Darcy L. Watkins – July 4, 2024
Many of us involved in worship ministry never knew what we were getting into when we first jumped in. We jump in thinking that we are joining a band. Later we find out that we have been called into a ministry of God. That’s OK. There are numerous Bible stories of individuals who had no clue what they were doing when they responded to God’s invitation to jump in. So, jump in, learn and grow.
It is important to understand your calling as a worship musician. Participation on a worship team is not the same as playing / singing at a gig. A worship team plays with a specific mission in mind, usually to unite a congregation into one voice of praise and worship to our Lord Jesus Christ. Songs and musicianship are just tools to facilitate a group expression of worship. We aren’t the stars; we aren’t even the lead singer(s). We want to draw the congregation to sing praises to our God. Only He is the Star.
I have sometimes described worship in the church as like group karaoke to the Audience of One. In a sense, we are a house band, a house-of-worship band. Our musicians provide a musical foundation. Our singers are like section leads of a big choir. The congregation is the choir. The audience is God. He isn’t an audience of our music and singing so much as He is the Audience of One of our praises and expressions of worship. By “our” and “us”, I mean not just the worship team, but the whole congregation. God is our father, and he enjoys our expressions of praise, just like those of us who are parents love it when our kids want to show us things they do. It’s part of the family relationship.
Performance elements such as skill, stage management, production, maintenance of equipment and musical instruments, etc. are not so much for the Lord as they are for us. These are intended to avoid and mitigate distractions, to shape the gathering from being just an event like a concert, to become something much greater, a gathering of worship to our Lord. We need to lay our egos aside at the door and be prepared to give our all to the will of our God. This affects our attitudes and lifestyles and not just our skill as musicians.
So, if you feel God is prompting you towards worship ministry involvement, I encourage you to pursue it. Opportunities are not always available at your church as part of a Sunday morning worship team. They may already have more than sufficient participants on the team. There may be other opportunities such as smaller home group meetings, special targeted gatherings such as youth group, men’s or ladies’ ministries, or for seniors. There are likely opportunities outside the local church such as recovery community services and other para-church ministries. I have served within the church in various capacities as well as para-church ministries, rallies, camp meetings, prison ministries and more. More important, keep your eyes on the Lord and grow in grace as His disciple. I said earlier that we lay our egos aside at the door. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean our egos are immune to becoming bruised on occasion. Always keep your heart soft and towards the Lord. Don’t let such setbacks stop you. It may bother you because you were wronged. It may bother you because you were just disappointed with an outcome (for example you weren’t called back after an audition). Remember you are following your calling as Jesus’ disciple. Assignments you take on from time to time are a by-product of that relationship. They don’t define you or your relationship with God.
I pray you always grow in grace as you serve our Lord. Amen!