Praise and Worship's Not Working At My Church

It's not working! Somebody do something! The worship leader is irritating! The people on the mics are irritating! It's too long! Bring back devotion! It's a show! I don't like the music!  Etc, etc, etc.

These are just some of the responses I've heard down through the years regarding the Praise and Worship segment in many of our churches. Whenever I am invited to do a workshop, it's one of the hottest topics. People want answers to their Praise and Worship problems. My first question to everyone is, "Why did you feel the need to start a praise team?" Many cannot answer this question with certainty.  Most of the time it is because of what was seen at someone else's church. That is a problem. What might work for one doesn't always work for the other.  

Here are some of the other reasons Praise and Worship may not be working at your church:

1.  Lack of Understanding

The teaching from the pulpit, if any, doesn't under gird the understanding and expectation of Praise and Worship.  If the Praise and Worship segment is to be effective, there must be teaching from your Pastor or Minister of Music. Congregations are more likely to do what they've been taught from the Bible than some random admonishment from a worship leader. Many congregations do not understand the power and purpose of Praise and Worship. They look at it as just another part of the program instead of a possible encounter with God.

2.  Poor Song Selections

The song selections may not match the purpose and mission of Praise and Worship. The Praise and Worship moment is at its height when the chosen music directs people to the greatness and Spirit of God. The songs should cause us to sing unto God, our Father. Sometimes leaders make the mistake of inserting songs that talk about God instead of songs that talk to God. The music should cause the congregation and singers to shift the focus off  themselves. When this happens, God promises, in His Word, to inhabit our praises (Psalm 22:3). For example, "How Great Is Our God," is a Praise and Worship song. It causes us to focus on the greatness of God. "We're Gonna Make It," by Timothy Wright, is not a Praise and Worship song because it's a song of encouragement unto the people. This type of song would fit better later in the worship service.  If you structure your worship so that you sing "up" to God first and then later on in the service sing "out" to the people, you will yield a greater result with your congregation.

3. Bad Song Leaders

Many of our churches are suffering from bad song leaders. Bad song/worship leaders tend to carry some of the same traits:

1. They're not worshippers themselves. They tend to admonish everyone else to worship, but do not demonstrate expressions of praise and thanksgiving to God themselves. It's self-centered worship.

2. They're not personable people. They don't spend time with the people they serve. People tend to follow someone they like. If one is leading others in the worship of God, they need to be authentic and likable.

3. They tend to sing solo during every Praise and Worship song. When I say sing "solo", they're not leading others in the singing of songs but rather treat the congregational moment as a solo opportunity for themselves to shine.

4. They tend to misquote Scripture and use cliche worship phrases most of the time. Great worship leaders are great students of not only music but Scripture. They spend time with God and with the people. They know how to affect people because God is using them to do so. When one is armed in Scripture and in prayer, one is equipped for battle. In this case, the battle can be inviting or teaching others via Scripture about the importance of Praise and Worship.

4. Poor Background Singers

I, personally, do not believe in Praise Teams anymore, but I am a proponent of Praise and Worship. I believe that everyone in the building is the "praise team", not just the people on the mics. However, if you're going to have people on individual mics, they need to come correct.  Bad singers on microphones create a poor representation of the music presented unto God and His people. I don't care how anointed a song is. If the singers are bad, the people are going to have a hard time getting into the presence of God.

5. Not Knowing When To Quit

If you're a leader and your Pastor has charged you with leading the congregation in Praise and Worship, you have to know when to quit. If you submit yourself to the Spirit of God, "He", the Spirit, will tell you. Carrying on and on can be damaging to the atmosphere especially when you're operating in the flesh. There are many times when the Spirit of God is moving and He calls for a continuation.  However, there are many times when He calls for an ending. One must know the difference. Sometimes you learn it through trial and error. The best teacher is the Holy Ghost. The lesson you don't want is the people looking at you in disgust because you won't quit.

I know there are other reasons why Praise and Worship may not be working at your church but I can guarantee you if you address these 4 core issues mentioned above, you will see a dramatic turn in your corporate worship experience. 

"Leading A Music Ministry"

What Does It Involve?

Leading a Music Ministry or Music and Arts ministry can be a daunting task. It involves administration, psychology, the skill to lead and most importantly a comprehensive musical understanding of the needs of the particular congregation you are serving. Great leaders are also great followers. When you learn how to follow you learn how to lead. In leading a Music Ministry, you have to take into consideration the different parts of the ministry you are attempting to lead. You also have to have a clear understanding of the vision of the Pastor and church that you are serving. If they do not have a clear vision then you will need to assist them in creating one based on their wants and needs as a church and Music Ministry. You would be surprised how many churches do not have mission and/or vision statements concerning their Music Ministry.

Whether you are currently a Minister of Music, getting ready to be one, or aspiring to be one its important that you understand your job in a particular ministry. In general a Minister of Music is in charge of the overall operation and musical health of the church. In my opinion, you should possess the skills play, teach, direct, sing and administrate especially if you are working at an African American church. You should not be dependent on anybody in order for you to be successful in your job. NOW, even though you possess those skills having a staff is surely helpful in being successful.

HIRING AND BUDGET

 If your church has the budget for you to hire help then you should always hire the kind of staff that will aid and enhance you and the church in the worship experience. In other words, do not hire inferior musicians. You should always seek to hire people who can make a significant change in your worship experience musically and spiritually.  I always seek to hire people who can do what I can't.  

Sometimes as the Minister of Music, churches try to short change you financially by forcing you to settle for less qualified musicians but they want the best quality of music and worship. ISN'T THAT IRONIC. Its like they don't get it. They do not understand that quality comes with a price. Quality musicians are NOT hard to find they are just hard to keep. They are hard to keep because if they feel hampered by the restraints that are sometimes put on them by Ministers of Music's, Churches and Pastors then its time to leave and seek other opportunities. Restraints can be spiritual, music and/or financial. Churches are quick to honor Pastors but ignore the musical leaders in the house. A "Thank You" sometimes can go a lonnnnngggg wayyyyy.

SONG SELECTION

Ministers of Music who are great build comprehensive programs for their choirs, praise teams, musicians and congregations that they serve. They not only teach music but they teach the Ministry of Music which is more than just reading and/or learning music and notes. They are sensitive to the musical and spiritual needs of the church they serve and often pick music that is relevant to those needs. You should pick music that is also relevant to the vocal ability of the choirs you teach. Always be mindful that unless your choir is vocally super natural they can't sing everything. You should carefully select music that will bring the best out of a particular choir. For some of you that may mean doing a lot of unison singing until your choir can handle some part singing. You should research musical selections and not just the Top 40 songs you hear on the radio. Most of the time you, and the people you serve, will receive the greatest blessing from songs that are less popular. You should always teach music that has some scriptural basis to it. Songs that have scriptural background to it are more effective and more likely to stick in the hearts and minds of your choirs and congregation.

NON-  MUSICAL RELATED ACTIVITIES


It's important to coordinate a few activities throughout the year with your music ministry that are non music related. Fellow shipping out of the choir stand is very helpful in attaining unity. Sometimes the people just need to know that you as the leader are a human being and that you like to do other things. People trust who they know and like. If they can see another side of you, every now and then, it helps in the choir stand.


TRAINING AND WORKSHOPS


Leaders who do not attend training sessions and workshops are stag net and boring. You should always be in a posture of learning. Its VERY important to get out of your church as much as you can and attend workshops so that you can hear and see what others are doing. Workshops are often great sources of opportunity to get new music. The bible commands us to sing unto the Lord some new songs. It's hard to get new songs if you can't get out.

LEAVING A LEGACY


Everybody should aspire to leave something positive behind for the next person to use providing that you had a positive impact on the people you were serving.Creating a musical library of your works, whether physical and digital, is important to the next person who will have your job after  you. A great Minister of Music does not operate out of spite but out of love for the Ministry of Music and the people you serve.


Peace,
Phillip Carter

"Losing a Generation of Young Church Musicians"

As I reflect back on my early years as a musician. I thank God for my father with whom I had the opportunity to play with on many Sundays and during the week in church. Most of the churches that I played  in were small and the music was somewhat behind the times. However it was at those humble beginnings that I learned how to be a church musician. I learned praise songs, hymns and spirituals. I learned that it was not about the money but it was about my relationship with God and His music. I learned how to teach parts and deal with people. I also learned how to work with and respect the Pastor. For a long time getting paid was not even apart of my vocabulary. In addition to playing in church, I also worked part time cutting grass after school and on weekends. When I finally started receiving some kind of compensation, my compensation started at $35 a service which included rehearsals. Later on, as I matured as a musician, my father and I decided that it was time to explore other church options because we had outgrown our current situation. WOW!! Those humble beginnings really paid off and I thank God for it as I reflect back now. I wonder how many young musicians have a similar testimony today? My guess is not many...

It seems that we are in some what of a crises as it pertains to the younger generation of church musicians. There is minimal integrity,  minimal knowledge of music repertoire, no anointing and not enough mentors to go around. Every Pastor that I talk to, that is looking for a musician to hire, all want the same thing. They want a seasoned musician but their are none to go around. A seasoned musician is one who has been trained with a certain measure of experience to handle a certain job. Seasoning has little to do with age. I was a seasoned musician at the age of 16 because of my father and the exposure that I had playing and directing at a young age. There is NOT a shortage of musicians but there is a serious shortage of seasoned musicians.  I am 36 years old and most of the musicians who are 10 years younger or more have become arrogant because of the early pedestals that some of us have put them on due to their exceptional abilities. They are demanding respect and competitive salaries with little to no training(musical and spiritual) and/or experience. They view music ministry as a way to pay their bills and gain popularity and not as a calling.

You may ask "How did this happen and who's to blame". Let's start with those of us who are seasoned musicians who have become so self-serving and self indulgent that we are no longer taking the time to mentor/teach the younger generation what it is to be a minstrel in the house of God. We no longer have the time to pass on what was freely given to us.  We are so focused on our own careers that we forgot to go back and help somebody else. I don't want to leave out the fact that many of us(musicians) are threatened by their musical abilities so we decline to mentor them so save our own jobs or positions. Next up is the Pastors who, out of desperation and lack of spiritual discernment, have and continue to hire these young musicians out of desperation and the need to keep up with today's church musical environment.  Just because someone knows the latest chords and chord progressions does not qualify them to be the next musical Moses to bring you out of your dark ages. Then after you hire them you do LITTLE TO NOTHING to invest in them as musicians and as people.

Thirdly is the parents who see dollar signs like their children and have allowed them to leave the nest too early without the proper training and spiritual development which has led to all kind of problems such as homosexuality, fornication and drugs just to name a few. Lastly its some of the Gospel Artists, who many look up to, who take these youngins on the road with them, in the name of cheap labor, and create a false sense of  reality by not explaining to them how they arrived themselves.  Everybody has to crawl before learn to walk.

This is an indictment on the church. The sad thing is that it is too late to save some of the musicians. They are LONG GONE and have been exposed to too much of the negative to turn around now. However we can save the ones we can and the new young musicians who are coming up with our mentorship, help and support.  Let's teach our younger generation to work for what they want out of life instead of handing it to them on a silver platter.

Peace,
Phillip Carter