All of them share a common goal: to use their skills as musicians and lead others in worship.

Instructor Todd Hinkie leads a long strumming session along with instructions: "Up to C-sharp minor and change ... slide down. Shift over to E."

He's constantly looking at his students, checking form and encouraging them. "Look at you man, you're doing it!"

Hinkie, Worship Pastor at Grace Community Church in Tyler, knows that learning the guitar is not easy - even with the help of a book or video.

"It's like learning to ride a bike, you need a friend to run behind and help you," he said.

He heard too many stories from people who bought a guitar but never learned how to play. So he created GuitarMasters, a method and curriculum that takes people with no guitar experience and gives them needed skills to become worship leaders.

"The No. 1 thing the Lord has shown me," Hinkie said, "it's (leading worship is) about the glory of God ... making the invisible God visible."

Donnie Lewis, 49; Angela Green, 33; and Shawn Gibson, 26, have been in the program since January. All three said they appreciate the teaching methods and accountability to practice that come with taking lessons.

Mrs. Green, a Tyler resident, received the guitar lessons as a Christmas gift and she has already put her knowledge to practice, leading singing for her Sunday school class.

Lewis sings on the worship team at his church and says the curriculum is "structured well for what I'm doing."

Gibson, a left-handed guitar student,  sees himself leading worship in some capacity in the future.

The curriculum is "worship-focused," Hinkie said, each class beginning with prayer and ending with a Scripture verse, encouraging the student to persevere and remember the goal behind learning the guitar.

They focus on particular techniques like finger-picking, but merge their new skills by playing songs. Hinkie encourages the class to sing along, incorporating their voices and hands simultaneously.

Hinkie included weekly goals in the curriculum so students have definite ideas of what to accomplish during their practice time. During the next week, students must play a song for someone else.

Hinkie told the students that "music is really personal" but that doesn't mean it has to be private. He said playing for someone else is risky, but music is meant to be shared.

Hinkie suggested the students chose to play for someone who loves them and will respond in an encouraging way. He said 3-year-olds would be a great choice.

Hinkie said he desires for GuitarMasters to please God, to be a way "to see His glory spread through missions." He feels his goal is coming to fruition because part of the proceeds from the program is already being used to support missionaries.

Hinkie hopes to begin using GuitarMasters at local mission training centers such as Youth with a Mission. During the time mission students are training in East Texas, they could learn the guitar, an extremely portable and useful instrument to take to the mission field.

GuitarMasters offers beginning and intermediate level classes. Students in the beginning classes learn basic guitar skills such as strumming patterns and open chords, intermediate students focus on modern chords and strumming,  finger picking and learning how to use songs to lead others in worship. 

The 45-minute classes in the Tyler area take place at Lifeway stores, American Band Instruments, and Doc's Pizza in Lindale. GuitarMasters students learn user-friendly music theory and use worship choruses and hymns in the learning process. There are a variety of ages involved in the program.

For information call (903) 479-3540 or visit www.guitarmasters.net.