The Four Pillars of Confidence in Worship Ministry
- By Junjie Huang
- Published 09/13/2008
- Worship Leaders
- Unrated
All that is needless pain. There are four necessary pillars for confidence in worship ministry. Make sure these pillars are in place in your own life and in the lives of the other people in your church worship ministry, and the confidence and boldness will naturally follow.
1) Know that God welcomes his people to approach him in worship.
Many believers still live as if their sins are not forgiven through the work of Jesus on the cross. They feel unsure about the worship ministry because they doubt that God has truly accepted them in Christ and that they have freedom to approach God in prayer and worship anytime.
If you are one of them, I strongly urge you to meditate on the forgiveness of God revealed in the Bible. The first two chapters of Ephesians are really helpful, and so is the entire book of Hebrews because it talks about the confidence we can have because Jesus is the great high priest.
2) Understand the craft of worship ministry.
Leading worship is not the church equivalent of a lead singer, it is so much more. Worship music is not just any style of contemporary music that the church people like. It is a genre of music by itself, with it's own rules, guidelines and principles.
Seek training and teaching on these principles and ideas. It is unreasonable to expect anyone to serve confidently in the worship ministry unless they truly understand the craft of worship ministry. And if they don't understand the craft, they will often blame the congregation for not responding to their worship ministry efforts, rather than consider if they not been doing things in the most effective way.
3)
Many people subconsciously try to fit their congregation into the mould created by 'worship' albums and CDs. They see those CDs as a geniune reflection of what worship is supposed to be like, rather than an artifically contrived event organized for the sake of producing a recording. And then they get frustrated if their church worship does not match up.
If you are struggling with the wrong expectations created by those 'worship' albums, realize this: God has his own purpose and plan for your church and it will be expressed in the worship. If you are a worship leader for your church or small group, you will discover this purpose as you pay attention to the songs that the people respond well to during a particular season.
Once you have discerned the purpose of the season, it becomes so much easier to choose the right songs that minister to the congregation at that point of time. And when you see the results and understand it comes from discerning God's specific purpose for your group, confidence will naturally follow.
4) See the work of God in your own personal life.
Many people in the worship ministry secretly wonder if they are the right people for the ministry. It is easy to forget that God has began a good work in us, one he fully intends to carry on to completion (Phil 1:6) and that he works out ALL things for our good (Romans 8:28).
When you can see the work of God in your own personal life, it becomes easy to trust that God has orchestrated events to put you in the worship ministry because in God's eyes you are the best suited for that role. And, like the other necessary pillars of confidence, will enhance your confidence in serving in the worship ministry.
Conclusion: if you are serving in the worship ministry, these four pillars give you a structure and direction for your attention and efforts. And if you are in a position of leadership, put in effort to build these four pillars of confidence in the lives of the other people serving in the worship ministry as well. Serve our Lord with confidence!
Junjie Huang
What do you get when you put together the mind of a philosophy major, the heart of a Bible teacher, the hands of a musician and more than 14 years in the worship ministry?
You get the kind of person who teaches what others don’t.
Junjie Huang is a graduate from National University of Singapore, (B.A.), a multi-instrument musician and, in his own words, a “die-hard nonconformist”. He has served and ministered in a wide range of settings, from small groups to prayer meetings to church services both in small churches and mega-churches. He also enjoys imparting his understanding and skills in worship to those who have the desire to serve God in the worship ministry.
He has both a love for the Scriptures and a penchant for asking uncomfortable questions and can frequently be found pondering Bible questions that other people don’t really think much about.
In his free time (“free time? What’s that? Sounds like an interesting concept…”) Junjie enjoys learning new things, training in ancient methods of Japanese conflict resolution and imparting his wisdom and insights to his two sons, Jessiah and Jacques.
To learn more about the craft of leading worship and other aspects of
worship ministry, go to http://www.