and get comfortable before they actually served on a Sunday .
3 . Always assume they ’ re doing fine . If a new team member wasn ’ t bringing up issues to me , I assumed things were good . But in reality , most new team members are hesitant to speak up about a problem — especially when that involves an established team member .
The best gift you can give a new team member is to ask pointedly , “ How are things really going ?” And , “ How are you getting along with the rest of the team ?” And press in to make sure they understand you want the unvarnished truth .
4 . Expect them to know the songs like the rest of your team . If you have a healthy song rotation ( rotating fewer songs more often ), your team will know most of your songs well . But every Sunday the new team member serves , they ’ re likely learning a new batch of songs . Depending how often they serve and how many songs you rotate , it can take at least six months for a new musician to feel comfortable with all the songs . Sometimes longer .
While you should expect solid preparation , you need to remember they haven ’ t had the reps to internalize the songs like your current team members . So challenge them to learn the songs well . But do so with a healthy dose of grace .
5 . Don ’ t tell them where to park ( or anything else that “ everyone ” already knows ). Seriously , I forgot to tell Andi the team parked on the backside of the large converted warehouse and entered in through the backstage door . From the front lot , our church was a ghost town .
It ’ s too easy to forget what ‘ everyone ’ already knows . Unfortunately , everyone doesn ’ t include the new team member who doesn ’ t have a clue .
For example , does the new team member know where to park ? What the team does between services ? What kind of water bottles are acceptable on the platform ? About allhands prayer time at 9:43 before the tenminute countdown ?
When you look at your ministry through the eyes of a newbie , you ’ ll be amazed at all the things you assume everybody ‘ already knows ’— except they don ’ t if they ’ ve just come aboard . Do your new team members a magnificent favor : figure out your unspoken expectations and document them .
6 . Don ’ t introduce them to people on the team during their first few rehearsals . I ’ m sure they already know everyone , right ? I was continually amazed at the number of longtime attendees in a medium-sized church who had never met . So don ’ t assume people know each other . Take time to introduce each person at a new team member ’ s first rehearsal . Then be aware of people they may not have met at future rehearsals .
7 . Don ’ t correct them or give them constructive feedback . Early on , when new team members weren ’ t meeting expectations , my ‘ MO ’ was to just ‘ hope ’. I hoped they figured out their mistakes on their own . I hoped they caught on by watching the rest of the team . I hoped I didn ’ t have to have an uncomfortable conversation .
Essentially , my approach was , “ Ah , they ’ ll figure out they ’ re doing it wrong eventually . That is terrible leadership . Unfortunately , I put my conflict-averse comfort above the success of my new team member .
I also learned a critical truth that helped me overcome this people-pleasing : Most new team members genuinely want to know if they ’ re meeting your expectations or not . A vague “ good job today ” doesn ’ t help anyone .
I eventually created a plan to have multiple informal evaluations — touchpoints — during their first three to four months on the team . Then around the fourth month , I ’ d schedule a more formal evaluation with them , complete an assessment they filled out .
This series of informal touchpoints and the formal evaluation helped the new team members get acclimated to the team . And it also helped me to continually know where I could improve my onboarding process .
Did She Stay or Go ? So , I hope my demoralizing leadership blunders helped reveal some blindspots in your current new team member onboarding process . Or , if you don ’ t have one , now you can start to build something more intentional .
Now , back to that burning question of Andi ’ s fate . Did she stay or quit ?
The answer is YES .
“ Andi ” and her story are a composite of multiple team members and experiences I had during my ministry years . Some stayed and found a fantastic ministry home . But I ’ m sorry to say I inadvertently helped more than one team member out the door . It makes me sad to realize they walked away convinced they didn ’ t belong .
So while “ Andi ” isn ’ t really real , she ’ s 100 % true . I perpetrated every last one of these seven offenses ( and more ) against new team members like her . Yes , even the ‘ parking lot ’ incident ! It ’ s not a good to start your first week on the worship team thinking everyone else has been raptured .
Create an intentional plan to onboard your new team members . They ’ ll thank you .
Jon Nicol Jon ’ s the founder of WorshipWorkshop . com and WorshipTeamCoach . com , two sites that help worship leaders build strong teams and lead engaging worship . He lives and serves in Lexington , Ohio with his wife Shannon and their four kids . WorshipWorkshop . com WorshipTeamCoach . com