One of the reasons King David is my favorite Biblical figure is because he knew how to construct a praise team. David did not say "Come one, come all. "The scripture tells us that David appointed individuals to minister music in the Temple. (I Chronicles 6:31). David knew how important it was that the proper atmosphere be set for God's house. There was so much excitement over the Ark of the Covenant being brought back to Jerusalem, that, again, musical appointments were made among the Levites. (I Chronicles 15:16,19,22). Only the Levites were to carry the Ark (I Chronicles 15:2), just as God had done in Moses' lifetime (Deuteronomy 10:8).
Many of our churches today have praise teams formed to stand before the people and minister music to usher the congregation into the presence of God. In this article I will give us some things to think about when forming a praise team. I also hope to speak to those who aspire to be a part of that team.
It should be understood first that the praise team must be made up of praisers and worshipers. Membership on the praise team does not make you a praiser—you should have already made it a habit long before you get to the team. Why? I can answer that question with a question: How can you lead people somewhere you have not been yourself? The team is not the place to learn to be a praiser and a worshiper—you need to already be there. Worship is a daily pursuit—praise is an ongoing journey and your life must demonstrate that. By the time you belong to a praise team you must have raised your praise and worship to God to the level of habit. It has become your lifeblood, along with reading and study of God's Word. This requires not only salvation through Jesus Christ, but there needs to be an ongoing relationship with Him. Our daily walk as Christians does not stop at the point of salvation; it is only the beginning.
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Experiencing Worship, The Study