PerusalCopyPreviewOnly

(1) ministry to God — worship,

When these

(2) ministry to the body of Christ — nurture, and (3) ministry to the world — outreach.2 three roles are prioritized, worship will surely be first since God must be first in our private and corporate lives. If we have not placed our private and corporate relationship with God in first place, we cannot expect God to be active in our lives and church. Music ministry serves the role of worship as choirs offer anthems in worship, as the congregation sings their praises and laments to God, as instrumental music inspires worship, and as soloist(s) offer their gifts to God on behalf of the congregation. Music ministry and worship are a natural fit, and much of the work of the music ministry is spent in preparation for worship leadership. In addition, some of the most meaningful moments of worship occur as music ministry groups offer their rehearsal for God's glory — God should be worshiped both in rehearsal and in corporate worship. Worship is the means by which we give God priority; therefore, worship must be our ultimate priority.

1 For an overview of worship, see chapters 1–6 of Randall Bradley and Franklin Segler, Understanding, Preparing For, and Practicing Christian Worship, (Nashville: Broadman/Holman, 1996).

2 This concept is carefully considered in Ray Ortlund, Three Priorities for a Strong Local Church, (Waco, TX: Word Books Publishers, 1988). I was first introduced to this concept by Bruce Leafblad, Southwestern Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, with whom I studied 1983-1988.

The second priority is given to nurture since the body of Christ (believers) must be strengthened in order for us to reach out to others. Nurture can be further defined as discipleship, i.e., we are trained for the work of Christ. Through discipleship we learn spiritual disciplines, are nurtured through fellowship with other Christians, and learn the meaning of true Christian community. The church sometimes allows people to do outreach without first providing a nurturing community to provide needed support and encouragement. Singing and playing music together provides a natural bond among individuals since community is inherent in effective music making. Through small groups in music ministry, people's needs are met and they are nurtured and discipleship occurs. Through singing important texts of the faith, choir members deepen their experience and understanding of God and of the Christian faith. The interdependence required in music making is an ideal model for Christian community.

The third priority is outreach. The Bible is clear in its mandate to win others to a relationship with Christ (create worshipers), and all Christians must gladly do their part in this important task. Since music is often an attractive medium for presenting the gospel, music ministry can easily support the cause of outreach. Outreach occurs when music groups present music in public venues, when musicians use their experiences through music to interact with nonbelievers, when music groups support ministry causes outside their group, and when intentional events are designed to reach out to others who need to learn of God's love. Since much of music ministry is spent in preparation for leading in corporate worship, and the communal nature of music often encourages nurture, ministers of music must often be more intentional in seeing that music ministry also accomplishes its priority for outreach.

Historical Perspectives

Although all Christians have a shared worship history, each faith tradition has its own unique worship history as well. Each group has made contributions to the others. All ministers should be familiar with this shared heritage and should have specific knowledge of their own denomination's worship traditions.3

Biblical Perspectives

Many biblical passages provide insights in gaining a better understanding of worship; however, the best is probably Isaiah's encounter with God in Isaiah 6. In this passage Isaiah has a personal encounter with God. The passage clearly shows God's initiative in worship and our need to respond to God. The progressive nature of this passage as it moves from awe at recognizing God's presence to praise, confession and forgiveness, to instruction, and to response is an ideal model for both personal and corporate worship. The following outline of Isaiah 6 is a helpful model for understanding elements of worship and for understanding the dialogical nature inherent in communicating with God through worship. The Isaiah 6 model of worship follows:

Revelation: 'I saw the Lord' (v.1).

Praise/Adoration: 'Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts' (v.3).

Confession: 'Woe is me! For I am lost' (v.5).

Forgiveness/Atonement: '…your guilt is taken away, and your sin is forgiven' (v.7).

Proclamation: 'I heard the voice of the Lord' (v.8).

Dedication/Commitment: 'Here am I! Send me' (v.8).

Commission: 'Go, and say to this people' (v.9).'4