Keys to Unity in the Worship Team
While it is true that works of the flesh such as strife and envy will hinder the move of God in our lives and ministries and therefore must be dealt with firmly, it is also true that unity of heart and vision will bring blessing and anointing. "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!" Psalm 133:1,3 says. "For there the Lord bestows his blessings, even life forevermore." II Chronicles 5:13-14: "The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the Lord. The temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God. Thistype of worship experience doesn't happen by accident. It does happen, in large part, as a result of unity among the worshippers.
We must literally "be on the same page" if we are to run together with the same vision. Habakkuk 2:2 "Then the Lord replied: Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that whoever reads it may run with it." Amos 3:3 "Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?" The answer is no, they can't. We must have a common vision written down that the entire worship team is committed to in order to be effective in facilitating the blessing and presence of God. What is the practical application of this truth? Glad you asked!
We on the worship team must have the same expectations when we worship. As a group, what do you believe can happen when you worship? In church we have marriage conferences, stewardship conferences and various other types of conferences to impart a vision and plan to exercise faith and change behavior for a desired outcome. I believe a worship leader, therefore, is obliged to assemble materials, i.e., books, CD's, DVD's, videos, etc., they can draw from to teach their worship team about worship so that the everyone's vision and expectations are the same, too. I also strongly suggest written assignments to be handed in to demonstrate knowledge of the vision. By doing this you are adding value to your worship department because it is costing members something (time and energy). There is an abundance of great resources available to draw from. Find material that agrees with scripture, schedule a series of meetings with your worship department, give some assignments and see the fruit. This will build unity and everyone will have the same vision, expectation and appreciation for what God intends to do. Otherwise, some worship team members may view worship as merely something that happens before the preaching while others on the same team believe for a cloud of glory to overtake the service! No prayer of agreement can happen is this scenario.
There is another important issue to discuss when covering the topic of building unity. We need a uniform Code of Conduct. As God gave His Word as an impartial standard for all to follow, we should develop a standard Code of Conduct for the worship team. Certain topics it should address are: tardiness, absenteeism, performance, attitude, conduct and dress. There should be "correction" for the breaches. Everyone should be treated the same. This way the "worship diva" will not get partial treatment. This eliminates the appearance of favoritism, which as you know is very destructive to unity. How strict this Code of Conduct will be is up to the leadership, but if the code is to be effective, it must be in writing, understood by all and administered without partiality.
In conclusion, to build unity we must all have the same vision and expectations as a result of teaching and example by the leadership. Also, must establish in writing the standards of behavior and performance, which add value to the ministry of the team. These standards should be understood by all and administered fairly. By doing these two things, you will build unity in your worship team and see a greater move of the Lord God in your worship times.
John J. DiModica served as Worship Leader and Assistant Pastor at a thriving church in Miami, Florida for nine years. Now living in Tennessee, he has been touring and teaching with Integrity Music since 1995 including performing with Don Moen, Paul Wilbur, Lenny leBlanc, Ron Kenoly and Alvin Slaughter. John has a music degree from the University of Miami (FL), and additional studies at the Eastman School of Music (NY) and Berklee College of Music (MA). Currently, his activities include traveling with Seminars4Worship, composing, session music, music production, private bass instruction and working with Dave Ramsey, best selling author of the book Financial Peace and syndicated talk-show host (www.daveramsey.com/fpu/church)
For help in producing a recording or to schedule John to spend a weekend with your worship group, visit his website: www.InFocusMusic.com
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