worshipersonmission

THE WC

I call it the “WC.” That does not stand for water closet (which is the term used in England for rest room).  Instead, it stands for “Worship Choir.”  On that “WC” file at my church, I have all kinds of information, including the list of every person who has ever sung in our choir, any person who has indicated they might be interested in singing with us and all people who have been submitted as prospects for our choir.  With one look at this list, I can tell you which service they attend, whether or not they are active, their vocal part, which folder and robe they use, their birthday, their height, their mailing address, email address, phone numbers, the last time I contacted them, how I made that contact, when to make the next contact and any other pertinent comments about them.

Yes, my choir members know that I have this tool and that I use it.  In fact, I get teased about knowing everything about them, including their blood type (I don’t really know that information).  Yet, this tool has proven helpful in activating musicians. Even those who are inactive from ministry for years get contacts.  Some of these include people who have stopped coming to church altogether.  Not too long ago, a baritone in my choir who had become inactive and not darkened the church doors in nearly ten years, rejoined our choir specifically because of my persistent contacts.  He probably would have become “out of sight, out of mind” if not for this WC tool to keep me reminded.

This is a tool I developed for myself three decades ago and it is still serving me well. What started out as a card file became a Word document and now is an Excel file. It could probably serve as my “home page” for my computer because it is the most used file on my network. Why is that?  It is because people are the reason for ministry.  With the best music in the world, still neither ministry nor missions can come to life without the people.  More than that, I see each person as gifted and called to be used by God.  Therefore, when a person who is gifted tells me “no,” I take that as a “not now.”  People do go through seasons of life when they, perhaps because of medical or personal issues, cannot get activated into the church music ministry.  However, even if they cannot see their calling, it is my duty to make sure they are reminded throughout their life of that giftedness and the calling to use it for the kingdom.

 Activation is the starting place for a lifetime of music missions.  Using a tool like the WC in my ministry keeps me reminded of the name of every person that I have sensed God is calling to activate their giftedness. I pray for them and contact them. I seek them out and give them reminders. I challenge them and offer them ways to be equipped.  The WC is just a tool, but it is a great one for me and one of the biggest ways that I can stay focused on people instead of focused on the mechanics of the music ministry. It is also the first step of activating individuals to a lifetime of being on mission with music.

Posted in Activate

50 WAYS TO ACTIVATE THE “MUSICIANARY” IN YOU

Here are examples of how one person can use music to be on mission for Christ.

1. Invite someone to sing with you in the church choir.
2. Get involved with the local community choir and casually share with members of the group about your personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
3. Have your radio tuned to a local Christian radio station when traveling in the car.
4. Get involved in local community theater and build relationships that will lead to a witness.
5. Get involved or form your own chapter of quartet music such as Sweet Adeline or Barbershop group and make connections with musicians that lead to sharing your faith.
6. Sing or play music as background or performance music for a local restaurant or bookstore.
7. If you are a music teacher, use hymns, contemporary Christian music or sacred songs to instruct your students.
8. Gather the family and friends around the piano or guitar for some fun singing of Christian songs at the end of the day.
9. Place a hymnal on your piano for conversation starter.
10. Invite someone from your school band to join the church orchestra.
11. Talk with the musicians who provide street music or restaurant music and ask them about their spiritual journey and if they have ever played in church.
12. Listen to group singing (in a church congregation, karaoke, etc.) and ask those who sing well to consider joining the church choir.
13. Sing the national anthem at the local ball game. Others will speak to you about your singing – then is the time to share your testimony.
14. Volunteer to sing or play music at the local nursing home or retirement center.
15. Wear your church shirt or choir logo lapel or tie pin as a conversation starter.
16. Send email or Facebook links to great Christian music to your friends.
17. Learn a new language – foreign language or sign language, for example – and sing a song using that new language to connect with people of different languages about the Lord.
18. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, sharing your faith story, citing the power of music.
19. Purchase a Christian music CD for someone’s birthday or Christmas gift.
20. Share your music in the local hospital or contact a chaplain to provide a concert for those in prison.
21. Volunteer to play “charge” on your trumpet for a local high school football team that does not have a band.
22. Go sing for the homebound in your church; that might lead to singing for homebound persons who are outside the church.
23. Become a street musician of Christian music.
24. Go door to door and invite your neighbors to a Christian music concert at your church.
25. Attend alumni events at your high school and/or college and volunteer to sing or play at their event.
26. Place a Christian music theme on your cell phone as a ringtone.
27. Place Christian music on your cell phone or business phone as people wait to be connected with the call.
28. Post scripture about music in the Bible on social media such as Facebook.
29. Post Youtube or Godtube videos on Facebook.
30. Find local Christian music events and support them with your prayers and attendance.
31. Encourage your children and neighborhood children to participate in your church’s children’s choir program.
32. Send notes of encouragement and congratulations to students who are in a Christian musical or production, encouraging them to continue to participate in Christian music.
33. Whistle or hum a Christian song, anytime, anywhere.
34. Hang artwork in your home that includes lyrics of a Christian song.
35. If auditioning for a talent show, use a Christian song.
36. Sing a Christian song to your newborn baby in the hospital.
37. You can be a witness when your wedding music honors God.
38. You can be a witness when your funeral music honors God.
39. Hang a poster of an upcoming Christian music concert in a local business.
40. Volunteer to help in your school’s music program and share your Christian witness as you work.
41. Volunteer to be the chaplain for the local school choir, band or orchestra.
42. Buy a musical toy that plays Christian music for a child or baby for their birthday.
43. Produce a Christian music album and give a concert in a non-church setting.
44. Walk into a piano store and start playing Christian music.
45. Tell your waitress or waiter that you are a Christian musician and would like to know if they have any prayer requests.
46. Produce your own business or calling-cards that include a witness such as a scripture verse or logo about Christian music.
47. Become known as a collector of certain types of Christian music memorabilia such as a hymnal collector, Christian album collector, etc. so you can ask others to look for those items for you as they shop.
48. Provide a community book study in your home on a Christian music book.
49. Compose music that yields a Christian witness.
50. When sitting on a plane or bus, pull out a Christian music book or magazine as a conversation starter.

Posted in Activate

They May Just Be a Phone Call Away

Working with  everything from postal mail to email, communication has become both a science  and an art form in the 21^st century.  While it is true that we have taken communication to an extremely modern  level with forms like email, I still love the phone.  This quick form of communication brings with  it, the ability to discern the true feelings of the one of the other line.  For example, with email, people are more  likely to say “no” or not respond at all than with the power of the phone  call.  On a phone, you can speak with  inflections that tell your true intentions and the importance or urgency of the  situation.  You can hear how the other  person is reacting and can steer the conversation one way or another quicker  and with more confidence than with other forms of communication.  That is why I make sure I use the phone when  searching for prospects for our worship/music ministries.

One of the primary  reasons for using the phone is to introduce myself or my ministry to worship  guests or to new members.  I let them  know who I am and how much I would love to get them involved in our music/worship  ministries.  A question that I use (and  now it is used by nearly everyone in our music/worship ministries when  encountering someone new) is “do you sing or play an instrument?”  I quickly find out if they are a prospect.

Every person on  our church roll has received at least one phone call from me asking that  question or their interest in our music/worship ministries.  I hear all kinds of responses.  One may say “Well, I used to sing soprano  when I was younger.”  Another may say “Can’t  sing a lick, but I love to play (piano) for myself.”  While some may discount both of these as  potential candidates for music/worship ministries, I would place them on my  potential calling list because I know they both have some sort of musical  background that can be encouraged and groomed for the kingdom.

Every person who  visits or is a worship guest at our church gets a phone call from me on Sunday afternoon of their visit.  I thank them  for worshiping with us, ask them if I can provide any information that they  might need and ask them if they or anyone in their family might be interested  in our music or worship ministry.  More  importantly I pose the question “Do you sing or play an instrument?”  If they say “no” but I can tell something is  there, I might try another one (that totally surprises them coming from a  Baptist church) “Do you dance or do drama?”  I’m not sure I would ask those questions in an email, but on the phone,  I can tell if they are ready for the next line of questioning.

Once I have a list  of names that I consider prospective names for our music/worship ministries, I  begin making phone calls.  I have taken  that list of prospects and worked it like an old-time insurance salesman,  making calls and making notes to myself at the conclusion of each call.  I might make a note that indicates a personal concern in their life (prayer request) or something to ask them about next time I call. If they say “not now,” I ask them “when can I call again?” One may say “next year” hoping that I will forget about them.  Guess what? The next year, they get a call.

Some prospects  join the choir on the Wednesday after they visit on a Sunday.  Some prospects make it to the choir loft or orchestra rehearsal after years and years of regular phone calls.  Some inactive members have returned because  of the persistent calling and patient ministry efforts. The power of the  phone in activating prospective musicians cannot be understated.  Activating a person who has it in their being  to be used by God in the arts brings wholeness and happiness to that  person.  I am glad wholeness and  happiness in the kingdom may just be a phone call away.

Posted in Activate