YOUTH WORSHIP TEAM
PASSING THE BATON | Vance & Michelle Shepherd
We ’ ve been blessed to have the unique privilege of teaching youth and raising up young worship leaders and musicians for fourteen years now . Most of our students started music lessons with us when they were seven or eight years old , and now they ’ re young adults , or getting ready to be . We ’ ve watched some of them move into full-time ministry as leaders for YWAM , going to college for worship arts or music degrees , or becoming a great addition to a church ’ s worship team . As much as it ’ s bittersweet to see them spread their wings and go , it ’ s been a reward like no other for us to know that they moved into ministries and opportunities that we have had the opportunity to mentor and prepare them for , and that they ’ re using their skills to bless the church and the kingdom .
As years go by , we see a very familiar cycle : as our younger students grow into their older teenage years , their life is much busier : school requires more homework , or they get jobs after school and on weekends , which force them to miss leading worship . This is why it ’ s so important as youth leaders to keep reaching out and teaching and mentoring new younger students so they ’ re ready to step in and lead worship . It ’ s easy to be content with your current group of more seasoned musicians and singers . It ’ s so easy to let time slip away without thinking ahead to the next season and the next generation of worship leaders . It seems like we lose our teenagers almost overnight to adulthood . We must keep new students in training at all times to keep our youth worship teams vibrant and healthy .
If you don ’ t have any students in your youth ministry learning any instruments or taking vocal lessons , a great option for you is to schedule a meeting with your local music stores and local music teachers . Let them know that you have a great outlet for their current students to play live for your youth worship team at church events . Be up front with them and let them know that it would be faith based , and exclusively worship music . Chances are you will have quite a few parents that would love for their children to have the opportunity to learn music through leading worship and playing in a live band , instead of just playing scales and secular songs that they probably won ’ t have the opportunity to perform beyond their bedroom walls .
This is a great way to get some young ones in your youth ministry and expose them to the gospel , as well as it can create healthy , godly relationships that they ’ ll have into their adulthood . The parents of these students would also have an opportunity to bond and grow healthy relationships with the other parents . We have most definitely seen this firsthand , and it ’ s so powerful !
If you have success in partnering with a teacher or music facility , here are two big tips that we would recommend to discuss on the first meeting : 1 . Give the instructor a handful of songs that are in current rotation at your church , so that the teachers can start teaching the student musical parts that would be at their skill level .
2 . Teach them each song in a male vocal key and a female vocal key , and how to transpose keys using the number system .
3 . If the instructor has multiple guitar or keyboard players interested , request that they teach each of their students a different musical part , then rotate the parts amongst the musicians .
Implementing this method could be a great way to have trained professionals get a team ready to lead worship at your church youth events . And this could also be an amazing outreach to your community .
May you be blessed as you pour into or become the next generation of worship leaders !
Vance & Michelle Shepherd Founders of The Shepherd School of Music in Las Vegas , NV , where they work with youth to raise up the next generation of worship leaders and musicians . facebook . com / shepherdschoolofmusiclasvegas www . ShepherdStudiosLV . com
44 October 2023 Subscribe for Free ...