I was recently asked whether music ministry is a “ministry of the word” or a “ministry that supports the ministry of the word”. Interesting question! There’s quite a bit behind the question, which I’ll get to. But I should clarify at the outset that by “the word”, the questioner was referring to the Bible and the message of salvation contained within it, not just to a general sense of word versus musical note, or visual image.
Ever since I started as Music Minister at my church (Holy Trinity Adelaide) I’ve been encouraging people to think of music as a ministry of the word. In particular, one of the key New Testament verses that shapes our ministry is Colossians 3:16, which every church musician should memorise:
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. (NIV 2011)
The idea is that the congregation sings the word, and sings in response to the word. This message of Christ is the key topic and the key driver and shaper of our singing. So in one sense, the answer is obvious. Yes, music is a ministry of the word.
But if someone is thinking of getting involved in music ministry, are they getting involved in a ministry of the word? Let me put it more sharply: if someone has gifts of being able to lead a Bible study as well as being an accomplished musician, should they choose Bible study leading at the expense of the musical blessing they can be to the congregation? Let’s face it, we yearn for our music to sound good!
A few years ago, I came across a book called The Trellis and the Vine by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne. It challenged some of my thinking around ministry, particularly by showing the priority of word ministry. The word is the vine… it lives and grows. The book of Acts talks about the word as if it is a character in the story (e.g. Acts 19:20).
But a vine needs the support of a trellis to grow properly. In ministry, trellises are those supporting activities that open doors for word ministry, make it happen more efficiently and effectively. Think accounting, plumbing, and electrical. Or think strategy and vision meetings, or in a gathering itself, think counting attendees, welcoming visitors, operating the sound desk and lighting… the list could be very long.
These things are all essential for word ministry to happen. In Acts 6, the Apostles were set aside from having to wait on tables specifically so they could devote themselves to the ministry of the word and prayer. Then, 7 men known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom were appointed to manage the logistics of life in church. The first Christian martyr (Stephen) was of course one of these 7. Keep reading
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Hey Worship Leader, Are You a Theological Lightweight?
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