Philosophy

· Create a defined purpose statement for your instrumental ministry. It should contain the following aspects: Why are we doing what we are doing, where and how does it fit with the overall ministry of our church and who should be involved. This purpose statement should be evaluated periodically (once a year is a good time frame) for modification.
· Before launching out into the ministry of instrumental music, make sure you and your pastor are on the same page. Without the pastor's support, it (or you) will not survive. No pastor (or music director) wants to be surprised. Communicate your passion with them.
· Have long and short term goals for the instrumental ministry. Ask yourself the hard questions: Where do we want to be this time next year? Five years? What can we do to correct things that "misfired" in the past?
· If your instrumental ministry is not grounded in prayer, it has no chance for ministry. It will become a "performance" group. It will not, it cannot, survive; For without prayer, we are merely playing in the flesh, not in the Spirit. How can we expect a Holy and Righteous God to bless our efforts if we never talk to Him? How can we expect to know what God has in store for our ministry if we have no communication with Him? Keep the lines of communication to the Lord open 24/7!