"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

Praise Team Do's and Don'ts

The Praise Team aspect of our modern day worship is here to stay. We have successfully called out a group of our best singers from our choirs and put them out front to lead us in songs of worship. However most of us have resorted to religious jargon that we use to pump our congregations or crowds up which creates a false since of a REAL MOVE OF GOD.  I will be the 1st to admit that I have been guilty of this sometimes myself in an attempt to get the people on one accord. Anyone who leads in worship has to be very careful in the choice of words they use. There is a fine line between a "Leading others in worship" and "Manipulation". We spend to much time trying to manipulate our people into doing what WE think they should be doing under the sound of OUR voices. I submit to you that God's intention for us when we come together is something totally different. The whole purpose of Praise and Worship (which is a lifestyle) is to bring us to a point of total surrender unto God which will allow Him to move.

The effectiveness of Praise and Worship in a congregational setting depends on the understanding of the people involved. Understanding comes from teaching. The teaching comes from the leadership. If  leadership doesn't teach the concept then the concept cannot be applied effectively. Most of our congregations have not been taught to Praise and Worship in a way that ushers in the Glory of God.  Most of us have been taught to react to "Feelings" thus creating an atmosphere where one has to be "Prodded" or "Pumped Up" to do something. All of this leads to some of the carnal comments that are made by Praise Leaders just to get us to participate in something that is supposed to be lovely, refreshing and life-changing.

This leads me to my comments about Praise Leaders. I am one so I am speaking to myself as well. We need to stop using certain catch phrases because they are not working and they create a FALSE atmosphere. While it is our job to lead the people, it is not our job to judge the people. Here are some of the phrases and why you shouldn't use them.

1. "Come on and let ME hear you tell Him that you love Him" or "Come on let Me hear you Praise Him".    Any Phrase with the word "Me" in it is not a phrase that is going to lead the people toward the Glory of God. You are the leader have put yourself in the judgement seat as to whether the congregant is accurately worshiping the Lord or not.

2.  "Touch Your Neighbor and tell them ............"  . This phrase, in my opinion is not a bad phrase as long as you explain the reason for asking someone to touch their neighbor. If I use it I often explain to the congregation that this is an attempt for us to witness to each other or share a brief testimony which is a biblical thing to do and it will get you a greater response. It's when we use it "25" times in one service that makes it ridiculous and totally unnecessary. By no means should you ever ask someone to "Slap Their Neighbor" . If you slap me.............well that's another blog.

3. "Lift up your hands, open up your mouth and Praise Him". This phrase is used by someone every almost every Sunday in many of our churches. Here's the problem "The one making the command is usually the one not doing it" (Lol) . The leader is often watching, standing in a seat of judgement as to whether the congregation is doing what THEY commanded INSTEAD of "leading by example". As the leader YOU should first open up YOUR mouth and bless HIM and then you can encourage others to do so as well as David said "Oh Magnify The Lord With Me" but before he made that statement he gave God a personal praise in the 2 versus before He invited others to join Him in (Psalm 34:1-3).

4. "What's The Highest Praise" and everyone responds "Hallelujah". There is only one problem, I can't find that phrase anywhere in the bible and it also suggests that one has reach their pinnacle in praise to God by merely saying or shouting the word itself. Romans 12:1 states that we should offer our bodies as a living sacrifice which is your reasonable service. With that being the case, then Hallelujah is NOT the "Highest Praise" but rather a High Praise which lines up with bible more accurately ( Psalm 149:1). The Highest Praise unto the Lord is a lifestyle dedicated to him.

5. "When The Praises Go "UP" the Blessings come "DOWN" This is NOT false statement but it is false in how we imply to our congregations that the blessings are mostly material rather than spiritual. It is the spiritual blessings that really come down like Joy, Peace, Self-Control etc. Those are the real benefits of acting upon this phrase, not to say that God will not bless someone materially  because God can do anything. However that should not be the intent(in my opinion) in using this phrase.

These are just a few of the phrases, there are many more. I invite you to comment below on some of the phrases that you hear on Sunday so that we can discuss the meaning.I am attempting to get us to think and pray about how we approach our congregations or audiences. Remember we are lead to "Lead" and not "Command" If you insist on commanding then command yourself to Praise Him and maybe others will catch on based on your example.  Remember "Shepherds" lead sheep, they don't bang them over their heads with chastisement to try and get them to follow.  Have you ever noticed that when "REAL WORSHIP" comes into the room words become obsolete an inadequate.

Note: If you ever need something to say to the people of God in and attempt to create an atmosphere of worship, just use 'The Word". It still works and it will yield greater results then "Catch Phrases"  every time.

Peace
Phillip Carter