in a new skill you want to develop .
You could …
• Learn Spanish so you can be a bigger part of your church ’ s Hispanic ministry .
• Finally pick up the acoustic guitar so you can “ solo lead ” at small events .
• Learn Playback by MultiTracks .
• Take voice lessons to learn to use and care for your voice better .
The thirteen weeks of the summer is actually an ideal time to set a learning goal . It ’ s long enough to accomplish something ( as long as you break it down into doable steps ), but not so far into the future that it seems unreachable .
18 . PLAN ONE LESS SONG EACH WEEK . [ Embracing Summer Limitations ]
One less song will decrease your workload , reduce rehearsal time , and make personal practice easier for your musicians .
Also , your congregation will enjoy the service ending early . ( That is if your speaking pastor doesn ’ t just fill up the extra time you just gave him or her .)
If there ’ s an expectation to deliver a specific amount of time , replace that missing five minutes with a combination of non-musical worship elements : a more extended scripture reading , quiet response , corporate prayer time , liturgical reading , etc .
And when you underscore that time with a soft piano / pad or acoustic guitar , it will feel like it ’ s one seamless part of the worship set . worship ministry that is one “ growth-level ” above your church .
If your church is around 250 average weekly attendance , look for a church that ’ s in the 350 to 500 range . If you ’ re hovering around 500 , look for that church that ’ s broken through that growth barrier and is between 750 and 1000 .
You want to observe as much as possible :
• The order and flow of sets , as well as the entire service .
• What media elements they use .
• How they use sound and lighting .
• The experience from the parking lot to the opening song .
• How engaged the congregation is .
• What the leader and team do to engage and lead the church .
• Musical styles and skill levels .
You ’ re not observing to copy them , but to find examples and models of what might work in your context .
Bonus Tip : Take it one step further and ask the worship ministry leader to lunch or schedule an online video chat . He or she would likely be happy to talk with you about their ministry .
Ultimately what you ’ re looking for is this : You need to know what leadership and ministry system shifts you will need to make to grow to the next size level .
Some of those things you can begin to do now , while others will require more growth and a bigger budget . But you ’ ll be ready for it when the time comes .
Because as you grow as a worshiper , your team will grow , too .
Here are some examples :
• Engaging With God : A Biblical Theology of Worship , David G . Peterson [ view on Amazon ]
• For the Glory of God : Recovering a Biblical Theology of Worship , Daniel I . Block [ view on Amazon ]
• Worship Is a Verb , Robert E . Webber [ view on Amazon ]
• The Worship Pastor , Zac Hicks [ view on Amazon ]
• Corporate Worship , Matt Merker [ view on Amazon ]
That ’ s part 2 of this series . Stay tuned for next month ’ s article where we ’ ll go through part 3 of Summer Worship Ideas to Level-Up Your Ministry .
Thanks !
Matt Miller Matt lives in Cincinnati , OH with his wife Kara and their daughter Melody . He ’ s the Head Coach of WorshipTeamCoach . com and WorshipWorkshop . com , two sites that help worship leaders make every Sunday exceptional . If you want to explore coaching or mentoring with the WorshipTeamCoach team visit this page . WorshipTeamCoach . com WorshipWorkshop . com
19 . SCHEDULE AT LEAST ONE “ VISION-VISIT ” TO ANOTHER CHURCH . [ Ministry Growth / Future Prep ]
20 . START ( AND FINISH ) ONE BOOK ON BIBLICAL WORSHIP . [ Ministry Growth ]
What ’ s a vision-visit ? It ’ s when you attend a larger church to observe and discover what ’ s next for your church .
To do this , choose a church with a healthy
Don ’ t let this be a how-to book on worship leading or music . Those are good , but they ’ re not what we ’ re after here . Find a book that can deepen your understanding of worshiping the Triune God in all His fullness .
28 July 2024 Subscribe for Free ...