THE WORSHIP TEAM MEMBER ' S LEVELS OF ENGAGEMENT
These levels try to summarize the big steps of the journey from self-conscious newbie to rock-solid leader . So let ' s talk about each one , starting from the bottom :
THE SURVIVAL LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT The worship team member at this level is all about … surviving . A Survival Level guitar player is white-knuckling-it through the chord changes that should be second nature . While a Survival Level singer is scooping around trying to find a part ( usually with a finger jammed in one ear ).
Survival players tend to be self-absorbed . It ' s not because they ' re narcissists . They just can ' t get their heads out of their music stands or their eyes off their instruments to focus on much else .
Unfortunately , survival players are rarely beneficial to your team . If you have some , you ' ve likely inherited them ( a previous leader let them on the team despite their liabilities ), or you ' ve invited them in to intentionally develop them . And if your only drummer is at this level … may God have mercy on your eternal soul .
Your church may have reached a place where your qualification standards require Survival Level players to improve before joining the team . But some of your higher-level team members can revert to Survival Level when they ' re not preparing as they should .
For a team member to progress beyond this stage , he may just need to gain more skills .
But ultimately , it ' s about investing in personal practice . The amount of preparation required for this person will feel like a hefty investment for one worship set on one Sunday . But encourage him that the work he puts in for each Sunday is cumulative . Eventually , he ' ll learn songs faster and have more muscle memory to bypass the long trips to the woodshed . Before long , he ' ll be ascending to ...
THE CONNECTION LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT The Connection Level team members have a solid grip of their instrument ( voice and mixing board included ). They ' ve moved past " just surviving " and can connect with the music and the other musicians . It ' s a welcome place to be - the one not causing mid-service train wrecks .
Musicians who have made it here have learned to not only enjoy playing and singing , but they love playing and singing with the team . There ' s a musical camaraderie .
The problem is when the worship team member stays in the Connection stage . She never marries the musical enthrallment of this level to the true worship expression found in the next . For her , it ' s too much about the music . As a result , she won ' t advance to where you need her to be .
To move a team member beyond this stage , teach her that the music serves a higher purpose : to accompany the local expression of the body of Christ as they worship God together through song .
Also , personal practice at this stage is critical so she can play / sing confidently with the freedom to worship , too . And that will lead them to the next level ...
THE EXPRESSION LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT The Expression level is the convergence of confident musicianship and Biblical worship . The person who reaches this level not only knows his stuff musically , but he ' s also able to freely engage in musical worship and show genuine expression .
This is a rewarding place to be as a worship musician . And that can be a problem . Once a team member reaches this level , he often doesn ' t feel the need to go any higher . If a worship team member stays here , it becomes just about his musical and spiritual " fulfillment " in worship .
To move that player or singer beyond this personal experience phase , emphasize the dual role of the lead worshiper : worship God and serve the congregation .
Serving the congregation requires modeling biblical expressions of worship . It requires dying to personal preferences of closing our eyes the whole time , or singing spontaneous vocal riffs , or just getting " lost " in worship . Those things aren ' t bad and can still happen on the platform . But too much , and we lose the congregation we ' re trying to lead . Which is the goal of the next level ...
THE MINISTRY LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT Team members at the Ministry Level are solid musicians who love God and worship Him wholeheartedly . But their worship isn ' t just vertical . It ' s sacrificially horizontal . They are