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We kick off an exciting series of 10 short worship team devotionals written by guest blogger Jon Nicol from worshipteamcoach.com<\/a><\/p>\n This week is an introduction to the 6 “Must-Haves” of a worship musician.<\/p>\n Gotta have talent, right? But is talent enough?<\/strong><\/p>\n Or is it good enough to be faithful to the ministry?<\/strong><\/p>\n Where does passion fit? Or spiritual maturity?<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n How about that often intangible idea of being \u201ccalled\u201d to the ministry?<\/strong><\/p>\n Think about the building materials of a house \u2013 not the granite countertops and the hand-carved mantle you see on HGTV \u2013 but the stuff that holds the house together. From the foundation to the roof, it\u2019s all important, but each element plays a unique role. In the next several \u201c200 Words\u2026\u201d articles we\u2019ll explore six elements that build a great worship musician. From the apex down to the foundational elements, here they are:<\/p>\n We\u2019ll be starting with the base and working our way up over the next several weeks. Be open to what God might want to teach you through these 10 weeks.<\/p>\n Without the help of the LORD\u00a0it is useless to build a home\u00a0or to guard a city<\/em>. (CEV)<\/p>\n Unless the LORD builds the house,\u00a0the builders labor in vain. This \u201cMust Haves\u201d team devotional was born out of a series within a series of blogs, \u201c200 Words or Less About Being a Worship Musician: The Key Elements of a Worship Musician.\u201d \u00a0The six \u201cMust-Haves\u201d are in no way the only \u201cmust-haves.\u201d And with only 200 words, I only scratched the surface to get people to think about what was underneath. In several entries I was able say some things that are often a little difficult to say directly to a team member (or a leader). And let\u2019s face it, even if we tell the hard truths to our team, they often don\u2019t \u201ccatch it\u201d until they hear it from an outside source.<\/p>\n There is nothing magical about 200 words<\/strong>; however, it is something you can read in about 2 or 3 minutes (the attention span of the average musician) and gives just enough space to make a single point to get people thinking. As I was finishing up this series, I thought it just might work as a worship team devotional. While each reading is largely unchanged from the blog, I added some extra supporting scripture and discussion questions for this devotional. I also included a bonus week from an entry entitled: \u201cThe Worship Musician as Teacher\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat if I don\u2019t agree with a point an article makes?\u201d<\/strong> Good question. Go ahead and use it, but discuss why or why not this is a valid point for your ministry. The things that provoke discussion and deeper consideration are often points we don\u2019t completely agree with. But it will either a) change our minds, b) solidify our beliefs, or start us down a new journey to discover \u201cc\u201d.<\/p>\n I know what you\u2019re thinking: you or your band have past horror stories<\/strong> of \u201cteam devotionals\u201d that dragged on at the hands of a verbose leader or a well-intentioned team member who shanghaied the discussion and prayer to his\/her agenda. In light of that, consider using this resource not as a \u201cdevotional,\u201d but as a 15-minute \u201ccentering\u201d time before you rehearse:<\/p>\n 3-4 minutes:<\/strong> Read the \u201cMust-Have\u201d article<\/em> and scripture(s) for that week. Engage others by having them read the devotional or scriptures.<\/p>\n 7-10 minutes:<\/strong> Spend time discussing the questions<\/em>. Try to move through all the questions, even if it seems like people would like to talk more on a certain one. If you leave your team wanting more, 1) impromptu discussions will likely resume later and 2) it makes them more open to participate in the next \u201ccentering.\u201d<\/p>\n 2-5 minutes:<\/strong> Prayer<\/em>. Be sensitive to the fact that the discussion of these issues will be on your team\u2019s heart as they pray. Some ministry teams may be accustomed to longer prayer times. Others simply pray to open.\u00a0 You pray how your ministry feels led to pray, and allow for what God may be doing in your team members\u2019 hearts as a result of the discussion.<\/p>\n Each week\u2019s devotional can separately e-mailed to your team members who aren\u2019t scheduled that week, so they can connect with future discussion.<\/p>\n We’ll be running this series over the coming weeks but if you liked it and would like to download the whole 10-week devotional ebook for free you can do so using the link below. It not only includes the ebook, but a printable version so you can take a hard copy to rehearsals. Also the download includes a separate pdf for each week so you can email it to your whole team. This way, you can foster an email discussion with those who aren\u2019t scheduled that week.<\/p>\n Must Haves Devotional \u2013 Introduction session<\/a> (that’s this article)<\/p>\n Must Haves Devotional \u2013 Called<\/p>\n Get \u201cThe Must Haves\u201d Devotional<\/p>\n Must Haves \u2013 Teachable (part 1)<\/p>\n Must Haves \u2013 Teachable (part 2)<\/a><\/p>\n Must Haves – Passion<\/a><\/p>\n Get “The Must Haves” Devotional – the full series<\/p>\n Thanks to Jon for his generosity in making this resource available to us.<\/p>\n Other posts you might find helpful:<\/strong><\/p>\n Free discussion resource for housegroups from Seth Godin<\/a><\/p>\n Walking Bible video clip \u2013 explore the Bible with the help of music<\/a><\/p>\n Advice from Graham Kendrick on spontaneous improvisation in worship<\/a><\/p>\nWhat makes for a good worship team musician?<\/h2>\n
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Read:\u00a0Psalm 127:1<\/h2>\n
\nUnless the LORD watches over the city,\u00a0the guards stand watch in vain. <\/em>(NIV)<\/p>\nDiscuss:<\/h2>\n
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\nFollow up: <\/em><\/strong>And why?<\/li>\n
\nFollow up:<\/em><\/strong> which current characteristic would you replace to add this one?<\/li>\n
\nFollow up: <\/em><\/strong>Why do you think that is?<\/li>\n
\nFollow-up: <\/em><\/strong>How do we strengthen that area?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nHow to use the Must Haves team devotional<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Get the Must-Haves\u00a0Worship Team Devotional<\/h2>\n