| If you are a worship leader or musician trying to serve | | | | LORD and sang: "He is good; his love endures |
| well in church, or even a church pastor who wants to | | | | forever." |
| know what's going on in your church worship ministry, | | | | Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, |
| it's understandable if you get confused or discouraged. | | | | and the priests could not perform their service |
| Many worship experts abound in the field today, | | | | because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled |
| offering different ideas, concepts and paradigms for | | | | the temple of God. (NIV, emphasis mine) |
| worship ministry. Sifting through all that they say and | | | | This passage shows us the role of worship leaders, |
| teach can be a daunting task, trying out what they | | | | singers and musicians: to unify the worship of the |
| suggest even more so. And when you don't get | | | | congregation. To the extent we succeed in unifying the |
| results after following what the experts tell you, usually | | | | worship, the glory of the LORD will fill his temple again |
| you'll blame yourself or the people you are trying to | | | | in our praises. |
| serve ("they just don't have the heart for worship"). | | | | With this as the standard, we can now have a |
| But if you can understand just ONE secret, the ONE | | | | benchmark to evaluate worship practices. Do the |
| secret I'll reveal to you in this article, you'll clear up ALL | | | | chord patterns and rhythms used in a particular music |
| the confusion. You'll also have a objective standard for | | | | style unify the worship? How about instrument solos? |
| evaluating what you've been taught so far and | | | | Does inserting a guitar, saxophone or piano solo in the |
| anything else you may be taught in the future. More | | | | middle of the song unify the worship or distract the |
| importantly, you will then have what it takes to | | | | congregation? How about the key used? Does it unify |
| fine-tune your worship ministry and bring it to greater | | | | the congregation in praise? Or leave the singer singing |
| levels of effectiveness. | | | | alone and receiving the attention? |
| Ready for it? Here's the secret: Worship focuses on | | | | If you are truly serious about effectively leading God's |
| God, but the praise and worship ministry focuses on | | | | people in worship, these are the issues you will have to |
| the people of God. | | | | deal with. And you'll have to deal with them without |
| Why is this important? Because way too often people | | | | much outside help, even from those who claim to |
| get worship and worship ministry mixed up. People | | | | prepare you for worship, because what is more often |
| subconsciously assume that worship leading is a more | | | | taught is performance music rather than worship |
| advanced form of worship, that if you are good | | | | music. And there's a huge difference between the |
| enough a worshiper (or anointed enough) you | | | | two. |
| worshiping God in front of a congregation (with either | | | | The difference between the two is not a matter of |
| your voice or a music instrument) will cause them to | | | | the 'heart' of the musician, as many would have you |
| worship God. And if that does not magically happen | | | | believe. It's very simple: Performance music gets |
| there is something wrong with either you or the people | | | | people to sit back and listen, to go "wow! What are |
| you are serving. | | | | they doing? How did they do that?" Music meant for |
| Now because people are fundamentally the same, | | | | worship gets people to focus on singing their praises to |
| what they need and what works for helping them to | | | | God. If it's working no one notices the music. They're |
| worship God in a group setting are fundamentally the | | | | too busy worshiping God and the musician(s) just kinda |
| same. That means that whatever the age group, | | | | fade into the background (hence the musicians |
| whatever the cultural background, or even the | | | | become 'invisible'). Can you see how the two are |
| language, there are certain concepts that work, and | | | | diametrically opposite? |
| they work well pretty much all the time. | | | | It's like driving. We never really notice the many safe |
| In fact, you can say that worship leading is objective in | | | | drivers on the roads everyday. We only notice the |
| two ways; first, it has a clearly defined objective, | | | | wacky ones who drive dangerously... |
| second, you can gauge a worship leader or musician's | | | | Let me restate this: a humble or skilled musician who |
| effectiveness based on this objective. This is the | | | | plays performance music will NEVER be as effective |
| Scripture's gauge for evaluating the effectiveness of a | | | | in leading people to worship as one who plays |
| style, method or practice in leading worship. | | | | according to the rules of worship music. Is this difficult? |
| 2 Chronicles 5:12-15 - All the Levites who were | | | | Not at all! In fact, if you discover the rules and principles |
| musicians-Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and | | | | of worship music you will find that worship music is |
| relatives-stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in | | | | much easier to play than performance music, or even |
| fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They | | | | what many musicians are taught to use as worship |
| were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. | | | | music. |
| The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as *with | | | | Now that you've read this article, the secret to |
| one voice*, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. | | | | effectiveness in worship ministry is out. Let's use it to |
| Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other | | | | bless the people of God with his manifested presence |
| instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the | | | | in worship! |