*Purpose
*Preparation
*Passion
PURPOSE: the reason for which something is done, or created, or for which something exists
Do you know what the purpose of the music ministry is in your local church? Before you can have a successful music ministry, you need to find your purpose in it. We all know what the general purpose of a music ministry in a church is and yes, that would apply. But what is the purpose of YOUR particular ministry in YOUR particular church? This shouldn’t be a one size fits all scenario. Every church is different. What works for one, may or may not work for another. Find YOUR purpose and your ministry will be more successful.
How? Two ways. One, through prayer: ask the Lord to show you. And two, ask your Pastor for direction and his vision. After all, he is your shepherd and can help lead you.
Once you know your purpose, then you can move to the next P.
PREPARATION: the action or process of making ready for use or consideration
There are two parts of preparation that I like to make sure has happened before I consider myself being “ready” for a service or an event in which the music team will be used.
As the leader of this team, have I personally done everything I can do to bring the material that we will be using to my team? Have I prayed over it and picked the right songs? Have I worked on collectiong and perfecting the lead sheets? Have I dissected the parts? Do I know what key would be best? Who will be the best fit to sing the solo? So many details need to be examined before I ever present to my team. There is nothing worse than getting to a practice and the lead sheet you found somewhere online isn’t correct and as your musicians begin to use it, it is obvious that you never sat down and played through the song using that lead sheet. If you had prepared correctly and with attention to the details, you would have caught the mistake beforehand. This is just one example but I could go on and on…..the details matter. The preparation matters. You are only as strong as your preparation.
As a team, how long did you spend in practice on the song selections that you are about to present in worship? Did you practice at home before you came to work on things as a team? I strongly suggest that at each group practice, enough time is taken to perfect the song in its entirety before it’s done in a service. Have you ever heard the expression “ you are only as strong as your weakest link”? The same is true for a music team. While your drummer may have the song down, if your keyboardist is still struggling with part of it, your song isn’t “ready”. Your team isn’t “ready”; therefore, you aren’t ready to move to the next P. Don’t rush things. Be prepared to present the best version you can. As a leader, you should, know when you are prepared enough to move on. You are only as strong as your preparation.
Once your are prepared, you can move on to the last P of Music Ministry.
Passion: strong or barely controllable emotion
Have you ever been in a service or event and watched people “perform” but there wasn’t any passion in what they were doing? While they may have perfected the song, the speech, or the piece in which they are performing, it may still be lacking something...Passion.
Something happens when we bring passion into the picture of our music ministry.
How can we do this? If we know our purpose and we have prepared (through prayer and practice), we are able to confidently present it. With this confidence, comes the freedom of emotion. I can freely play because I have prepared (prayed and practiced) enough that I am able to relax and now give way to the emotion of the song. I can now sing and play with the confidence that only being prayed up and prepared enough brings. My prayers, preparation, and practice helps open the door to passion. As you present before the church, they should feel and see this passion. Not in a puffed up and proud “look at me” kind of way but in a confident and relaxed team that can give way to passionate playing, singing, and leading.
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