Have you seen dance or flag ministry and felt the desire to join in?
Maybe you’ve seen it at a church, special event, or online.
You want to do it, but how do you get started?
Even after having received a prophetic word to dance for the Lord, I wondered how it would all come about for me.
I searched around for dance classes and found one fairly local ministry that taught dance as an expression of worship. The problem though was that the classes were for elementary and high school-aged people. I was in my forties. One location offered an adult class for those 18 and older. It was over an hour’s drive to get there, not to mention an inconvenient time of the day, and “18 and older” was likely representative of 18-21 year-olds. Well… that idea got scrapped.
And, in reality, I couldn’t envision myself dancing like the dancers in the Christian dance ministry organizations. Everything seemed so… limited and choreographed.
I ended up in a local adult ballet class, and wondered how that training would work into dance ministry at a church. I still laugh at the picture of this idea.
Then, one Sunday during worship, the Lord asked me to wave a banner for Him. (Check out the blog, Called to Dance, for that petrifying experience!) There was something about this banner-waving act that pushed me to the border of stepping out of my tightly-stuck shell.
When it’s God’s timing to get started, things just start popping up seemingly out of nowhere.
What influenced and encouraged me the most to step out with flagging and dancing was the ministry, Called To Flag. They had Tuesday night practices that were streamed live on Facebook. A practice session just happened to pop up in my Facebook feed one evening. I watched and I was hooked. It was spontaneous. It was simple and pure. The flags were beautiful. I watched, learned, and fell in love with the freedom I felt through the music and movement.
Through this connection, I began ordering flags, taking classes through other “just happened to pop-up” organizations, and wah-lah! I got started!
It’s been less than ten years since my worship flagging and dancing began publicly. It feels so natural now, as if I’ve been doing it forever. And I think I will be doing it forever from here on out!
Are you feeling God’s call? Is it time for your “get started?” There are so many more resources available now than there were just ten years ago. Even so, it can still be intimidating to try something new.
Our own thoughts can keep us stuck. Maybe you’ve thought of all the why’s to not get started.
- No one to teach or lead
- No one else is interested
- I don’t know how
- My church isn’t open to it
- There’s no room at my church
- I’m probably too old (or too young)
Begin to think “unstuck” thinking.
- I will learn
- I will lead
- I will create interest
- I will pray for it to be welcomed in my church
- I will find room at my church, or wherever else the Lord leads
- No one is ever too old or too young to worship the Lord
Thinking back to all those adult ballet classes; they were so worth it. Ballet has provided a solid-foundation for my dance today. So, if all you’ve got available locally is a ballet class, go ahead and take it. If you are in the Denver-to-Colorado Springs region, consider one of my classes or workshops. I’d love to help you get started.
Understand these things about worship dance and flagging.
- It is first, for the Lord
- Not everyone will relate
- There will be challenges
- There will be disappointments
- There will be successes
When the Lord directs, nothing else matters. Get to this point – nothing else matters! God will provide the connections, timing, and increase.
- Pray. Bless the Lord. Dance.
- Get Started!