Welcome! These posts are for those who serve in local church worship ministries. I’m so grateful for your ministry. Keep up the good work! Here are some posts to get you started:
1. The difference between relational and presentational worship leadership
2. The seven basics of worship leading
3. Five ways worship leaders pastor
This past week and weekend were hectic. Long day, lots of details. Forty-eight invigorating hours of ministry work between Thursday evening and Sunday evening. I was mentally distracted at home. For part of that time, my wife and kids were with me. In another part, they were off doing other activities while I was busy. … Read more
I’ve been in 843 church buildings – or something like that. I’ve seen some good and bad. And no matter what, it’s always a challenge. Congregations are formed by their buildings, to some extent. If your sanctuary is formal, the congregation typically begins to lean that way. If the sanctuary is more informal, the congregation … Read more
Are you the leader of a volunteer team? Volunteers are a unique bunch. It requires some skill to help keep them engaged, connected, and focused. Though there are a million different ways to organize your team, here are some practical steps to ensure your volunteer team keeps growing: 1. Invite new people to get involved … Read more
I’m switching gears again. After being in a productive schedule groove for several weeks, routine changes, traveling, and a packed schedule knocked me off-kilter. Though it was all great stuff that I wouldn’t have missed, a packed schedule changes a person’s daily routine drastically. Here’s what helped me get back in the saddle. Don’t Stress … Read more
I’ve heard it said, if a worship attendee hasn’t become part of a ministry team or joined a group of some kind, the likelihood of them staying in your church decreases dramatically after two years. It is true that worship is typically the main entry point for people. Worship will always be the primary function … Read more
The most critical component in building a high-performance team is a clear, common, compelling task. Some stress the need for interpersonal relationships… but this is the wrong emphasis. Connections and community among a team are important characteristics, but these attributes will be evident once the main task is clear. A team that is highly connected … Read more
Several years back, I attended a worship leaders conference and one of speakers, Steve Reynolds, had written a book called, Get Off the Couch: 6 Motivators to Help You Lose Weight and Start Living: A Man’s A.C.T.I.O.N. Plan. I skimmed the book in 2012 and am now re-reading it. After a year and a half … Read more
It looks like the current average tenure of pastors in local churches is about 3.5 years. That may not be long enough to really bring about a change. Longevity in a ministry role isn’t a silver bullet, but it does offer some really good things both to the pastor and the church. Before we get … Read more
“You cannot lead a strong organization without extraordinary clarity.” A. Stanley As church leaders, we are bombarded with “have tos”, “how tos” and “must dos”. There’s no way we can do everything. That’s why clarity is so important. Take heart – You don’t need to do extraordinary things. You need to do ordinary things extraordinarily … Read more
It’s tough to swallow, but about 80% of all you do can be done just as effectively by almost anyone else, according to Wayne Cordeiro, author of The Divine Mentor: Growing Your Faith as You Sit at the Feet of the Savior . Another 15% can be done by someone with a little training. No one … Read more