Starting a Dance Ministry (Part 2 of 3)

The first part of this series, Starting a Dance Ministry (part 1 of 3) dealt with the spiritual aspects of starting a new ministry.  This portion will explore the practical applications necessary to begin on a solid foundation.

Spreading the Word

Once you have the go ahead from the church leadership and come to an agreement on the vision, mission and purpose of the dance ministry.  It is time to plot out the logistics for rehearsal.   Consider these things before you announce anything:

- Who is eligible to participate in the ministry?  Age range? Gender? Church membership status?
- Where are you going to conduct rehearsals? When? Frequency of rehearsals?
- What do you require the new dance ministers to wear to rehearsal?  What should they bring?
- When can people join the ministry?  Certain times of year or anytime?
- Will rehearsals be open or closed?

Once you have this information, you should be ready to start your announcement campaign.  Start early enough to allow people time to sign up.  Here is a sample announcement:

Dance Ministry Rehearsal
Starting June 1st
Every Saturday

10am – 12pm: Ages 5-15
12pm – 2pm: Ages 16 & up

What to bring:
Bible, Notebook, Pen, Water bottle

What to wear:
Modest clothing suitable for movement

For More Information or to sign up:
Your contact information

Use whatever is at your disposal to spread the word: church announcements, bulletin, projectors, phone tree, email distribution, etc 

Dance Ministry Rehearsal

It’s important to have a plan in place for the rehearsal period.  Be sure to convey the mission, vision, purpose and expectations of the ministry and revisit them often.  Review the biblical foundation dance.  When was it used? Why? How is it applicable to us today?

Additionally, inform everyone of any garments & accessories that they will need for ministry. 

Allow an opportunity for people to ask any questions they may have. It is also a good idea to ask the members questions to see if you have anybody experienced in dance ministry or other gifts (administration, seamstress, intercessors) that can be of assistance to the ministry.

Movement Ministry!

Play whatever song you are using in its entirety and spend a time discussing the song. What is the message the song is trying to convey? What scripture(s) supports the message of the song (required)?

Be sure to stretch & warm-up properly before any strenuous movement. Once everyone is properly warmed up, then it is time to move on to ministry exercises & choreography. One exercise I frequently use to build our ministry’s “dance vocabulary” is to simply call out a word and have everyone display it. When we first started, I would give them the word and about 10 seconds to think of what they were going to do. Here are some words you can use: prayer, protection, worship, joy, fear, love, and victory. A variation on this exercise is to pair up the members and have them collectively express the same words.

Another exercise (this works especially well with mime ministries, but dance can use it to) is to express the Word through movement! Some scriptures frequently I frequently use: Genesis 1, Psalms 3, and Psalms 23.

Finally, effective choreography should match the mood of the song to effectively convey the message. In other words, a song about worship may confuse people if you are running, leaping and clapping your hands! (Hint – Look up the Greek & Hebrew words for worship using a Concordance for insight on worship movement).

The final part in this series will deal with the administrative side of Starting a Dance Ministry as well as list a few sample administrative documents.

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