This week we held the first worship choir rehearsal of the season. (Our season runs mid-August thru June.) As a part of this first meeting I took a few moments to share the basics of this ministry. Here is the outline of what I shared and what I believe. Called To Ministry

Gone are the days, or gone should be the days when we label a job within the ministry of a church as volunteer…because they are not. God calls each of us into a relationship and then equips us for ministry; therefore we are all called by God for service. The ministry of the worship choir is no different; it is a place you are called to. God places in your heart a desire to worship and talent to sing (or as some say: “to make a joyful noise”) and then provides an opportunity for service which He invites you to join.

Committed To Ministry

When serving in any ministry the foundational commitment is to God, not the ministry because God called us and gave us the opportunity to participate. When we make our commitment to God for a ministry then we will be faithful to the ministry and those we minister with. There is no form needed outlining the percentage of time we will attend…we said yes, we will be there.

We will attend rehearsals
We will participate in ministry opportunities

Preparing for Ministry

Perfection is never the goal, but instead an offering to God of the best we have. In the context of a worship choir the best we have is when the team is at their best. For a worship choir there are five important areas of preparation:

Attend the weekly rehearsal where the music for worship is practiced. For us this rehearsal happens on Wednesday nights and we work the details on six songs.
Listen to up-coming songs outside of rehearsals, using the tools provided, so that the rehearsal time can be spent on working as a team.
Live a lifestyle of worship, including an on-going conversation with Him through Bible study and prayer.
Participate when possible in the weekly prayer time for the worship ministry held at 6:00 PM on Wednesdays.
Attend and be on time to the Sunday morning warm-up rehearsal.

Leading as Ministry

The worship choir ministry is to lead others to engage in a conversation with God in a public setting. In each service that the worship choir participates we are examples. The question is what are we modeling? The goal is that we are modeling with our actions, participation and presentation, our love and passion for God and the redeeming grace of His son. Being public examples in a public service requires that we are intentional about everything we do. This is not to say that we put on a ‘show’ but that we show enthusiasm in everything we do.

The history of the worship choir is rich and continues to evolve but the primary purpose remains the same: lead others into a conversation with God as we worship together.