Romans 12 Manifesto

So, which of these phrases best reflects the way you serve together in your worship and technical arts ministry?

• We stay in a good mood when “life” happens

• We appreciate each other’s different talents

• We are honest and genuine with ourselves and each other

• We are never lazy, but work hard

• We take care of ourselves and don’t trash our bodies the night before we serve

• We are always ready to serve

• We are real: we don’t just pretend to love others, we love them deeply

• We are transparent and live our lives as openly as we can with each other

• We boldly are who God has called us to be

• We want God’s creativity, so we let Him reinvent the way we think

• We discover beauty in everyone

• We don’t let the world determine our standards

• We don’t think we know it all

• We don’t sweat the small stuff

• We encourage each other all the time

• We find a way to begin every meeting by sharing something great God has done

• We make music with linked arms and connected hearts

• We polish our talents and use them for good

• We aren’t boxed in by what we know; instead, we bring to life Heaven’s creativity

• We remember our roles and celebrate others who contribute in their roles

• We work hard and take notice when someone else is tired and may need a rest

I wish every rehearsal, service, audition, evaluation, planning meeting, and casual interaction would look like this, huh?! But...

• What sets your bar?

• Who gives your teams their expectations?

• How do people know what’s required of them?

• How do they know this is different from volunteering for community service?

My friend Matt Goss took a gathering of worship leaders through a passage of scripture, which seemed almost hand-crafted as a standard for how we are to serve together in worship ministry. It was fascinating how applicable the entire chapter of Romans 12 was to our context. He says he reads it with his worship teams twice each year to keep the gold standard in front of them.

Well, since then, I’ve taken several churches through this passage, with the assignment of creating a sort of manifesto. A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions. Each ministry needs a common language, clearly describing the nature and practice of their desired culture. Each person needs to know how they must work together.

The list at the beginning of this Fertilizer is a compilation of phrases crafted by worship team members [thanks y’all]. The next time you have an hour with your teams, read through Romans 12 and practice applying the scripture to your ministry context. Write a few phrases describing the way you want to serve together. Try to write in ordinary and practical language, exemplifying your best “non-Christianese” language skills. Post them on your rehearsal space walls, on the covers of your songbooks, in your tech booth, in your mail slots, or wherever your phylacteries are! [see Deuteronomy 6:4-9]

So, um, are you going to do it? Tell me when you do, and if you’d like, post your Romans 12 Manifesto on our Facebook page: facebook.com/AdLibMusic! Oh, it’s especially great in the New Living Translation and The Message.

-Dave Helmuth
(purchase my book, "Worship Fertilizer: (the first hundred)" HERE)

Romans 12 Manifesto (Nº 5)