I am a Southern Baptist by conviction and by choice. I believe the bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God and it is the sole foundation and authority for our faith and practice. I believe this perfect Word of God needs to be studied, taught and lived. I strongly believe that it teaches that everyone must place their personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. I am a lifelong student of the Word and a born again Christian committed to loving God and loving others.
My philosophy of ministry is summarized in Colossians 3:16-17 (NIV) “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Since God commands that music be used in the church, we should offer praise & worship to God with singing and instruments. Our Lord is Worthy of all Praise! The minister of music should be a catalyst to lead people to sing aloud and enthusiastically unto God, making a joyful noise, remembering that God deserves our best.
An effective music ministry has to be custom-designed for each church, depending on the unique talents, vision, and ministry of the body. It should utilize the full musical abilities within the congregation. It is congregations, choirs, instruments, and soloists. It is a purposeful effort seeking to glorify God, lead people to Christ, contribute to spiritual growth, and develop musical abilities. It has a potentially effective way to do its work and achieve personal growth, spiritual growth, and musical growth of all members. Its work touches hearts, opens minds, and makes a way for every person to witness to God’s redemption.
I believe the music ministry will grow in a healthy church where good relationships are made a priority. I believe the successful organization has one major attribute that sets it apart from unsuccessful organizations: dynamic and effective leadership. I believe the successful leader doesn’t wait for things to happen; he helps make things happen. He takes the initiative.
Pastors & staff are the keys to success in a church’s being the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. The pastor & staff are laborers together with God in shared ministry. With varied backgrounds, training, & gifts they should work together as a team with their pastor as the leader. As servant-leaders, they should lead by example and equip the saints to do the work of the ministry to build the body of Christ.
I believe the church staff should lead in three things:
(1) Exalt the Savior
(2) Equip and edify the saints, and to
(3) Evangelize sinners.
All Christians should be Christ-like in every area of their life. A spiritual man should also be kind and loving in all things. I strive to be a kind, loving, caring, appreciative, thoughtful, warm, devoted, cherished, tender and affectionate husband and father.
God has called me to the Music Ministry and has equipped me with the gifts that I need to serve him. I love to worship the Lord and lead others to the throne. I have a love for God’s people and a burden to reach lost souls. I believe strongly in the evangelism and discipleship ministries of the local church. I believe the Minister of Music and other staff members must lead the church by example.
I see myself as a minister first, but also as a professional musician. (It is sad but many people do not consider the Minister of Music as either a minister of a musician.) In order to be considered a minister, one must minister!
I think before much leadership can take place, the leader should seek to find out where the people are, to get to know them by name, and understand the vision of the pastor and people.
My vision is to involve as many people as possible in the music ministry. I believe you “use them or lose them”, especially teenagers. I think everything we do in the church should be outreach oriented including what we do in the music ministry. I believe everything we do should be top-notch and that we should not offer a musical sacrifice of worship that cost us nothing.
I believe Jesus was a servant leader. I frequently tell the Praise Team that our job as worship leaders during the service is similar to the person at the movie theater that comes along to clean up the popcorn on the floor during the movie. We are to praise the Lord without becoming a distraction.
As a worship leader, I am dedicated to walking and growing daily in my relationship with the Lord and ministering from an overflow of the Spirit of the Lord at work in my life.
I also believe the pastor, organist, pianist, instrumentalists, soloists and choir members are worship leaders. I like to work with the pastor and others in building and planning a service around a theme. This worship planning usually works best when done weeks in advance so appropriate music and drama can be secured and rehearsed.
We are living in a time when worship has become a distinct priority for the Christian community. For years the church has emphasized evangelism, teaching, fellowship, missions, and service while neglecting the very source of its power - worship.
I believe four things take place in an effective worship experience:
Adoration, Humiliation, Purification, and Dedication.
Isaiah 6:1-8 gives us the classic example of the worship experience.
(1) We must see God; therefore we must be seeking God
(2) After seeing God, we see ourselves and say, “Woe is me...”
(3) We should get right with God, or have a 1 John 1:9 experience.
(4) Our attitude should say, “Here am I, send me”.
I personally believe that the invitation is the most important part of the corporate worship. Everything should point toward the invitation.
I am thankful that many churches are experiencing a Spirit-led renewal in their understanding and practice of the praise and worship of God. I simply lift up Jesus because He said, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.” I believe worship is a seven-day thing, not just a Sunday thing! I believe you demonstrate worship by the way you act at the grocery store and at the football game, etc.
I am personally more concerned that a soloist or worship leader’s life and testimony backs up what they are singing about than the fact that they have a pleasant voice or musical gifting. The goal is always to glorify Christ.
I think a person’s lifestyle must mirror what the mouth is saying. Often what we say & how we love one another will give us the occasion to share the Christ that is demonstrated in our lives. Because Jesus commanded us to go & tell to the ends of the earth, we must also obey this commandment personally “as we are going” through our daily lives.
I encourage all our Adult Choir members to go through FAITH if at all possible. Also I encourage them to attend one day evangelism training sessions when they are held.
One thing that I often do during prayer times is to share the first names of the five people that I am personally praying for to receive Christ. I believe a leader needs to encourage others by example.
According to II Tim 4:5 we should watch for & seek opportunities to share Christ at all times & at all occasions.
I personally feel tremendous joy and satisfaction in serving the Lord in ministry. Nothing gives me more joy than sharing Christ in an evangelistic situation.
I believe the church should reach beyond the four walls of their worship center; Relationship building between Christians and lost/unchurched friends, relatives, neighbors, and work associates should be encouraged. We should design events to attract the unchurched. We should be sensitive, i.e., seeker sensitive, to the fears, hang-ups, and needs of unbelievers when they are present in our worship services.
If there are lay leaders doing the job & enjoying it, I don’t try to replace them. I think the church should resemble our body in that all the parts should work together for a common cause.
If I am aware of someone that is capable of leading a choir, etc. I try to personally recruit them. I believe in making needs known to the church body & allowing to Lord to lead. As far as recruiting choir members, I believe it is the responsibility of the entire church to continually recruit, but especially believe that I should take the lead in inviting & motivating them to use their talents for the Lord.
I believe the responsibility of a Christian who has a talent or ability is that they use that talent or ability to the glory of God. We are expected to be the best stewards with the resources entrusted us. All that we have belongs to God.
My personal approach to organization and time management is often centered on the computer. It is very difficult to remember where hundreds of different songs, arrangements and tapes are stored, so the computer helps to organize my life.
Some thoughts on time management are
(1) Understanding the difference between efficiency and effectiveness.
Efficient is “doing things right”. Effective is “doing right things right”.
(2.) “Do it right the first time” because doing it wrong & then having to do it all over again is expensive-example, proof read your work before it is printed.
(3.) Prioritize
Growing churches emphasize what God can do, not what we cannot do; what is best in people, not what is worst; how can we build each other up, not tear each other down. The growing church is eager to catch people doing something right in order to praise, rather than always looking for something wrong in order to criticize.
Thank you for taking the time to read some of my thoughts and philosophies of ministry. This will continue to develop as I grow in Jesus!
(c) 2012 Tony Prescott
(c) 2012 Tony Prescott
