Something a little different this week. Karen leads worship for the future generations of adult worshipers. Those of us who are local church leaders should remember that training and education in the forms and opportunities of worship starts right out of the cradle. Also, the fact that this interview features a volunteer rather than a full or part-timer should serve as a reminder that leaders and potential leaders are all around us.
Karen Reill
Biographical Information
Name: Karen Reill
Spouse’s name: Martin Reill
Years married: 13
Children’s names: Ethan, Grant, Wesley, and Audrey (and pregnant with our 5th child)
Years leading worship: Sporadically for about 10 years, regularly for about the last six months.
Church name and location: Vineyard Phoenix, Glendale, Arizona
Church website: www.vcfphoenix.com
Denomination: Nondenominational
Years at current church: 13
Instruments you play: Guitar
Blog: http://onlysometimesclever.wordpress.com
Is your role full time, bi-vocational, or volunteer? Volunteer
What are you listening to right now?
Robbie Seay Band, Mutemath, Misty Edwards (from IHOP), and Air 1 on the radio (Christian alternative).
What are you reading right now?
Just finished Peace Like a River by Leif Enger; 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles — Phoenix, by Charles Liu; The Silver Chalice by Thomas Costain.
What’s your musical heritage?
Growing up, my parents were involved in contemporary worship at the Pentecostal church we attended, and my dad often played guitar or piano at home. We also had old reel-to-reels of Living Sound, Andre Crouch, and other early “contemporary” Christian musicians. When I developed my own taste in music, it strayed a little off the beaten path; I was most interested in alternative Christian music, guitar-based rock, a genre that is probably still my favorite.
Describe your journey to becoming a worship leader:
I was involved in worship and music at my childhood church from age seven onward, just singing. I started playing the guitar at 16, with a view to becoming a bass player (which I never did learn), then discovered what a joy it was to sing and be able to accompany myself. I led worship a bit in a Bible study I attended in college. In the church I went to before I got married, I sang on the worship team. After I got married, at my then-new church, when there was a women’s event, it was rather assumed that I would lead worship, which I did. For the next ten years or so, I would sporadically lead worship for various women’s events, mostly within my church. This past fall, I was asked to lead worship (and a small team) for a monthly event for the elementary-age girls in our church. This led to me being asked to lead Sunday morning worship for the elementary kids, which is where I am now.
What’s the “DNA” of your church:
We have a really wide age-range, from young children all the way up to folks in their 70s. Young families probably make up the biggest percentage of members. Ethnically, it’s a fairly diverse church, especially considering that we’re a suburban church — lots of Hispanic families, some African-American, some Asian… probably half are Caucasian.
Describe for us your church’s worship “style”:
Musically, the worship could broadly be considered “contemporary.” My husband, as the worship leader, favors a roots rock sound, so our team sounds best in that vein. We have acoustic and electric guitars, keyboard, bass, drums, and percussion. He draws a lot from both Vineyard worship and other well-known worship leaders like Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, etc. The team I lead is much smaller (myself on acoustic, a young electric guitar player, and drums), so the style is a little harder to define. But, we’re more upbeat than not. Nonmusically, the order of a church service would typically be (after about 35 minutes of worship) a five minute break, then announcements, usually a message about 45 minutes long, then ministry. During ministry, church is officially dismissed, but ministry can continue for 30 or more minutes. Our church has emphasis on “equipping the saints for the work of service,” discipleship, spiritual gifts, missions… We’re rather a throwback Vineyard, in the style of classic John Wimber-esque church.
How has worship leading changed you?
I don’t know that it has. Being the wife of a worship leader probably wrought the most change; seeing what goes on behind the scenes to make it happen, to bring people into a place of worship. Being married to the worship leader made me stop feeling so gung-ho about wanting to lead worship; I saw that it was a lot of hard, heartbreaking, frustrating work punctuated with bits of joy. That, I think, was the best preparation for leading; I saw that good worship leading is virtually glamor-free, and in order to be a great worship leader, my heart has to be for seeing the people enter into worship.
Describe the make-up of your worship leading team:
I lead worship for what is called SuperChurch, for kids ages 6-12. We typically have 75-95 kids in this age range on a Sunday. On a monthly basis, I alternate with another leader, who has his own team. Right now, I have an 11 year old girl electric guitar player, a young woman of 21 who plays the drums, and three girls, ages 10-12, who sing with me. The sound person also runs Power Point for the songs (though we’re in the process of changing over to MediaShout).
Come back next week for Part 2 of Karen’s interview.
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