Growth Plan

You have talent, gifts, and the desire to improve. But you may not knowwhat to work on or how to work on it (call it a lack of systematic intentionality). I believe that having a growth plan will help you get where you want to be. Why should I plan my growth? Why should I plan my team's growth? I believe that the gifts I have are not my own, I'm a steward of them. What does the Owner expect me to do with them? Manage them? Yes, but not just that. Manage them for increase. The story of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 reminds me that I have been given something of weight (talent) that I am given according to my dynamis, my ability. (Interestingly, this is the same word used for the power (dynamis) of the Holy Spirit in Acts 1:8.) It isn't a question about how much I've been given or (even what effort I put forth), but what I actually do with it and Whose power brings it to life! How do I know if the talent I've been given is increasing and not just leveled off? There's no way to know unless I know where I am today, and then compare "today me" to "future me." (comparing myself to anyone else almost always being pretty unhelpful, if not destructive...and certainly joy-sapping!) Five areas for a well-rounded Growth Plan for Worship Ministry are:Musical Artistry, Spiritual Formation, Relational Integrity, Technical Excellence, and Leadership Ability. Take each area individually and think about where you are now and where you'd like to be by the end of the year. As dearly loved sons and daughters, we look to honor and glorify God as we serve. Bearing much fruit is one way to glorify Him (John 15:8). Our mission includes creating spaces where people can meet with God, so what we do should serve that end. (the level of detail below isn't meant to overwhelm you, but rather to inspire your thinking)

Musical Artistry  Step one: learn to play your instrument. Step two: learn to play the song. Step three: learn to play with a band. Step four: actually make music! What are the musical skills I want to work on? Dynamics, tastefulness, styles, rhythm, timing, tempo, creating groove, memorization of music, listening, advance preparation before rehearsal, improvising, vocal harmony, vocal blend, vocal health, songwriting, strumming patters, picking patterns, sticking patterns, use of capos, keyboard textures, electric guitar tones and effects, instruments playing their musical roles, arrangements, musical transitions, prophesying with your instrument, learning a new instrument, tuning, key selection, sight-reading, musical notation, ear training, theory, personal practice time...

Spiritual Formation I like calling our journey toward spiritual maturity "spiritual formation" because of the great blueprint we have: "until Christ is formed in you" (NIV) or "until Christ's life becomes visible in your lives" (MSG). How do I want to grow spiritually? Abiding in the Vine, personal devotions, spiritual sensitivity, prayer life, worship life, character, meditation, fasting, bible study, service, spontaneous worship, generosity, being the last one in the room to get angry, teachability...

Relational Integrity Relational health is obvious - you can tell when there is tension, and you can tell when people genuinely love being together. How do I want my relationships to improve? Attitude, working out conflicts, anger, laziness, punctuality, openness, depth, listening, blessing, encouragement, follow through...

Technical Excellence Remaining unnoticed during a service requires tremendous focus and wide knowledge. How do I want to grow in my technical understanding and ability? Acoustics, EQ, gain structures, mixing, lighting, troubleshooting, miking, environmental projection, recording, visual worship leading, sound checks...

Leadership Ability  John Maxwell's Law of the Lid states that "Leadership determines the level of effectiveness." My influence is limited by my ability to lead. How do I want to grow as a leader? Influence, foresight, trust, respect, intuition, heart connection, empowerment, reproduction, vision, momentum, priorities, timing, authority, humility, song selection, increasing number of musicians, rehearsal leadership, worship leadership, segues/setups, connection to the service theme, generational inclusiveness, understanding worship history, worship values, worship theology, modeling growth, followership, activating others, stage presence...

Take time to think as well as listen to the Lord as you reflect on your own needs, your team's needs as a whole, and the needs of the individual people on your team. The Lord may pop a thought into your mind as you think. You can answer for yourself personally, your team members, or your team as a whole. What are the top 3-5 skills that you want to grow in? What are 2-3 strategies you may want to try to use to get there for each of the skills? What are some indicators that you can look for to know you're on the right track? What obstacles do you know about that will keep you from growing in these skills? What will it look like at the end of the year when you increase to the level you're hoping to? Interact! Use the power of social pressure, I mean accountability, and take a moment share what you're going to work on. Or you can just email me and I'll help! :-D