The #1 Obstacle to Leading Your Worship Team

Today we wrap up the 3-part series on Leading a Growing Worship Team, and I think today’s topic is one of the most important leadership principles for doing just that.

Two weeks ago we talked about how Personal Growth ALWAYS Precedes Ministry Growth.

Last week I talked to you about the importance of Raising New Leaders to help you carry the load of a growing team.

And here’s #3 . . .

#3 – Remove Obstacles to the Growth of Your Team.

Every leader faces obstacles.  Some are hard decisions that we spend weeks praying over.  Others are tough seasons of personal growth.  These are challenges that you will get through in time.

However, there are some obstacles that, if we don’t do something to change them, they will stick with us for many years and actually KEEP us from experiencing God’s best in the ministry we’re called to lead.

The #1 obstacle we face is the limitations of our own thinking and faith.

I know, I know . . . that seems a little intangible, so let me explain.

Do you remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 9:29?

He said, “. . . According to your faith let it be done to you.”

Wayne Cordeiro taught on this passage to a small group of leaders I was a part of a few years ago and this is what he said:

“If you think it will be hard to achieve a goal for God, then God will say, ‘Ok – for you this will be hard.’  But if you think, ‘We can do this,’ then God will say, ‘Ok – for you this will be possible.”  

In other words, if you think leading a growing team will be hard, then it will be hard.  According to your faith will it be done to you.

But if you have a mindset of being “more than a conqueror” (Romans 8:37), of being able to “do all things through Christ who strengthens you” (Philippians 4:13) and have the faith that God is able to “do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3;20) then you will be able to do for God what others may not.

If you look at the challenge of leading a growing team and say, “I don’t exactly how to do this, but I’m going to trust God, go to work on myself, and see this through”, then God says, “Ok – you will be able to do this.”  According to your faith will it be done to you.

For many of us in ministry, the difference between who we are and who we want to be may lie in the faith we have in ourselves and our God to become all that he has called us to be.

Here’s the challenge . . .

Remove the limiting thoughts and faith from your life.

Don’t think, “It’s too hard.”
Believe, “With God’s help we’ll get through this.”

Don’t think, “We’ll never see that happen here.”
Believe, “God, make me into the person I need to be to see this happen here.”

A change in thinking can change your ministry!

Your partner in ministry,

PS -Want to learn the audition process that Michael has been using to grow his Worship Team and the leadership tactics for how to deal with the new leadership challenges that come with it? Check out the How to Double Your Worship Team in a Day resource.

And if you try the auditions system, give it an honest run and do it just like I teach it, and it doesn’t work for you . . . return it to us within 365 days of purchase for a full refund.

How to Raise New Leaders on your Worship Team

Do you remember the story of Michael that I shared with you last week? He is a fellow worship leader (and a member of my coaching network) who, after leading a round of auditions, recently found himself at the helm of a fast growing worship ministry.

Like many of us would be . . . a new level of leadership is a bit overwhelming, but he’s growing through it and doing a great job.

Have you ever found yourself there . . . under the mounting stress of leading a worship team (regardless of the size) that just felt like it was more than you could handle at the time? I have!

Wherever you are in ministry — whether you lead 20 or 200 people on your worship team — there are leadership principles that can help remove the stress and maximize the gifts and opportunities that a growing worship ministry holds.

We kicked off this 3-part series by talking about how our personal growth ALWAYS precedes our ministry growth last week.

And now here’s leadership principle #2 . . .

#2 – New Leadership Challenges require New Leaders

You can’t do it all by yourself. You need other leaders around you to help you carry the load.

There are too many “Lone Ranger” worship leaders. Their slogan is, “No one can do it as well as me, as fast as me, or the way I like it, so I’ll do it all myself.”

The problem with that thinking is two-fold:

a) There’s only so much one person can do before they’re overwhelmed and under-achieving. You will never become all that God has called you to be leading your team by yourself.

b) If you try to do it all yourself, you are robbing (yes, robbing) potential leaders on your team of becoming all that God has called them to be, too!

The truth is . . . in a growing worship ministry there is far more to do than one person possibly can, so you have to raise up leaders around you. By doing so, they grow their leadership gifts and contribute to the kingdom. AND you are able to do the things that only you can do.

I remember vividly when this principle became clear in my life. In the early days of The Journey I was leading worship 48-50 Sundays a year — I call that ministry suicide by the way .

As we added more and more services I realized I couldn’t do this alone. I started investing in a member of our worship team and he became a volunteer worship leader. And then I kicked it into overdrive and really started developing new leaders. Over the course of a couple years we had built a team of 8-10 volunteer worship leaders who were not only leading on Sunday but also helping carry the leadership load in other areas of our team as well.

It was a huge relief. And as our team grew I was able to empower them to lead more and more, so that I could focus on the things that only I could do.

Listen — If you’re overwhelmed right now by the leadership challenge in front of you, that means you haven’t raised up enough leaders to help you succeed through it.

I could go on for an hour about how to select leaders, what are the criteria for becoming a leader (we just talked about this in my coaching networks), what is the process for grooming leaders, how do you help them succeed, and on we could go.

We don’t have time to get into all of that, so let me share with you a quick system you can use to get started . . .

Step 1: I do / You watch — Before a new person can lead well they must be shown a model for what it looks like to lead well. At this stage, you demonstrate for your new leader what success in their area looks like. They watch, take notes, discuss with you, etc.

Step 2: We do together — After your new leader has seen an example of excellence in this area, now you’re ready to give them some responsibility . . . but don’t throw them in the deep end without swimming right beside them! Have them lead alongside of you . . . a song at rehearsal, a meeting with your production team members, etc. In this stage they are growing their leadership abilities and you are right beside them every step of the way.

Step 3: You do / I watch — After showing competency as a leader, you can now allow them to take the lead . . . BUT, don’t abdicate responsibility for that area. They may be leading some rehearsals now, but always under your watchful care, and with a free-flow of communication and feedback between the two of you.

Simple as it may seem . . . that’s the best way to raise new leaders on your team!

By the way — if you want to learn more about how we select leaders, develop criteria, build a system for training and development, etc. at The Journey, then it’s time to join my next coaching network. Those are the types of in-the-trenches practical strategies that we discuss in these networks.

Check out www.worshipleaderinsights.com/coaching to learn more!

Your partner in ministry,

PS -Want to learn the audition process that Michael has been using to grow his Worship Team and the leadership tactics for how to deal with the new leadership challenges that come with it? Check out the How to Double Your Worship Team in a Day resource.

And if you try the auditions system, give it an honest run and do it just like I teach it, and it doesn’t work for you . . . return it to us within 365 days of purchase for a full refund.

Lessons for Leading a Growing Worship Team, Part 1

Every week I receive emails from worship leaders, but I was blown away by this one. Take a look:

“We just had our 2nd round of auditions this past Sunday. Trembling with excitement and fear in response to what’s happening here… Through our most recent auditions process “Journey style”… we have added about 40 new team members. I have been feeling the extra work load of the growth we experienced. Now, I am close to feeling like a deer in the headlights… This boy needs a new set of skills!!! (not to mention, a vacation So looking forward to seeing what God is going to do next!”

Have you ever been there before? Overwhelmed by God’s blessing on your ministry and not quite sure of what to do next?

This is an actual email that I received last week from Michael — a great Worship Pastor in the Gainesville, FL area who is also a member of my Tele-Coaching network.

Michael is the Worship Pastor at a church of about 330 people, and get this . . . He just held a BIG day of auditions using the strategy we discuss in the coaching network and added 40 new team members in ONE DAY.

He now has 130 people actively serving in some area of his Worship Arts ministry . . . in a church of 330 people. Only God!

As thrilling as this experience is, it can also produce one of the most challenging seasons a worship leader will face — The challenge of Leading a Growing Worship Team.

Michael and I caught up by phone last week to talk about this great new challenge, and with his permission, over the next few weeks I want to share with you FOUR strategies we discussed for how to effectively lead a Growing Worship Arts Ministry.

And before we begin… if your ministry isn’t growing right now, then pay special attention to these leadership lessons because if you implement them, your team will start growing.

Let’s get started today with the first leadership lesson:

#1 – Personal Growth ALWAYS Precedes Ministry Growth

God always grows the leader before he grows the ministry. Long before I started seeing my worship team grow in numbers and health, I had started growing. And the same is true for all of us.

If you want to lead a thriving Worship Arts Ministry you need to be growing in these three key areas:

a) Your personal leadership and time management. Nothing challenges your ability to lead well and “get it all done” than a growing team. Here’s a great book on time management [LINK].

b) Your family relationships. It takes energy to lead a growing team and if your family relationships aren’t strong, it won’t be long before you’re energy is zapped and your passion has dwindled.

c) Your pastor relationship. Your pastor has the ability to either create or relieve tension from your life. If your relationship here is strong he can help guide you, encourage you, and keep you on track.

Getting these 3 areas right will set you up for growth, and when it comes you’ll be ready!

Remember the Law of Sowing and Reaping. You have to sow before you can reap. If you want to see God do something new on your team (new volunteers, new leaders, renewed passion for ministry, etc.) then it starts with us allowing God to do something new in us first.

Michael is experiencing that right now. About 7 months ago he join our Worship Pastor Tele-Coaching Network. Over that time he has invested heavily in his own personal growth, his relationship with his family and pastor, and many other key areas of his team. It’s no surprise that after that kind of intense investment he’s “reaping” this kind of harvest.

My question for you is:

What are you doing today that will help you reap a great reward on your team in the weeks and months to come?

If you would like to learn more about how you can join an upcoming Tele-Coaching network (including getting in on my current network before registration closes this Friday), then visit www.worshipleaderinsights.com/coaching.

I’m looking forward to continuing this series next week, and I’m grateful to serve you and your church.

Your partner in ministry,

PS -Want to learn the audition process that Michael has been using to grow his Worship Team? Check out the How to Double Your Worship Team in a Day resource.

Jason Hatley
Pastor of Worship Arts
The Journey Church

www.worshipleaderinsights.com
www.jasonhatley.wordpress.com

Preventing Problems on Your Worship Team

On Friday night (just a few days ago) I had the great pleasure of hosting the New Season Kick-off for the summer season of our Worship Arts Team.

New Season Kick-off is twice-a-year event for everyone on our Worship Arts Team. We come together before the start of a new season to:

• Communicate the vision and values of our team,
• Commit to the expectations of our team,
• Celebrate the preceding season
  
• Define the Development process for each person serving on on our team.
  

It’s a fun event . . . but it’s also critical to the health and growth of our Worship Arts Team.

In fact, I have hosted over 20 of these events in the last 10 years of ministry at The Journey. The reason is simple . . .

Agreements prevent Disagreements.

Here’s what I mean.

How are is your worship team “really” doing?

When is the last time you got on the balcony?

No – not the balcony at your church building or even the hotel from your last vacation.

Getting on the balcony simply means taking some time on a regular basis to rise above the hectic pace of your everyday work to see how your worship ministry is really doing.

You see… it’s impossible to know how things are really going in your worship ministry when you’re in the daily grind. It’s like being on the floor during a packed out concert. You can look around and see some things, but you don’t have a good perspective on the whole arena.

So, when you “get on the balcony” in your worship ministry, you are leaving the busyness of the floor seats for a little while to get a bird’s eye perspective on your ministry. And here’s what happens… 

Make this Sunday another Easter

What an exciting week! God showed up in a BIG way at The Journey on Easter Sunday and I hope the same is true for you.

And though Easter Sunday may have passed, I’ve been thinking this week . . . that doesn’t mean that this Sunday can’t be “Easter” all over again.

Let me explain.

Your Goal for Easter?

What is the goal for your Worship Arts Team this Easter Sunday?

It’s a bit of a trick question, I know, but just go with me on this.

The truth is there are a lot of goals – quality sound, excellent musicianship, passionate volunteers, not forgetting the lyrics (am I the only one with this goal?) … You get the picture.

These are all good, but I’m asking what’s the BIG GOAL?

We all know the answer. . . Life Transformation.

As much as we want to see all of these other things, and they do go hand-in-hand, the ultimate goal this Easter Sunday for your Worship Arts Team and mine is Life Transformation. People’s lives radically transformed through the power of Jesus’ resurrection.

But how?

Ready for Easter? Read this before you answer!

They say “The Devil is in the Details” and nowhere is that more true than in preparing for your Easter service.

He (the devil) would like nothing better than to minimize the impact of your church this Easter, and one of the simplest ways he does it is through overlooked opportunities and missed details.

As you’ve no doubt heard me say before . . . when it comes to our worship services, the details matter!

Harvey Mackay says, “The little things don’t mean a lot. They mean everything!” And Charles Swindoll says, “The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail.”

As worship leaders, part of our role in preparing for Easter (or any worship service for that matter) is to pay attention to the details and don’t allow little things to become big things.

So today, I want to share with you a very personal 7 point check-list. You’ve heard me talk about the power of a check-list in the past. I love check-lists because they help you account for all the details and not miss even the smallest things when it comes to your worship services.

Lessons from “Engage” – How to Make the Pastor / Worship Pastor Relationship Succeed

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I have been teaming up with Nelson Searcy (Lead Pastor at The Journey) this week to bring you 4 BIG worship planning principles from our new book, Engage: A Guide to Creating Life-Transforming Worship Services.

Today’s topic is one that Nelson and I believe is the most important lesson for every pastor and worship pastor . . . The Pastor / Worship Pastor Relationship.This weekend, in churches across America, teaching pastors and worship pastors will each stand in front of rooms full of churchgoers and… take turns doing their own thing.

If the songs the worship pastor has chosen for the day happen to be along the same thematic lines as the message the teaching pastor is preaching, the two pastors will high five after the service and revel in how powerfully the Holy Spirit moved.

If the teaching pastor preaches on something diametrically opposed to the songs the worship pastor leads the congregation in, they will mark it up to God’s indiscernible will and hope for better the next week.

In most cases, these pastors will lock the church doors and head to Sunday lunch having no idea that their relationship with one another is key to being able to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in planning cohesive, impacting worship services.The nature of the pastor/worship pastor relationship is complex, to say the least.

On the one hand, it is the most important relationship that exists on your church staff. Your respective areas comprise the two halves of an important whole. You share the stage, the message and the creative elements of the service. You are both integral to creating a welcoming, engaging environment that will lead to Radically Transformed Lives.

While this relationship is the most critical relationship that exists in the church, it is also the relationship that carries the most potential for tension and stress. Small issues can easily go unaddressed. Misunderstandings fester. Expectations are not always met. Frustrations rise… and the relationship becomes strained.

Over the years, both Nelson and I have had many pastors and worship pastors tell us, “My relationship with my [pastor/worship pastor] may not be great, but we manage. It doesn’t affect what we do on Sundays.”

I hate to shatter your illusion, but relational problems between the pastor and the worship pastor always affect the church’s worship services. If the relationship is wounded, the people in the seats will notice some limping. Good or bad, the details of this relationship play themselves out in our worship planning.

And since effective worship planning is the key to being able to conduct life-transforming worship services, the results can be devastating – on an eternal scale. When the pastor/worship pastor relationship is ineffective, the church misses out on its full redemptive potential.

When miscommunication, confusion, frustration and unmet expectations are chipping away at the base, it is going to suffer some damage. If the base is damaged, the tip isn’t quite so glorious. So if we ever hope to have God-filled, life-transforming worship services week-to-week, we have to get this relationship straightened out, once and for all; we have to work together!

Jason

PS – One more thing . . . your relationship with your pastor / worship leader is key to the work of your church. And Pastor to Pastor I want you to know that there is no better place for worship leaders to learn how to make this relationship a success than in my Worship Leader Tele-Coaching Network.

The network begins on Friday, April 20 (just 30 days away). There are still a few spots available, so I encourage you to prayerfully consider this opportunity.

To learn more and sign-up just go to www.worshipleaderinsights.com/coaching.

Lessons from “Engage” – How to Inspire Your Congregation to Action

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What happens in your services is of no use to your people if they don’t walk away with a clear understanding of how to incorporate the teaching and worship into their lives.

That’s why it is so important to begin your worship planning with the end in mind. At The Journey, we do this by asking and prayerfully answering these three questions in the early stages of our planning for each service:

1. What do we want people to know when they leave?
2. What do we want people to feel when they leave?
3. What do we want people to do when they leave?

What do you want people to have learned when you are finished? What do you want them to be feeling? And, most importantly, what action steps do you want them to take to integrate the themes of the service into their lives?

Thinking through the “Know, Feel, Do” as you craft your worship services is the best way to define where you are going and get there more effectively. If you don’t answer these questions in advance, you run the very real risk of wasting both your time and your congregation’s.

Let’s take a look at how the “Know, Feel, Do” plays out in practicality. Say, for example, I was planning a message on generosity. At the outset of my planning, we would start thinking through the “Know, Feel, Do” questions in relation to generosity.

We may decide that the big theme for the day will be: “Your life will ultimately be defined by one of two ‘G’ words – Greed (closed-handed living) or Generosity (open-handed living.)” That’s what we want my people to know.

Then, we want them to feel the power of generosity, so we’ll think through how to invoke that feeling. But, keep in mind, the feeling is only important if it motivates them to take an action. So, ultimately, we are concerned with the “Do.” We want them to be motivated to actually give.

We want them to give of their time through serving or give of their money to our giving campaign or to the needy in our city. We want them to take an action step that connects what they’re hearing with how they live when they step outside the church doors.

Never end a service without giving people specific next steps they can take in response to God’s teaching. Scripture is clear on this point: “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves” (James 1:22).

We don’t have a lack of knowledge in American churches. We don’t even have a lack of experience or feeling. What we have a lack of is action. People simply don’t do what the Bible says they should do.

By asking the “Know, Feel, Do” questions as you plan your worship, you can help your people know what God wants them to know and feel what God wants them to feel, with the ultimate goal of helping them do what God wants them to do. Otherwise, we are only helping them fool themselves.

Jason

PS – Are registered for my new Worship Leader Tele-Coaching Network that begins April 20. In the tele-coaching network you will receive monthly hands-on coaching from me, including over four hours of training on how to establish the worship planning systems we talk about in Engage in your church.

Learn more and sign-up at www.worshipleaderinsights.com/coaching.