This article will conclude my four-part series on becoming "The Total Package".  It is my desire, as I also believe it is God's, to see Ministers of Music fulfill their potential in ministry, being all that they can be for God's Kingdom.

We've shared about the importance of familiarizing ourselves with all aspects of music ministry.  We've shared about the importance of becoming competent in our abilities as a musician and as a minister.  I want to share two more areas of "ministry" that we should recognize as important in our quest to become "The Total Package". 

1)    Ministering to God - I talked about this in a recent "Thought for the Week" entitled, "Sing Unto the Lord".  Since I've already shared about this I will keep this brief.  Just remember that you can never lead a congregation where you have not been yourself.  If you want your congregation to be able to minister unto God, worshipping Him, praising Him, and truly entering into His presence, then you must be doing that yourself.  Otherwise, you're not leading them anywhere.  You're just going through the motions and so are they.  Yes, some of them will enter in without you.  But you must remember that you are there to minister to God...not just to play good music.

2)    Ministering to your Pastor - This is one area that may have taken some of you by surprise.  But I believe that Music Ministers need to know how to minister to their Pastors as well as their congregations and praise teams.  

Most Pastors have few people that they feel they can share anything with for fear of people not being able to receive from their ministry.  Because of this, many Pastors have a hard time dealing with various issues in their lives (yes, even issues of sin) and find themselves even dropping out of ministry.  

We need to be able to be there for our Pastors.  After all, he is the visionary for our church...the person that God has appointed for us to be accountable to.  We should cherish and nurture that gifting by letting our Pastors know that we are for them, not against them.  Let your Pastor know that he can come to you if he ever needs anything.  Work together with him through ministerial issues in the church, all the while knowing that he is the one in charge, under God.  

We also need to recognize that our Pastor is the one who feeds us from week to week.  But who feeds him?  Who encourages him?  Who lets him know that he's right smack in the middle of where God wants him to be and to not doubt in God's provision?  Sure, Sister So-And-So comes into his office every Monday morning to empty her baggage on him.  But who does he empty his baggage on to?  Learn how to be a minister to your minister.

Your Pastor is a human being just like you are.  He has morning breath, stubs his toe once in a while (hopefully doesn't cuss immediately after), and puts his pants on one leg at a time.  He has the same needs as you and I.  Chances are that you are a better person because of one or more things that he has done for you.  Let him know what a blessing he is to you.  Strive to be that same type of blessing.

I have barely scratched the surface on the subject of becoming "The Total Package".  Strive to be "The Total Package" by becoming the competent musician, performer, composer, conductor, arranger, motivator, singer, preacher, teacher, leader, exhorter, visionary, encourager, prayer warrior, Word devourer, praiser, worshipper, minister, servant, man or woman of God that He has called you to be when He called you to be a "Music Minister".