Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.
Psalm 33:3

Play skillfully…Why is it important to rehearse?

As I take on my new role as worship director for a church here in Minneapolis, MN this passage of scripture has been on my heart, specifically the “play skillfully” part. I’ve been praying a lot about what that means exactly?

Some say that playing skillfully means you’re singing or playing an instrument in such a way that isn’t a distraction.  Some say that playing skillfully means really knowing all sorts of musical theory and can do a lot of different styles.

I believe part of answer to what playing skillfully means is this: knowing your music well enough where you take your focus off the music and focus on worship.

Does that make sense?

The scenario…

Let me explain what I mean by giving you an example.  Here’s the scenario:

1. Let’s say you decided to have practice on Sunday morning before the service begins.
2. You only have one hour.
3. It’s a multicultural worship service.
4. You’ve never met your worship team before.

Is this really going to be enough time to go over all the elements of the service when you’re adding language and style into the mix?  You might think that it’s okay because you know you team, but having a short practice is the exception not the rule.

In church ministry we need to get away from an attitude that says “that’s good enough“.  And we need to get away from a type of attitude that focuses more on the music than on worshiping God.

I don’t know about you, but from my experience when you don’t have enough time to practice it doesn’t sound too good and you feel stressed, especially if you’re the main worship leader.

Play skillfully: tips for the worship leader

1. Prepare well and prepare ahead of time.  This may mean planning music 2 to 3 weeks before the service you are leading.
2. Give you team the tools to learn the music ahead of time: YouTube links, making audio recordings for your team to listen to, and having sufficient time to rehearse.

Lesson…

Having a good rehearsal will keep your focus on worshipping God instead of the music.  It’s also a reminder for you to shift from a song leader to worship leader/pastor.  Yes, music plays an important role in expressing our worship, but it’s about who we are worshipping that’s most important.

Practicing will help us play skillfully and help us focus on the Lord.  This is not to say that the music isn’t important.  It’s just that it isn’t the most important thing.

Share your story and your life…

Sincerely,
Peter Park
Blogger/Worship Leader/Speaker
peterpark@redemptionboulevard.com
(800) 453-3284

Other articles on what it means to play skillfully:

I’ll bring you more than a song

© 2010, Peter Park. All rights reserved.

Related posts:

1. Do you play secular songs in secret?
2. My first rehearsal with the TCC Gospel Choir
3. Fighting for your own preference? – Part 1