A Few Words To Christian Musicians And Vocalists
If you’re a leader who has the privilege of leading God’s people in their worship of Him, there are some other important things to keep in mind…
The Attitude Of A Music Minister
A music minister should never lose sight of the fact that the word “minister” means, “to serve.” A really good music minister serves others by making it easier for them to worship God in song. In reality, a good music minister is a facilitator -he or she facilitates (or makes it easier) for God’s people to worship Him. One of the ways that a good music minister does this is by making sure that the people they are leading are focused on Jesus and not on themselves during the music and worship. This means that the best worship leader is really an invisible worship leader- someone who makes certain to take the spotlight off themselves and shine it upon Jesus.
Listen, the music ministry is not the place to show off your chops, demonstrate your range, try out some new licks, or attract attention to your skills- make sure the focus is Christ-centered.
Some Random Thoughts For Music Ministers
Be Honest With Yourself People get into things for all sorts of reasons and this includes singing and/or playing a musical instrument. Singing and playing is great but before you get involved in a music ministry, you should really ask yourself why you want to do it in the first place. Are you really interested in leading others in worship or are there other, not-so-good motivations?
Take A Realistic Attitude Towards Your Abilities You may have a strong desire to get involved in a music ministry but it’s important to make sure that your skills match that desire. A musician or singer with undeveloped skills takes the focus off the Lord and places it on their own lack of ability. You don’t want that. Be patient, take a realistic estimate of your abilities and if necessary, make it your determination to keep practicing until your ability catches up with your desire.
You Don’t Need To Know A Lot of Songs To Lead Worship Some groups struggle to learn a lot of songs when it really isn’t necessary. If you had to make a choice, it would be better for you and your group to keep playing five songs that you know really well than twenty songs that you mess up sometimes. Remember, quality beats quantity every time.
Don’t Be Afraid To Start At The “Bottom” It’s OK if you are asked to start with a leadership opportunity that’s not very visible. Remember that it’s rare (and usually not such a good idea) for someone to start “at the top” with a ministry responsibility. It’s much more common for people to prove themselves by working their way up from lesser to greater responsibilities first. In fact, the Bible endorses this very idea as seen in 1 Timothy 3:10 where it is applied to workers in the church.
Remember that someone who is truly called to a music ministry is always happiest when he or she is fulfilling that ministry -wherever that opportunity happens to be. Besides, there’s no better way to really learn and improve as a leader than to start at the bottom.
Being Involved In A Worship Team Is Not Like Playing In A Band A musician or singer in a band creatively expresses his or her God-given abilities for their own enjoyment and for the enjoyment of an audience. While there is certainly room for creativity in a worship ministry, the worship leader’s main focus is not on artistic expression but on the people they are serving and helping them worship God better.
In a music ministry, a musician or singer’s creative skills are not just used for their own personal artistic expression but for the benefit of the people that they are leading. But as is true whenever a group of creative individuals get together, different people are going to have good -and different- ideas over what “sounds” right. In such situations, the determining factor must always be what honors God and what’s best for the people who are being served.
Make It Easy For The People You Are Leading Remember that the people you are leading are not like you as a musician or a singer. Most people don’t have a musician’s ear for things like complex harmonies, key changes or changes in rhythm. You should always keep in mind that many things that are easy for you as a singer or musician may be embarrassingly difficult for others. For example, an average person has a very limited vocal range and many couldn’t carry a tune if it had a handle. A good worship leader skillfully makes it easy for everyone to sing and worship God even if it means playing or singing at a level below their true ability.
You’re Not The Preacher! In his travels, The Doctor has sometimes heard worship team members speak at length between (and during) songs about all sorts of things. This is just The Doctor’s opinion, but he doesn’t think that is usually a good idea. It breaks up the flow of service and turns the music minister into a preacher instead of a worship leader. If God has called you to a music ministry then it’s usually best to stay with that and leave the preaching to the preacher.
You Don’t Have To Play Really Loud! Ok, Ok, so maybe The Doctor is getting to be an old guy now and maybe he doesn’t like to crank up the music like he used to when he was a teen, but remember that your amp’s volume control does have other numbers besides “10” you know.