There are many challenges that a worship leader faces on a weekly basis, from choosing music to arranging songs, planning the service, rehearsing the team, and the list goes on. With the focus so much on the music and planning, you have to be careful not to forget about the people. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of seeing your singers, band members and tech crew as just that – singers, band members and the tech crew, instead of real people with real lives and real hurts and needs. The danger is to value your volunteers for what they can do for you and the ministry, instead of valuing them as people. When that happens, it only leads to resentment, frustration and a disconnect on the part of the volunteers.

I believe that all of us as worship leaders should be equally concerned with what’s going on in the lives of our singers and band members as we are with what songs we’re doing this week. Whether your official title is Worship Pastor, Worship Leader, or Director of Worship, we are all still called to serve the people in our ministry as well as lead the congregation. We have to move beyond just seeing those on our team as tools at our disposal, to actually building relationships with them.

Building these relationships with the musicians and artists on your team will have so many positive results. When someone on the team is going through a rough time (illness, job loss, relationship issues, etc…), hopefully they feel they can come to you with what’s going on, and you will be truly concerned for them and the situation, not just concerned with whether they are still able to play/sing that week. We all are familiar with Galatians 6:2, which says to “Share each other’s burdens” (NLT); but we also need to remember Galatians 6:3 “If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself.” (NLT) We don’t get a pass on being the one to care for those God has placed under us. Also, when the artists on your team really know that you care about them, they will be much more apt to stick around and invest themselves in the ministry.

So, what does this look like on a weekly basis? What are some things you can incorporate in your worship ministry to foster relationships? Please leave a comment below, and share some ideas and things that you have done at your church! But, I’ll just list a few quick ideas. Rehearsal nights are huge in this area! Make sure to be prepared for your rehearsal well in advance so you can use those precious minutes before the rehearsal as people are coming in to just ask them how they’re doing, or get to know them, rather than run around doing last minute details. Make sure to include a prayer time in your rehearsal. Sharing prayer requests and praying for one another is a great way to build bridges.

Also, make sure to spend time with your team outside of rehearsal nights and Sundays. Take someone out to lunch, just to invest time with them, and to let them know you’re praying for them. Also, make sure to plan some events throughout the year for everyone in your ministry to get together just for fun! At our church, we have monthly worship ministry gatherings, where one month we’ll focus on fellowship, and the next month our focus is training. On the fellowship nights, we’ll invite everyone to come with their families for a night of food, games and fun! We’ll provide the drinks, plates, etc, and each family brings a dish to share. We’ve had Wii tournaments, table games, CD giveaways, and more. It’s great to see some of our seniors who serve on our Traditional worship team interact with the young kids on those nights! On the training nights, we’ll usually invite just those on the team, and ask them to bring a snack to share. We’ll start with worship, and then spend time focusing on both the heart and the art of worship. We’ve used different DVDs and books that focus on the heart of worship, as well as DVDs that focus on the practical training on vocals, style, or certain instruments. If you’re looking for resources of this kind, I’d check out the “RE:VERB// Conversations on Biblical Worship” DVD by Ross Parsley and Glenn Packiam; or any of the DVDs in Paul Baloche’s Modern Worship Series. We also have a more in-depth prayer time for one another on these nights.

We’ve had several difficult situations here at our church the last few months, and I’ve been reminded of the importance of relationships in the worship ministry. I’ve been honored to have some of the team really open up and share their concerns, hurts and joys with me. It has to be about more than just the music – we’re a family!

Barry Westman
All About Worship