LOOP COMMUNITY
THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTAL HEALTH FOR WORSHIP LEADERS W / ANTHONY EVANS | Matt McCoy
Worship leader and artist Anthony Evans joined Loop Community Founder Matt McCoy to talk about mental and emotional health as a worship leader , his new album and more !
MENTAL HEALTH AS A WORSHIP LEADER
[ Matt ] I ’ d love to dive into a topic I know you ’ re passionate about , and that ’ s mental health for worship leaders . It ’ s something a lot of worship leaders and pastors struggle with .
[ Anthony ] Being in ministry can be taxing . I believe that a lot of times we add to the taxing nature of it when we try to “ play injured ”. If an athlete is trying to play injured , some can do it and you don ’ t realize that they are hurt , but a lot of times in order to heal they have to stop playing . I believe that ’ s similar in ministry . God never said , “ play injured ”. When I was starting to experience mental health struggles , I didn ’ t work through a lot of what was going on in my mind , heart and emotions because I thought as a believer you were supposed to be able to pray these feelings away . We have a book of truth in Scripture , we have teachers in our lives , but there are moments where I need counseling to understand how to be anxious for nothing .
I don ’ t think there ’ s anything wrong with needing help from mental health professionals to understand the book of truths . God has honored my try and I ’ ve done what I can to understand how to work these things out . I always say when I do what I can , He will do what I can ’ t . Part of what I could do was seek professional help , and in turn , He has revived my heart and my life . And that ’ s what my new album REVIVE is about .
AVOID BEING DISINGENUOUS
[ Matt ] Are there any specific triggers that worship leaders should be aware of that could affect their mental health ?
[ Anthony ] I would avoid being disingenuous . That ’ s a broad statement , but my Dad told me “ Anthony you have to redefine what success is for you .” I was viewing success as having a hit song on the charts . As a worship leader , you have to redefine how you view success .
Are you doing what you ’ re called to do ? Are you pursuing opportunities that God has put in front of you ? Are you at peace ? Peace is the barometer because you can never write a check for peace after being disingenuous to yourself .
Be genuine to your specific calling even if it ’ s not the hot thing right now . Don ’ t fall into the trap of copycat worship . If it happens to look like other worship movements , that ’ s great , but not if you ’ re being disingenuous to yourself . You get exhausted doing that .
Click here to watch the full interview with Anthony Evans !
Be sure to listen to Anthony ’ s new album REVIVE and download the Master Tracks on LoopCommunity . com .
Matt McCoy Matt is a worship leader , songwriter and Ableton Certified Trainer from Chicago , IL . He has been using Ableton and tracks in worship since 2002 . He ’ s passionate about creating new products and teaching worship leaders and artists how to use technology in live performance . www . LoopCommunity . com 36 June 2024 Subscribe for Free ...