Worship More

The Heart of Ministry by PJ Hudson

April 29th, 2007

We hear a lot about the heart of worship, but one thing that I’ve noticed in my 12 plus years of “missions” ministry is a lack of understanding the “heart of ministry”.
I have been privileged to have worked in ministries where the “heart of ministry” was communicated and lived out very well; I’ve also been unfortunate to have worked under ministries where the “heart of ministry” was all but missing. Recently, I have found myself spending a lot of time thinking about the way that Jesus approached ministry, and the way His Apostles approached ministry after the ascension. I’ve found myself asking the questions “what drives ministry?”, “what breeds success and fruit?”, “what guarantees provision?”, “does money-making in ministry really secure your future?”, “Is self-sufficiency truly a biblical goal?”, “If worship is really the most important thing then why don’t ministries do more to strengthen their worship?”. These are just a few of the questions I’ve had in my heart. As I’ve remembered those ministries in the past where the heart of ministry was very strong, and compared it to some of the ministries where the heart of ministry is lacking or all but missing, I’ve noticed some very huge differences… It is in these differences that I believe the “heart of ministry” resides.

The heart of ministry, first and foremost, places a strong emphasis on worship and everything that worship is about. There is an attitude that says “if the worship isn’t strong, anointed and led by the Holy Spirit, then the ministry will be weak.” Worship is deeply loving on God… that’s what drives the heart of ministry. Worship is surrender and sacrifice… that is how the heart of ministry survives. Worship is intimately connecting with our God who desires us… that is where the heart of ministry is fed. Worship is placing the self low and lifting God high above all… that is where the fruit will form. Worship is devoting the heart, mind and soul in perfect obedience to God… that is where security & sufficiency will thrive. Any ministry that does not place a strong emphasis on worship will surely lack the “heart of ministry”.

The heart of ministry places people over politics even at the highest risk. Jesus was a King, yet he sure didn’t seem like a politician. Many ministry leaders are better policy implementers than they are ministry leaders. Policies and politics may be necessary, but it’s quite important to understand when policy and politics start to step all over the “heart of ministry”. Cold politics in mission’s ministry can cause A LOT of bitterness, hard heartedness, delusion, division and strife. Hard policies that are unaccounted for in the bible can breed confusion, rage, insubordination, anger and frustration. The heart of ministry sees the value of the individual and seeks to foster biblical values over cultural norms and is willing to bend or break the rules so that the heart of ministry remains intact. Jesus broke the Sabbath for the sake of a hurting man, a huge cultural no-no… that’s the heart of ministry. I run a 5 month course called the School of Worship… we have a tuition fee that the students must pay when they arrive. 80% of the students cannot pay the fee, because they come from villages or countries that are very poor… Cold politics will send these wonderful individuals home with broken dreams because they do not have the money to pay… the heart of ministry places the person over the policy and finds a way for the individual. I’ve never had to send any student home and every student’s fee has always been covered by the end of the school. The heart of ministry places the person over the policy even when the ministry is taken advantage of… why? Because God judges all and every person will always reap what they sow, this is foundational and we do not need to worry that any person will ruin a ministry by taking advantage of it… and the more wounds a ministry receives, the more fruit there will be.

The heart of ministry places more importance on giving than receiving. How sad it is when a ministry becomes a money-making machine. Now, obviously, larger ministries with worldwide reach will receive enormous amounts of cash-flow, and will have huge operating expenses. This is not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about a ministry receiving MORE than it is giving. The heart of ministry goes against the principles of this world, it gives more than it receives… on all sides. The heart of ministry does not sell for retail value (so to speak)… the heart of ministry also does not take on a poverty mind-set, it finds its way to reach it’s target, being resourceful, dealing wisely & righteously, and constantly relying on Gods hand of provision for the task at hand. Someone said “where God guides, He provides”… This is the heart of ministry.

…to be continued.

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Worship Song Leader or Worship Leader?

April 26th, 2007

As music has taken the central role in worship in today’s church, there has emerged a dominant type of worship leadership, what I (and many others) call the worship song leader. This role in worship leadership has risen more out of the necessity to have the right “type” of leadership in worship, rather than the return to lost biblical roles in the church. What I mean is that worship in the church has nearly evolved to become merely music and singing, in which the right type of leadership for this kind of worship is none other than a “song leader”.

I, as a worship leader and one who has been pressed into being a song leader by necessity, like to observe people during worship. Whether I’m leading, playing an instrument or am just one of many in the “audience”, I like to watch for the people who seem to truly worship Jesus in the timeframe of worship song singing. It could be that I’m looking to be led in worship (rather than in singing), so I naturally look for leadership amongst the congregation of worshipers, or maybe I’m just trying to find heart and soul in other worshipers to help me know that I’m not just singing words but actually worshiping Jesus in the midst of other worshipers of Jesus. Through the years, I’ve noticed that some of the greatest worship leaders are not in front leading the worship, and some of the worst of worship leaders are actually in front leading songs. That has led me to create a list of qualities and differences that I’ve noticed in worship song leaders and worship leaders. My desire is that anyone who loves to worship Jesus will be able to recognize what it is to be a worship leader, and one who truly worships from the spirit.

The type of worship that requires a worship leader with these kinds of qualities should consider their worship leader a “song leader”:

One who has a great singing voice
One who is able to direct a musical band
One who has a good ear for music
One who knows how to put together a string of songs that flow nicely
One who can fit a worship service within the exact amount of time that is slotted for worship
One who knows how to motivate people to worship
One who knows how to use a microphone or sound system properly
One who is not necessarily required to be a good example of a servant

Other types of things that may be asked of the worship song leader might be that he/she makes sure people are standing or sitting at the right times. They may be asked to stay away from speaking (while leading worship) and just stick to singing. They may also be asked to use a specific style of song/ music (such as traditional or ultra-modern) or may even be told exactly which songs to sing for the worship service. They will typically have a set form that they will be asked to follow every worship service which may include starting with 4 fast songs and finishing with 3 slow songs… something along those lines.

This is the kind of worship leader that many modern day churches have raised up, because they have adopted the kind of worship service that requires a gifted song leader with all of the above qualities and senses. I’m not at all against a worship leader having these qualities, in fact, in today’s church, it is necessary to have all of these qualities to be an accepted worship leader, but what is on the verge of being lost in this is the anointing of the Spirit to lead a people in true, spiritual worship, with nothing limiting the work of the Spirit.

The true worship leader who may or may not be that great of a “song leader” will have some of the following qualities… these are the types of people that we should surround ourselves with, learn from and admire:

One whose mouth is ever full of praise
One who worships noticeably in even the most trying circumstances
One who is so in love with Jesus that it cannot be expressed merely by singing simple songs
One who just seems to get lost in worship of Jesus
One who has an ear to hear the Spirit speak
One who is constantly receiving fresh revelations from God
One who is not concerned with outer appearances or abilities, but is able to worship from weaknesses
One who truly sacrifices for the sake of worshiping Jesus
One who motivates people by his/her worship, as opposed to motivating people to worship
One who is not limited to worship only by song
One who is a good example of a servant, and is a disciple of Jesus

These are among the qualities that we should desire to raise up in ourselves, as worship leaders and worshipers, as well as in the people who are being trained for worship ministry. If I had my choice to be led by a worship leader who had all of the first list of qualities but none of the 2nd, or a worship leader who had all of the 2nd list of qualities but none of the first, I would pick the 2nd worship leader, because I would at least be assured of being led into truthful sincere worship instead of happy, clappy singing and entertainment. We should do all that we can to resist the urge to entertain our congregations with wonderful music apart from the qualities of true worship. By emphasizing the true meanings of worship and bringing those to our worship services, we will see life in our congregations like we’ve never seen before.
When you go to church, are you expecting a song leader, or a worship leader?

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Congregational Worship Songwriting

April 26th, 2007

If you can form a sentence & hum then you can write a worship song!! OK, so it’s not that easy, but sometimes it is. Many worship songs were written while humming and inserting whatever sentences came out naturally. If you have never written a song in your life but want to, the following guide will help you get there. If you have written a song before but desire to develop your craft further, you may find these things helpful to you. Many contemporary songwriters use these ideas, they are proven and effective if developed properly. These tips are for writing songs that will have the chance to be sung congregationally (in a group).

The congregational worship song is:

Anointed
Easy to sing
Easy to remember
Easy to understand
Easily made your own
& Does not waste time leading you to God

Songwriters tools:

Pencil & Paper

Recorder (tape or mp3)

Bible

Your voice

Optional–

*Instrument

*Dictionary

*Thesaurus

*Grammar checker (there are free online programs)

Tips for developing the worship lyric:

+ Pray & worship

+ Have a strong source of inspiration and write it down on the top of the page or in the center of a blank piece of paper

— Inspiration is the key to writing a powerful lyric

+ Have a “loose” goal for the structure of the song in mind (this may change)

–(verse-chorus; verse-chorus-verse; chorus; add a bridge?)

+ Based on your inspiration, what type of “worship” song will be most effective? Praise? Fast? Slow?

+ Immediately write down “spontaneous” phrases or words for later reference

+ Focus on your original inspiration and write down “key” words that will strengthen the meaning

+ Try to develop your most important or most meaningful phrases first, as this will lead you more easily to the phrases that support the meaning.

— you should keep each phrase short and concise, especially when you’ve settled on phrases that will be part of the song, normally it would not have more than 8 words per phrase… preferably 4 or 5 words

+ Save your “powerful” words & phrases for the chorus, as this is where you will bring your song to a peak

+ If you develop your chorus first, use your verse to “point” to the chorus, if you develop your verse first, then make sure you are leaving an “open” door for the chorus to have impact. Usually songwriters get stuck because they’ve written themselves into a corner.

+ Put your song together (it may or may not have a melody at this point), this is your first “draft”— keep it simple & easy without sacrificing impact

+ Read it many times and edit it as much as you like until you are able to clearly communicate your inspiration through the words

+ Don’t be afraid to tear it apart and put it back together again if it’s lacking in “punch”

+ When you are satisfied with the content, do your final editing, making sure your song is biblical, grammatically right, & check your spelling. You should let someone else read it to offer feedback

Typical tools in lyric writing:

Use contrasts (I was dead, now I’m alive; lost/found, etc.)

Use common themes, but stay away from overused words or phrases, find new ways to say the same things that have always been said

Use the “feeling” of a word to your advantage (ex. Majestic… what do you feel when you hear this word? Express it in a song)

Try not to use too many conjunctions (that, and, etc.), they can harm the beauty of language if there are too many

When a phrase is sung, the melody & meter should flow naturally with the words as if they were spoken elegantly… avoid clunky sentences or phrases that are difficult or awkward to say

Rhyme or don’t rhyme as poetry

Use scripture

Tips for developing the worship melody

Worship in your heart and let spontaneous “hums” come out of your mouth

Have an instrument available or ask a friend to help

Record short melodic phrases (with or without words)

Keep your melodies “close” to each other, don’t stray too far

Keep your verse melody lower than your chorus melody in pitch (as a general rule)

A good song will span 1 octave from the lowest note to the highest note in the duration of the song

Use repetition in melody

With some practice and good feedback, you will be able to write worship songs for a congregation in a short amount of time. Who knows, maybe your song will end up on a CD somewhere!!

PJ Hudson

White Lotus Worship Music

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Worship More—PJ Hudson Welcome!

April 26th, 2007

HI,

Welcome to the “Worship More” blog. I’ve started this blog to share, discuss, teach and learn about worship of Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. If you want to know more about me, click here or paste this in your browser: http://www.whitelotusworshipmusic.com/PJ.html . My simple desire is to create a deeper passion for Jesus in our hearts. Some views and ideas that I share here may be hard to understand or agree with, or you may wholeheartedly agree or have opinions of your own, so I invite you to share what’s on your heart here as well. Spam and insulting material will be promptly deleted.

I will mainly stick to areas of interest regarding worship. This may include thoughts on “redeeming cultures”, “worship in missions”, “a life of worship”, or more practical things regarding worship leading, being on a worship team, playing instruments or writing songs for worship. I hope you enjoy this blog and that you will find something that provokes your thoughts, motivates you, deepens your love for Jesus, and strengthens your Christian walk with God.

PJ Hudson

White Lotus Worship Music– Thailand.

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Worship More

The Heart of Ministry by PJ Hudson

Worship Song Leader or Worship Leader?

Congregational Worship Songwriting

Worship More—PJ Hudson Welcome!

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