"Hell In The Choir Stand"

Have you ever asked yourself the question, why is the Devil always in the choir stand/loft? There is always somebody complaining about something. Then there are those who are just plain nasty and you can't figure out why they are even there. Hold up!! Then you start to believe they are there just to get on your last nerve as a choir director.(lol) Many people believe its because Lucifer was a chief musician thriving and working through music so naturally the choir stand at church would be a  prime target. While the first part of that statement is very true, the last part I choose not to believe. If you are having problems with your choirs at church its not Satan's fault. It's yours(Pastor or Choir Director) The reason why your church choir acts the way they do is because some of the people in it DON'T BELONG THERE.

Regardless of church affiliation or denomination, it seems we all have something in common. We believe in placing people in positions of authority who belong there such as Deacons, Trustees, Stewards, Ushers, etc. These positions are filled with people who have the passion to serve in those capacities and the gifting/skill set to fulfill the need.  Isn't it ironic that most of our church leaders do not require the same scrutiny for people who wish to sing in the choir or praise team. It's amazing to me that we open up the doors to the choir stand for all to come when its the choir who is responsible for singing and ministering the songs of Zion unto the Lord and a waiting congregation. The praise team or the choir has the awesome responsibility of setting the atmosphere for true worship. Why on earth would you want to have someone, who doesn't belong trying to fulfill that responsibility? The only folk who can fulfill that responsibility are minstrels and psalmists called by Almighty God. You got to be "Called" and a "Anointed" for the work of ANY ministry and that includes the MUSIC MINISTRY.

People who have a passion and gifting for a certain ministry tend not to raise hell or complain because IT'S A PASSION. People who are passionate about music are intense individuals who are in a constant state of growth, learning and application. Passionate people do not have the time to raise hell. In church, choir members who are passionate about learning, singing and ministering the songs of Zion have a different zeal then the ones who are not. I have NEVER seen a person passionate about any subject try and sabotage that which he/she is gifted to do. 

I have tried on many occasions to remove folk from choirs, that I have directed in church who obviously don't belong, only to be thwarted by the Pastor who doesn't see music ministry the way that it should be seen. Some Pastors value "quantity" more than "quality". If you are a choir director you have either heard or said this statement before "I'd rather have 10 folk who want to be here then 100 in the choir stand occupying space and not here to glorify God". If the Deacons, Trustees and other "important" positions in the church require approval and scrutiny, so should the potential choir members who wish to minister during service. 

It's not longer cute to have hell raisers singing in worship. We need  people with the right attitude, right gifting and right living to minister on Saturday/Sunday morning. If you don't have any minstrels in your church then play some anointed tracks. (lol). Time out for folk who think their doing us a favor by gracing us with their presence in the choir. They need to consider what their REAL gifting is and then the hell raising will stop immediately. You've heard of the expression before that your "attitude determines your altitude". If that statement is true, and I believe that it is, some of our altitudes during worship could be much higher if we had the right attitudes leading us in worship. 

Peace,

Phillip Carter