So, You Want Your Music Program To Grow?
By John Tracy
How do I grow this music program? What do I need to do in order
to take this music program to the next level? How do I motivate
these local church musicians to be more committed and consecrated
to their responsibilities? No doubt, these and other similar
questions have plagued even the most dedicated minister of music
as he goes about his weekly tasks. Regardless of the church's
size, the talent of the local church musicians, or the quality
of the program, there will always be more to accomplish in this
vital church ministry--one more cantata, one more brass quintet,
one more special patriotic Sunday. Each subsequent time the
pressure will be to make the program just a little better than
the last one. So, what kind of growth should we be interested
in for the church music program? Should the focus be on a bigger
and better performance, drawing bigger crowds and impressing
more people? If this is the primary focus, our attempts to "grow"
the church music program will end in frustration.
The church music pastor's first duty is to direct the congregation
to Christ by lifting Him up in godly praise and song--in the
congregational singing and special music. The measure of success
for any local church, and especially any local church music
program, must be measured by God's standards, not ours. The
question to ask is not, "How can I grow this church's music
program," or "How can I have a bigger and better performance
this year. Rather it should be, "Lord, how can I guide
the people in praising and worshipping you?" and "How
can I give more people an opportunity to serve you musically
in our church?" We tend to think of a successful music
program as one with a church orchestra of fifty, a choir of
one hundred, and multiple small groups and talented soloists.
However, this is not the measuring rod found in Scripture. The
simple instruction from the Bible is this: "Moreover it
is required in stewards that a man be found faithful."
That seems so simple, but are you truly faithful in your heart
of hearts to the God who has called you to your current ministry
position? You expect your choir to be faithful and even get
upset and frustrated when they are not. You desire for your
pastor to be faithful in preaching a well crafted, Spirit-filled
sermon each Sunday, but are you faithful to prepare for each
and every opportunity God has given you (i.e. children’s
choir)? When things get discouraging what is your response?
Are you quick to start talking of leaving your place of ministry,
or do you simply go back to God and ask for the grace and strength
to stick it out?
Faithfulness is not easily attained, yet it is the key to building
a God-honoring music ministry regardless of its size. It is
not focused on the man who leads, but the God who is adored.
Here are several ways to build faithfulness into the music ministry
that showcases a holy God:
1. Be faithful in your relationships. There are certain relationships
we should guard at all costs. First and foremost is our relationship
with our Heavenly Father. Be faithful to read your Bible every
day and spend time in prayer. Sometimes it is a temptation to
say, “I just don’t have time today for my devotions.”
Without daily time with the Lord, true success in the ministry
is not possible. Remember Christ's words in John 15:5 ".
. . without me ye can do nothing." That is one of His promises.
It is as good as the promise that He is coming again. This fact
is also a promise to the believer: "With God, nothing shall
be impossible." It has been such a blessing and faith-builder
to me to read my Bible from cover to cover each year. I need
God's Word--and so do you.
The second relationship you must guard is that with your family.
Remember that your wife cannot take a backseat to "your
ministry." She IS your ministry and so are your children.
There will certainly be times when your family will have to
sacrifice because of a pressing situation at church or a pinch
in the schedule; but this should not be the norm. Your wife
and kids need to know that they are the most important earthly
possessions you have--show, don't merely tell them. Show them
with your time and attention, by prayerfully leading them and
giving them security with your spiritual well-being. A pastor's
marriage relationship is a visible witness of faithfulness to
God. This example means much more to the congregation than his
words about faithfulness.
Finally, guard your relationship with your pastor. At times
you may not agree with everything he does or says, but do not
allow a wall or wedge to come between you. Communicate often
with him so that you understand his heart and direction. You
are in the church to be his assistant. Your job is to be an
extension and expansion of his ministry. In reality, he is ultimately
the music pastor, the youth pastor and the singles' pastor.
He has the vision and sets the direction for each program and
will answer to God for his shepherding of the flock. You are
simply a facilitator of what God is leading him to do. There
will always be someone who wants to complain and gripe about
the decisions that the pastor has made. Do not entertain those
conversations. Be faithful and supportive to God’s shepherd.
He is the ordained authority in your life.
2. Be faithful with your time. Do not step into the trap of
laziness. Work harder than you are expected to work. It is so
easy to slack off and slide through the daily routine, and we
must actively guard against this tendency. If you are supposed
to be in the office at 8:30am, then make it a point to be there.
If you are supposed to start choir rehearsal at 4:30pm and end
at 5:45pm, then be a strict observer of those scheduled times.
You may think, “If I start choir on time, then I am the
only one who is there. No one shows up until 15 minutes later.”
That could be because your choir knows that you never start
when you say you will. Time is valuable and no wants to waste
15 minutes of their day just because you do not have the discipline
to start on time. My good friend, Jim Roschi, taught me the
following motto that I strive to live by: “Five minutes
early is on time. On time is late. Late is unacceptable!”
3. Be faithful to your word. If you tell your pastor that you
will visit someone in the hospital this week, go do it. If you
say that you are going to get a piece of music for someone,
make sure you follow through. If you aren't able to do a task,
don't lead others to think you are. Even if your motives are
right, and you do intend to get the job done, when you fail
to follow through you are dishonest. Be transparent in what
you're able to do, or your need for others to help you. Learn
to delegate and enlist a team to get the work of the ministry
done. Then all the team members share in the blessing of God's
work--but do not make promises that you cannot keep.4. Be faithful
in your commitment to God’s call on your life. Ask yourself
these questions, "Did God call me into this current ministry
position? When I came, was I confident the Lord was calling
me here?” If your answers are "yes," then be
faithful to that calling. Do not undo in the shadows a decision
made in the light. God has you in your ministry for a reason,
to accomplish a purpose--in your life as well as the church's.
If it was His will two years ago, it is still His will today.
We need pastors and music ministers who will say, "I'm
going to put down my roots here. I'm not going to leave this
ministry until God forces me out.” With the kind of commitment
that says, "Lord, I am here for as long as you desire,"
you will see your ministry grow. Your people can sense whether
or not you want to be there. Part of the reason we struggle
to have our members be faithful to their ministries may well
be a result of our own tendency to look for "greener pastures."5.
Be faithful to your congregation. The old saying is so true:
“People do not care how much you know until they know
how much you care.” You must learn to love your people—because
God does. If you do not love them, ask God to give you His love
for them. Granted, sometimes they may be inconsiderate, uncaring,
critical or downright mean. No doubt Moses had many of the same
thoughts about the people God had put under his care. But Moses
loved the people and even offered his life in their behalf.
When your congregation knows that you love them, and that there
is nowhere else you would rather be than serving at the church
you are at within His will, they will get involved and excited
about the music program. I have seen it happen and so will you.
You will see the choir grow. You will see the congregation come
to the special services that you so diligently work to prepare--and
they will bring their friends and neighbors with them. Ultimately,
you will see God's hand of blessing on your ministry because
Christ is lifted up and drawing men to Himself. Pray much for
the people you need--a pianist, a soprano who can hit the high
notes, or a music secretary. God will send the people you need
when your focus is His worship and honor.
God has, and still is, patiently teaching me how to build a
church music program for His honor and glory. The counsel shared
in this brief article is not new revelation--but deals with
the struggles we hold in common. We desire for our ministries
to grow numerically and qualitatively. These are not wrong desires,
for anywhere that God is working, growth will be observed. The
reality is, though, that often we do not realize these goals
of growth simply because of the unfaithfulness of our own hearts.
May God empower and enable us to be faithful servants who labor
for our Lord until He comes.
-John Tracy
Used by permission, FrontLine Magazine, March/April
2004
