Push the Elephant up the hill
or train anointed music ministers

My heart has always been in the local church, and that's where I met Carman. After I had attended the church for some time, he invited me to tour as his music director for two reasons: he knew i could flow in the Spirit for altar ministry, and he knew I could play with such a fullness that it sounded as if two or three people were playing. As a result, we made recording history by ending his ticketed concerts and hosting "concert crusades" across the world with altar calls bringing 500 souls to Christ each night.

We saw God move mightily at Faith Christian Fellowship's Family Church Conference 1999. Many commented about how I flowed in the ministry with Mrs. Pat Harrison, that you rarely see anyone flow like that in music ministry, and that I interpreted musically what the Spirit of God was saying through her. Most of you said that you have only had that kind of Flow once or twice in your own services.

So often we ministers find ourselves reflecting back on one or two services and saying, "Wasn't that day glorious?! Wasn't the Spirit of God so present in that worship service or in that time of altar ministry?" I believe that kind of anointing should be present more often than not. I am here to tell you that it is possible.

That is why I am not going to talk about the tabernacle of David or the angels and their names. Because on Sunday morning or during a revival when you are struggling and can't find a skillful, spiritually sensitive, and anointed musician, the tabernacle of David won't help you.

I have seen the list of ministry opportunities that the Bible colleges post. Consistently, they reveal the needs in church music ministry to be three-to-four times that of children's or youth's. As I have traveled the world in evangelism,
I've been in hundreds of churches, and I can say that the greatest need in the Church and the area of greatest difficulty to pastors is in the music area.

Music ministry difficulties are common, and you may be frustrated and anxious because of them. It seems to be true whether you are just starting out in ministry or have been established for years.

You can quickly solve your music ministry problems!

You really need a keyboard player. Not a great music director nor a talented singer. But to cover every aspect of music ministry, you need, not want, but need a good keyboard player.

Music Ministry is not just praise and worship. You need an effective, well-rounded keyboard player who can handle weddings, funerals, Sunday school programs, small meetings, large meetings, outreaches, someone who can flow with you when you are speaking, moving in the gifts of the Spirit, or ministering at the altar.

I know this is different from what you may have heard, but practically speaking you need a keyboard player. Some musicians sound good with a complete band, but they sound as if the bottom totally dropped out when the band isn't there. You need someone who is solid, whether or not the band is there.

Most evangelists travel with their own musicians, usually a keyboard player. Why? I had one prominent evangelist tell me that he was willing to cover the expense of a keyboard player just to have anointed music in every service. He went on to say that preaching after most of the music he experienced in churches was like trying to push an elephant up a hill. He could never get results without anointed music, and he was willing to pay the price for it. Hundreds of churches are planted every year, and we are reaching across the globe to establish mission organizations, but how many of these new works have skillful keyboard players? How much easier would their work be if there were not one but several anointed keyboard players in each work? How much more quickly would they grow if they had consistently anointed music?

Do you have consistently anointed music in your church? If you do, you are the exception rather than the rule.

You are probably thinking that you could never bank roll that kind of professional, but I tell you that they are sitting in your congregation right now, Sunday after Sunday, service after service, faithfully attending your church.
I have dedicated the past five years of my ministry to developing a training program for church keyboard players. In this program, you use the people in your church so that you are not at the mercy of the outsider or the professional musician who is a heathen. It is time for that to stop, and now it can.

With my program, anyone with a heart can be used musically. I suggest starting with your singers. They have an ear for music and a heart for your ministry. All they need is this program, which is very easy for them to pick up, and they can apply it immediately. The benefit is this: these people go to your church, they have your heart, they respect and love you, and are committed to you and your ministry.

As a result of this program, you can not only have one but three, four, or five keyboard players to choose from! This is the key to eliminating the problem that many pastors have with musicians. In the past we have left ourselves
vulnerable to the musician's every whim and mood swing because we are so dependent on them and they know it. The presence of five other very capable keyboard players in the church quickly checks that attitude. Musicians will respond quickly to you when they know they can be replaced.

All areas of your church can benefit from this program. We have hundreds of people of all ages who can now play keyboard and write their own charts and arrangements for bands. You can have young people handling their own
services and the older people handling their own meetings.
By taking hold of this program, you can experience in every one of your services the kind of ministry you have dreamed of.