Michael W. Smith Warns Against Celebrity-Driven Worship
“I really don’t care what people think of me,” Smith says
Michael W. Smith, one of the most successful Christian musicians in history, is concerned about the potential impact of fame and fortune on true worship.
“I just think we have to be careful that this thing is not celebrity-driven,” he told “The Christian Post.” “We can all say, ‘Well, oh, we’re doing it all for him.’ But you watch social media, and it’s just a little me-focused.”
Accolades can distort even the sincerest intentions.
“The Lord doesn’t share his glory with anybody,” Smith said. “As we’re leading worship, we’re not supposed to be a celebrity. We’re supposed to kind of disappear, honestly, and our goal is to change the atmosphere and allow God to meet people. That’s our job.”
Smith approached “House of Worship,” a new cinematic event arriving in more than 400 theaters nationwide on August 23, with this same mindset. Presented by The Fuel Music and Ori Music in association with K-LOVE and Air1, the film gathers 25 prominent Christian artists and songwriters to revisit the songs that helped shape modern evangelical worship.
Other executive producers include Australian worship pioneer Darlene Zschech, CeCe Winans, Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, Naomi Raine, Matt Redman, Israel Houghton, Paul Baloche, Brian and Jenn Johnson, Charity Gayle, Hillary Scott and others.
Songs such as “The Heart of Worship,” “Shout to the Lord,” “Come Now Is the Time to Worship” and others featured in the film have endured for decades because they have stood the test of time, he said. “I think a lot of these young worship leaders and people who worship today, they don’t know a lot of those songs,” he said. “And I think they need to.”
Despite his success, Smith said time and a deeper walk with the Lord have given him a different relationship with acclaim over the years.
“I really don’t care what people think of me,” he said. “You just want to lead with humility. You’ve got to have a great spirit. My intent was always right. But you get distracted. You get distracted by the attention, and everybody’s applauding, and you sometimes just kind of lose your way.”
After more than four decades of recording, touring and watching Christian music transform around him, Smith said he is grateful for the journey. “It’s been awesome,” he said.
Zschech supports Smith’s warning about self-promotion. She expressed that similar concern in a recent interview. “Don’t worry about promotion, self-promotion. … When God wants something out there, He can do it,” she stated.
For Smith, he’s not done. “I think my best days are ahead.”
–Alan Goforth
