Alvin M. Keeling 
Although the number of artists in Nigeria has increased significantly over the past few years, the change does not seem to affect the ministry of gospel songs positively. This is most likely because the plan to become a circular singer is more widely available than those of gospel song ministers in the country. In view of this, here we will be looking at plans to become a gospel song minister in Nigeria.
What are gospel songs?
We will begin the given topic by analyzing what is meant by Gospel Songs.
Gospel music is songs recorded for ceremonial, entertainment, or other religious purposes.
Among the various genres of songs in the world, the category of gospel songs, as the name suggests, preaches the gospel in lyrics and beats.
The biography of gospel songs
The biography of gospel music according to Wikipedia pointed out that this class of music is “a traditional genre of Christian music”.
This kind of music dates back to Christian hymns of the early 17th century. He is originally from Scotland, in the southern United States.
Christian country music, regional scenes, southern gospel, fusion and black gospel are some subgenres of gospel music.
The term “gospel song” was first used publicly in 1874 by Philip Bliss when he published his songbook with the term – Gospel Songs. It is therefore said that the class of songs originated from Christian hymns because the said book of Philip was a collection of several hymns and tunes.
Nigerians became involved in this genre of music some time after the end of the 16th century, when it was brought to the country by the Portuguese Catholics of Benin City.
Meanwhile, the very first gospel singer is said to be Sister Rosetta Tharpe, history has it that the late Reverend Josiah Jesse Kuti was the first Nigerian to record a gospel song.
Thus, Reverend Josiah Jesse Kuti is also sometimes referred to as the father of Nigerian gospel music.
Things Expected of a Minister of the Gospel in Nigeria
You don’t become an effective gospel singer unless you know what it takes to make it happen.
Here are some 10 steps you need to follow to be effective in Gospel Music.
1. The place of your daily devotions with God
You would sing for the expansion of the kingdom of God and not for your benefit or for circular purposes. Therefore, your gospel devotions should be taken seriously and observed daily, just like your breakfast.
If only you know the many other benefits of observing gospel devotions daily as a gospel singer, you will make it a daily priority.
2. The place of daily commitment to listening to sermons and gospel messages to keep your fire burning
Besides making sure to observe your devotions daily, you should listen to the gospel sermons.
Remember that whoever wants to lead must first learn to follow. As a gospel singer, you intend to lead others to Jesus. It is therefore essential that you also listen to the gospel sermons of other successful gospel singers. Learning from predecessors is evident in every industry. This will naturally give you a better idea of the industry and keep your fire burning at the same time.
3. The place of your personal development in reading Christain Books/PDF
A study has shown that Christian e-books also play an important role in the lives of the most successful gospel song ministers. These books will not only help fill your mind, but will also point out some of your strengths and weaknesses as a devoted believer.
Reading usually helps, but as an aspiring gospel singer, Christian books are the type of books you want to specialize in. The good news is that some sites offer you free PDFs of Christian books.
4. Your commitment to providing song lyrics that will energize the human spirit
No more than it seems. You should be able to consistently provide your audience with amazing lyrics that energize their minds to work toward inheriting the kingdom of God.
Your commitment to doing so must be exceptional so that your most recent songs are always superior to your previous lyrics. If you’re not used to the system, gospel lyrics matter more than the beat attached to songs, unlike circular songs.
5. Your commitment to personal financial investment in your career
The need to build the monetary aspect of your career is relatively as important as the need to improve your spiritual life because it shapes the physical aspect that attracts people to your work.
To top it all off, what you end up earning will be more when you fund your career.
6. Learn to become a master in what you provide
Since there is always room for improvement in everything we do, you want to adapt to this belief and learn how to do better in the gospel music industry. That doesn’t mean you want to compete with other singers, but build your brand in a way that’s always relevant and more vibrant.
7. Create platforms of mentoring opportunities for your mentees
As they say, opportunities can only strike once and many also believe that one should create room for opportunities as they will not come naturally.
But knowing that one way to grow fast is to uplift others, you need to be sure to create a platform of mentoring opportunities for your mentees.
Keep in mind that this step should happen when your songs are already playing.
8. Setting up insurance for your career
A smart way to further your career is to associate your brand with a legitimate insurance program.
Insurance programs will take care of you in the event of the unexpected.
9. Earn money on your song by monetizing your brand/company
Truth be told, among the other ultimate goals of singing is the point of making money in this industry since you can choose to do it for a living.
There are several ways to make money as a singer, one of which is streaming.
Get to know the different ways to earn money even as a gospel singer.
Some successful gospel song ministers have also been known to earn money by going to perform at concerts. By doing this you are creating structure around your life to begin with.
10. Create a digital marketing brand image for your song.
The world now seems internet-based, making digital marketing a very useful step for anyone who wants to quickly promote their brand.
Gone are the days when people couldn’t access songs or videos unless they got tapes to play on VCD or DVD players.
CONCLUSION
In addition to the already discussed plans to become a gospel song minister in Nigeria, you can start the journey easily from the church. This is where most Nigerian singers (singers of other musical genres included) started. Your talent can be discovered by a good gospel music promoter, other churches and more. You are checking gospel sermons on kingdom sermons and gospel songs on impacttunes
