Communicate, Pt 3

We've already talked about it...

Effective communication from the platform is essential.

Effective communication off the platform is essential.

And no doubt, effective communication with your pastor/church staff is essential.

Remember the Tower of Babel?

I imagine that many of the folks who were working together to build the tower were pastors, worship pastors, youth pastors, etc. Then KA-BAM!

And every since, there has been confusion among staff members.

We think differently. We use different words. We feel words differently. We prioritize differently. We value things differently.

Yep. It must all go back to Babel.

OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but all of the "differently" things are sure true, aren't they?

To be effective in worship ministry, we've got to do the hard work of learning to cross the communication barrier so the pastor hears us and we hear the pastor. Same with the youth guy or the executive pastor.

Some of the things I've learned in my marriage may help. One of my favorites (though it might seem a little goofy) is to restate what I just heard. For example, "Pastor, I just heard you say that you don't really care how many songs we sing, but it is really important to you that the sermon begin by 11:20. Is that right?"

But just like in marriages, there's a really good chance that's not what he said. He may actually have said, "My brother, it is too much to ask our musicians to learn 6 songs in one week. And when you do that, I never get in the pulpit until well after 11:20."

It is so easy to see the difference in print. It is far more difficult in conversation, especially when emotions are a part of the conversation.

So learn to talk. More importantly, learn to listen. Discover what someone means when they speak, not just what they speak. Remember, while we artist-types are really good at crafting emotion into language, we may not be as good at being clear.

Now the big question--did I just communicate that clearly?