A pastor - who was also an author - once joked that the subtitle to every book, if it were honest should read: ‘How to be more like me.’ Truthfully, the same could be said of most conferences. And perhaps that is the point? We admire what people do, and are curious about how and why they do things in certain ways. For worship leaders, I believe there can be an amazing benefit to attending worship conferences, like observing and learning from the wisdom and experience of people who have worked, lived, learned, and led in different contexts. Ministry can feel isolating, so just being in a room with other people who do what you do can be a reminder that you are not in this alone. Worship conferences can grow strength and courage for you to persevere in leading and serving God’s people well. And there is even the opportunity to grow relationships and camaraderie that outlast the event. I have attended several worship conferences over the years and have loved and benefitted from my time. But for me, I have often been unsettled about a disconnect I experience at conferences - the aspiration verse my reality. When I have the opportunity to attend a worship conference and learn from the ‘best of the best,’ it is so easy to compare and contrast myself, my team, and my church over and against what I am seeing and learning at a conference. I have to constantly guard my heart as to not allow bitterness, resentment, or discontent to take root. Truthfully, we need to guard our hearts against these things at all times. And we can just as easily compare ourselves over and against those we view as less capable and get ourselves in the same vicious cycle of pride and vain conceit.
I believe there is a way to be trained and equipped as a worship leader, with your team, and for you church in a way that leaves you feeling more encouraged about where you are and where the team is headed. I believe that way is hiring a coach.
When I was serving in a previous church, I brought in a worship leader friend of mine to coach me, our leaders, and our team. It was enormously helpful in at least three ways:
An outside perspective. It is easy to overlook or miss people, problems, talent, and opportunity simply because of our proximity to our work, relationships, and ministry. A coach can make observations from their experience and background that bring a new perspective to your specific context.
Personally crafted. When I brought in my friend, Shelly, to coach one of the teams I led, I did so specifically because she was a female worship leader who did not lead from an instrument. Many of the worship leaders I was working with at the time were female who did not lead from instruments. I wanted our worship leaders and team to benefit from Shelly’s knowledge and expertise, but I too wanted to know how I could encourage and equip these worship leaders whose experience of leading would be different from my own. This is a massive benefit to hiring a coach rather than attending a conference. Because a good coach can craft training and development that is specific for you, your team, and your church.
Questions. Many conferences will have the opportunity for a time of Q&A. The benefit of questions with a coach is the context and relationship. A coach will be more familiar with you, your team, and your church. They will have a better understanding of the skills, gifts, and struggles you are trying to navigate and will be able to ask you questions to personally craft training and offer their outside perspective. You too will have the benefit of more than a few brief moments for questions, and hoping for a helpful response.
So should you take your team to a conference or should you hire a coach? The answer is yes. There are benefits to both. But if you are looking for a place where you can ask as many questions as you like, have a development plan crafted specifically for you, your team, and your church, and have the observations of someone outside of your context, a coach is the way to go.
If you’d like to explore what coaching with me would look like, you can sign up for a free 30-minute assessment call here.