Lessons for Leading a Growing Worship Team, Part 1
Every week I receive emails from worship leaders, but I was blown away by this one. Take a look:
“We just had our 2nd round of auditions this past Sunday. Trembling with excitement and fear in response to what’s happening here… Through our most recent auditions process “Journey style”… we have added about 40 new team members. I have been feeling the extra work load of the growth we experienced. Now, I am close to feeling like a deer in the headlights… This boy needs a new set of skills!!! (not to mention, a vacation 🙂 So looking forward to seeing what God is going to do next!”
Have you ever been there before? Overwhelmed by God’s blessing on your ministry and not quite sure of what to do next?
This is an actual email that I received last week from Michael — a great Worship Pastor in the Gainesville, FL area who is also a member of my Tele-Coaching network.
Michael is the Worship Pastor at a church of about 330 people, and get this . . . He just held a BIG day of auditions using the strategy we discuss in the coaching network and added 40 new team members in ONE DAY.
He now has 130 people actively serving in some area of his Worship Arts ministry . . . in a church of 330 people. Only God!
As thrilling as this experience is, it can also produce one of the most challenging seasons a worship leader will face — The challenge of Leading a Growing Worship Team.
Michael and I caught up by phone last week to talk about this great new challenge, and with his permission, over the next few weeks I want to share with you FOUR strategies we discussed for how to effectively lead a Growing Worship Arts Ministry.
And before we begin… if your ministry isn’t growing right now, then pay special attention to these leadership lessons because if you implement them, your team will start growing. 🙂
Let’s get started today with the first leadership lesson:
#1 – Personal Growth ALWAYS Precedes Ministry Growth
God always grows the leader before he grows the ministry. Long before I started seeing my worship team grow in numbers and health, I had started growing. And the same is true for all of us.
If you want to lead a thriving Worship Arts Ministry you need to be growing in these three key areas:
a) Your personal leadership and time management. Nothing challenges your ability to lead well and “get it all done” than a growing team. Here’s a great book on time management [LINK].
b) Your family relationships. It takes energy to lead a growing team and if your family relationships aren’t strong, it won’t be long before you’re energy is zapped and your passion has dwindled.
c) Your pastor relationship. Your pastor has the ability to either create or relieve tension from your life. If your relationship here is strong he can help guide you, encourage you, and keep you on track.
Getting these 3 areas right will set you up for growth, and when it comes you’ll be ready!
Remember the Law of Sowing and Reaping. You have to sow before you can reap. If you want to see God do something new on your team (new volunteers, new leaders, renewed passion for ministry, etc.) then it starts with us allowing God to do something new in us first.
Michael is experiencing that right now. About 7 months ago he join our Worship Pastor Tele-Coaching Network. Over that time he has invested heavily in his own personal growth, his relationship with his family and pastor, and many other key areas of his team. It’s no surprise that after that kind of intense investment he’s “reaping” this kind of harvest.
My question for you is:
What are you doing today that will help you reap a great reward on your team in the weeks and months to come?
If you would like to learn more about how you can join an upcoming Tele-Coaching network (including getting in on my current network before registration closes this Friday), then visit www.worshipleaderinsights.com/coaching.
I’m looking forward to continuing this series next week, and I’m grateful to serve you and your church.
Your partner in ministry,
PS -Want to learn the audition process that Michael has been using to grow his Worship Team? Check out the How to Double Your Worship Team in a Day resource.
Jason Hatley
Pastor of Worship Arts
The Journey Church