To be honest this is post is more cut and paste than it is blog, but I wanted to share this from Nancy Beach, who oversees the creative arts ministry at Willow Creek. There are some thoughts and insights which might help you if you lead or serve in music or arts ministry.
One. Creativity
Find creative ways to bring new elements of worship and fresh ways of communicating Scripture. Strive, with God’s grace and strength to keep surprising your congregation. The order of your services should not get predictable. We should constantly be asking how we could go the next step. What are the new ways to get attenders in touch with who God is?
Two. Intentionality
Creativity must be grounded in intentionality. This will keep us from getting off track. Creativity is wonderful, but if it isn’t focused, we can really miss out. We have to be careful that we don’t just do art for art’s sake. We should have a clear mission and purpose for everything we do in our services. This must be tied to the overall mission and strategy of the church. Make sure you are biblically centered and theologically on track. And be intentional about the flow of your service. What is needed for you to go from one element to the next? Are you giving your congregation any opportunities to process what you are presenting?
Three. Excellence
We define excellence as doing the best you can with what you have. Excellence is basically giving God our best. In 1 Samuel 16:18, David said that he didn’t want to offer the Lord that which cost him nothing. He wanted to give the Lord his best. Excellence is not the same as perfectionism. Perfectionism is an unhealthy obsession that does not honor God. Perfectionism is something that many artists struggle with. Whatever we do, we should do as unto the Lord and not unto men. Don’t hesitate to ask for that kind of excellence from your volunteers.
Four. Evaluation
Closely connected to excellence is the evaluation. We can’t get better unless we talk about what worked and what didn’t. This is a delicate combination of celebrating what worked well and constructively dialoguing about what didn’t work.
Five. Process
If we do not pay attention to the process of ministry and to integrity in that process, we will pay every time. And eventually we will have low morale and volunteers who are not interested in participating. So you need to continually ask yourself: Does this process honor God and treasure people? This is all very closely tied to our personal integrity and to our character.
Six. Authenticity
As they play their instruments or sing their songs or dance their dances, are your artists doing it with authenticity? Are they real? Are we telling and showing the truth through the folks who participate in our ministries? People who attend our churches are discerning whether or not they believe us. Whether or not we are just performing. Whether we are in it for the attention of it or because we are seeking to communicate and serve as best we can. We need to go after anything that feels like showmanship or pride or inappropriate motives. We need to create art that is honest about the human condition because the people in the seats will know it.
Seven. Community
In addition to the fruit that God brings through our ministries, I think that community is one of the biggest payoffs there is. We need to try to figure out a pace of ministry that allows us to have a few of those moments when we’re connecting with each other — when we’re being Christ to one another and building community on our teams.
Eight. Leadership
All of these communities require leadership. The gift of leadership is essential to building effective arts ministries.We must not be afraid to lead. God is going to give us guidance and He will give us instincts. Artists often feel misunderstood, insecure, and discouraged.
As we seek to shepherd our flocks, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us choose our words carefully; to know when we need to be challenging and when we need to be gentle and sensitive.
Nine. Well-Ordered Hearts & Lives
The greatest gift that you and I can bring to our churches is not our talent. Of highest importance is that we do what Jesus taught us: abide in Him. We need to be practicing spiritual disciplines that will help us grow in our character. Resolve to find some times of solitude where you can look at your life and examine it to make sure that you are on a path that will allow you to be well-ordered, so that everything you do grows out of that centered place, abiding in Him.
Ten. Transcendent Moments
Whether we are designing seeker services or worship services, our aim is to prepare elements that God can use to deeply touch a human soul — to connect with us and give us a taste of His truth and presence. People should be different somehow when they leave. You and I will have failed miserably if people find our services creative or entertaining, yet over time they exhibit no life-change.
