Most people remember their first entry into the community of music ministry. For some, the call came early, through a children’s choir or a youth group. Some had music lessons in school but never did anything with their instrument; others kept playing in various kinds of ensembles. Some heard the call as an adult, when someone next to them in the pew said, “Wow, you have a nice voice! You should join the choir.”

Serving in music ministry is a calling, like every other worthwhile ministry. And like every other worthwhile ministry, there are certain demands that must be met, a commitment that must be made and knowledge that must be acquired. Serving in music ministry takes time, a scarce commodity in our busy modern lives. It takes concentration — there’s a lot to learn and remember. Whether you’re a section leader or a back-bencher, a gifted cantor or instrumentalist, a volunteer director or “just one of the troops,” music ministry requires humility — because ministry is never just about you, it’s about the good of the community.

Individuals must learn that their talents, no matter how dazzling, are gifts given that they might serve and empower the community, not club it into submission. Without that humility, neither the music ministry community nor the larger church community it serves can thrive.

But those who can leave their egos at the rehearsal room door enter a whole new world in which prayer involves body and heart as well as mind. In that new world of intense prayer and joyful praise, one’s fellow ministers become inexpressibly dear — even the cranky ones.