Learning to trust your leaders
I have a good friend who is one of the most gifted worship leaders I have every had the privilege to work with. He has an amazing ability to connect with people in worship. He is also an amazing example of what it means to be a servant of the Lord. I have learned so much from him as we have served together over the years.
I didn’t always appreciate this individual the way I do now. In fact we had a very difficult time working together at the beginning. The church had brought me on as the worship director and this individual as the program director and part time worship leader. Sounded great on paper, but we never defined anything. I was always stepping on his toes and he was stepping on mine. It created an environment of insecurity and frustration. My friend was growing into an amazing worship leader, but I was holding on so tightly to my “role” that I was oblivious to what God was doing. The tension in the situation just continued to build.
Over the months of tension it brought us to a crossroads in which we both realized that our insecurities and weaknesses were actually the other persons strengths. In that moment I realized that success and failure came down to my willingness to submit to the Lord and to submit to those who had strengths that I didn’t have.
What an amazing transformation in the relationship as well as the ministry. Genuine friendship, team oriented ministry, and more authentic worship both from the stage as well as the congregation…. but most importantly… trust.
They say that trust in earned. That was really the case in my situation. Learning to be humble and submit will go a long way in building those critical relationships and leaders in your ministry.
Investing in your Team
I used to work with a pastor that would say “people don’t really care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
That truth rang out loud and clear for me today. You see today I worked behind the camera on a project about…well of all things…it was me. My goal was to get some testimonials for an upcoming web site I’m working on. Although I was looking for testimonials about what I had accomplished over the years I really got so much more. You see the thing that stood out more and more wasn’t the things I accomplished but the time well spent on the relationships.
I know that today’s hectic pace can sometimes be overwhelming, but nothing can replace time spent investing in our teams. I was reminded of that today as I looked through the camera lens and listened to my friends say that it was the time and investment and even the belief in them that had the biggest impact on their lives. In this day when so much emphasis is placed on the production of ministry I would remind each of us and myself too that the true joy in ministry is seeing others accomplish something greater than themselves and knowing that God allowed you to be a part of it!
On the desktop of my computer I have this quote to serve as a reminder each day of the type of leader I desire to be…
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people
will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou
May this be true of all of us today…
Interesting Perspective – Part 1
I not a huge proponent of posting youtube videos but this U2 video hit me with an interesting perspective as to the responses people have in their faith. Watch it and let’s talk about it.
Have you tried Planning Center?
Posted by admin in Worship Resources on December 12th, 2009
Every once and a while a new technology comes along a really makes life a whole lot easier. Something I discovered several years ago was Planning Center Online. If you haven’t used this online service yet you really need to check it out. All in one program you can lay out your services, have a library for all of your charts and MP-3s as well as a data base of all your teams. One of the things that I love is the ability to schedule teams all online and send out music, orders, stage layout etc in one email.
For me this has really helped me accomplish one of my goals… And that is this… Try to get people more information earlier so they can be prepared for the weekend. You see whether it’s an usher, tech person. worship leader, host…you name it. One of our roles as worship leaders is to help our teams understand that we all have the opportunity each week to direct people to God. So more information helps people be better prepared and have a better understanding of how each person can help build the moments in our services… Those moments where God moves.
So if you haven’t checked it out go to:
www.planningcenteronline.com
and sign up for a free 30 day trail.
I promise this will save you hours!
Navigating a meeting
I’ve been reminded in my own ministry and with people I talk with that sometimes meetings can go terribly wrong and you or the people you are collaborating with can leave very disappointed, confused or even frustrated.
I’ve noticed that the more clear I am in laying out my expectations in meetings I lead the better the outcome can be.
It’s like the few times when I’ve gone to Disneyland with a large group. You walk into the park and in your mind you’ve mapped out exactly what you want to do. Unfortunately the others in the group have done the same thing. So you end up spending most of the day running from one side of the park to the other and never really get to enjoy the day because everyone has their own idea of where they want things to go. I see this in meetings too…. People often come in with very different expectations. So take a few minutes in your next rehearsal, meeting or any gathering to clarify for your team what you are and aren’t asking of them in the process. Here is a tool that’s been helpful to me when collaborating with others.
Points of authority – What am I asking of you:
Veto Authority – the authority to have final approval. Reserved only for the top leader or team.
Point Authority – the authority to initiate. The buck stops here. This person is ultimately responsible for the project or decision.
Input Authority- the authority to provide input into the decision and the right to receive feedback on how that input was considered.
Informational Authority – the authority to be informed once a decision is made.
That four letter word… RISK
Posted by admin in General Thoughts, Worship Resources on December 9th, 2009
Years ago on a ski trip I accidently took the wrong trail and found myself at the top of a triple diamond run. Standing at the top of what seemed like the peek of death I wondered how in the heck I was going to make it downs such a steep run. As I was standing there contemplating my death a young boy probably 8 years old said “you’ve just got to do it!” Needless to say that wasn’t what I wanted to hear from anyone especially a little punk eight year old! Thoughts like “you little punk just leave me alone… What do you know about skiing… I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you… “ came to mind…You know those thoughts….
But he was right… I just needed to do it. You see unlike that little boy my years of experiences had told me to think about all the times I crashed down the mountain, had the cold ice tear up my skin or even those times I was embarrassed that I bit the dust in front of everyone.
Today I find myself realizing that experiences in life and especially the church can hold us back from being risk takers and ultimately being everything that God desires us to be. Often I focus on what others say I can or can’t do and make sure that everything is completely figured out and foolproof before I even take a step… But God is reminding me that the greatest thing in life is to rely on Him more and more each day. Psalm 39 says it this way “I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence. If I go up to heaven you are there; if I go down to the place of dead, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.” So today let me encourage you and myself to walk in that knowledge…. The knowledge that God is there to guide you and I and pick us up if we fall. And just like that little boy I believe God is there today saying to us “you’ve just got to do it.” So take some risks today…….
What does worship look like?
Posted by admin in Definition of Worship, Observations on September 12th, 2009
A few years ago I went to a concert at the Dodge theater in downtown Phoenix. Went with a friend of mine. Great concert. Loud like you wouldn’t believe, but enjoyed the time. The concert was packed. People everywhere.
There were songs we were all up on our feet and others when we just sat and listened. In the middle of one of the quieter songs I looked down the row we were sitting in and saw a woman standing with her head lifted, eyes closed and arms outstretched. I remember thinking that what she was doing was the very picture of what an authentic worshiper should look like. Solely focused, unaffected by the opinions of the others around her.
This all sounds like a great example of worship… right? Well, we were not at a worship concert. In fact we weren’t even at a christian concert. It was just a creative rock concert with some amazing musicians. How could it have been worship? Worship of what?
So how does a person become so affected by something that they almost involuntarily stand, close their eyes, and raise their arms? In a church setting we would call it worship… but in a secular setting we would just call it an emotional response or a feeling.
Here is the point. The picture that each of us have for worship is usually the measure we use to determine if leading worship was effective. If we believe that someone standing, closing their eyes, and raising their hands is the picture of what authentic and real worship is, then we evaluate based on that.
My experience at the concert changed my perspective of what worship looks like. For me, it challenged my assumptions about what I saw in the congregation Sunday morning. It helped me realize that sometimes the responses we see in people are real and authentic, but other times people are moved by the emotions the music creates in them. One is worship and one is just a feeling.
Our job as leaders should be to create environments of authenticity and worship so that people can experience God in a real way. It can be easy to build services and gatherings around the intended emotional impact. When we do this we are building something that strives to fulfill the picture of worship we have. Challenge yourself this week to change the picture of worship you have had. Challenge yourself to see past the creative package and desired response and realize that God wants you to trust him with how people respond.
The telephone game- The dangers of gossip in a worship team.
Posted by admin in Conflict, Observations on July 29th, 2009
Ever play the game telephone? You know the one where you have a big group of people and someone tells the first person a secret and it is whispered person to person until it gets to the end? Did it ever end up being the same phrase you started with? What starts out “the sky is blue” ends up “i like the zoo”.
Worship teams are great at playing this game in real life. Some people call it telephone. Others call it church gossip or triangulation. Getting info or sharing info with everyone but the people involved is never a helpful activity in a creative ministry. The ironic part, is that it usually happens with out people even realizing it.
Let me give you a scenario… You’re at worship rehearsal and time comes to share prayer requests. Then someone says “have you heard what’s going on with Tom? (fictitious bass player)”. Everyone leans forward to hear the details. “I heard from my friend Sandy who talked to one of Tom’s co-workers and they said that Tom got called into the CEO’s office for a closed door meeting…. We really need to pray for him! That usually only happens when someone is in a lot of trouble. Also we need to keep this confidential. Tom doesn’t know we know anything…” Immediately, everyone is concerned and prays for Tom.
At first pass that sounds ok. Here is a band member, that everyone cares about, who might be in some trouble. People are concerned and it seems logical to share whatever information is available so we can pray accurately…. right? Not always… The reason this can be so unhealthy is because the information rarely stops being shared when it is supposed to. Confidential doesn’t really mean much in a church or in a ministry setting. In the same way concerns are shared in one setting, they will be shared in outside settings as a prayer request, as a concern and as something that needs to be kept quiet. There is also the tendency for the information to change each time it is shared. Before we know what has happened, the entire team is under the impression that Tom is going to be fired for having done something really bad. How can a team undo all of the (well intentioned) misinformation that was spread about Tom? What happens when Tom finds out everyone mistakenly thought he was doing something bad? What happens when everyone finds out Tom actually got a great promotion and that nothing was wrong at all?
This kind of stuff happens in worship teams periodically. It is just part of working with people… So how do you stop things before they get out of hand? Simple…. DISCONNECT THE TELEPHONE!
Remind your team that information that does not build up the team will only break it down. Encourage people to personally share what they are going through instead of passing the info through others. Reinforce the go-to principle which tells people to go to the person you’ve heard is struggling to find out if they are ok, instead of just passing the info on. Lastly, remind people that unless they are not part of the problem or part of the solution, they have no reason to share information about someone else.
It’s not in my job description!
I haven’t looked for a new job for a while now, but the other day I pulled out my resume just for the fun of seeing what i had “qualified” myself to do. I had listed a lot of meaningless information over the pages. Educational details, past jobs, skills, accolades, accomplishment, and references. As i looked it over i laughed out loud because i realized that nothing in that resume really told people who i am, what i believe or what i was committed to.
Now i realize that a resume is supposed to be a brief overview for the purpose of additional followup during the hiring process, but i found it interesting as it pertains to ministry. When you go into ministry, regards of the type, you are not really going into a job. Even if you have a detailed job description, an employment letter, or contract, you are still not going into a job. Ministry is not a job. It is your life. It doesn’t matter if you fill out a time card or are full time, half time, no time, volunteer. Ministry is not your job. Ministry is your life! And even more important… ministry is a privilege.
Lately i’ve had a some discussions with a couple part time worship guys who like to use the phrases “it’s not in my job description” or “i’m part time…remember”. Usually it is because they have been asked to do something that doesn’t fit into their regular routine.
I’ve been a part time pastor, so i understand where they are coming from. There is only so much time and anything above that is outside the scope of the job.I remember times thinking: “I don’t have time to volunteer my time to the church for things they don’t have the money to pay for…”
Unfortunately a lot of church pastors and leaders (particularily worship guys) are part time, work second jobs, or are not paid at all. It is kind of the norm these days. But i have come to realize something. Every person who serves in a church (with out getting paid) either doesn’t need to work or they have a job. Which means anything they do to help in ministry is outside of their normal life. Yet we don’t usually hear about volunteers complaining when they are asked to serve above and beyond the hours they work during the week.
Over the years i have forgotten time after time the wonderful privlege it is to be a vocational ministry leader. Yes there are a lot of headaches, people, staff, schedules and others to deal with, but how many people get the opportunity to lead in a church? not that many…
Next time you’re asked to do something outside of the norm, just remember how few people get to do what you do… and besides who are you really working for? the church? or the Lord?
Worship vs Performance – Tips to keeping the right perspective
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on April 11th, 2009
I often wonder how worship leaders draw the line between what is worship and what is a performance. It can be a difficult distinction to make. Because worship is based on a personal response it is almost impossible for people to remain purely objective when evaluating the difference. Over the years I have come up with a list that I use to keep myself in check.
- every time I stand on a stage and people do not see God I perform
- every time I make it about excellence over humility I perform
- every time I make it about the set, planning or package I perform
- every time I make it about anything other than God I perform
- every time I question the quality of my presentation I perform
- every time I rely on my skills I perform
Performing is always about pleasing someone (God, staff, people, ourselves)
Worship always happens within a spirit of humility. The result is not a feeling. It is an attitude of thankfulness and trust.