Making a Praise Team more than a House Band
There are several ways churches build their Praise and Worship teams. Some go and look for talented musicians with offers of money and other perks. That church’s desire is to have the best musicians, best singers, best sound, and best show. The purpose of this is to use the band/singers to draw people to this church. It is so sad because there are times that it doesn’t matter whether the musicians are saved or not. Maybe they will get saved later, but it is more important how talented they are. (Les was offered church jobs long before he was saved.) This is sad, but true. In this situation, the band is more comparable to a “house band,” like a lot of bars have. The job of the band is to learn the “top 40” in Christian radio worship. This is the music that “the people” are hearing day in and day out on the radio during the drive to work. For most, when they sing these songs, they are not actually engaged in a time of Worship in the presence of God. But the song makes them “feel something.” Not necessarily a bad thing, but not worship, in Spirit or Truth either.
Unfortunately we are in a season of “bubble gum” worship on the radio. Because these songs get so much air play, if you vary the tempo, change the key, change how many times you sing the chorus, or alter anything else about that song, people’s radar will go off with “Warning, Warning, Warning, Will Robinson! There is something not right about this song!” Thus any attempt at worship is thwarted because there is a glitch happening in the mind of the members of the praise team, and congregation. Truthfully, unless your church has invested and hired the best musicians, they will not be able to reproduce the radio sound you hear everyday. Am I saying all radio worship is wrong? No! It is great exposure, but we also can’t do “songs” based on their popularity, or the artist’s interpretation.
Another way to build a Praise and Worship Team is to tell everyone to come, sing, dance, or play an instrument. If you are looking for a place to belong, the choir or praise team may be a good place to start—or so we think. This type of Worship Team really has no discipline, no requirements, and no respect for the position. It is the social club of the church.
Our view point is that being a part of a praise team is a calling. It is not about everyone’s flattering words about how great you sing or play, it is about ministering to the Lord. Les has told me over and over that he is not the technically talented musician he once was. Once he got saved, it was years and years before the Lord really let him back in music. Music had been his “god” and God wasn’t going to have a “golden calf” placed between Him and Les. But, God called “us” to minister before Him. Being called to minister TO HIM is much greater than playing, singing, and ministering to His people or to anyone else. I want to encourage you to read Ezekiel 44, but I am going to pull out a couple of verses that show God’s heart.
Ezekiel 44:12-16 “Because they ministered to them before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity, therefore I have lifted up My hand against them, says the Lord Jehovah, and they shall bear their iniquity. And they shall not come near Me, to do the office of a priest to Me, nor to come near any of My holy things, in the most holy place; but they shall bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed. But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house for all its service, and for all that shall be done in it. But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of My sanctuary when the sons of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me, and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood, says the Lord Jehovah. They shall enter My sanctuary, and they shall come near My table, to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge.”
A Praise and Worship team should be PRAYER WARRIORS!!! The music should not be picked by style, preference, or taste. What does GOD want this team and congregation to sing? HE knows each heart better than anyone else. Ideally each member of a praise and worship team would spend the week seeking God regarding the songs to be sung.
The praise team is like a “wait staff:” Waiters and Waitresses eager to minister to the Lord. Our goal should not have anything to do with music, but with a total focus of pleasing God. In the best setting, practice time is worship; church time is worship; and alone time is worship. Being called to minister in praise and worship is one of the highest callings that exist. Do you want to minister to people or do you want to minister to God. As for me, I would choose to hear God say: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” How about you?