4 tips to become a great steward of your worship team ministry.
Have you considered yourself to be a steward of your worship artistry? If you are a member of your worship team, and you’re either a singer, musician, or assistant leader, then this blog is for you! I will share 4 tips to help you become a great steward of your worship team ministry.
WHAT IS STEWARDSHIP?
“to manage or look after (another’s property).”
WHAT IS STEWARDSHIP?
For the sake of making sure we’re all on the same page on what is a steward, let’s define it.
The word “steward” has a few definitions and according to the Oxford dictionary, the definition we will go with for this discussion of what a steward is “to manage or look after (another's property)”.
I tend to think that when we are in charge or responsible for taking care of someone else’s property or their things, most people tend to be utterly responsible.
That strong sense of responsibility may come from the fact that they are being trusted and don’t want to let the owner down. Or perhaps they are getting paid for the responsibility and they want to ensure they do a good job and get paid for the task.
Being a steward for someone else means that you are taking very good care of the “thing” you’ve been entrusted with. It also means you look after it well and don’t treat it recklessly or poorly.
When we steward things for someone else, it brings out the best in us because we don’t want to do a bad job or be reprimanded for not doing our best. But what happens when you are stewarding something for yourself? Are you treating it with the same level of respect and responsibility?
How do you steward or nurture your worship artistry? How do you look after the gift you’ve been given? Are you growing your talent and ability? Are you putting it to use? Are you finding ways to share it with others? Or are you hiding it?
HOW CAN YOU BE A GOOD STEWARD OF WORSHIP?
Life pulls you in so many different ways. But there are times when we must keep the main thing, the main thing!
Our lives are so busy and crowded with many responsibilities. Many things pull us away from our relationship with God. If we’re not careful, we may treat our relationship with Him as just one more “to do.” So as a worship team member, you must guard and protect that relationship and not allow it to become another thing that either gets ignored or is at the back of the line.
Perhaps you’re reading this because you are curious about what it takes to steward your worship artistry. Perhaps you want to know how to better understand what stewardship and nurturing your role as a worship team member look like!
I have some tips I can share to help you become a great steward of the responsibility of an excellent worship team member. These tips are an add-on to the guidelines you receive from your Worship Pastor on their expectations of what a worship team member means for your ministry.
I believe these tips will help you with your personal and spiritual development, but more importantly, they represent the lifestyle of an excellent worship team member.
#1 - Be a worshipper focused on the Word of God
Scriptures encourage us to study to show ourselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15). We can only know God if we discover who He is, His attributes, and His qualities through His Word. The songs we sing about the Father, King Jesus, and Holy Spirit are not enough to reveal His greatness. His Word, the Bible, will reveal the things you need to know.
As a worship team member, it’s important for you to not only read but also study His word. We can read and check off a box that we read but it will not create transformation. It's important to study the Word to discover God’s truth. If you only read one part and do not dig deeper, you may just be reading a piece of a larger puzzle; and it may not make sense to you. His Word has so much good content, it can be best understood when all the puzzle pieces come together as you study. Spend time weekly focusing on a topic that will help you personally discover God’s plan for you! He wants to speak to you and His Word is one sure way you’ll hear from Him. Take advantage of the Bible App which has hundreds of devotions to help you get started.
#2 - Devote your life to intimacy with God
Intimacy with God is developed by your spending time with God and talking to Him. Not only talking to Him but allowing Him to speak to you! Prayer is a two-way conversation between you and your Creator. Prayer helps you fine-tune your ear to hear His voice when He speaks to you and will help you know Him better (Matthew 6:6-13).
As a worship team member or worship leader, it's crucial to have a life of intimacy with God. How you spend your time with Him will reflect how you minister. When you’re with Him, He’s pouring into you. He’s filling your cup with whatever is lacking - - maybe its confidence, maybe its fear, maybe its temptations. Whatever it is, as you devote daily time to speak with Him and allow Him to speak with you, He will direct your path. He will give you instructions and wisdom that you need to be a messenger for Him.
#3 - Spend time in personal worship
This is an obvious tip that all worship team members should practice. However, you would be surprised to know how many worship team members only “worship” when they’re on the altar on a Sunday morning. It’s sad, but it's true!
One of the commandments God gave Moses for Israel is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-7). As a minister, you are called to a higher level of worship. If you’re leading God’s people, you must understand how to lead the way.
The Word of God clearly instructed the Priests that they must burn fire on the altar at all times (Leviticus 6:13). This was symbolic of the ongoing worship and intercession that was required of the Priests. As a worship team member, your worship must burn continuously. Out of this ongoing worship, you will experience the Presence of God in a deeper and stronger way.
#4 - Be Skillful
It goes without saying that as a worship team member you must excel in the gift of music. When David established singers and musicians to sing and play in the Tabernacle of God, he instructed the musicians and singers to sing and play skillfully (Psalm 33:3).
This means for us today that you shouldn’t treat worship ministry as half-hazard. If you are spending time each week, studying the Word, creating intimacy with God, and spending time in worship, you must certainly add to this routine a time of growing in your gift. Practicing the songs on your own time and learning and connecting with the lyrics.
If you’re a worship team singer, I would recommend that you practice singing and record yourself so that you can assess if you are singing on key, if you’re harmonizing correctly, or if you are incorporating expression in your worship. Get vocal lessons if you need to improve your vocal ability. If you are falling short on hitting certain notes or are not able to sing harmony parts, then you need to work with a coach. Do what you must to be excellent.
If you’re a musician, obviously you should practice ahead of the team rehearsal. Be familiar and know the keys you’re playing in. Understand how you will be contributing to the musical arrangement of the song. This goes for every musician regardless if they are a new musician or a seasoned one. Practicing daily and consistently will only cause you to grow in developing your own anointing.
Go on and be amazing!
These are very high-level tips that you can implement going forward. They are a lifestyle that you should maintain as a lover of God. I would be happy to share more in-depth details at a later time. If you think of other things I didn’t mention here, be sure to leave them in the comments! Let me know if you found this helpful or if you’d like me to do a video or add more color to how to be the most skillful team member you can be.
If you have any questions or anything that I can help you with, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Until then, keep being amazing!
MRJ
PS…
Click on the link below to hear our video blog from one of the great Worship Leaders, Korah!