Recreating the 2 Chronicles 5:13 experience in your praise team and choir.

It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord; (2 Chronicles 5:13)

The second Chronicle experience has appeared to many as a fairy tale. How possible is it that a worship meeting can produce such a spectacle? Is it possible for the musicians and singers to sing as one? If it’s possible what does it mean?

What took place during that service is a demonstration of the manifest presence and glory of God. It showed a group of people that had a deeper understanding of how to touch the heavens with their worship.  Music and worship in our churches can be better if music ministers realize that the experience they church in 2 chronicles had during their time can be replicated.

 There are 3 possible factors that brought about such an experience;

1. Musical harmony- Singing and playing harmonically automatically produce pleasantness. Bad music (singing and playing wrong chords and scales) never appeals to anyone. I believe the levites and singers spent time to learn and know what they are supposed to do musically to sound “as one”.

2. Spiritual Harmony- Worship has always has a sacredness attached to it. The life of the worshiper has to go in line to with the word of God to have a response from heaven. When Spirituality is removed from worship it just becomes another musical adventure that leaves people excited and celebrating nothingness.

3. Inter-relational harmony- People love singing and playing with individuals they are comfortable with. The effectiveness of our worship is very dependent on our relationship to one another. (how much we love and forgive each other). Love and kindness towards one another sets people free and helps in the expression of our hearts to God. I bet the levites and singers were a family that loved each other.

We need to get our priorities right.

The healing, miracles and answers that most individuals seek today could be realized during worship if the music ministers learn how to yield their members unto God is one accord

How do you get the heavens to open in your life and ministry?

photo credit: Brian A Petersen via photopin cc

Do's and don'ts in recruiting praise team and choir members.

Being effective in a job or duty has everything to do with having the needed qualification to perform. In Churches, a great deal of what happens during worship in regards to the praise team or choir basically starts from the recruiting process. In building of the temple in the Book of Chronicles, much emphasis was given on skill and a history of musical tradition, which shows the ability of the musicians to perform or carry out the duty.(2 Chron 34:12, 1 Chron 25:7, 26:8).

I know, some of us have heard of the saying “God does not call the qualified but qualifies the called”. There are professions that would not permit half-baked individuals to be at the helm of affairs. Like piloting a plane or performing a surgery just to mention a few.

What makes the music ministry require much scrutiny in recruiting membership is the physical and spiritual role it plays in people’s lives.

In as much opportunity should be provided for training the basic requirements that fulfills qualification should not be ignored.

Amazing worship services are usually those that have the manifest presence of God’s Spirit. 

Having a wonderful praise team or choir to usher in the congregation to worship should definitely be the desire of any worship meeting.

5 questions never to ask while recruiting praise team or choir members

1.     Have you ever sinned before? – Some have gone to ask when the individual did what and with whom? We all have sinned and were sinners saved by grace. It should not be about the person’s past but where the person is and steps taken to live the life God have called us.

2.     Do you have an album or performed in a major concert? - Albums are not good measurement of a person’s ability. There are many songwriters that don’t have an album.

3.     Do you obey authority or your leader? The answer would always be a yes because they want to join the group.

4.     Can you play or sing and get people shouting, jumping, clapping and screaming?- A genuine desire to want to be a blessing should be looked for instead.

5.     We make monthly donations of $50 hope you can pay that?  For reasons best known to conscience, that’s not a good welcome note. It makes the new comer feel his/her money is needed first.

6 questions to ask-

1.     Do you have other commitments elsewhere? Most issues come from commitments because most musicians get themselves involved with more than one group.

2.     Are you single or married?- This helps in knowing how to handle issues involving relationships.

3.     What do you plan to achieve or contribute?- The individual must come in with a goal In mind either that of wanting to improve or contribute.

4.     Have you participated in any praise team or choir prior to desiring to join us?-This would help in determining the experience level of the individual.

5.      Do you have an understanding of what it means to minister through music?- The whole concept of music in the church is ministering the gospel of Christ.

6.      Are you born again?

These are some questions in addition to many that I believe would help in acquiring and preparing worshipers for the task ahead of them.

Training for Worshipers: Is it Necessary?

Worship as a lifestyle and worship as an obligation (duty) are two distinct but closely related attributes. Music in the church is an act of worship unto God in which the worshiper lifts up his/her heart, voice and body as a sacrifice (Rom 12:1).

A worshiper is naturally expected to live a life driven by worship. A worshiper that leads people into worship is also expected to understand the dynamics of worship, now I am not making reference to the art form, but the life (Spirit) in it.

I have been to various churches where the praise team has individuals that really want to serve God through worship by being in the praise team of choir, but those individuals are really having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that singing or playing might not just be their gifting and calling.

This has created a situation where there are two kinds of music ministers or worshipers.

1- Those that have a heart for worship and want to serve God through singing and playing instruments, but cannot due to a poor sound interpretation skill and a poor rhythmic feel.

2-Those that are gifted and interested in performing (singing and playing), but careless about the lifestyle that worship demands.

In both situation hope cannot and should not be lost.

I believe that training is necessary for worshipers because it introduces them to the concept of worship in understanding that excellence is required, commitment cannot be overlooked, and living the worship lifestyle makes the worship experience worthwhile. 

What should be done to encourage proper and effective training for worshipers?

1.Genuine interest in the life of those involved with worship from the church or leaders of the praise team or choir- They should not be seen as hirelings or the church’s property.

2. A proper evaluation system which examines the effectiveness of the ministration of the praise team or choir: Song effectiveness can be known through testimonies.

3. Musical training should be taken seriously by inviting musical professionals: Bad music during worship waters down the effectiveness of any ministration. 

What has been your experience with training for worship team or choir members?

Worship leaders- Levites or Superstars?

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Leading people into the presence of God through worship is, and would continue to be, a sensitive part of the whole worship service in which individuals that perform such duties are themselves qualified by Grace. It should not be about the vessel, but all praise and glory should be to God (Ish 42:8).

What then should the attitude of the church towards its worship leaders be? Should they be seen as ministers chosen by God’s election (Ish 61:6)? Or should they be regarded as worship celebrities that need to be acknowledged each time after leading God’s people into his presence (2 Cor 4:7)?

There is a sad story of a very anointed and vibrant worship leader that was excellent in taking the people into God’s presence in worship, everyone always got overwhelmed by the grace and gifting of God on his life, he was so much celebrated and talked about that he subsequently decided to expand the scope of his ministry and or gifting. A few years later, he became involved in drugs and started singing at nightclubs.

I believe this may sound familiar to some. There is so much effect that people’s influence can have on a person’s mind, especially if it’s outside the will of God.

Has the church celebrated its worship leaders to the point of worshiping them (Rom 1:25)?

The issue of having the best worship song listed by a Christian magazine or award ceremony usually tends to present a narrow understanding the purpose and scope of worship. Sometimes it appears as if God has approved those singers as the ones he loves the most (Rom 11:34).

Don’t get me wrong.  Recognition of a worship leader’s contribution needs to be acknowledged but when it gets to a situation where it leads to them having so much “power” that they cannot be corrected because the church is afraid of losing them, then that begins to set a negative pattern that can destroy the individual’s life.

 Could it be that most worship leaders that strayed far away from the church were actually encouraged by the church to do so unknowingly? What has your experience been?

7 qualities a musical director of a praise team or choir should not have.

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Music director=Praise team/choir=Praise and Worship.

The musical director or choir director’s office is vital to the performance of any praise team or choir, consequently affecting the worship lifestyle and the spiritual atmosphere of any given church.

This requires a careful and prayerful selection when it comes to individuals that should fill in that position.  There are seven qualities, a music or choir director should not have.

- Immaturity- (Eccle 10:16) “Woe to the city whose king is a child”. There is always a big issue when a leader talks and thinks like a child.

- Unspiritual- Music for the church is a Spiritual act of worship and should be handled by qualified individuals that understand the way of the Spirit of God.

- Poor musical Understanding- (1 Chron 15:22) The office of the music or choir director should not be politically driven. Individuals with good understanding of music should be given a chance to work.

-  Busied Schedule- (Jam1:8) Being effective and unavailable usually makes the work slower and undesirable. It’s better to be effective and available.  

- Quick to Anger- Most directors need anger management classes because this is one of the silent reasons some members leave teams and choirs they would have been a blessing to.

- Personal Vision- The director needs to work within the confines of the bigger vision of the ministry. Problems usually occur when personal agenda’s are pursued. Such people should be avoided

- Smart Less-   A good music/choir director should have the experience or technical proficiency to know what to do in any given situation.

 Praise teams and Choirs need to be driven and handled by qualified individuals not individuals that believe they can just because they sing or play an instrument photo credit: Leo Reynolds via photopin cc

Effective and blissful worship experience

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The worship experience is one in which so much is expected due to it’s sacredness and meaning. Knowing what to do when it comes to preparing for worship usually prevents lots of undesirable occurrences during worship services: whether it is the worship leader not singing in the correct key to the instrumentalists not playing along with the singers.

It really does not take much to turn off the congregation from worshiping, and when that happens, the whole essence of the worship is lost. A vibrant and heartfelt worship experience is still possible if the right singer and the right songs are deployed.

The right singer- The right singer represents a collection of several characteristics, which include

a-    Maturity- (Both Spiritual and Musical) this will be needful because worship is a spiritual activity that requires a good sense of musical understanding.

b-    Knowledgeable- In the word and mysteries of God.

c-     Good communication- Be able to teach new songs and communicate appropriately with the congregation.

 The right song- There is always everything good and okay in singing the right songs that are relevant and understandable. Knowing where the congregation is and what it requires in terms of song choice makes worship memorable. Spiritual songs being released spontaneously make the worship experience great.