Understanding the Leadership Role for Those in Music Ministry

Leadership: it can be a hard place to be. It's not necessarily going to always be a popular place and you're frequently called to balance the good of the many and the ministry against the good of the few, while not forgetting that you're working with individual people who have feelings, issues, goals and sometimes even agendas. If God has put you in a position of leadership within your group, there are a couple of things to remember up front.

Leading with Humility

Someone who leads in a humble, but righteous manner for the Lord is the opposite end of the spectrum from a dictator who rules with an iron fist simply because he/she can. In ministry, there will always be people that have inspired ideas and the key is learning how to organize them so they feel comfortable working with you towards the common goal of glorifying Christ, rather than having a hodgepodge of stuff being either thrown around at random or everybody doing their own thing.

Leadership Roles

There are many positions of leadership in Christian Music Ministry. Some examples are:

• Choir Director
• Worship Team Leader
• Youth Praise Band Leader
• Children's Choir Director
• Band Leader for Independent Group

Regardless of which position you hold, you must make sure that the other members of your team are on the "same sheet of music" that you and the ministry are on. Remember that you were all called to share God's glory through music. Romans 12:3 - 8 is a good scripture to follow. Many parts, one body.

Just like the human body would not be able to sustain life if the kidneys, liver, heart, lungs, and brain all decided to do "their own thing," a ministry can not survive if the members are all doing their own thing.

Think about how a military unit is organized. If every soldier in a company decided to do their own thing because they thought their ideas were better than that of their commanding officers, people could get killed in times of conflict. Conflict within the body of Christ can lead to something worse than death ... it can lead to spiritual death, so the responsibility to work together is even greater.

Maintaining Order as a Leader

As a leader, you will be led by God to do things in a certain order. God is not a God of chaos and confusion. While you should certainly be open to suggestions given in a reasonable manner and at a time before or after practice, you can't allow a practice to be disrupted by other people wanting to "run the show." Bottom line, it doesn't glorify God in the least bit for members of the body to be attacking each other and being little whirlwinds of unproductive activity.

The Role Is Worth the Reward

Yes, leadership can be an unpopular spot at times, but the rewards are tremendous. It is a mighty gift from God. You have been given the opportunity to make music that will encourage, exhort, and edify the body of Christ. Make the most of it, honoring Christ with all that you do, and one day, you will hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."