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.
Experiencing Worship, The Study
Used by churches all over the world to help teach worship, the Experiencing Worship study can help your worship team too.
Your team will learn why we worship and gain a better understanding of how to worship.
One user said..."Your 5 week study course has made a tremendous impact on my life in the study of worship... I would like to express my thanks for a well written study course that leads into a higher realm of praise and worship."
The Paul Langford Project
This is the debut album by EXW friend Paul Langford. Paul is a Chicago based singer, arranger, keyboardist, producer and conductor. Paul has a career that spans 14 years. Paul's work includes arranging for groups like GLAD, Voices of Liberty, VoiceTrek, The Chicago based "Caroling Party" and Day of Discovery Singers. His arranging has appeared on recordings side by side with greats like Gene Puerling and David Maddux, and he has sung with Don Shelton, Bonnie Herman and Bob Bowker, among others.