WORSHIP LEADERS
YOU CAN TRANSFORM AN UNCOMMITTED WORSHIP TEAM ( WITH JUST THIS ONE THING ) | Jon Nicol
There is a mundane ministry process you do regularly , which has more potential to raise the commitment level of your worship team than …
• Your mission , vision , and values .
• Quarterly team training events .
• Team devotionals .
• Relational / social events with your team members .
And , it can raise your team ’ s commitment even more than a highly well-run rehearsal . Right now , you might be thinking , “ Jon ! What is this mysterious ministry process you speak of ?? And , is it even legal in my state ?”
Yes , it is . I checked .
Before I tell you what this process is , let me remind you where we are . In the last issue , I started a series on The Eight Essential Growth Engines that will help you transform your worship ministry . ( You can
read that article here .)
A growth engine is a collection of the systems & processes in each area of your ministry that produce a set of outcomes . Not only do these engines make your worship ministry go , they make it grow . But progress and improvement only happen when you ’ re intentional . Otherwise , these growth engines just keep producing what they ’ ve always been producing .
When working directly with worship leaders in my private coaching group , we look at three aspects of each engine to improve its performance .
1 . Desired Results 2 . Efficiency 3 . Sustainability
You need all three — results , efficiency , and sustainability . It ’ s not enough to just get results in your worship ministry . You have to produce those outcomes in an appropriate amount of time ( efficiency ) and without burning out you or your team ( sustainability ).
So , are you ready to hear about this mystery motor that offers remarkable transformation ? Fantastic ! Here it is . The single most effective growth engine to raise the commitment level of your team is …
Your scheduling process .
So , yeah … you were waiting for something way flashier , weren ’ t you ? It ’ s not hip ; it ’ s not cool . Heck , it ’ s not even very much fun . But when you schedule your team the right way , it will push them to higher levels of commitment .
Now , when I ’ m talking about how you schedule , I ’ m not referring to things like …
• Which combination of leader , MD , techs , vocalists , and instrumentalists you ’ ve grouped together . That ’ s wildly important . But that ’ s not the culture-shifter .
• Or whether you use a rotation-based schedule or an availability-based one . That decision is critical for the efficiency of the process . By the way , neither way is right or wrong . Both have their unique benefits and drawbacks . ( Email me if you don ’ t understand what I ’ m talking about with rotation vs . availability-based scheduling . I ’ ll send you an article on it .)
• Or whether or not you use the PCO Services app , Slack , or a steaming , Hot- Pocket mess of a system made up of spreadsheets , emails , texts , YouTube links , a shared Spotify password , and your private Facebook group no one ever looks at anymore .
Now , your tools matter . You need to run your scheduling process as efficiently as possible . For that reason , I recommend worship leaders use an app designed for worship planning and scheduling , like PCO . But the tool is not the culture-shifting aspect of your scheduling process .
Here are the culture-shifting pistons of this growth engine : Your expectations for response and ownership .
You need to create and manage your team schedule ( rotation , roster , rota — whatever you call it ) in such a way that demands your individual team members to respond and take the appropriate action .
I get it . Scheduling your team is stressful and a pain in the keister . One worship leader I know calls it “ Playing Tetris ” every month . ( Consult ‘ The Googles ’ if you don ’ t get that reference .) And it feels like such a mundane , necessaryevil task that you just get through it every month or quarter . But again , your scheduling isn ’ t just about managing your personnel and getting the right people to show up .
It ’ s a culture-shaping system .
Here are some signs your scheduling process ‘ growth engine ’ not only needs an intense tuneup but is also enabling your team to function like a bunch of junior high slackers .
• Last-minute postings of the schedule that only give a week or two ’ s notice .
• Chasing down team members to get them to block their dates or give you their availability .
• Wondering when someone ’ s yellow question mark will ever turn green . ( That is if they ’ re actually accepting your scheduling request for any given Sunday .)