How to Start a Dance Ministry

There are many ways one person can minister to another. The good news is that you can minister through the art of dance. More and more dance ministries are popping up. This is mostly because dance has become an important part of our culture. It has a way of reaching today's generation that other methods just don't have. It is worth pursing a dance ministry anywhere you may be in America.

Instructions

1. Seek counsel from your church pastor. If you are feeling led to go in to the dance ministry, speak to your pastor about it. Pray with your pastor. He may confirm what you are feeling. Even if the minister is not comfortable with a dance ministry within your own church, you can pursue it elsewhere. Only you can hear what your heart is telling you to do. God works in ever mysterious ways.

2. Organize a group of dancers that would be willing to travel. If the dancers are under the age of 18, you are going to need cooperative parents. The dancers should be both talented and committed to spreading the word of God.

3. Get an assistant. You are going to need help coordinating your traveling schedule, finding costumes, arranging songs and choreography, and handling all of the dancers. The assistant can also help keep track of the budget and donations.

4. Get your base support. Your church should be where you get your base support. If they don't have room for you on the budget this year, find out if they will include you beginning in the following year. You may need to look at another avenue for support, and this may include another church or a religious non-profit.

5. Have fundraisers to get your beginning support. This should be enough money to hold you over until you get started on your first traveling mission. A love offering should be taken at each place you stop to perform . This should be used to help support the dance ministry. It should pay for hotel stays, food, costumes, gas, and any other needs you accumulate along the way. The love offering should be enough to carry you over to the next church performance.

6. Get a laptop. You will need a way to keep track of all of your performance dates and locations. You may find that certain places want to book you to come again shortly after your first performance. In fact, most churches book their events up to a year ahead of time.

7. Have a sign up sheet for each place you perform. Gather names, addresses and email addresses. This will help you develop a steady form of communication with a large group of people. Suddenly hundreds or thousands of people receive your update. They will be reminded of your group and may even recommend you to other churches.

Tips & Warnings

• Start off small, and it will grow naturally if it is meant to be.

• Tape some of your performances and offer them up for sale. The profits should go back in to your dance ministry. This should be stated upon marketing. Any profit in excess of what the ministry uses should be donated to the church or charity of your choice. You should advertise and specify this in advance.

• You may want to make sure you have backup dancers in case a dancer gets sick or hurt. This will keep you from having to cancel any shows.