Preventing Problems on Your Worship Team

On Friday night (just a few days ago) I had the great pleasure of hosting the New Season Kick-off for the Fall season of our Worship Arts Team.

New Season Kick-off is twice-a-year event for everyone on our Worship Arts Team. We come together before the start of a new season to:

• Communicate the vision and values of our team,
• Commit to the expectations of our team,
• Celebrate the preceding season
  
• Define the Development process for each person serving on on our team.
  

It’s a fun event . . . but it’s also critical to the health and growth of our Worship Arts Team.

In fact, I have hosted over 20 of these events in the last 10 years of ministry at The Journey. The reason is simple . . .

Agreements prevent Disagreements.

Here’s what I mean.

I’ve found that most problems on a Worship Team are a result of confusion. Over a value, expectation, rehearsal standard . . . you name it.

Oftentimes, however, the problem doesn’t lie in the team member, but in you and I as the leader.

They don’t know what you haven’t clearly communicated.

For example, if becoming a Church Member is important for your team (like it is for mine), then do the members of your team know that? Do they understand the importance, expectation and timeline for becoming a Church Member? Do they know that if they decide not to become a member that will hinder their ability to serve on the team (i.e. – they’ll have to take a break until they do become a member)?

For most of us . . . the answer is “I don’t know”.

A member of your team can only be held accountable for those things that you have clearly communicated AND gotten agreement on.

For some worship leaders, clearly communicating values and expectations is the problem. You may have considered some values and expectations, but haven’t written them down in a way that you can clearly share them with your team. Remember – they can’t read your mind!

For others, you may have clarity on your values and expectations and may even communicate them to your team, but you haven’t gotten agreement with everyone on them.

For example, everyone knows it’s important to show up prepared and on time for rehearsal, but some people still never do.

It’s both clear communication and team member agreement that are needed.

And that’s what New Season Kick-off does for our team. Sure it’s a lot of fun getting together with our team, and sure it’s an important time to share vision and inspire them for the next season of ministry, but it is imperative that we regularly communicate and get agreement on the values and expectations of our team so our team members know how to succeed!

If you have listened to How to Double Your Worship Team in a Day seminar, you know that I go in-depth about exactly how to plan and hold your own New Season Kick-off (and I even give you my notes and an mp3 of me teaching it to our team at The Journey).

But if you haven’t yet had a chance to download that resource, let me share with you a few quick pointers for how to get started:

#1 – Make it a requirement for your entire team (not just the new people). It doesn’t matter if they have been once or ten times, it’s a requirement for everyone.

#2 – Treat it like Spring Training. Go over the basics, remind your team why you do what you do and help them understand how to succeed on the team.

#3 – Provide a written covenant for them to sign. One of the best ways to get agreement on what it means to serve on your team is to provide a covenant for your team members to sign. By doing so they are saying, “I’m going to do my best to live out these commitments this season.”

(By the way – I give you our Worship Arts Team Covenant in the How To Double Your Worship Team resource, too!).

Hold this training at least twice a year and watch as the commitment of your team members goes up, while your disagreements and problems go down.

Your partner in ministry,

PS – There’s a lot more to New Season Kick-off Strategy than I can write here. And that’s why I teach all the nuts and bolts of it in the How to Double Your Worship Team in a Day resource.

In this 3-hour seminar you also gain full access to ALL of the strategies that we use at The Journey that has produced 10 years of exponential growth and health on our team.

It’s available in “How to Double Your Worship Team in a Day” resource.

In this 3-hour workshop, you will discover:

• How to exponentially grow the number of people serving on your worship team and ensure that you’re never short on volunteers again!
• How to create a thriving auditions strategy that honors God and empowers volunteers to serve in their area of greatest gifting.
• 5 foundations of an Effective Audition Strategy that you MUST have in order to maximize your team.
• How to develop seasons for your team so that current members are never “burned out” and new members are always joining.
• How to plan, promote, execute and follow-up on a BIG day of auditions
• How to capture over 40% of your audition sign-ups through a 30 minute pre-audition reception.
• How to lead an actual audition, including what to say and do during the audition.
• Actual scripts for how to follow-up with those who have auditioned.
• How to say “No” to someone who auditions in a way that connects them to another area of your worship ministry.
• How to deepen the commitment of your worship team to Christ, the church and the team through an easy to navigate leadership development process.
• And much more!

 

You also receive more than 65 additional resource files, including:

• a 45-page fill-in-the-blank printable notebook
• Audition applications for Band, Dance, Design, Drama, Media/Production, Vocal and Creative Writing teams
• Actual audition follow-up phone call scripts used at The Journey, including how to say “No” to someone who auditions in a way that connects them to another area of your worship ministry
• Actual emails used to promote auditions to the entire church database, welcome new team members and more
• Editable Photoshop files for flyers, information cards, and PowerPoint slides
• Orientation notebook and BONUS 2-hour mp3 of Jason teaching Orientation to new team members.

Plus much more!

And as always . . . this resource comes with our 365 Day No-Hassle money back guarantee. If you give it an honest try and the principles of this resource don’t help you grow your Worship Arts Team, simply return it for a complete refund.

Secure your 3-CD set here:
https://nelsonsearcy.infusionsoft.com/go/double_wt_boxed/wli/

Download your copy here and save $30.00:
https://nelsonsearcy.infusionsoft.com/go/double_wt_dl/wli/

Jason Hatley
Pastor of Worship Arts
The Journey Church

www.worshipleaderinsights.com
www.jasonhatley.wordpress.com

TUESDAY MORNING INSIGHTS is Jason Hatley’s free weekly training resource specifically designed to provide you as a worship leader with proven principles, tips and practices to help you lead a healthy and thriving Worship Arts Team.