"WHAT MUST I KNOW?”
(Identifying the REAL Worship Team Essentials!)
by Sandy Hoffman
In this day of easy access to new worship songs, charts, teachings, workshops, instructional materials, software, recording gear, magazines, CDs, DVDs, web sites and fine musical instruments, we can easily find ourselves suffering from information/resource overload! Maybe you’re like so many others who are wondering, “Just what are the REAL essentials for worship team leaders and members?” In our culture, which prides itself on “less is more,” perhaps we’re all beginning to realize that “too much is (still) too much!” In the next five paragraphs, we will attempt to cut through a lot of the confusion, and establish some absolute essentials for every worshiper:
1-Know the Lord “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.” If we really do love Him with all our heart, soul and mind, it will result in our truly knowing Him. And if we truly know Him, we’ll be wonderfully freed up to wholeheartedly worship Him. The more time we spend studying the scriptures and building our personal relationship with God, the better able we’ll be to worship in ways that really matter. In order to fully and effectively express the depth and passion of our worship to God, we must first know His divine character and attributes. We must become intimately familiar with the “object of our affection.”
2-Know the People “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Relationships: laughing when people laugh, hurting when they hurt, being there to encourage when the “situations of life” arise. This is how we really know the people we minister to. The worship team is not your basic “pit orchestra” which plays Act I, breaks for a smoke, returns to finish the show then runs out the back door when it’s over. On the contrary! There must be a point of connection. As members of the body of Christ, the key word for us is “mingle.” Through accessibility and availability, we are going to pour ourselves into the lives of others, just as Christ has done for us.
3-Know the Chops Once we’ve established a close, personal relationship with the Lord and His people, we are primed to begin to lead others to honor Him. But wait, are we getting ahead of ourselves? What good are grandiose ideas of lofty praise and heart wrenching worship if we haven’t yet spent the time to become skilled at what we do? If we don’t develop our vocal and instrumental “chops,” we won’t have any tools in our worship tool box. When the time comes to express a wonderful sound to honor the Lord, we’ll be scrambling; embarrassed and humiliated! It is vitally important that we “rewind and take time.” We have to know our basic scales, chords, tone, rhythm and blend. With these implements in hand, we’re always ready to “play (and sing) skillfully with a shout of joy!”
4-Know the Tunes Here’s where we lavish gratitude on the Lord for so many available resources! Worship music has become a massive industry. Consistent with the law of supply and demand, the number of worship resources has grown exponentially. Song books, CDs, instructional DVDs, the internet and Christian radio stations are providing nonstop access to the very latest worship tunes. It’s become the pleasure of the worship team just to listen and learn. We’ve become spoiled, in the very best of ways, as our prayers for “worship on every street corner” are becoming a reality. We know that each moment we spend in growing our worship skills brings everlasting fruit to the Kingdom of God! That sounds like a worthwhile investment!
5-Know the Destination Finally, the secret to planning and executing an effective worship time is to know the destination! Every worship context is different. Each requires thought and prayer in the planning stages in order to be relevant in the doing. Before we plan, we must first understand what we’re planning for. What is the type and size of the “audience” we’re leading? Is it to be an intimate home fellowship or a conference of 3000? Most importantly, if there is a teaching, what is the topic and point? Will there be a time of response at the end? What kind of response? Is there to be communion, baptisms, recommitment or commissioning? Knowing, at least generally, where the worship time is heading (the destination), empowers us to plan, rehearse and lead more effectively. (This just in from the department of redundancy department: “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there!”) “Trust in the Lord . . . and He shall direct your path!”
I firmly believe in keeping life as uncomplicated as possible. Whenever we narrow anything down to just five basic areas, we defeat the “author of confusion.” If we know the Lord, the people, the chops, the tunes and the destination, we have a solid foundation from which to launch the most profound worship times. Let’s continue to enjoy and benefit from the many wonderful worship resources available to us, and at the same time remember that God is wise in our foolishness, strong in our weakness, and uses the simple things to confound the complicated!
Keepin’ it simple,
Sandy
