-order.

And starting March 1, those who purchase a copy have the option to also receive a free copy of the audio version.

“This book was not something I aspired to do,” Weatherspoon said. “It was 100 percent divinely inspired. But God has given me an ability to explain things. Going back to when I was in higher education, I had an ability to explain things. Readers will be able to understand it if they are sitting in the pews or if they’ve gotten a doctorate in Old Testament Studies.”