What do Sunday services and peach orchards have in common?
I’ll explain in a moment, but first would you agree that a prerequisite for every worship leader must is a full-out love of Sunday?
I know, I know . . . sounds simple. But before you answer . . .
When I say “Love Sunday” I don’t just mean the “20 minutes of glory” that happens when you and I are leading music, the band is rockin’, the Spirit is moving, and we’re on top of the world.
Loving Sunday also means loving the work of preparation for Sunday. And let’s face it, that’s not always easy to love!
The administrative, the menial, the scheduling, emailing, printing charts, preparing for planning meetings, repairing gear… if we’re honest most of us don’t love those things nearly as much as the “20 minutes of glory”.
Yet, they are just as much a part of a life-transforming Sunday worship service as standing onstage and leading worship. In fact without them, Sunday would never happen!
So let me ask again . . . do you love Sunday?
Some worship leaders (by my definition) don’t.
They only want what I call “the goody”?
That is, they only want to be onstage leading, and could really do without the hassle of the administrative prep work that goes into making Sunday great.
They want the fruit without the work. But it just doesn’t work that way.
I grew up on a farm, and one of my favorite things in life are homegrown peaches.
My grandfather owned a peach orchard with hundreds of trees in it, and during the summer that’s where I worked. It was grueling, hot, sweaty work. The job came complete with wasps and sunburns (and that was just before lunch).
It was hard work. But you know . . . I think one of the reasons I love peaches so much is because I had to work for them. I sweat over them. I had some skin in the game long before I took the first bite.
The same is true for us and our love of Sunday. Long before we are able to enjoy the fruit of Sunday, we have to learn to do the work of Sunday.
It reminds me of a quote I read recently by Jim Rohn:
He writes: “Somebody said you have to love what you do, but that’s not necessarily true. What is true is that you have to love the opportunity. The opportunity to build life, future, health, success …. Knocking on someone’s door or making that extra call may not be something you love to do, but you love the opportunity of what might be behind that door or call.”
I may not be crazy about all of the tasks I do each week, but I absolutely LOVE the opportunity that completing those tasks brings. And the truth is that leading with excellence on Sunday begins with pursuing excellence in everything I put my hands to during the week.
That’s what it means to love Sunday. And that’s what it means (in my book) to be called as a worship leader in the church.
So . . . “Do you love Sunday?” I hope so!
PS – Leading music each week is only 10% (at best) of what you contribute to your church. It’s the other 90% that defines the course of your ministry career!
As a worship leader God has given you a unique calling, and loving Sunday is just part of it. In The Call of Worship Leader resource, you will discover the four key areas to your calling, and how they determine you overall effectiveness in ministry.
Whether you are a new worship leader, considering a call to worship leading, or have been leading worship for years, this resource will help you discover: 
- Why the call is the single greatest determiner of how effective a worship leader you can be
- What the call really means and how to know if you have it
- The four key elements that are in your call and why you must develop all four
- How you can immediately begin equipping artists for ministry in your church
- Three ministry-defining truths that you must learn for effective leadership in your church
- How you can build and lead winning ministry team leaders
- How you can cultivate and inspire passion for the Sunday service . . . in you and your team!
- And much more!
And if you aren’t absolutely satisfied with this resource (or any of my resources for that matter) simply return your product within 365 days for a prompt and courteous refund.
Download your copy here
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.
About Jason Hatley and Worship Leader Insights In 2002, Jason Hatley helped launch The Journey Church in New York City, directing the programming of their worship services. He serves as the Pastor of Worship Arts and built from scratch The Journey’s worship arts team, a group of over 200 artists and technicians who develop and implement the creative and technical elements at weekly Sunday services. The Journey has been recognized as one of Outreach Magazines fastest growing and most creative churches.
Jason has been a worship leader since 1996. He invests in Worship Pastors around the country through interactive coaching networks and worship planning resources. He has been a featured break-out speaker at the Willow Creek Arts Conference, The Purpose Drive Worship Conference, as well as seminars around the country. He has a B.M. in Sacred Music Performance from Appalachian State University.Jason is the author of Engage: A Guide to Creating Life-Transforming Worship Services and Revolve: A New Way to See Worship as well as over a dozen worship leader personal and ministry growth resources.
Jason and his family currently live in Boca Raton, FL where he serves as the Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey’s newest campus in South Florida.
How much do you “Love” Sunday?
/in Leadership, Tuesday Morning Insights, Worship Planning/by adminWhat do Sunday services and peach orchards have in common?
I’ll explain in a moment, but first would you agree that a prerequisite for every worship leader must is a full-out love of Sunday?
I know, I know . . . sounds simple. But before you answer . . .
When I say “Love Sunday” I don’t just mean the “20 minutes of glory” that happens when you and I are leading music, the band is rockin’, the Spirit is moving, and we’re on top of the world.
Loving Sunday also means loving the work of preparation for Sunday. And let’s face it, that’s not always easy to love!
The administrative, the menial, the scheduling, emailing, printing charts, preparing for planning meetings, repairing gear… if we’re honest most of us don’t love those things nearly as much as the “20 minutes of glory”.
Yet, they are just as much a part of a life-transforming Sunday worship service as standing onstage and leading worship. In fact without them, Sunday would never happen!
So let me ask again . . . do you love Sunday?
Some worship leaders (by my definition) don’t.
They only want what I call “the goody”?
That is, they only want to be onstage leading, and could really do without the hassle of the administrative prep work that goes into making Sunday great.
They want the fruit without the work. But it just doesn’t work that way.
I grew up on a farm, and one of my favorite things in life are homegrown peaches.
My grandfather owned a peach orchard with hundreds of trees in it, and during the summer that’s where I worked. It was grueling, hot, sweaty work. The job came complete with wasps and sunburns (and that was just before lunch).
It was hard work. But you know . . . I think one of the reasons I love peaches so much is because I had to work for them. I sweat over them. I had some skin in the game long before I took the first bite.
The same is true for us and our love of Sunday. Long before we are able to enjoy the fruit of Sunday, we have to learn to do the work of Sunday.
It reminds me of a quote I read recently by Jim Rohn:
He writes: “Somebody said you have to love what you do, but that’s not necessarily true. What is true is that you have to love the opportunity. The opportunity to build life, future, health, success …. Knocking on someone’s door or making that extra call may not be something you love to do, but you love the opportunity of what might be behind that door or call.”
I may not be crazy about all of the tasks I do each week, but I absolutely LOVE the opportunity that completing those tasks brings. And the truth is that leading with excellence on Sunday begins with pursuing excellence in everything I put my hands to during the week.
That’s what it means to love Sunday. And that’s what it means (in my book) to be called as a worship leader in the church.
So . . . “Do you love Sunday?” I hope so!
PS – Leading music each week is only 10% (at best) of what you contribute to your church. It’s the other 90% that defines the course of your ministry career!
As a worship leader God has given you a unique calling, and loving Sunday is just part of it. In The Call of Worship Leader resource, you will discover the four key areas to your calling, and how they determine you overall effectiveness in ministry.
Whether you are a new worship leader, considering a call to worship leading, or have been leading worship for years, this resource will help you discover:
And if you aren’t absolutely satisfied with this resource (or any of my resources for that matter) simply return your product within 365 days for a prompt and courteous refund.
Download your copy here
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.
Jason has been a worship leader since 1996. He invests in Worship Pastors around the country through interactive coaching networks and worship planning resources. He has been a featured break-out speaker at the Willow Creek Arts Conference, The Purpose Drive Worship Conference, as well as seminars around the country. He has a B.M. in Sacred Music Performance from Appalachian State University.Jason is the author of Engage: A Guide to Creating Life-Transforming Worship Services and Revolve: A New Way to See Worship as well as over a dozen worship leader personal and ministry growth resources.
Jason and his family currently live in Boca Raton, FL where he serves as the Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey’s newest campus in South Florida.
Have you said these Five Dangerous Words?
/in Leadership, Tuesday Morning Insights, Worship Planning/by adminCAUTION! Uttering these five words is certain to bring disaster to your services and your team. It will create unnecessary stress, and without a doubt lead to confusion and missed opportunities.
It may even be bad for the environment and make puppies sick.
OK – so maybe those last two are a stretch (ha!), but I believe the other side-effects will definitely happen if you say these five dangerous words.
What are they? I hesitate to put them in writing, but for your sake, let me share them. They are: Read more
3 Powerful (and Easy) Summer Reading Goals
/in Leadership, Tuesday Morning Insights/by adminI admit it. I have not always had a love of reading. But it didn’t take long as a young Worship Leader at The Journey for me to recognize my need to read in order to survive in ministry, much less lead a thriving worship team.
I first started in ministry at age 23. I was fresh out of college. I had been a worship leader, but I had never been a Worship Pastor in the church before. I could stand onstage and lead worship, but I couldn’t write a task list, build teams, lead people . . . you get the picture.
It was at that point – aware of my personal and ministry shortcomings, and certain that I needed to make a change – that I developed a love for reading. Read more
The #1 Obstacle to Leading Your Worship Team
/in Leadership, Ministry/by adminToday we wrap up the 3-part series on Leading a Growing Worship Team, and I think today’s topic is one of the most important leadership principles for doing just that.
Two weeks ago we talked about how Personal Growth ALWAYS Precedes Ministry Growth.
Last week I talked to you about the importance of Raising New Leaders to help you carry the load of a growing team.
And here’s #3 . . . Read more
How to Raise New Leaders on your Worship Team
/in Auditions, Coaching, Leadership, Tuesday Morning Insights/by adminDo you remember the story of Michael that I shared with you last week? He is a fellow worship leader (and a member of my coaching network) who, after leading a round of auditions, recently found himself at the helm of a fast growing worship ministry.
Like many of us would be . . . a new level of leadership is a bit overwhelming, but he’s growing through it and doing a great job.
Have you ever found yourself there . . . under the mounting stress of leading a worship team (regardless of the size) that just felt like it was more than you could handle at the time? I have!
Wherever you are in ministry — whether you lead 20 or 200 people on your worship team — there are leadership principles that can help remove the stress and maximize the gifts and opportunities that a growing worship ministry holds.
We kicked off this 3-part series by talking about how our personal growth ALWAYS precedes our ministry growth last week.
And now here’s leadership principle #2 . . . Read more
Lessons for Leading a Growing Worship Team, Part 1
/in Auditions, Leadership, Tuesday Morning Insights/by adminEvery 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? Read more
Points of Entry: This Principle Can Grow Your Team this Week!
/in Events/by adminI know that the title of this article sounds a little far-fetched, but go with me for a moment here. . .
There is one principle that I see missing in almost every church I coach or visit that could radically change the number of volunteers serving on their Worship Team and most of them could incorporate this strategy this week.
But first a little background.
There are two things that most of us either aren’t aware of or refuse to believe when it comes to the growth of our Worship Teams. With your permission I’m going to be a little direct – ha!
#1 – The average person in your church (and mine) doesn’t know that they CAN join the worship team.
I know . . . I know . . . it’s not popular to say that, but it’s true! Most of us don’t do a great job telling the people in our church (regularly) that there are opportunities to serve on the Worship Arts Team. As a result, our teams stay small, the same people serve over and again, and the average person looks at our team and thinks, “Oh – that must be the Worship Team. Guess they have it covered and don’t need me.”
Ready for #2?
#2 – Even if the average person in your church (and mine) knew they could join the Worship Arts Team, they don’t know HOW.
Is there an audition? Should I check a box, visit a table, call the church, stalk the Worship Pastor, mention it in my prayer request?
It’s not clear HOW people can tell you they want to join the team, so (believe it or not) many of them keep to themselves and don’t.
But – it doesn’t have to be that way. And that’s why this principle I want to share with you is so powerful.
It’s the Principle of “Points of Entry”.
A point of entry is the way that a person in your church let’s you know that they are interested in joining your worship team. Having surveyed hundreds of worship leaders in the last five years on this, I’ve found that the average church only has 1-2 of these important points. It’s kind of like fishing though . . . the more hooks you have in the water, the more fish you’ll catch.
Let me give you an example of one point of entry. At The Journey on the back of our Connection Card we have a box that says, “Send me more info about . . . ” and it lists a number of items. Years ago I asked if we could include “Worship Arts Team” in that section. Seems simple enough, but do you know what happens every week?
In New York City, between 5-10 people check that box on their connection card every week. Here at our new location in Boca Raton, between 3-5 check it every week.
Over the course of the year (you’re already doing the math) anywhere between 100 and 250 people will tell us they are interested in learning more about the Worship Arts Team. Simple, but powerful!
Now for full disclosure, not everyone of those will end up joining the team — some people just like checking boxes. But, I can tell you with utmost certainty if that box weren’t there, that we would have a SERIOUS gap in our new Worship Arts Team audition numbers.
We have a dozen or so Points of Entry at The Journey and this past Friday I just finished walking my Coaching Network through each one of them and how to use them to maximize the number of people on their Worship Arts Teams.
If you’re interested in joining us for the next Coaching call click this link to learn how to apply: www.worshipleaderinsights.com/coaching.
This principle can radically increase the number of people who start the process of joining your team.
So here are the questions you need to answer to get started:
#1 – How many Points of Entry do I have at my church?
#2 – What is 1 NEW Point of Entry I could integrate this week? Steal mine from above if you like.
#3 – What are 5 NEW Points of Entry I could integrate in the next 3 months.
I’d love to hear what you come up with and how this little strategy benefits your team, so be sure to email and let me know what you develop and how it goes!
Your partner in ministry,
Your Goal for Easter?
/in Tuesday Morning Insights, Worship Planning/by adminWhat is the goal for your Worship Arts Team this Easter Sunday?
It’s a bit of a trick question, I know, but just go with me on this.
The truth is there are a lot of goals – quality sound, excellent musicianship, passionate volunteers, not forgetting the lyrics (am I the only one with this goal?) … You get the picture.
These are all good, but I’m asking what’s the BIG GOAL?
We all know the answer. . . Life Transformation.
As much as we want to see all of these other things, and they do go hand-in-hand, the ultimate goal this Easter Sunday for your Worship Arts Team and mine is Life Transformation. People’s lives radically transformed through the power of Jesus’ resurrection.
But how? Read more
Ready for Easter? Read this before you answer!
/in Leadership, Tuesday Morning Insights, Worship Planning/by adminThey say “The Devil is in the Details” and nowhere is that more true than in preparing for your Easter service.
He (the devil) would like nothing better than to minimize the impact of your church this Easter, and one of the simplest ways he does it is through overlooked opportunities and missed details.
As you’ve no doubt heard me say before . . . when it comes to our worship services, the details matter!
Harvey Mackay says, “The little things don’t mean a lot. They mean everything!” And Charles Swindoll says, “The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail.”
As worship leaders, part of our role in preparing for Easter (or any worship service for that matter) is to pay attention to the details and don’t allow little things to become big things.
So today, I want to share with you a very personal 7 point check-list. You’ve heard me talk about the power of a check-list in the past. I love check-lists because they help you account for all the details and not miss even the smallest things when it comes to your worship services. Read more
Lessons from “Engage” – How to Make the Pastor / Worship Pastor Relationship Succeed
/in Tuesday Morning Insights, Worship Planning/by adminBuy a single copy here
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I have been teaming up with Nelson Searcy (Lead Pastor at The Journey) this week to bring you 4 BIG worship planning principles from our new book, Engage: A Guide to Creating Life-Transforming Worship Services.
Today’s topic is one that Nelson and I believe is the most important lesson for every pastor and worship pastor . . . The Pastor / Worship Pastor Relationship.This weekend, in churches across America, teaching pastors and worship pastors will each stand in front of rooms full of churchgoers and… take turns doing their own thing.
If the songs the worship pastor has chosen for the day happen to be along the same thematic lines as the message the teaching pastor is preaching, the two pastors will high five after the service and revel in how powerfully the Holy Spirit moved.
If the teaching pastor preaches on something diametrically opposed to the songs the worship pastor leads the congregation in, they will mark it up to God’s indiscernible will and hope for better the next week.
In most cases, these pastors will lock the church doors and head to Sunday lunch having no idea that their relationship with one another is key to being able to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in planning cohesive, impacting worship services.The nature of the pastor/worship pastor relationship is complex, to say the least.
On the one hand, it is the most important relationship that exists on your church staff. Your respective areas comprise the two halves of an important whole. You share the stage, the message and the creative elements of the service. You are both integral to creating a welcoming, engaging environment that will lead to Radically Transformed Lives.
While this relationship is the most critical relationship that exists in the church, it is also the relationship that carries the most potential for tension and stress. Small issues can easily go unaddressed. Misunderstandings fester. Expectations are not always met. Frustrations rise… and the relationship becomes strained.
Over the years, both Nelson and I have had many pastors and worship pastors tell us, “My relationship with my [pastor/worship pastor] may not be great, but we manage. It doesn’t affect what we do on Sundays.”
I hate to shatter your illusion, but relational problems between the pastor and the worship pastor always affect the church’s worship services. If the relationship is wounded, the people in the seats will notice some limping. Good or bad, the details of this relationship play themselves out in our worship planning.
And since effective worship planning is the key to being able to conduct life-transforming worship services, the results can be devastating – on an eternal scale. When the pastor/worship pastor relationship is ineffective, the church misses out on its full redemptive potential.
When miscommunication, confusion, frustration and unmet expectations are chipping away at the base, it is going to suffer some damage. If the base is damaged, the tip isn’t quite so glorious. So if we ever hope to have God-filled, life-transforming worship services week-to-week, we have to get this relationship straightened out, once and for all; we have to work together!
Jason
PS – One more thing . . . your relationship with your pastor / worship leader is key to the work of your church. And Pastor to Pastor I want you to know that there is no better place for worship leaders to learn how to make this relationship a success than in my Worship Leader Tele-Coaching Network.
The network begins on Friday, April 20 (just 30 days away). There are still a few spots available, so I encourage you to prayerfully consider this opportunity.
To learn more and sign-up just go to www.worshipleaderinsights.com/coaching.