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A Good Rehearsal (Part 2)

by Chris Clough

In Part 1, we defined what a good rehearsal is, and emphasized the importance of a clearly defined mission or vision that the team owns & understands. Now we'll move into some specifics that will really shape our rehearsal time.

5 Goals Of Good Rehearsals

With that shared vision firmly in hand and regularly revisited, here are 5 goals that will transform our rehearsals. Keep in mind that there are a hundred ways to pursue these goals, but we should see each of them in some way in our rehearsals:

1. Glory-Giving

Let's start with what is (or should be) obvious: make sure worship is part of our rehearsals. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name. How you do it doesn't matter as much as that you do it. Sometimes we sing unplanned songs around a piano or a cappella, interspersed with prayers of praise for who God is. It doesn't have to happen that way, but be deliberate about giving God glory.

2. God-Seeking

Meet with God in a genuine & real interaction. Pour out your hearts to Him, seek His help, His blessing & His direction for your team and for the needs of the people on the team. Spend time praying for each other, or asking God for His direction & power in your lives as well as in the ministry. Spend time listening to God. How about occasionally asking God to search your hearts as a group in a time of confession & repentance before Him? Truly meet with God when you gather together.

3. Heart-Shaping

There are many, many heart-shapers that can be folded into our rehearsals. Testimonies, teaching videos and devotionals are just a few examples. The core of this centers around loving what God loves and growing in faith, humility before the Lord and sensitivity to His Spirit. Worshipers are nothing if not Kingdom-people, and we need hearts that reflect our King.

Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. (Psalms 86:11 NIV)

Of course, the Word of God is the primary heart-shaper. And there are many excellent authors whose material is intensely heart-shaping, such as A.W.Tozer, John Piper and Mike Yaconelli, among others.

4. Team-Building

This is anything that builds a strong sense of "us" into the team. Not in an ingrown, cliquish way, but in a serving, loving & honoring one another way. One of the best (and hardest) team builders we've ever done is to cut down on the (good-humored) sarcasm in the way we speak to each other. My pastor has told me, if you're going to joke like that with someone, make sure you joke about their strengths. In a way that upholds and honors the gifts & heart God has given them.

But that's not the only way to build a team. We have a built-in hang-out time at the beginning of rehearsal. We've gone to dinner together. Done fun little exercises that demonstrate our interdependence on each other. You know, the two best team-builders that come to mind right now are laughing and worshiping together.

By the way, make sure you involve your whole team - if you have a tech team, include them! Make sure they're in the prayer circle with you at the end of rehearsal! And if there's a group of you that is especially tight, be careful not to exclude the rest of the team in your rehearsal interactions. It's important that task-oriented ministry teams (like worship) remember that above all, we're family.

5. Skill-Sharpening

This may include training in a specific area (vocal technique, playing as an ensemble, getting a good mix), or simply rehearsing Sunday's songs. But note that I've listed this last. Typically, this is the first thing we think of when we think "rehearsal", but we are admonished to remember that the battle we're in is a spiritual battle and we use spiritual "weapons" (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). In fact, if we perform everything with great skill, but have not love for one another or the Lord's anointing (His Spirit working through us to accomplish His will), then we "labor in vain."

In fact, I believe that sometimes (do I dare confess this?) there's a subtle pride that can creep into our hearts, especially if we have a pretty good sound going. We might open and close with prayer, but the real "meat" of the rehearsal is when we work out those sweet harmonies & tight grooves. Brother & sister, we need to confront that when we recognize it in ourselves, repent of relying on our own abilities & return to a deeper dependence on God's unique ability to touch His church and change the world. If we don't, we're really working against God:

…Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6 NIV)

In fact, in almost all of our rehearsals we put the first 4 goals in the early part of our rehearsal time, before we even pick up our instruments & mics. Come on, 'fess up. We all know how easy it is to spend 95% of our time dealing with the sound system and the music, and then end with a "hurry-up-and-say-amen" kind of prayer. We avoid that by setting aside the time early in our rehearsals.

Now, all of that is not to say, "Don't rehearse." We should prepare as a team to give God our very best offering - to be a sharpened tool in His hand. We should even rehearse individually before the rehearsal (see Prehearsal 101 and Listen And Learn). But as we do, let us also be the first ones to say,

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses (and some in Taylor acoustics!), but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."

Focus And Freedom

Now our rehearsals have some focus - a goal greater than just "learning the songs." But not only a new focus, a new freedom - leeway, options, avenues toward preparing your team to accomplish its mission. And frankly, I believe, a better way of honoring the Lord in our rehearsals, which may open up (for some) a new dimension to "giving God our best" as worship teams.


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