Look and listen as Jessie shares how the folks at The Vineyard in Boise, ID only needed inspiration:

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Well thanks to ALFG subscriber Pastor Dave Weiss of “The Amok Arts Tribe”, I want to share with you this brief but highly informative video clip.

Jessie Nilo is the director of Vine Arts, the arts ministry at The Vinyard in Boise, ID.

Now, Pastor Dave has his own church in Pennsylvania which was founded on using the arts in ministry. He came across The Vineyard and was so impressed, he traveled to Boise to see first hand…an was not disappointed!

Take a look at the first part of Jessie’s three-part insight in starting a church arts ministry:

Be sure to visit Jessie’s website: http://vineartsboise.org

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Here’s some feedback from what those creative leaders had to say based on their first hand experience in starting Visual Arts Ministries:

What to Consider First

Linda Sines is a part of a Chattanooga, TN based group called “RED” that participates in Worship Art, a method of worshiping God using art.

Worship Through Art at RED

I like the fact that Linda speaks primarily on making sure that everyone is on the same page, clear and comfortable with the agreed upon vision of the Visual Arts Ministry.

Linda starts this off with a few critical questions that cannot be ignored when it comes to considering the launch of a Visual Art Ministry within your church:

• “What is the direction of the church board/pastor?”
• “Are they in support?”
• “Do they understand the value?
• “Is there trust in the process?”

The answers to these questions would establish the mission of the Visual Arts Ministry, and would determine how those involved would execute their talent.

Would art be limited to traditional Christian images with Bible verses tacked on them or relegated to only creating the backdrops and props of theater productions? Or would the ministry be about reaching the artists within the church and putting their gift back into practice?

The vision and goals of the Visual Art Ministry may or may not be in line with what you feel called to. Not that this is a bad thing, but it does challenge you to seek God about your involvement. Gaining clarity by asking questions sets the stage for going further.

REACH IN to the Individual Artist:

What exactly would this ministry do? Who will it minister to and what does that look like?

Matt Tommey, founder of The Worship Studio in Asheville, NC recommends centering the activity of a Visual Arts Ministry within the

Worship Through Art at The Worship Studio

small group study setting. Principles and concepts that help edify the artist can be the center piece of the group coming together internally, and then expressing themselves externally through shows or community workshops.

This approach could be the key to turning church attendees to members.

REACH OUT to the Rest of the Church or Community:

Some churches and groups use Visual Art to reach the larger community. Coast Hills Community Church in Aliso Viejo, CA, launched an incredible project called The Cross Collaboration where over thirty people from the church made their own unique designs of the cross for a Good Friday Service. Made of all sizes and materials, each cross told the passion of Christ from a unique and personal perspective.

See the video below to get the full experience>>

Books That Can Help:

Two books that Matt (as well as I) recommend that can be incorporated in a Visual Arts Ministry via  a study group or solo are “Unlocking the Heart of the Artist” by none other than Matt Tommey himself, and “Finding Divine Inspiration” by ALFG subscriber and author J. Scott McElroy.

Linda highly recommends “The Art of Curating Worship” by Mark Pierson. She says it contains some very good directives for team building and artists working with other leadership members within the church.

See Inside

See Inside

See Inside

Ministries to Check Out:

• RED
• The Worship Studio
• Coast Hills Community Church

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• “Have I accomplished God’s creative assignment for my life this year?”
• “Was I close enough to God to hear His voice and know just what my creative assignment actually is?”

Seemingly deep questions but, as usual, God gave us people that can be used as examples. People who were gifted and talented artisans of their day. Here are three familiar artists from the pages of the scriptures that can serve as examples of how not to miss God:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

 Artist: Bezaleel and the Listening Lifestyle
See Exodus 35:30

Name Means: “In the shadow of EL” (“In the shadow of God”)
What We Can Gain from This: To be in the shadow of God, you must be in the presence of God.
Why is that important?
I believe Bezaleel had a “listening lifestyle” where he spent time in God’s presence.

Artists that spend time in God’s presence nurture their personal, one-on-one with relationship with Him.

They hear His voice and have an understanding of what He wants the artist to do using their creative talent.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Artist: Aholiab the Obedient
See Exodus 35:34

Name Means: “Father’s Tent”
What We Can Gain from This: To live under his “father’s tent” in his culture meant that he had to be a man under authority.
Why is that important?
Being under someone’s authority, especially your father means that you are obedient to that authority.

As Bezaleel exemplified hearing from God about your creative talent while in His presence, Aholiab is the example of where many artists make mistakes: you can hear God’s voice all day long, but if you fail to obey that voice and take action, you miss your assignment.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Artist: Aaron- Pleasing People with Art Over Pleasing God
See Exodus 32

Never mind what his name means! Why is he here? Wasn’t he a priest?
During their time in the wilderness, the Israelites became restless while Moses was away receiving the Ten Commandments from God.

They strongly encouraged Aaron to use his skills to create a golden calf that they could use to worship. Aaron used his artistic ability to create an art piece that reflected the sinful nature that was already in the hearts of the people.
Aaron pleased the people with his talent rather than pleasing God.

What We Can Gain from This: The people decided how they wanted to worship, and enlisted Aaron to create this object of the worship process.

Why is that important?
We realize that we can be working on a creative project, thinking that it’s God’s will to make, sell giveaway, etc. The secret is to follow the examples of the first two artists to avoid the example of the last:

• Learn to Hear God’s voice by nurturing your relationship with the Spirit of God by spending time in His presence.
• Obey when you hear God’s voice, especially when His will is not the same as your own.
• God will never tell you to use your creativity in conflict with His Word.

Help us share this. Forward to at least one friend!

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