Ryan Hunt is a loving father, devoted husband, nationally acclaimed recording artist and worship leader, a commissioned minister, and leadership consultant. Ryan’s core passion is helping others awaken to the presence, hope and calling of Jesus.
Tim: “Thanks for getting together today Ryan. Right off the bat, what was it that drew you into leading worship?”
Ryan: “I grew up in a very musical family. I’ve always loved music and the impact it has on people. Then I went to college at Mid America Christian University. I was a music major there for a couple of years before I realized music just wasn’t enough. It had to be about more than just performing in front of people. I went to a camp one year called Super Summer, and this little fellow named Charlie Hall was leading worship. This was before he blew up nationally. I had been to camps and conferences before, but I had never experienced worship like this. He was inspirational. Not just funny or hand clapping cheesy. There was something about it that really took hold of my heart.”
“I was there as a youth counselor. But with any free time I had I would seek Charlie out and ask him questions. As it turned out, we both lived in Oklahoma City, so he offered me the opportunity to extend our conversations. We met several times at places like Schlotzsky's, and from that point on I was sold.”
Tim: “That’s awesome. In our past conversations about worship, you’ve mentioned is the idea that as a leader you want to, ‘be a floor and not a ceiling’ for your team. What does that mean?
Ryan: “I think, if we’re not careful, the level of our church will never rise above our own abilities, or even inabilities. Whether you’re an artist or an administrator this is true. As leaders, we can become afraid to let people see the holes. So we try to mask them, and control everything. We do that so we can feel complete, or at least be seen as a good leader. When we do that, we become a ceiling for our team. Nobody can get past you. You limit everybody else’s potential.”
“Then, as we try to control, we can tend to take ourselves too seriously. We can tend to think too much of ourselves. Suddenly everything revolves around us. It’s like the old joke: How many worship leaders does it take to screw in a light bulb?”
Tim: “How many?”
Ryan: “Just one. He holds the light bulb, and the whole world revolves around him.”
Tim: “So if a worship leader is falling into that trap, what can he or she do about it?”
Ryan: “Learn to build into other people. Something special happens when we build our team members. Look for ways to build on their potential. As you do that, you can set small goals for team members. Then within a year or so, you can have two or three people who are as good as you at certain things. So by supporting them, you’ve become the floor. As they discover more of their own potential, they’re not limited by what we’re good at.”
Tim: “Can you tell me about a time in your ministry when you were leading and you became the ‘floor’ for your team by finding somebody else to fill in for one of your weaknesses?”
Ryan: “Sure. When I accepted a position as worship leader at my last church, I realized that the community needed more than a person to connect with. They needed the services to have personality. I knew my personality would connect with some people, but not all of them. When it came to planning services, I needed more than just myself. So I slowly started building a team of people. I hand picked them. I looked for people who were strong leaders and very creative. I didn’t want anybody in planning meetings to sit in the room just sucking up air. I looked for people who were passionate enough that they were willing to fight for their ideas. And not just for the sake of fighting, but because they wanted the services to be the best they could be.”
“Sometimes, in those meetings, it felt like we had eight captains. But what was beautiful was that the product represented the community, not just one person. I got to set myself under those people, and watch them grow. As leaders, we’re called to serve like this. Jesus definitely gives us that picture of putting the towel over his arm and serving the disciples. If we’re going to serve people, we have to put ourselves below them.”
Tim: “If somebody is reading this right now and realizing they are have been a ceiling for their team and they want to become a floor, what are some steps they can take?”
Ryan: “Well, it starts with relationships. You have to invest in people’s lives. I think too many times, in churches, we see people as a means to an end. It’s important to invest in relationships, and see the people as people. As you invest in them, listen to what they’re good at. Then you’ll know were to encourage them. Second, you have to think about the direction you want to take your team. Once you’ve done that, you can figure out how use your team’s skills. Third, you have to be willing to take risks. You certainly don’t want to put a person in a position where they won’t succeed. If I’m trying to raise someone up as a worship leader, I’m not just gonna throw something at them. Sometimes I’ll throw them a verse of a song and say, ‘Hey, I’d like you to lead this verse.’ The important thing is that you want them to start out leading by your side. As you work with that person, figure out what kind of resources you can give them. If there’s a conference, take them to the conference.
Another thing you can do is see how they do communicating with the church. You can say, ‘Hey Bob. We’re going to sing this song, 10,000 Reasons, next Sunday. I want you to do the introduction to the song. Keep it at about a minute. I’d like you to just pray about it and think about it. Give people a lens to look at this song through.’ And through all of it, make sure you give them plenty of affirmation.”
Tim: “Ryan, thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. Where should people go if they want to find out more about you and your ministry?”
Ryan: “They can go to my website, RyanHuntBand.com or they can check me out on Facebook.”
