I struggled with whether or not to include this position on the team. I'm a vocalist. Been singing/leading worship for decades. So why would I need someone else on my team to coordinate the area of music ministry I'm most adept at doing?
Three reasons:
1) Team is better. As long as we had a manageable size team, I wanted people in every role possible.
2) My own weakness. I don't like asking people to do things. That's a pretty terrible shortcoming for a worship pastor! So out of my weakness, I asked one person to ask lots of people to sing.
3) Developing leaders. I knew I would not serve Memorial Baptist Church for the rest of her history. I wanted to cultivate other folks who could carry on the ministry--or at least provide continuing with whomever would be hired to follow me there.
I'm so glad I did.
Why is team better? In this case, here's just one reason. Other people think of songs I don't. Because of the way we crafted our services, we had weeks to hear, remember, and imagine. So team members would come to our planning meetings with songs in mind that I might not think about. I don't know about you, but I'll bet there have been dozens of times that someone would come to me after a service and say, "You know _________ (song) would have been great in todays' service!" NOW you tell me? Having another voice in the team helped us think of more possibilities.
Why not just buck up and ask people? Well, I did. But the more we play to our strengths and let others play to their strengths, the stronger our ministry. So the things I did well, I did. And then the person on the team could do well what they did well. And then we all excelled. (Not always, of course!) In my observation, most churches do not think this way or build teams with this in mind. Life is better when we do, though. Promise.
Why develop leaders? SO many reasons. In fact, I see a series of blog posts on that topic somewhere down the road. But for now, let me just share with you why it was such a big deal at this church at that time. When I left--actually, it was the reason I left--there were no funds available to hire a replacement, even a significant part-time person. But you know what? The Vocal Coordinator from my Worship Arts Team (Debbie) was an UNPAID servant, and she could keep serving. She knew what to do. She had done it with excellence. And though the model had to adapt to my absence, she was able to stay and lead well after I left. Circumstances at most churches will not mirror my story, I'm sure. But even if someone had been hired shortly after I left, what a treasure to walk into a team with capable leaders already in place!
One more word about this role on the team. We were not only trying to get the best person to sing the best song at the best moment in the service, we would also consider how to stay in touch with and care for those who were a part of the worship ministry. Having someone besides me who was available to those who sing was highly valuable. In this case, it was even someone of another gender. That was certainly a bonus!
Team. Team. Team. It's a better path to meaningful and creative ministry. No doubt.
Remember, for help with developing this kind of ministry in your church, just shoot me a message. I'd love to walk with you as a Worship Coach and unleash the power of teamwork and creativity in ways that work in your place of ministry!
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