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The Vocal Coach

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I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas Season and a safe New Year celebration. We have a brand new year to begin to work toward God's calling in our lives. We need to be prepared when God opens the many new doors of ministry to us. One way is to be vocal ready and knowledgable about every area of ministry. So, we are going to start off the new year talking about management of a ministry. There is a lot to cover and many of us know so little about proper management. Some of the information in this article was compiled by Roger and Debra Talley for a seminar that I hosted a few years ago and used by their permission.

The first thing we want to talk about is setting up your ministry as a business. Pray and seek God's advice and counsel. Make sure you are doing what God wants you to do with your life and not your will for it. When you are sure of that then ask God to show you how to go about setting up your business/ministry. Take your time and proceed in prayer. If you move to fast you can get ahead of God. Spend more time listening to God and less time talking. He will lead you.

Next consult an accountant in your area or state. They know the laws in your state and can give you sound advice. They can give you proper methods for setting up your books and how to file at the end of the year. They will explain about setting up a corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, or and L.L.C. business. Choose what is best for your situation after they have explained what each means.

Then set up a bookkeeping system. It does not matter if you are part-time or full-time ministry you still need to use an effective bookkeeping system. Your accountant can help you get started with your books. Keep all receipts for anything purchased for your ministry, from food, to dry cleaning, gas, equipment, telephone bills, anything you spend money on for the ministry. Your accountant will use what is allowed by law at the end of the year. If you don't have those receipts he can not deduct it without them.

Then consult a lawyer, after you have consulted an accountant, you may need legal help to set up your organization. Always get everything on paper to make problems that may arise later easier to handle. Keep everything legal even if you are in a ministry with your best friends. That way everyone is propected.

Set up a budget to support your ministry. Things to include in your budget are travel expense, salaries, insurance, vehicles, tires, equipment, telephone, web site, fuel, etc. If you have it down on paper it is easier to believe God for that amonut when everyone is in agreement. Make it realistic and then as your ministry grows so will the amount that you will need to operate the ministry. It is encouraging to look at the books and see how your ministry has grown. This is great for those times when you feel discouraged. Seeing it on paper makes it real.

Then have business cards printed up. Make sure to have the Minisrtries name, the contact persons name and phone number, and an address on the card.

One thing to always remember, no matter what you have done up make sure it always has you name, phone number, and address on it. You never know where it will end up and someone may want to reach you. Make it easy for them.
Look at everything as advertisement and publicity.

Have a professional picture taken. Spend a little more and get a good picture taken by a professional photographer. A picture is worth a thousand words so make them good words. Later on we are going to have an article just about photo sessions so keep looking for it. But for now just remember to make it the best picture you can get for your money.

Then put together a promo packet. This packet will include a good picture, a short press release for printing in newspapers, and always include a business card, and posters that can be distributed in shops and church bulletin boards.

And of course, purchase equipment. Do your home work in this area. Less is more sometimes. Do not buy more equipment than you need. Having a lot of equipment does not make you look professional. Having just what you need and using it well does. Before buying ask a lot of questions. Remember that the music store wants to sell you as much as they can get you to purchase. Most of the sells persons work on commission. So go into the store knowing what you want and stay within your budget. Shop around for the best prices. Take your time and shop wisely and you will be glad you did. Talk to other groups about their equipment and find out what works best for them or try to find a person that knows sound equipment and get their advice. Research will save you a lot of money and time.

Next month we want to talk about booking your group. The questions I am asked the most are about booking. And we will have some answers about that next time.

Think about some training this winter when your schedule is not as busy as it is in the summer. Make a trip to Music City and spend a few hours with me working on your vocals. Your Spring concerts will bloom with success if you take some time to perfect your vocals now. It will be the best thing you ever did for you, your voice, and your audience. Call me at (615) 886-7082 or email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Until next time, keep singing His praises.

Marti

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