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Journaling can be an excellent way to do personal evaluation. For many years, I have had my students in "Introduction to Church Music" keep a journal. At the end of the semester, I've read their journals and helped them to discover behavioral patterns, thought patterns, and other patterns that were not compatible with ministry. Likewise, we've also analyzed ministry assets. Consistently keeping a journal for several weeks and sharing it with a trusted mentor can be enlightening and encouraging.

Many ministers keep a journal throughout their lives. Those who do find that they draw strength and encouragement from referring to their journals when facing ministry challenges similar to ones they've encountered before. Realizing that we've faced similar situations before and have walked through them can encourage us. We can also learn from our past mistakes and avoid duplicating them. Most importantly, we see God's activity in our lives by acknowledging God's sustaining power in our past.

Theological Issues

Theology informs every aspect of the church's work and ministry; therefore, our personal theology must be compatible with the church to which we are called. Far too often, ministers assume that major differences in theology among staff ministers or with key people within the church will not make a difference in their ability to minister effectively. While this is sometimes the case, at other times these differences surface, and the incompatibility is irreconcilable. As ministers, we cannot simply have our private faith without it impacting the lives of others. By our position, our faith should have a public dimension, and we should feel free to express our faith openly.

What can be done to keep such incidents from hindering your ministry and the ministry of the church to which you are called?

Consider the following:

Determine your beliefs – Through study and prayer, determine your theological positions on the major tenets of faith. But realize that theological positions can change, and be open to continued study and discovery.

Study the denomination and church's theological documents –Become well versed in the theological documents of your denomination and find out how your congregation subscribes to the denominational positions. If your personal theology is not within the accepted range of your denomination, you should consider finding a denomination where your beliefs will be compatible.

Discuss beliefs before accepting a new position – Many ministers wait until accepting a new position to discuss theological issues. Discuss these issues in the interview stage. If there are significant differences among ministers or key membership, you will need to ascertain their level of tolerance for differences before agreeing to serve this congregation. In addition, determine how important the differences are to you and how they will affect your ministry.

Theological positions inform practical ministry – Theology and practical ministry are always intertwined, with each strongly impacting the other. Ultimately, our theology is expressed most strongly in how we live and minister. Never assume that differences in theological positions will not eventually impact music ministry.

Maintain your integrity – From time to time, churches and denominations take strong theological stands that impact the community and the world. When these times come, will you be able to stand in support of your church and denomination or would doing so compromise your integrity?

Developing a Concept of Worship

Worship is what we are created to do, for worship is offering all that we are to God in gratitude for God's being and God's action among us. As Christians, we should strive to offer all that we are to God; therefore, the focus of Christian ministry is both on becoming a better worshiper and on leading others to worship more effectively as well. Worship is at the heart of ministry. Since music ministers spend their lives preparing for and leading worship, they should become serious students of the many dimensions of worship, and they should be committed to authentic personal worship.

Much has been written about worship, and this brief chapter will only highlight important aspects of worship. There are numerous books that give thorough overviews of worship, and many more are dedicated to specific aspects of worship.1

Defining the Work of the Church

The role of worship is foundational to the work of the church. It is helpful to define the ministry of the church into three areas: