Dear Our Next Music Leader (2019)

News | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Dear our next potential music leader,

Nine years ago, as we set out to plant Downtown Cornerstone (DCC), we did not have a music leader. In fact, we didn’t have anything. So, I wrote an open letter in hopes of discovering someone gifted, and gutsy, enough to be part of planting a new gospel-preaching, Jesus-treasuring, bible-teaching, people-loving church in the heart of downtown Seattle. By God’s grace, we found him. He and his family have been faithfully at the plow ever since, but he is now in a season of healthy transition.

That’s where you come in.

DCC is now eight and a half years old and we need a music leader/pastor yesterday. The Lord has been kind to us over these years. We are now a thriving, diverse, dynamic, church planting church located in the Belltown neighborhood. Upwards of 700 people, from every corner of the city, gather with us each Sunday in a former nightclub. The Lord is forging us into a joy-filled, mission-minded, disciple-making, prayer-dependent, truth-seeking people. But, there is still much work to be done.

I know you’re probably looking for a church in a city that sees the sun periodically and has a winning baseball team. Why would you want that? I don’t know.

Seattle has the great outdoors in our backyard. We have the Puget Sound, Olympic National Park, and Mt. Rainier. We have Vivace coffee and Top Pot Donuts. When it rains, it pours. When the sun is out (both days) there are few places that are more beautiful. We have Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks, Boeing, Facebook, Google and the University of Washington. We have the Seahawks, Sounders, and Huskies. We’re among the most educated, literate, and over-priced cities in the U.S. We have great homegrown music. We recycle. We like baby seals. The people of Seattle are very tolerant—provided you agree with them.

We also have a tremendous amount of brokenness. We have prostitutes who were once little girls with the wrong kind of men in their lives. We have immature grown men who were once little boys with the right kind of men absent from their lives. We have a large gay population that have made Seattle home because they’re running from the Church. We have proud and self-righteous business people who make a living downtown and then safely retreat to the comfort and security of suburbia. We have proud and self-righteous homeless people who attempt to make a living downtown and then safely retreat to the comfort and security of their tents. Seattleites tend to think progressive politics will usher in the new heavens and new earth. This is probably why we’re among the least-church, and most post-Christian, cities in the country.

We are also one of the few churches in the downtown corridor that remain orthodox. The last great decade for church planting in Seattle was in the 1880’s, though we currently seem to be experiencing a bit of a resurgence.

Fact: California has nicer weather, winning sports teams, and surfing.
Fact: People will actually sing along with you if you plant in Texas.
Fact: The cost of living will be lower anywhere other than Seattle.
Fact: Life and ministry is difficult in an urban context.
Fact: You will be called to do hard things.

You must know what it means to lead worship through song, plan gospel-rich gatherings, develop bands, and lead teams for the glory of God. In other words, we are not merely looking for a guitar player or talented musician. We are looking for a man who can lead an urban congregation in worshipful song to their God week after week. We’re looking for a man who knows how to use music as a gospel witness to non-Christians who join us on any given week. We’re looking for a man who gets Seattle music. We’re looking for a godly, responsible, masculine, gifted leader who understands the gospel, enjoys God, and loves people.

We will pay you enough to live in Seattle, though not enough to rob you of your treasure in heaven. I commit to personally taking an interest in you and discipling you. We will leverage whatever resources we have at our disposal to get you out here and settled. I will pray for you regularly. I will seek to develop your current strengths and cultivate new ones. I will spend time with you, welcome you into our community, and support you.

We are looking to get you out here soon. If you are looking for something hard, but fulfilling, consider joining us in downtown Seattle.

Call me,
Pastor Adam

P.S. You can find the job description here.