The Heart...

As I've been involved in ministry, I have seen how important the heart is...In being a part of any ministry team, having the right heart is essential. The right heart helps lead to a right attitude. Those to things help us get to the Philippians 2:1-11 focus on ministry...That we are to be unified...Of one heart...Being servants...Being humble...Being like Christ. I've found that having the right heart helps those in ministry stay better in touch with one another and what God is calling us to do.

When I've seen tough issues and conflicts come into a ministry team, it's obvious when the team understand the concepts of Philippians 2 and when they do not. You can see when a team is united as one, and you can see when the team is divided. One of the main things I've noticed is that when a team seems to have division, it almost always comes down to a condition of the heart.

When changes are implemented in any ministry area, if the team is of one mind...The changes are taken in stride and the team walks toward the goal together. If there is division on the team, any kind of change usually disrupts some team members. The focus is taken off of what God is calling the team to do and put on to an individual focus. People are easily offended by change, especially if it hits near to them. Some changes are made because there are problems...Some changes are made before problems arise. However, when changes are made, with the right heart and a humble attitude, the team should gather together and march onward and upward.

I've found that when people are upset by changes in direction with a ministry, it usually comes down to the heart and attitude of the person that is upset. When a person is upset by change, it usually reveals their heart. It becomes apparent that things are out of order. It becomes apparent that what God wants is secondary to ones personal preference. It becomes apparent that ones attitude is not focused on what is going to be pleasing to God, but what is going to be most convenient and pleasing for the individual.

Many times, we take on selfish attitudes when change is implemented. The comments, "I don't think this is fair", "Well, we've never done it that way before", and the like are often some of the first we hear. We have to realize in ministry, that it's not about how we've always done things or whether or not something seems fair. It is essential that we realize that it is about pleasing God and doing His will.

As an example, we recently made some adjustments to a policy with our praise team at church. Our Worship Design Team passed a motion to make a policy that if a person misses rehearsal that they don't play on Sunday morning. It's not a huge deal. If you can't make a rehearsal, rather than trying to catch up on Sunday morning you can simply kick back and enjoy worship in the congregation...You get a break, a day off. It's a pretty sensible thing. In the professional world, if you miss rehearsals, you end up not working much. Anytime I've played in a band, if someone didn't show up to rehearsals, they were quickly replaced. We're not talking about replacing anyone on the praise team. We're basically talking about a common courtesy. People on the team make a sacrifice each week to attend rehearsals and worship. When someone misses rehearsal, but then expects to lead on Sunday morning, it's not very courteous or fair to those that made the rehearsal. When we do new music, those that were not at rehearsal are at a great disadvantage and end up searching for notes throughout the song. We are called to give our best to God in our service and worship. By simply showing up and figuring it out on the spot, we're not really doing our part to bring our best. It's simply a selfish attitude to want to lead when you haven't put in the time. People talk about wanting things to be led by the Spirit. Well, it's a more Biblical attitude to do our part (rehearse, practice, and cover things in prayer) so that we are the best prepared we can be. As we are prepared, we can more easily focus on what the Spirit wants to do. If we don't rehearse, people will be so focused on the music that they won't be able to be open. It's often frustrating to those that have rehearsed and gotten things together when people show up and join in without rehearsing. Things will sound great during rehearsal, and then Sunday morning comes and you hear stuff going all over the place...People playing and singing in places they aren't supposed too...Wrong notes...And I could go on. This past weeks rehearsal was a great example as to why this policy makes sense. We had quite a bit of trouble with one song...Had a person shown up on Sunday morning without being at rehearsal, the would be at a huge disadvantage and probably wouldn't be able to give their best to the song. I could go on for hours. These things come down to the right heart and right attitude.

If everyone on the team had the right heart and attitude, the Philippians 2 mindset, this change would have made sense and not been an issue (as it was for many). For those that struggle with something like this, it might be showing that ones heart is not in the right place. As servants, we have to decide if we will be a team player or not. In sports, we wouldn't question our coaches. In ministry, we should be willing to support and follow our leaders. Unless they are taking us in a direction that goes against Scripture, we are called to follow and submit to those in leadership. If we can't do that, we might need to look for another area in which to serve.

Grace & Peace,
J-Mo