Dependency Issues in Dance Ministry

Dependency Issues in Dance Ministry

In this teaching we are going to learn how to combat dependency issues in Dance Ministry. 2Timothy 2:15 teaches the biblical principle of diligence. Diligence requires persistent action. The action in this scripture is the action of studying.

In Dance Ministry our studying and diligence pertains to our preparedness and practice. As Dance Ministers we commit ourselves to  practice and prepare for a ministry piece. We also practice and study ALL there is within our ability and resources to perfect our level of skill and to sharpen our technique. As Dance Ministers we should always have a mental attitude of learning new expressions of praise to glorify the Father and to communicate our message of the good news of Jesus Christ. Dance is a language and the more movement vocabulary we learn, the more effective our communication will be.

I encourage you to study other forms of dance. Start with the basics and perfect that. Most of us do not have secular dance training and that is fine. Now that we are in ministry, we are called to the responsibility of study the thing God has called us to. He has called us to dance; therefore we must study all that is available to us relating to our dance. If God called you to this ministry He will open doors for you to obtain all that you need to go forth with power and purpose. Use the FREE resources available to you if you cannot afford, or have the time to take dance lessons in the form of dance you like. FREE resources are in the form of YouTube videos and so forth. Use them.

Now for the lesson: Dependency Issues in Dance Ministry

Combating dependency issues in Dance Ministry requires the actions of practice and worship. Most of us who find ourselves looking around at other team members while we dance probably have one or more of these opponents of diligence going on inside of us. Below are some opponents of diligence which may contribute to our dependency issues in Dance Ministry. Below are also some best practices that has helped me and my team members prevail against these opponents. 

1. We may not be adequately prepared because we did not practice. 

Best Practice: Practice, Pray, Practice and Pray! Our practice is not limited to rehearsal. We must practice often at home as well. Not only should we practice, but we should worship in our choreography during our devotional time with the Lord.

2. We may not be confident in our ability. 

Best Practice: If God called us to dance He has given us the ability to dance. He has also set before us teachers to teach us how to dance our praise with boldness, skill and truth. Confidence comes by obeying God’s Word, studying the Word, learning different forms of dance and movement vocabulary. Confidence also develops when we are comfortable with our bodies. In prayer, learn how to pray in motion. Let your body flow in praise to God in abandon and watch how quickly you will become more comfortable and confident in your movement expression.  

3. We may not be comfortable with the dance because the dance was pitch too high for us. 

Best Practice: This means we were taught choreography before we were taught the proper technique. This by the way is very dangerous. It is dangerous because if we try to execute a movement ignorantly we can injure ourselves. It is also dangerous because it is a confidence and a self-esteem killer. Before we try to execute a movement we must be confident and comfortable with the movement and know how to execute the movement skillfully in order to communicate our message effectively. This is how we apply 2Tim. 2:15 to our dance.

4. We did not worship in our choreography so that we can connect both our body and soul to the truth of what God is doing in our spirit. 

Best Practice: Worshiping in our choreography consists first of a submitted lifestyle to God. We must live the Word! Second, it is getting alone with God and praising Him and dancing before Him using the choreography we have learned. This is when our dance becomes real. This is that which produces spiritual impact and substance in our dance. What God is doing in our spirit should manifests in our daily lifestyle and then spill over into our ministry. The following Scripture teaches us that there is no truth in us if we live contrary to the Word of God.

“So whoever lives in Christ does not continue to sin. If they continue to sin, they have never really understood Christ and have never known him.” 1John 3:5 ERV

 In other words, our lifestyle cannot be contradictory to God’s Holy Word. If it is contradictory then our dance is a lie. If our dance is a lie then our body (movements) and soul (how we feel, reverence and connect with the Truth we are ministering to Gods people about) will not be in agreement with the Spirit because we have not submitted our spirit to God. Therefore when we “minister” we are not ministering at all; we are simply dancing void of Gods glory and truth. If God’s glory and truth is missing from our dance then we automatically submit our members to the exultation of the flesh (Rom. 6:16). This is when our dance becomes performance and not ministry.

I really hope this information helped you go forth with even more diligence in you ministry. If you have any best practices to share please feel free to post a comment.God bless!

Sonia Kong, PDCM