Last post, I spoke about the need for written documentation for the musician and leaders to be on the same page. But the most important words the musician needs to be acquainted with are the words of the Holy Bible. It amazes me that in this day of constant bible teaching and access to all kinds of ministries that knowledge of God's Word is a rarity among musicians. In the past, we didn't have access to information about God's opinion of music and musicians. Oftentimes it was taken for granted that musicians had to play because that's what musicians do - when they weren't playing on secular gigs. But now we can learn how important music was, and is, in the current worship settings of today's churches based on biblical principles. However, the Word is no good if you don't know it.
To make this practical, let's look at how the Word gives musicians a place in the ministry.
From Genesis to Revelation, music takes a central place as a medium for worship. From 1 Chronicles 15:16, where David instituted the selection of musicians to work as and alongisde the priests in the temple; to the Psalms, which were originally set to music and contain hundreds of references to playing and singing; to Revelation, where even the redeemed saints are referred to as having the 'harps of God'. (Rev.15:2) You can't let people in the church downplay your role when you know that God has ordained a place for you in the worship of the ages. Knowing that you have a biblical role in the church can hold you up when respect, recognition, or reward is lacking.
Not only does the Word protect you from those that would claim you have no real value, it can protect you from your own destructive habits and issues that can keep you from becoming less than an anointed instrument. There really is no substitute for time in daily devotions for the Minister of Music or the musician. The devil himself was cast out of heaven because his gift went to his head. As musicians we are constantly in a battle between our desire to play skillfully and the need to let God alone be glorified. The only way to manage that desire is to have a keen sense of the Word, such as when Paul talks about his strengths and weaknesses in Phillipians 3. He has the credentials to boast, but yet he counts it loss for the knowledge of Christ. In the same way, God uses your talent to bless others, but you must give up the glory of the talent in order to know Christ fully. Without a daily dose of the Word, we become the very thing that Satan became- an instrument of discord and disobedience. Only the Word sustains us and maintains us in a world where the worship of gifts can overcome the worship of the Giver.
A couple of books that are great resources in this matter of the Word:
The Rebirth of Music by Lamar Boschmann, and Judah Nation by Clint Brown.
Until next time, b blessed
miamimaestro
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The Protection of the Word
The title of this post has a double meaning, much like one of Jesus' parables - an earthly one and a heavenly one. The earthly meaning refers to the ways the written word can protect you in administrative and employment matters. The heavenly is the protection that the Word of God provides. I'll start with the former.
In the last few weeks, I've seen situation after situation where members and leaders have had differences of opinion, problems over dress code, rehearsal time, and the like. The most important thing I have at those times is a written note, calendar, policy, or e-mail detailing what was said, or what was explained prior. There's just no way a minister of music can keep up with all the issues and dates without some time of organization plan. Some have a secretary to help keep up with such things, most do not. So it's important to develop a music ministry policy or handbook that can cover how the ministry will handle day to day operations, rehearsals, and other things that can come up each week.
In my ministry I had each choir president and director tell me what their regular duties were, as well as their implied or non-official jobs that they ended up being responsible for. It was almost two years of work, but I finally compiled all the things I learned into a single document detailing what each position was responsible for. This helps both current leaders and new ones. The new leaders benefit because there is a basic plan of action they can follow, and current leaders can not hang their hats on a real description of their duties, and not feel like they have to work in the dark without a sense of where their authority begins and ends.
Choir rules, regulations, and structure, especially disciplinary procedures, must be in a written format that is easily understandable and accessible. The time it takes to write down your plan is nothing when compared to the time it takes to explain it after something happens.
Not only are you protecting your time, you protect your talent by having a detailed job description that helps your church leader and you remain on the same page. Often times musicians and ministers of music find themselves asked to do things way out of their gifting or their job. Now, I know we all should go the extra mile at times, but the problem is sometimes the extra mile becomes a marathon. When leaders do not understand your primary focus, you can be driven off track and become frustrated and ineffective in the job you do have - creating a worship atmosphere through music. So take the time to ask your pastor or board to write out exactly what you are responsible for. You'll find the process at times illuminating and liberating, as you discover what you'll not responsible for and the things you are already doing that you thought were not recognized.
Next time we'll deal with part two - the protection of the "Word", capital W.
In the last few weeks, I've seen situation after situation where members and leaders have had differences of opinion, problems over dress code, rehearsal time, and the like. The most important thing I have at those times is a written note, calendar, policy, or e-mail detailing what was said, or what was explained prior. There's just no way a minister of music can keep up with all the issues and dates without some time of organization plan. Some have a secretary to help keep up with such things, most do not. So it's important to develop a music ministry policy or handbook that can cover how the ministry will handle day to day operations, rehearsals, and other things that can come up each week.
In my ministry I had each choir president and director tell me what their regular duties were, as well as their implied or non-official jobs that they ended up being responsible for. It was almost two years of work, but I finally compiled all the things I learned into a single document detailing what each position was responsible for. This helps both current leaders and new ones. The new leaders benefit because there is a basic plan of action they can follow, and current leaders can not hang their hats on a real description of their duties, and not feel like they have to work in the dark without a sense of where their authority begins and ends.
Choir rules, regulations, and structure, especially disciplinary procedures, must be in a written format that is easily understandable and accessible. The time it takes to write down your plan is nothing when compared to the time it takes to explain it after something happens.
Not only are you protecting your time, you protect your talent by having a detailed job description that helps your church leader and you remain on the same page. Often times musicians and ministers of music find themselves asked to do things way out of their gifting or their job. Now, I know we all should go the extra mile at times, but the problem is sometimes the extra mile becomes a marathon. When leaders do not understand your primary focus, you can be driven off track and become frustrated and ineffective in the job you do have - creating a worship atmosphere through music. So take the time to ask your pastor or board to write out exactly what you are responsible for. You'll find the process at times illuminating and liberating, as you discover what you'll not responsible for and the things you are already doing that you thought were not recognized.
Next time we'll deal with part two - the protection of the "Word", capital W.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
