Dwayne Moore says worship teams need to minister:
Our goal for church musicians and worship teams should be that they become ministers through music. It isn’t enough to be good musicians or great performers. Worship teams need to minister.
Ministers through music have some excellent and unique characteristics. Imagine a worship team who’s passionate about what they’re doing, with a clear sense of their calling; they are faithful to practice, they’re full of integrity, and they clearly exhibit a servant heart toward God and others. What pastor or worship leader wouldn’t want a platform full of people like that! Sound too good to be true? It’s not! Conveniently, every one of these qualities comes along quite naturally as a result of one all-important process called spiritual growth.
The good news is it’s not up to us to change people. That’s God’s job. The powerful message of 2 Corinthians 3:18 is that we are being transformed: “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes the Lord, who is the Spirit” (TNIV). According to Hebrews 12:2, Jesus is both the author and the finisher of our faith. Our responsibility then, first and foremost, is to intercede for those in our worship ministries, asking our great God to grow them and transform them in His time and in His way.
1. Exemplify
Along with praying for them, there are a few other responsibilities we have as church leaders to help our teams grow spiritually. First off, we have to model the qualities and characteristics we hope to see in those we lead. Are we enthusiastic as we lead from the stage? If not, then what right do we have to tell others to be? Do we show up with a smile and an upbeat attitude each week for rehearsals? Can others sense our passion for God and for those He loves? That kind of passion will contagiously “rub off” on your ministry team if they see it first in you.
If we want our worship and production teams to be faithful and committed to growing, then once again we must set the example before them. That may sound obvious, but apparently not all worship leaders realize it. For example, one worship leader told me he was “leading” his choir through my Pure Praise study, but he didn’t understand why some of his choir members weren’t participating. I wondered too—until he let something slip which cleared up the mystery for me. He admitted he wasn’t doing the study himself. He just didn’t “have time for it.” No wonder some of his people weren’t going through it. He wasn’t out front leading the way. His team didn’t see their leader placing a priority on personal growth, so why should they?
2. Examine
The second step to help move your team toward maturity is to pay attention to your team members. Take note of their individual progress as worshipers, leaders and musicians. Ask yourself, are they being effective? Are they being challenged under your leadership? Invest time with them and be friends with them outside of rehearsals and hectic church schedules. Perhaps go out to eat as casual groups. Invite key team members over to your home sometimes. Be sure to make use of those times to notice their attitudes toward the rest of the group and toward their own involvement in the worship ministry.
I remember talking with a bass guitarist who was dissatisfied with the church he’d been playing in for years. “We never practice before we play,” he told me. And as a result, he had finally decided to move to a different church where he’d be challenged and could play with more excellence. As we spoke, I couldn’t help but wonder if his worship director had any idea he was so discontent.
Not only should we as leaders examine our group, we should also lead our group to examine themselves from time to time. Lead times of discussion about how the group is doing in key areas of ministry. Ask questions like, “Are we disciplined?” and “Do we mind getting our hands dirty and serve others off-stage?”
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