A Guide to Worship Ministry: The Worship Minister’s Life and Work

By Gregory B. Brewton

A Guide to Worship Ministry centers on four main areas of worship ministry: preparing for worship ministry, leading the worship ministry, preparing for Sunday, and discipling the generations through worship ministry. The book addresses topics such as discerning your call to ministry, working on a church staff, planning and leading worship services, and equipping your worship teams. A Guide to Worship Ministry looks at the day-to-day work of the worship minister, offering insights and personal stories. It is an important book for those getting started in worship ministry and a refresher for those who have years of experience in ministry.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Release date: Jan 18, 2018
• ISBN: 9781498296946

Gregory B. Brewton

Gregory B. Brewton is Professor of Church Music and Worship and Chair of the Department of Biblical Worship in the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism, and Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

Book preview

9781498296939.kindle.jpg

A Guide to Worship Ministry

The Worship Minister’s Life and Work

Gregory B. Brewton

5549.png

A Guide to Worship Ministry

The Worship Minister’s Life and Work

Copyright ©

2018

Gregory B. Brewton. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers,

199

W.

8

th Ave., Suite

3

, Eugene, OR

97401

.

Wipf & Stock

An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

199

W.

8

th Ave., Suite

3

Eugene, OR

97401

www.wipfandstock.com

paperback isbn: 978-1-4982-9693-9

hardcover isbn: 978-1-4982-9695-3

ebook isbn: 978-1-4982-9694-6

Manufactured in the U.S.A.

09/17/15

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright ©

2001

by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Introduction

Section I: Considering Worship Ministry

Chapter 1: Has God Called You to Worship Ministry?

Chapter 2: A Call to Worship Ministry Is a Call to Prepare

Chapter 3: A Blueprint for Worship Ministry

Chapter 4: Getting Started in Worship Ministry

Section II: Leading the Worship Ministry

Chapter 5: Working with Your Pastor

Chapter 6: The Daily Life of the Worship Leader

Chapter 7: Being Above Reproach

Chapter 8: Loving People

Chapter 9: The Worship Minister’s Family

Chapter 10: Organizing Your Week—Time Management in Worship Ministry

Chapter 11: Planning the Worship Ministry Calendar

Chapter 12: The Worship Pastor’s Resources (Budgeting)

Chapter 13: Hospital Ministry

Chapter 14: Dealing with Conflicts

Section III: Preparing for Sunday

Chapter 15: Planning the Worship Service

Chapter 16: Shaping the Order of Worship

Chapter 17: Planning Worship for Special Occasions

Chapter 18: Leading and Evaluating the Worship Service

Chapter 19: Worship Leading for Life

Section IV: Discipling through Worship Ministry

Chapter 20: Discipling Your Worship Teams

Chapter 21: Discipling the Generations through Worship Ministry

Chapter 22: Worship Ministry to Children

Chapter 23: Worship Ministry to Students

Chapter 24: The Worship Choir

Chapter 25: Worship Ministry to Senior Adults

Chapter 26: Safeguarding the Worship Ministry

Chapter 27: When It Is Time to Move

Chapter 28: Some Closing Thoughts

Bibliography

To my wife, Holly, who encouraged me all along the way to see this project to its completion.

Introduction

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.Colossians 1:28

The Apostle Paul viewed discipleship as a top priority in the church—presenting everyone mature in Christ. Those shepherding the church seek to equip the saints for the work of ministry (Eph 4:12). No matter what area of local church ministry a person is called to lead, a primary task of that ministry is discipleship. Worship ministry is no different. Worship ministers make disciples through intentional worship planning and leading. They train and equip their teams weekly. They disciple small groups and mentor others one on one.

Yes, a call to worship ministry in large part is still about worship leading, but it is so much more. This book considers the many facets of worship ministry, from leading your congregation in worship each Sunday to the weekly rehearsals of your worship teams. Topics range from determining your call to ministry to working with your pastor and caring for your family, with the discipleship theme interwoven throughout the chapters.

This book has been many years in the making. Many of the principles that I share are gathered from worship leaders and pastors who have been wonderful examples to me in my formative years of worship ministry. Some of the ideas come from experiences I had over many years of church ministry—most joyful and a few difficult. I have sought to let the Bible ground the principles that I share. It is ultimately a guidebook to ministry.

The writing of this book grew out of a desire to have a resource for my worship ministry classes at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and our undergraduate school, Boyce College. I am grateful to the Lord for the opportunity he has given me to work with some of the most inspiring and encouraging worship students on the planet. I am hoping this resource is useful to the young worship leader as well as seasoned worship leaders who want to refresh their thoughts on worship ministry.

I found the writing of this guide to worship ministry challenging due to the varied way churches view worship ministry. I do not at all pretend to be the final authority on this topic, but seek to draw from my own experience serving as a worship minister. You will need to adapt these ideas and principles based on your unique church setting. The worship ministry should be contextual and all the while still grounded in biblical principles. Hopefully what is shared in these pages will encourage you as a worship minister to love your people more and help them to mature in Christ. In the final analysis worship ministry should be all about making much of Christ.

Section I

Considering Worship Ministry

Chapter 1

Has God Called You to Worship Ministry?

My Story (Briefly)

I began my ministry journey early growing up in a Christian home. I think we were at church for almost every service and activity. Even though neither of my parents were musicians, I developed a love for music as a child. During my school years I had many musical opportunities in choirs and band programs, and gained some understanding of music reading and instrumental skills. While in high school I served in the student ministry at my church, participated in choirs and led worship in student settings. At this church I grew deeper in my walk with Christ. I sensed God calling me to ministry, but I had no idea how that looked beyond high school. Our church’s music minister made a great impact on me as I considered this calling. I thought perhaps God was calling me to serve a church in the same capacity as my music minister.

As I began my freshman year in college I decided to major in music, believing that music would play a role in my future ministry. While in college I had worship leading opportunities in small church settings and college worship gatherings, which helped me see the Lord’s leading in this calling. Following college I continued to pursue worship ministry training at seminary, where I completed a graduate degree in church music. After graduating from seminary I served for almost twenty years in full-time worship ministry in the church before I returned to seminary to do additional worship studies in a doctoral program.

Discerning God’s Call

How do you know if you are called to worship ministry? I wish there was a simple assessment test like the SAT or ACT that helped to determine this calling, but it is not that easy. God calls men and women into ministry, but the path he leads them to this ministry can be different from person to person. First, to clarify, all of those who know Christ as their Lord and Savior are called to serve. The Apostle Paul admonishes Christians to be always abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Cor 15:58). Peter tells us to use our gifts to serve one another in the church (1 Pet 4:10). Every Christian is called to serve, but some are called to do this ministry vocationally. Is God calling you into a vocational worship ministry? Here are some questions to contemplate as you attempt to discern the call to ministry.

Often times when asked about how they received the call to ministry, people respond that they felt a call. This may be true, but feeling God’s call can be so subjective and sometimes hard to recognize. When people say they have a call to ministry, it is the coming together of a number of life events such as personal family background, relationships, and interests that culminate in a call to ministry. God uses these life events to direct a person towards a place of service.

A good place to start in this journey is to contemplate whether you feel a strong compulsion towards vocational ministry. Do you have a strong sense of commitment and purpose to do ministry? People may think of this call as a career choice, but it is more of a lifetime commitment and a passion to serve the Lord in his church than a career choice. Pastor John Piper wrote a book directed to those serving in ministry called Brothers, We Are Not Professionals. The basic premise of the book focuses on the worldly concept of ministry as a professional career. Piper says the pastoral ministry is not about having a professional career but a calling that is spiritual. The worship minister must humbly serve and shepherd Christ’s church. God may lead you to a full-time vocational calling in ministry or perhaps to a bivocational or volunteer ministry position. Sometimes God calls a minister to gain employment away from the church in order to serve a church that cannot afford a full-time minister.

The calling to worship ministry is first a calling to ministry. The position of worship minister is not one of the ministry callings seen in the New Testament. It is not on a list of ministries seen in the Epistles nor do we see student ministers, children ministers, discipleship ministers, or recreation ministers mentioned. It is vital for worship ministers to understand that their primary calling to ministry is to shepherd and disciple the body of Christ. Worship ministry is not really about music but about people. After discerning that we are called to ministry, we then use the gifts he has given us to serve the church, such as musical abilities the Lord has given us.

Another consideration for someone who is exploring a call to worship ministry concerns gifting. A person must ask, Has God given me the gifts necessary to do this ministry? Occasionally, I will meet a student who desires to study worship ministry but does not appear to have the musical aptitude for such ministry. The student may have a passion for music but limited ability, musical training, or experience. I often counsel such a student to consider another ministry area since the aptitude and ability to do musical things seems limited. Middle school and high school students who hope to study music in college should get as much musical experience and training as possible in these early years. Playing in instrumental groups, seeking private musical instruction, singing in choirs, and serving in different roles in the worship ministry of the church will all help to launch a person who desires to serve in worship ministry.

In some churches today it is possible to be involved and even lead a worship ministry with no formal training in music. There are many gifted worship ministers who lack the training of a college music program. This works well for some leaders, but a call to serve in worship ministry should be a call to get musical training. Worship leaders should be able to speak the language of music to other musicians in their churches. If a worship leader wants to write and arrange worship music, formal music training is essential. For many years of fruitful worship ministry, developing all of the foundational music skills is invaluable.

Here’s another way to think about preparation. Getting the musical training you need to more effectively carryout your calling is really not about you. It’s about the many people you will impact over the years of ministry who will benefit from your training. When you think about it, the opportunity to train and prepare in college and seminary is a brief time compared to the many years ahead of serving in ministry. It is a stewardship for your future ministry.

Though the musical training and experience is important, please remember that a call to worship ministry is really a call to work with people, not music. Sometimes worship leaders can be enamored by their love for music, musical instruments or even music technology. These should not be the main focus of a healthy worship ministry. People should be the main focus. A call to worship ministry leads to caring for the souls of those on the worship teams and the congregation of your church. If you are called to any type of ministry, you need to have a love for people. A major focus of being a church is how we love one another. Twenty-three times in the New Testament we are commanded to love one another. As ministers we must set the example by loving the church as Christ loves the church. Music plays a role in worship ministry, but the priority in worship ministry is loving and caring for your people.

Do you have a strong desire to help others grow in their walk with Christ? This is a major part of a calling to ministry. Paul tells us in Colossians, Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me (Col 1:28–29). The role of the minister is to present everyone mature in Christ, or in other words to disciple those in your ministry. In Ephesians Paul discusses the offices of the church (apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher). The task of these ministry leaders is to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ (Eph 4:12). Even in worship ministry we teach and disciple. Worship ministers should carry out this equipping role in their weekly rehearsals and small group meetings. We also teach through songs used in congregational settings. If you are called to ministry, you are called to teach and disciple.

If you are called to ministry, do you meet the qualifications of an elder as explained in 1 Timothy 3 or Titus 1? Do you have the godly character required of those who lead in the church? Here is a quick listing of the characteristics of an elder from Titus 1: husband of one wife, children are believers, a steward of God, not arrogant, not quick tempered, not a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for gain, hospitable, lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, disciplined, holds firm to the Word of God, gives instruction in sound doctrine, respectable, not a recent convert and well thought of by outsiders. Not all churches consider the worship ministry position an elder position, but those who serve as worship leaders should still have the same qualities of an elder. If you are called to worship ministry, you must be a person of godly character and integrity.

When considering a call to worship ministry another important confirmation of that call is when the pastors and lay people of your church believe and affirm that you could be an effective minister in the church. In 1 Timothy 5:22, Paul instructs Timothy to not be hasty in the laying on of hands. Simply stated, church leaders should not hurry in their affirmation of new church leaders. Determining God’s call on a potential minister comes after much time and observation of the potential minister. The leadership of your church should qualify you for ministry after witnessing your commitment to Christ, your character, your dependability, and your leadership skills. This highlights the importance of a potential ministry person to be involved in the local church. The church is the proving ground for your call to ministry. Students who plan to attend the school where I teach need a church affirmation statement as they apply. Their local church must affirm their call to ministry and recommend them for ministry preparation. Our school application also includes three character references completed by those who have knowledge of this person’s life and ministry. If you are called to worship ministry, it will show in your love and service for the church. Those contemplating God’s call to worship ministry must let this call mature as they serve their local church.

One other confirmation of God’s calling on your life has to do with perseverance. The ministry can be a difficult place and a challenging calling. We see this demonstrated in the short chapter of 2 Corinthians 4. Here Paul mentions twice, in verses 1 and 16, that the Christian minister should not lose heart. He reminds us that in