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

How To Make Decisions

“The most eternally creative thing you can do is make a decision.” – Dave Miller

Here are a few principles to help you make decisions. Church is two or more gathered [Matthew 18:20] centered around Christ, to acknowledge His authority and presence, discerning and declaring the will of God, making decisions for the Kingdom, declaring those decisions and acting on them corporately.¹ Always start (and complete) the decision making process with our hearts – affections, our minds – attitudes, our souls – ambition, our strength – activity,² centered on Christ. Unless you just want to build your church, instead of His.

Remove fear.

Fear of what people will think, fear of what it will take to do what the decision implies, or fear of making the wrong decision are always bad motivators and will cloud your decision. Fear = Fog. Fear = False Evidence Appearing Real. It will mess you up. Go ahead, imagine what it feels like to make a decision without the weight of “what will they think?” attached to it. I couldn’t help but grin either.

Make sure you clarify what decision you’re making and which ones you are not making.

Decisions always impact other things, but it’s important to not try and make all the decisions that will be affected by a single decision at the same time. It will immobilize you. Just imagine shopping at the grocery store for the next 175 meals in a single shopping trip. Hope you like Spam.

Identify what’s making it a difficult decision

There’s something intoxicating about problem solving that is so detrimental to decision making. Don’t confuse decision making with problem solving.³ Sometimes when I am trying to make a decision, I’ll stop and back up from all the processing I’ve been doing and I’ll listen for the answer that I’ve kinda known God was giving me, but I was mentally debating because I didn’t understand, like, or know how it would work.  If you had to say (ignoring any implications of the decision) what you think God’s saying about the decision…what would it be if you had to make a call right now?

Decide how long of a time frame each decision should take to make. (5 minutes or 5 months?)

Some decisions take time. Some don’t. Some leaders can make decisions quickly. Some can’t. Neither is always right/wrong. Agreeing at the start how long a decision needs to take will help everyone. There’s a freedom in knowing that even though this decision will take 2 months to make, that end date gives hope and forward motion. Never delay a decision that should be made quickly. It’ll be like that email that you didn’t want to respond to right away, that somehow ended up way down in your inbox only to be discovered months later. Never rush a decision that needs time. You can nuke a steak, but it’ll get hard and you’ll feel discomfort in your stomach.

If it’s a complex decision, simplify it by breaking it into several decisions.

It’s the same principle of eating the elephant (How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.)

Filter the decision through your core purpose, your WHY, the big picture.

Every decision. That’s not an overstatement. Every decision should support your WHY. Even if it seems insignificant, or the exception, or your really want it. If it doesn’t support what you’ve decided you’re about, don’t do it. On the contrary, if it does support your WHY, make sure you clearly share that when you communicate the decision.

Congratulations!

So how do you make decisions?

¹Concept from Keith Yoder, Teaching The Word Ministries, ²Verbiage from Myron Augsburger 1968, Faith for a Secular World ³Concept from Doug Fike

http://adlibmusic.com/

The Leadership Journey

Anytime you, as a leader, are saying "I'm a good leader, they're just bad followers" you're in denial. You must take responsibility for your actions. If you're being defensive, posturing yourself, or being political, it's likely because you're weary, have been hurt, and have taken on offenses. If you say things like "if they would just let me (fill in the blank), then I could...", you're missing half of what leadership is about. Leadership starts with vision from the Lord and then partners with Him to figure a way to move forward with it. If a God-initiative fails, it's very likely that it just wasn't led well. Are you jaded, caustic, negative, sarcastic, and paranoid? What are the loudest voices influencing you? Have you shut yourself off relationally to people around you because of tiredness and wounding. The fact is: you're going to get wounded as a leader. So what's your plan when it happens? Are you having an identity crisis? Listen to what you're saying. Is it things like "Do they want me to be their leader?" or "If only they were 100% behind me." That sounds like fear has gripped you and you are no longer led by what the Father has said about you. When you ask yourself what the Lord is teaching you through a challenging leadership experience, do you just say "nothing...just don't do that again!"? Remember the executive who cost his company 10 million dollars? When his boss called him in, naturally the executive presumed he'd be fired, but his boss said "Fire you?! I just spent 10 million dollars educating you!" In the same way, God uses every experience to deepen, strengthen, shape, and refine you...He's investing! Pay attention and take some notes. You may be in a Psalm 73 moment right now...don't betray the generation of His children. Guard your tongue. Take responsibility for your actions, your failures, and learn from them. I was taught by my choir director in college that "there are no bad choir, only bad choir directors." I take from that, that it's my responsibility. Seek God. Build rapport. Lead wisely. Lead well. And whatever you do, don't lead alone. Fill yourself with great books like: The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership (John Maxwell) Who Stole My Church? (Gordon MacDonald) Switch (Chip & Dan Heath) Made To Stick (Chip & Dan Heath) Today We Are Rich (Tim Sanders) Simple Church (Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger) Radical (David Platt) Onward (Howard Schultz) One final thought. Often, as leaders, our inheritance is sat upon by giants. But God says "are you not well able?" Like Caleb, you're going to say, "Give me my mountain." (Joshua 14:12) God may then ask you to "Speak to the mountain" (Matthew 21:21). What will your response be?  http://adlibmusic.com/

How Do I Learn Melody

What’s the most important musical part of a song? Melody. It’s the DNA, the unique fingerprint. Which brings up the next question…how do I learn melody, especially if I don’t read music or don’t have the musical notation available?

This is how I do it:

1. Listen to the song, taking initial notes on the general form of the song, noting any major things that are happening. Hey, did you see that, I take notes! So whip out the chord chart so I can see visually what is happening in the song. Does it have a soaring bridge? Does it have three identical verses? Is there a tricky pre-chorus? Where do the harmonies come in?

2. Listen again, this time making detailed notes on the melody. I’ll often put slash marks over the words higher and lower to guide me as their pitch rises and falls, as well as ^ over high points. I may make actual rhythmic notation or draw long lines with the overall curve of the melody, but the point is to make a reference that I understand. It doesn't have to be technical, classical notation, or even understandable by anyone other than me.

3. NOW I sing along with the recording. This is the first time I even sing it! I may do this a few times, then I add my instrument. This is super important, especially if I don’t play at an advanced level, because I’ll tend to do two things: a) quickly adjust the song melody (i.e. sing it wrong) to match my playing style/rhythm or b) get confused because I’m trying to learn two things at once. Separate them. First get the melody learned, then learn the accompaniment. So if you need to, sing it a few times without playing it, then play it a few times without singing it, and then put the two together.

4. It's time to see if I'm learning it, so I sing and play it without the recording a few times, and this is when I realize where I don't know it and how I don't know how to "use" the song...let's see, what do I play after the chorus? How many times should I repeat that bridge? How does the intro go? How do I end this song?

5. Then I turn the recording on again and check myself. I'll often find that I've learned a note wrong or am singing some words with the wrong phrasing. “Oh, that melody goes down at the end of this line.” But this step is critical, because if I don't go back to verify that I've learned it well, the mental cement starts to harden...

Bonus:

Here an idea to help your team to learn songs if they (surprise) don’t come to rehearsal prepared. After you’re played it together, sing it a cappella, with no instruments, with the melody wearing its birthday suit, so you can isolate the voices, identify trouble spots, and strengthen the melodies. You’ll be amazed how removing ALL instruments will help solidify the melody. (it will also help teach your electric guitar players from diving into “Sweet Child O’ Mine” the second you stop playing the song. Yes Tom, I’m calling you out, buddy) :O

http://adlibmusic.com/

How Songs are Built

Why do I need to know how a song is built? Why do you care?


Because knowing how songs are built enables you to:


~ Learn it without “playing it on repeat 18 times”
~ Rehearse it as a band without just “playing the whole thing 8 times”
~ Know what you can change in it so it’s still fresh and worshipful after singing it 28 times
~ Encourage the congregation to sing more (without asking for it)
~ Adapt it to your band…(especially if your electric guitar player still thinks solid state is king)
~ Heroically decide not to play it when you realize (before Sunday morning) that your rhythm section (that carries that particular song) just doesn’t have what it takes to pull it off (yet)

So first, what are the elements that make up a song? Melody, Text, Form, and Accompaniment (which is harmony, rhythm, tone, tempo, and dynamics). There are things in a song that you can rework and there are things that if changed, make it a completely different song. Text, Form, and Accompaniment can all be modified to different degrees. Melody is the DNA of a song - change that, and it's no longer the same song.


We’ll start with what is most flexible, Accompaniment:
You may be able to change the chords and still sing the melody as written, but you may need to change what harmony you can sing with it. You can change the rhythmic feel of the song, and it may still work – like laying a rock feel, or a jazz swing, or a pop groove on it. You can play the song with only an acoustic guitar or a full band, but you'll need to play it differently to achieve similar energy, feel, or even style. You might use instruments the original author never dreamed of using. You can play the song slightly faster or slightly slower (about ±10 BPM unless you're doing a drastically different groove). You can change the key (thankfully). You can play different voicings on the instruments, use capos, and chord inversions. It may work to add or subtract harmonies. You can play a really quiet version or a REALLY LOUD version (sorry for the shouting). Ask “Would this song make sense if sung a cappella?” or “Would this song work without a drummer or a strong lead guitar player?” Then change at will…the sky is the limit. In fact, next rehearsal, try playing the same song once with only the players on the left of the stage, and then once with the ones on the right (and yes, the drummer has to pick one or the other). How did it work? What didn’t work? What did you learn?


Form:
A song may be written V1, Ch, V2, Bridge, but you can totally start on the Bridge if you'd like. You don’t need to sing both verses. You can sing just the chorus of a song. I’ll often repeat whichever verse I’m feeling like God wants to highlight in that moment. I recently led Here I Am To Worship and repeated the second verse twice (without going to the chorus) and went right into the bridge because it seemed right to be singing about God coming to earth “Humbly You came to the earth You created, All for love's sake became poor” …and then go right into “I'll never know how much it cost…” So it’s Outback Steakhouse here…no rules, just right.


Text:
Sometimes, you can slightly alter the text and still keep the song as it is - personalizing a pronoun for instance. You might change a chorus on the third time around from "God is great" to "God You're great" or change “He” to “You.” But if you change it up too much "O praise Him, He is holy" sung as "I praise You, You are holy" doesn't really work. But be careful here, purists may harpoon you after the service (in love, of course). Some of us feel like changing the “sloppy wet kiss” in How He Loves to…any of the dozen substitutes for the original lyric ruins the song. Some of us can’t stand the original. So alter with taste and tact…and good reason.


Melody:
But melody? Nope. Don't change that. Every note and every rhythm is foundational to that song. It's the only thing that separates it from every other song. Think of it as its DNA or fingerprint. If you don't sing it true to the original, your singers will have a hard time following you and the congregation will certainly have trouble following you and singing along. (this may very likely be on of the main reasons they don't sing if they aren't!)


Now I know, I know...you’re artists just expressing yourselves. Good for you. You are, but you’re servants first. Just like you should “Worship first; Play second” you must be a “Servant first; Artist second.” There are lots of ways to be creative and artistic, but altering the melody is not one of them. (unless you’re teaching it as a new song)


I’d love to hear your thoughts!


(oh, and if you like those pretty little boxes at the top of this section, head over to Red Rocket Box and pick up some gold)


http://adlibmusic.com/

Never Copy the CD Version

I love what Todd Henry says in his “The Accidental Creative” podcast: “It is the age of creativity. Cover bands don’t change the world. Don’t be a cover band, you need to find your unique voice.” There is no need whatsoever for making the songs that we do sound just like a recording.


However, there are two really important assumptions that statement makes:


1. One of the main roles of the band is to support the leader in where he/she feels God is wanting to take things for that service. Sometimes the leader will feel the most comfortable (and therefore be able to focus on what is most important) if the arrangement is familiar. I think it's fine for the leader to ask for a certain arrangement, which may be what Chris Tomlin's band did. So if the leader is asking for it, the team should do it.


2. And, more importantly, the statement assumes a certain level of musicianship in the players. Manheim BIC’s Worship Pastor, Ryan Shenk, described a church service as a “family dinner” because it speaks of uniqueness and intimacy, so every church has their own flavor. But, scrambled eggs…again?! Can we try poached or over medium? Mom…!


See, most church musicians are in ruts because they haven't invested enough in their own musical development to have solid musical foundations, good chops, proper technique, and the ability to make musical choices in WHAT they play. I'm not saying your band isn't good, doesn't have talent or potential, or isn't valuable! Seriously, I'm not. The value in learning music the way it is on the CD is that it is like taking lessons from seasoned, accomplished musicians and learning from professional arrangers. I'm ready to say “never listen to a CD again” once a band has such great instincts (read: habits) that they produce fantastic music naturally without it. So until a band (or a musician) gets to that point, they need lessons or to learn parts from CD's. It's a necessary step in being a good steward of your musicianship.

And while I’m on stewardship, I need to tell you that I just love the definition of stewardship: managing for increase. I used to think that stewarding something just meant managing it. But that's more like burying the talent out of fear. Managing without the “increase” part just leaves you with trying to protect, control, and maintain. (ew!) We're not called to that, we're called to double and triple the return on the talent God has given us. Musically, that requires investment.


It takes time to develop the leadership art of creating a culture of grace that, at the same time, pushes the development of people, and calls them out when they don’t feel prepared. And it's important enough to say that your musicianship and your stewardship of it is NOT tied to your identity or your worth, that you don't have to perform your way into acceptance or approval (which is such a common pitfall for musicians). You are accepted completely because you're a son or a daughter of a Father Who loves you with inalterable love. Now you have the responsibility as a son or daughter to steward the gift well.


So, what are you going to do?


http://adlibmusic.com/

Filter Bubbles and "my" church

When was the last time you worshipped with other believers.  Wait, but I mean not at "your" church?  I mean when was the last time you joined believers outside of your congregation and fully engaged in worship in their Sunday morning worship gathering?"


Why does it matter?


Watch this 9 minute video, and then we'll talk.  http://on.ted.com/9Bfd

"As web companies strive to tailor their services (including news and search results) to our personal tastes, there's a dangerous unintended consequence: We get trapped in a "filter bubble" and don't get exposed to information that could challenge or broaden our worldview. Eli Pariser argues powerfully that this will ultimately prove to be bad for us..."

The search engines that "tailor" [read: filter] what we see.

The effect of the "filter bubble" that homogenizes what we see.

How it should be, so that we see the full picture.

What if we would apply the idea of "filter bubbles" to our experience at "our" church. The [capital C] Church is much bigger than "your" church. But so often, we only see how we do church.  And I believe that if we only get to see and experience one tiny, tiny segment of the Church, we will neither see her full beauty nor have an accurate and appropriate perspective of who she really is.


I have a different experience and therefore perspective than most. I do have a home church, but I am in other congregations about twice a month on Sundays and partner  with over 25 distinct congregations each year, seeing not only their Sunday morning gatherings, but, with my ALL-ACCESS, behind the scenes pass, I get to see their inner workings and culture as I coach their leadership.


And I know, I know, "your" church is great and it has everything you've ever wanted, but...


When was the last time you experienced...

• the richness of a Presbyterian liturgy?
• the freedom of an informal house church?
• the artistry of a seeker church?
• the fire of a pentecostal church?
• the intellect of a United Methodist church?
• the simplicity of a Mennonite church?
• the passion of a "river" church?
• the funky, hand-shaking groove of a black church?
• the community of a...community church?
• the "Word power" of a Bible church?
• the open-invitation tribe at a Mosaic church?
• the diversity of a multi-cultural church?
• the flat out rock n' roll of a big church?
• the newness of a church plant?
• the history of a 250 year-old church?
• the calisthenics of a portable church?
• the familiarity of "your" church?
• the awkwardness of a traditional church doing contemporary music?  [sorry, I just had to throw that one in there!]

Does that make you want to get out there and experience something beyond the "filter bubble" that your current perspective gives you?  I'd love your comments with further descriptions of your experiences...


And if you're wondering why I keep putting references of "your" church in quotes, I'm trying to correct the perception that we have a church.  See we ARE the Church.  Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 that "I will build my church."  I get that you want to call your local congregation "my church" and that's fine.  But what I see over and over as I coach churches is that far too often church goers act like it's their church, make decisions like it's their church, make demands like it's their church...and it's not.  :)  [does that smiley soften it?]


Oh, and if you're a church shopper taking this as a free pass to engage in uncommitted church dating, know this: there is huge joy in being a member one to another of a local congregation, there is great safety in being under Godly authority, and there is a clear command to live in community, be devoted one to another, and to genuinely love each other.  That will never happen if you keep up your fickle ways.  Plug in.


http://adlibmusic.com/

What REALLY causes the “not enough musicians” syndrome?

So, are you trying to figure out how to add more musicians to your teams?  "We just don't have any in our church."  Really?  The super-common problem of “We just don’t have enough musicians” seems to have a simple cause, but let’s look deeper.  What might REALLY be causing the shortage?

Here are 10 causes for a lack of musicians: [I’ll include both singers and instrumentalists when referring to “musicians” here.]

1.     Musicians attract musicians [perhaps there’s just not critical mass – not a talent issue, just a sheer lack of numbers]

2.     A bad sound mix [when certain musicians aren’t heard in the mix, this causes potential musicians to say “Why would I want to play or sing if I might not even be heard?”]

3.     There is no perceived need for more musicians [does your talented worship leader fill in all the missing gaps so the congregation never feels the pain of the need OR do you ever ask for more musicians – either by announcement, special event, or shoulder-tap?  And do I smell burnout?]

4.     Insecure musicians [potential musicians don’t feel that they have the necessary talent to play or sing with the band]

5.     There is a negative or closed band culture [it doesn’t look like the band is enjoying serving together OR the relationships are so tight that they feel exclusive or like a clique]

6.     There is no mentoring [there’s no way to ease into playing, no culture of co-leading, no “backup, unamplified second keyboard or guitar” and there’s no training to get new musicians up to speed]

7.     There are no non-rehearsal or non-performance gatherings [are the only playing opportunities at rehearsals and services?  There are no monthly or quarterly gatherings to play and experiment with different musicians and different combinations of bands without the pressure of preparing for or playing in a service?]

8.     Different or New vision [sometimes a worship leader’s vision for style (which dictates band makeup) is different than the senior pastor’s or perhaps it’s just new to the church and they don’t know that their accordion, I mean, electric guitar has a place in the band]

9.     Minimal performance space [your stage is full or the way you are set up makes it feel like there’s no room for anyone to join]

10.  Too many hoops to join or unclear expectations [What happens when a potential musician expresses interest in serving?  Is your process cumbersome, unclear, lengthy, daunting, or nonexistent? People like to be a part of something well organized.  How many embers of hope never became flames of service because of an inefficient process?]

So, now that you see some of the “hidden” reasons that you don’t have enough musicians, here are some solutions for each:

1.     Invite musician friends that you have from outside your church to help.  Cross-pollinating is great for your church and the musicians visiting.  It creates more of a felt need once people enjoy the energy of the drums or the fullness of a keyboard.  Also, quality attracts quality [you are what you attract – gulp!] so invest in yourself and in your team.  Get lessons, work hard, be students of your craft, grow!

2.     Train you tech arts crew to be musical in their mixing.  Teach them how songs are built, how and why you arrange songs like you do, and how to create a mix that supports the intended result.

3.     Let certain roles go unfilled sometimes…create the need.  And when you do, it would be a great week to intentionally make an announcement that makes the opportunity to serve known [without sounding desperate!]  Remember to use all available media – live, bulletin, e-bulletin, website, etc.  Also, keep you ears open and invite the people who may be interested – never underestimate the power of the shoulder-tap!

4.     Each church has [whether written or not] a ground floor for what is acceptable quality level for weekend worship gatherings.  But make sure you communicate that excellence [doing your personal best] is the requirement, not being perfect.  You might also help less-experienced musicians serve in lower-pressure environments like children’s church, small groups, youth group, or midweek meetings.  They can provide wonderful training ground where confidence can grow.

5.     When a band is enjoying each other as they play, you can totally feel it!  Work hard, be diligent, flow together, but don’t take yourselves so da’gum seriously!  “Be excellent at what is good, be innocent of perfection.”  [oh snap, he didn’t just paraphrase it that way, did he?!]  I know that sometimes, when you are concentrating on what you’re playing, you can have a serious look or scowl on your face, but try to remember what you’re singing about and Who you’re singing to.  God cancelled His frown toward you when you said yes to Him…reflect His smile!  Also, when you have [or potentially have] someone new, go the extra mile to be interested, welcoming, genuine, and considerate.  Help breakdown the certain apprehension that a new musician has.  And share food, experiences, and honest moments with each other.  Be a community.

6.     Establish a culture of training, of opportunity, of team.  Regularly offer musical training for your musicians.  Always look for ways to be raising up new leaders and musicians.  Have your background singers lead songs, have your electric guitar player start off a song, and bring a duplicate musician on stage unplugged just to build their confidence.  Work hard not to be a “one man show” – empower musicians on your team to have important musical [solo, lead, arrangement, etc.] and non-musical [prayer, scripture reading, administrative, etc.] responsibilities.

7.     Call it a Jam Session, a Worship Jam, Zamar [instrumental worship] Night, or “And the Kitchen Sink” but you’ve gotta have times when your current and potential new musicians can play and experiment with different musicians and different combinations of bands without the pressure of preparing for or playing in a service.  There is just a different level of creativity when you take that pressure away.  And it’s a great way to get to know new musicians without having to formally audition them [shhhhh…I know!] in an artificial environment.

8.     It’s super important for your team to be able to articulate your senior pastor’s vision for the weekend worship gatherings.  There are so many decisions that must flow from this vision.  If you’re playing modern worship songs [think Chris Tomlin, Hillsongs, Passion, etc.], I believe it’s nearly impossible to consistently lead worship encounters with the LORD without energy in the music – especially in the “up” songs.  [energy and volume are related, but are not the same] Once you decide to do a certain kind of song, there are requirements for it to actually “work” and certain instruments and a certain sound mix are needed.

9.     It might be a good idea to clear the stage [at least in your mind’s eye] and make sure they you’re using your space most effectively.  Did you just keep adding instruments without a comprehensive plan?  Can everyone see each other?  Do you look cramped?  Are you using stands with a tripod base in a small area?  Ever lead from behind a wooden choir “wall” while the piano soundboard [that also separates you from the congregation] blares into your face?  Well, sometimes you have to challenge tradition in order to move forward.  I know, I know, you feel the feathers ruffling already, and that’s okay.  You’re in a community, so it’s way-important to take your people along with you, but don’t let their comfort stand in the way of the building on God’s Kingdom [He doesn’t in your life, does He?]  Do what it takes to use the space so that your band feels comfortable playing and so that the congregation doesn’t mistake you for sardines.

10.  It’s important to have a clear, well-organized process that minimizes wait time [read: keeps momentum alive], yet allows for accountability, common guidelines, and verbalized expectations.  It’s fine to have a 6 month process before a new musician can serve, but it’s not okay for the process to take 3 months before it begins.  Make it easy to serve.  Sure you have requirements, but remove any unnecessary roadblocks.

So now it's your turn.  What surprised you on this list?  What will you do as a result of what you learned?  Share your thoughts!


http://adlibmusic.com/

Romans 12 Manifesto

So, which one of these phrases best reflect the way you serve together in your worship and technical arts ministry?

A Working Manifesto

We stay in a good mood when "life" happens

We appreciate each other's different talents

We are never be lazy but work hard

We don't think we know it all

We are always ready to serve

We don't sweat the small stuff

We are real, we don't just pretend to love others, we love them deeply

We are transparent and live our lives as openly as we can with each other

We work really hard and take notice when someone else is tired and may need a rest

We are honest and genuine with ourselves and each other

We take care of ourselves and don't trash our bodies the night before we serve

We know the "true worship" test is based on our Monday morning - not our Sunday morning

We are who God has called us to be - boldly!

We want God's creativity so we let Him reinvent the way we think

We discover beauty in everyone

We don't let the world determine our standards

We encourage each other all the time

We expect God!

We find a way to begin every meeting with something great that God has done

We make music with linked arms and connected hearts

We polish our talents and use them for good

We pray before we play, pray while we play, pray after we play, and pray while we're away

We aren't boxed in by what we know, instead we bring into being Heaven's creativity

We remember our individual roles and celebrate others who contribute in their individual roles

Oh that every rehearsal, service, audition, evaluation, planning meeting, and casual interaction would look like this, huh?! What sets your bar? Who gives your teams their expectations? How do people know what's required of them? How do they know that this is different than volunteering for community service?

The Scripture Guides Us

My friend Matt took a gathering of worship leaders through a passage of scripture that seemed almost hand-crafted as a standard for how we are to serve together in worship ministry. It was amazing how applicable the whole chapter of Romans 12 was to our context. He says that he reads the whole chapter with his worship teams twice each year, just to keep the gold standard in front of them.

Well, since then, I've taken several churches through this passage, with the assignment of creating a sort of manifesto. A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions. Each ministry needs common language clearly describing the nature and practice of their desired culture. In simple language, each person needs to know practically how they are supposed to work together.

The list at the beginning of this Fertilizer is a compilation of phrases crafted by worship team members [thanks y'all]. The next time you have an hour with your teams, read through Romans 12 and practically apply the scripture to your ministry context. Write a few phrases that describe the way you want to serve together. Try to write the phrases in normal and practical language, exemplifying your best "non-Christianese" language skills. Post the phrases on your rehearsal space walls, on the covers to your songbooks, in your tech booth, in your mail slots, or wherever your phylacteries are! [see Deuteronomy 6:4-9]

Click here to read Romans 12 in the New Living Translation. [It's pretty cool in The Message translation too!]

It's not just a good idea

So, um, when are you going to do it? Tell me when you do and if you'd like, post your Romans 12 Manifesto here!

Oh, BUDGET!

So does your 2010 budget include funding for training and team development? At least one third of your ministry's budget should be set aside for sowing into your people. Hosting training events, going to conferences together, connecting with a coach, building a library of resources, and going on team retreats should be a significant part of bringing outside voices in to encourage and equip your teams.

Worship Fertilizer - What Every Worship Leader Needs To Know, Really

I’ve been into lists lately.

Lists keep me focused.
Lists give me motivation. [seeing the task clearly before me]
Lists are fun to check off.
Lists can be scrapped.
Lists take all the floating tasks out of my head.
Lists give me concrete things to attack.
Lists give me a sense of accomplishment.

So, in the spirit of lists, here are three lists.

First, what do I need to know about worship leading?

It’s not about me – it’s about God.
It’s personal – I need to be one of those “really connected to God” people
It’s about the Kingdom more than “our church” or our seeker sensitive church or our denomination or our charismatic church.
It’s about team – the solo act era is over.
It’s about a heart connection – the song service era is done.

And now on to the list of how to’s…

I have to know how to hear God and obey [it’s the “magic formula” – anytime you find yourself following the same formula in preparing to lead and then in leading, other than this one, you’re apt to miss it!]
I have to know how to activate worshippers.
I have to know how to teach new songs.
I have to know how to work with different leaders.
I have to know how to ask for commitment.
I have to know how to keep on top of administrative details [or team it out].
I have to know how to use music effectively.
I have to know how to pastor the artists serving with you.
I have to know how to flow UNDER authority and [just as importantly] flow WITH authority myself.
I have to know how to relax…remember the first line of the first “need to know” list? [it’s not about me]

Finally, it’s time to interact. What follows is a list of questions. Questions you can just think about or comment about on this blog!

When considering the previous lists…

What don’t you agree with?
What most surprised you?
What is missing?
What are you going to share with your team?
What are you hoping to work on personally?
What would you like to explore further in a future Worship Fertilizer?


http://adlibmusic.com/