WORSHIP LEADERS
7 HEALTHY REASONS TO GROW YOUR TEAM ( AND ONE THAT ’ S TOXIC ) | Jon Nicol
Given a chance , most worship leaders don ' t have to be convinced to grow their worship teams numerically . " So you play bass ... and you can lock in a groove with the drummer ... and you ' re available at least two Sundays a month ? Sorry , don ' t need you ." That just doesn ' t happen for us ‘ normal ’ worship leaders . We ' re on that dude like a rat on a Cheeto .
And if you ' ve served as a worship leader for more than a few years , you know the feastfamine rhythm of having enough musicians . At one point in my ministry , I was flush with five solid drummers - all who could play with a click . Within eighteen months , due to job changes , college , and marriage , I was down to two - and one of those could only play occasionally .
Where most worship leaders fail is growing only for need or opportunity . " We need altos . Let ' s find some ." Or , " There ' s a new couple in our church , and I heard she plays electric guitar . Let ' s get her !"
It ' s OK to have need and opportunity-based addition . But to build your team for the longterm , it ' s helpful to have other motives driving your worship ministry ' s growth .
For one of my workshops on auditions , I compiled seven healthy reasons to bring more people into your worship ministry . And I ' m also going to give you a toxic reason that ' sounds '
like a good thing - until you see what it really means . Here are the seven healthy reasons to grow your team :
1 . CREATE MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS . Read 1 Chronicles 25:6-8 . The temple musicians were made up of " young and old , teacher and student ." In the New Testament , 2 Timothy 2:2 and Ephesians 4:11-12 are also clear : mentoring and discipleship are at the heart of the church ' s mission .
Begin to foster mentoring among your older / more experienced people on your team . They can pour into your younger , less skilled musicians . It ' s good stewardship that will grow your team for the long-term . And , the burden of team development won ' t be all on you .
2 . RAISE THE BAR When you work to bring in solid musicians and techs , your skill level will increase on the team - both for your current team members and prospects . As the standards of your team increases , it encourages everyone to work toward these new expectations .
Quick note : this doesn ' t mean you can ' t bring in people without as much experience or skill . You just need to be intentional about developing them and helping them understand the musical standards they need to work towards .
3 . THRIVE WITH SPECIALISTS ( VERSUS SURVIVE WITH GENERALISTS ) Bringing in more musicians and techs allows your team members to serve from their strengths . Let ' s say you have ' Jason '— a solid guitarist who ' s also a mediocre drummer . Because you need drummers , guess where Jason is most weeks ? Yep , not serving from his strengths . That ' s OK occasionally . But people thrive when they can serve from where they ' re strong . Growing your team helps move everyone deeper into their wheelhouse .
4 . AVOID BURNOUT . Some musicians will tell you they love serving and want to be scheduled every week . But when four out of five Sundays turns into 51 out of 52 , even the most ardent musical servant is going to get a little crispy .
More musicians mean people get a break ( including you ).
5 . DIVERSIFY MUSICAL STYLES Bringing more musicians in allows you to broaden the musical styles of your team . I ' m not saying you need to plan a country-western set or create a jazz service . But adding different kinds of musicians can bring a deeper musical experience to your church .
6 . MULTIPLY AND FREELY SEND OUT . Growing our worship ministries is critical to