Starting an Arts Ministry in Your Church
Many in the Church are recognizing that God is now calling us to reclaim the arts and integrate them and artists into our worship and outreaches. But most churches around the world don’t currently have an arts ministry or programs, though there are talented artists in their congregations. If God has been nudging you, speaking to you about incorporating the arts into your church, here are a few thoughts on how to get started. Part One offers tips for Pastors and Leaders, Part Two for Artists.
Part One: For PASTORS AND LEADERS who want to start an arts ministry, program or outreach at their church
1. Start praying now about what God wants to do in the arts at your church. Just as pastors have specific messages from God for their congregations at specific times in history, so it is with the artists He has planted in your congregation. As you train them to hear God’s voice they will bring powerful messages that enhance what He is doing in your church. Read a book like Finding Divine Inspiration or Heart of the Artist to better understand how to disciple and encourage artists. The arts have endless applications in ministry. They can enhance worship, illustrate or enhance ideas and concepts, stir emotions, add beauty, enliven outreach and intuitively communicate God’s messages. Ask God to give you a vision for what He wants to do through the arts in your church.
2. Pray for the right person to lead your artists. You want this to happen naturally, in God’s timing and to not be forced. Artist/Leaders can be difficult to find. Your ideal arts leader will need to be a mix of pastor and administrator. Their pastoral tendencies will be important to shepherd, encourage and understand the artists, and thier administrative skills will help with the follow-through that artists and artistic projects need. It’s helpful if the leader has artistic talent, but not necessary as long as they understand the creative temperament. Make a commitment to disciple this person; they will be a huge asset to your and your church. Revolutionary Leadership is a good book to read and pass on to them. See this article: Embracing the Arts in the Church: Pt 2 for ideas on how to integrate the arts and maintain a standard of quality.
3. Invite Artists to meet and pray. Put a notice in the
bulletin inviting interested artists and creative types to meet at the
church or a nearby coffeehouse to pray talk about possibly starting an arts ministry. Use the time to gather contact information and circulate a survey. (Provided on this site in “Materials and Ideas”). Share the vision God has given you for the arts in your church.
You might also take some time during the meeting to brainstorm and
listen to God together, asking Him how you can collaborate with Him
through the arts to bring His messages to your congregation.
4. Understand where they are coming from. Many artists have been offended by the church or Christians. Just spending time with them will help heal that. You will bless them immensely if you take the time to pray for each of them individually at some point during the meeting. As these artists flourish, your congregation will flourish.
5. Later, when you have an Arts/Leader. Have them call a meeting--which you attend--to talk about specific arts project you and they want to do. Your attendance will help commission them and clarify direction. NOTE: It is important to meet at least occasionally with your arts leadership. Discuss difficulties, challenges and dreams they have. Give them a list of dates, topics or services you’d like to see the arts integrated into. MAKE SURE you’ve spent time listening to them first. If you give them ideas first they may be overloaded. Help them to set up a plan for discipling the artists in their care. Let them know you and the church stand behind them.
Part Two: For ARTISTS who want to start an arts ministry, program or outreach at their church.
1. Start praying now for God’s guidance. First, its important to take some time to pray through what role would God have you play in starting or facilitating an arts ministry. You want to ask Him to check your motives, prepare your heart and confirm if He is calling you to step out and initiate or lead. Ask someone else to pray with you about integrating the arts in your church, and for God to open the doors. You want this to happen naturally, in God’s timing and to not be forced. (See the “Prayers for the New Renaissance” provided on this site under “Material and Ideas” for prayer inspiration and direction.)
2. Talk with someone in leadership about integrating the arts into your church. Get some input from leadership. Your Senior Pastor may or may not be the person to approach to start this dialogue; it may be the Worship Pastor or maybe an elder who “gets” you. Many churches are somewhat entrenched in the “way we always do things”, so you need to be patient, respectful, and trustworthy in your approach. If your church is more open to the arts, explore where leadership would like to go with the arts in the future. Ask for dates when arts projects would fit in to services. Get permission to hold a meeting for artists, if that seems to be the next step.
3. Invite Artists to meet and pray. See if you can put a notice in the church bulletin inviting interested artists and creative types to meet at the church or a nearby coffeehouse to pray and talk about what integrating the arts into your church might look like. Use the time to pray, get to know each other, talk about possibly starting an arts ministry, gather contact information and circulate a survey. (Provided on this site in “Materials and Ideas”) Talk about tentative dates for another meeting, possibly a repeating time once a month or once a quarter. Try to make future meetings a time to connect and be authentic with other artists. Pray for needs, for healing, for projects, for commissioning. Maybe anoint each person with oil, if you do that kind of thing, or have everyone place their hands on the person being prayed for. Foster connection! If you have a large group, break up into groups of 4 people or so.
4. Pray about a project or idea you might suggest during the meeting. It’s a good thing to give people something to do after you get them excited. There are many project ideas that can get your artists, the congregation and leadership involved. Here is an example of The Mosaic Project .Other ideas are listed under Materials and Ideas. If you have someone who can hold a workshop on an area of the arts, see if there is interest in that. You might also take some time during the meeting to brainstorm and listen to God together, asking Him how you can collaborate with Him in the arts. ( See Finding Divine Inspiration for guidance on hearing God’s voice.)
Starting an arts ministry in your church can be a challenging process, but under the guidance of the Holy Spirit it may become one of the richest and most enjoyable ministries your congregation has.
When the arts and artists begin to integrate into a church, that congregation becomes more complete and mature because the Body of Christ is operating as it should, with each part and gift building up the other. (Romans 12:4-6) (See the article, "The Arts and the Maturity of the Church").
There is a renewal of the arts– a New Renaissance—that God is activating at this time in history. He wants to restore beauty, creativity, imagination and transcendence to their intended purpose, His glory. A reintegration of the arts into the Church and infusion of spiritually inspired art into the culture is underway and God is inviting you and your church to take your place in it.
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