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Dancing With Prophetic Purpose

Before you begin to choreograph a song to be ministered in your church or community……defining the PURPOSE of the song you wish to dance is very important. And before I delve into the PURPOSE of the song you have chosen……let’s discuss how to choose a song for ministry in dance.

There are dozens of songs I have worshiped/danced in my living room, and never danced in a public setting. As a dance MINISTER, it is my responsibility to hear the voice/heart of God, and ask Him to reveal to me WHICH songs I am to minister to His people. I have a prophetic responsibility to minister songs that He wishes to speak to the people of my church, or my community. And what He is speaking to me personally, may not always be what He wishes to speak to the congregation.

And so, I encourage you to seek His face in prayer, and ask Him to reveal to you WHICH songs He would have you dance. Once you know which song to dance, and God has confirmed it to you, you next need to know WHY He wishes you to dance that song. Often times, the WHY is self-explanatory, in that the message speaks clearly what He is saying. But sometimes, you may need to pray and hear God’s “heartbeat” as to what specifically He wishes to “say” through your dance. And this is where your responsibility to pray/intercede for your congregation comes into play. Often times, their hearts may need to be prepared to “hear” the message you are to dance. Spending time alone individually, and corporately as a team, interceding for your congregation, that their hearts will be tender and receptive to the message of the song you are dancing, is vitally important. Next, once you know WHY God has chosen this song, you need to know WHEN to dance the song. Many times God has given me, or my team, a song that we danced shortly after choreography was finished. But also, MANY times, I (we) have needed to wait on God’s perfect timing to dance a song He laid on our hearts. Sometimes this is because it took a season of prayer to prepare both our hearts to minister the song, and prepare the congregation’s hearts to receive it. These things can only be discerned in the place of prayer, and confirmed in the mouths of 2-3 witnesses, so I encourage you to PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!

Now, when you know WHICH song, WHY, and WHEN to dance it…..next you need to know WHAT is the general content/message of the song? What scripture(s) is the song based on? How have those scriptures impacted your life, and the lives of the dancers on your team? Taking time as a team, and as individuals, to meditate on those scriptures is another vital aspect of preparing yourselves to minister this song. I suggest that you meditate, pray through, worship with, and dance to those scriptures…..both alone by yourself, and as a team. When those scriptures become Rhema Words to you…..it will revolutionize your choreography……I promise!

Next, HOW does God wish to communicate this song through movement? Seek Him as to what kind of dancing would be appropriate to convey the message of this song with precision. This will give direction to your choreography. Do you need 1 dancer, 2 dancers, and ensemble, or a whole team? Do you need pageantry aides, billow cloths, banners, or other worship instruments? And what dance garments would enhance the message of this song? As well, how will this song fit into the overall flow of the service you will dance it? How does that affect whether your dance should be done at the beginning, middle, or end of the service?

When I am dancing a solo piece, I take all these aspects into consideration and pray, pray, pray about them. When I am leading our dance ministry team in choreographing a song, we go through this PURPOSE PREPARATION as a group, delving into each aspect as a team. It is crucial that ALL the dancers on your team know WHY God has chosen this song, WHEN He wants you to dance it, WHAT He wants to speak through the song, and HOW He wishes to communicate that message through movement. If you make this a process a priority in your rehearsals, the fruit from your ministry will be lasting in your congregation, and will give PURPOSE to your dance ministry team.

Most of all, God wants to speak a “now word”, a prophetic word, through us as we worship and minister in dance. He wishes to convey the desires of His heart, and draw all men’s hearts to His. And He wishes to do that through us! How awesome a responsibility we have to partner with Him to see His purposes done through our dances!

As a last note, below are some general purposes of dance in the church, and your choreographed dances will fall into one or more of these categories. Take some time to study them with your dance ministry team, and continue to pray, pray, pray!

Purposes of Dance in Church

to Praise/Worship the Lord

Psalm 149:3, Psalm 150:4, Psalm 95:6

to Lead in Joy & Triumph

Psalm 68:25, Exodus 15:19-20

to Usher in the Presence of God

2 Samuel 6:3-5, 12-17

to Minister/Prophesy the Heart of God

Ezekial 4:4-8

to Preach the Word of God

Isaiah 52:7, Isaiah 61:1-3