I came across this article from the president of Wheaton College recently. In it, Philip Ryken gives an admittedly abridged list of ways church leaders can discourage artists. The information is applicable to other organizations, especially non-profits. If you’re in leadership and want to encourage creativity and artistry, I hope you will heed Ryken’s advice because he is painfully accurate.

Here are a few tidbits:

Embrace bad art. Tolerate low aesthetic standards. Only value work that is totally accessible, not difficult or challenging. One example would be digital images and photography on powerpoint as a background for praise songs. Value work that is sentimental, that doesn’t take risks, that doesn’t give offense, that people immediately “get.”

…

Demand artists to give answers in their work, not raise questions. Mark Lewis says, “Make certain that your piece (or artifact or performance) makes incisive theological or moral points, and doesn’t stray into territory about which you are unresolved or in any way unclear. (Clear answers are of course more valuable than questions).” Do not allow for ambiguity, or for varied responses to art. Demand art to communicate in the same way to everyone.

Never pay artists for their work. Expect that they will volunteer their service, without recognizing their calling or believing that they are workers worthy of their hire. Note that Old Testament artists and musicians were supported financially.

When you ask them to serve through the arts, tell them what to do and also how to do it. Don’t leave room for the creative process. Take, for example, a children’s Sunday school mural: “Tell them what it should look like, in fact, draw up plans first,” David Hooker said. Discourage improvisation; give artists a AAA road map.

As someone who has served as a volunteer in churches through the years, and as a professional in the market, I have seen these types of leadership mistakes suck the creativity out of artists. The value of creativity and art is being trumpeted by many thought leaders today, but until we find a way to encourage the artists in our organizations, we will not see that potential fully realized.