In addition to being Lead Worship Pastor at I encourage you to read and share the wisdom
Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, and insights Michael shares in this feature.
Michael Neale is a Dove Award-winning
songwriter,
national
best-selling
and to disciple the congregation in the same.
I’ve been through and served at churches that
author, [WM] Michael, many thanks for joining us. have had choirs and that didn’t have choirs,
worship leader, and teacher. With the accents Before we dig into your background and and I’ve seen fruitful ministry in both places.
on leader and teacher, Michael passionately various accolades, I’d like to start with your When God is moving, and His Spirit is moving,
understands the value that a choir adds to take on ‘the choir’ as it relates to the church the mechanisms with which we praise and
congregational worship. historically, presently, and looking forward. how we execute our music artistry and ministry
Noting that my musical childhood started in [Michael Neale] My experience with choir with all the colors. It’s really about each local
choir, you’d be hard pressed to find someone has been very eclectic and fruitful when it church discovering what the best stewardship
more appreciative of the role a choir can play comes to seeing the impact of moving the is for their own worship ministry. I’ve never had
in the lives of your musicians. In addition to worship experience and the discipleship of an agenda other than to serve the Lord and
having a thriving adult choir, Prestonwood worship into the congregation. We had a tiny, to serve the Pastor and the leadership of the
also has a 400-member student choir. That’s little choir in the small church I grew up in, and church of which I’m involved. I guess if you
right – 400 kids singing their hearts out for seeing the people up there really represented a count my high school years, I’ve served in four
the Lord, learning the ins and out of making microcosm of the church. That’s the beautiful churches vocationally for the last thirty years.
music while becoming an active part of the thing to me about a choir; it represents age, For me, the community that is built, the strength
church community. socioeconomic, and racial diversity – it’s just and discipleship that comes, and the regular
a beautiful picture. We’re not solo artists, but meeting and prayer and care that happens in a
So, when we heard what Michael was doing, together we create a community that represents choral context is incredible.
we reached out and set up an interview. the body of Christ and serves as a great army Whether you have a choir at your church or not, to advance the gospel, to lift up praise to God,
don’t matter. God uses all of it and paints
March 2019
I believe there was this big move several years
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