Growth

Planning Ahead

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When I started leading worship in youth group, songs lived in a giant folder. No planning center, and no digital chord charts to be seen - apart from the Word documents I would type myself. It would be normal to arrive at youth group, or Sunday evening Bible study and see other leaders flipping through a folder of chord charts asking, ‘What songs should we sing?’ And yet even with all the advantages of modern technology and resources that are accessible to worship leaders today, I’m surprised how many people still lead from a ‘folder,’ mentality. I often sense - particularly for those who lead as volunteers or are bi-vocationally - that this kind of execution is not a lack of care, thought, or intentionality, but of time.

I have led worship as a volunteer, while working multiple jobs, and on full-time staff. Here are four things I’ve learned that have helped me plan:

Batch work.

I find it easier to get ahead when I can work on one thing at a time. So I will often batch my work by focusing one day on building set lists for the month and scheduling teams. Focusing another day on learning new songs, building tracks, propresenter, and chord charts. Reading, prayer, and long-range planning on another day, etc. This helps me feel like I can do deep work by building rhythms that will help me week to week.

Communicate expectations.

Communication with the team is important. But the team also needs to know what to expect from me. Likewise, working effectively with your pastor requires intentional communication as well.

Determine what is most important.

The artistic sensibility means that I often am aware there is a gap between what I envision, and what I will be able to execute. Is this song as perfect in its transitions as we can make it? Likely not. But we also have four other songs this morning that require attention. This is an example of where I have determined - being able to communicate the larger idea of the liturgy is more important than the tiny details of song transitions that will likely go unrealized by the congregation. Give your time and energy to the things that are important to the Lord, to you, your team, your leaders, and your community - open your hands to the rest.

Recognize the season.

Having a baby? Upgrading your audio visuals? In school? Rebuilding a team? Developing new leaders? Every season we inhabit will shift and change our capacity. It is unfair, and unrealistic to expect that every season will be the same. Life moves in seasons and stages, so allow the seasons and stages to help shape what is most important, what is worth fighting for, and what can fall away.

What would you add?

2023 In Review

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I love speaking with people about corporate worship. I love speaking with people working through a theology of worship, the practical realities of serving on a team, or with volunteers. I think that is why I write about worship - I love that we as followers of Jesus, and worshipers get to think through how we encourage and equip the saints to worship with beauty and truth. As 2023 draws to an end, I wanted to collect all of my Friday posts in one place. I hope these words have been helpful to you:

Recommended Reading [Part 6]

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These are books that have challenged and encouraged me over the past year. I hope you’ll find some that can be useful to you as well:

Beholding - Strahan Coleman

We lead out of who we are. One of the things I appreciated about this book was how it encourages becoming - growing in our experience of God. We become what we behold.

The Secret Place of Thunder - John Starke

John is a great writer, and I have found his writing on prayer particularly helpful. But the tagline alone is worth the cost of the book: ‘Trading our need to be noticed for a hidden life with Christ.’ Whether we stand on large platforms in front of many people, or in the corner at the front of a small room - we are all easily tempted to trade hiddenness for being noticed.

Honest Worship - Manuel Luz

Manuel articulated some of the things I have wrestled with the past several years: How to have deep formation in our gatherings with creativity and musical excellence—the intersection of ancient practice with modern context. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed and appreciated this book.

A Church Called Tov - Scot McKnight, Laura Barringer

We are either working toward beauty, goodness, and truth, or we are drifting toward the opposite. Whether you are on staff at a church, serving as a volunteer, or attending as a member, each of us can - and should - work toward creating a culture of goodness within our churches. This book will likely become perennial reading for me.

Questions To Consider

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One of the things that our team has spoken about is the need for a deeper dive into our songs and services apart from a weekly service evaluation. And that would open up questions, and facilitate discussion for our whole team around the purpose and movement of our gatherings, apart from song choice, and how each of us can play a part in moving our services in the same direction.

One of the things that sparked these categories in my mind is Mike Cosper’s 10 Questions to Consider at the end of every year. I appreciated how he was able to open a view of the gathering wider than song choice and simply judge a service. The categories below are certainly not exhaustive, but will hopefully fuel deeper thought:

SONGS

  • What new songs are we singing, and how are people responding?

  • Which songs consistently have high responses (loud singing/participation, comments, humming in the bathroom)?

  • What holes are in our master song list (content)?

  • What are we singing too much (themes, songs, style)?

  • Is the liturgy balancing an awareness of the people, while continuing to lead toward a direction that more closely embodies our values and mission?

COMMUNICATION

  • Is it clear?

  • Are we equipping our verbal communicators to understand and navigate the movement, tone of the morning, and the moment while still being themselves?

  • Are the announcements leading people in worship, and moving them toward mission, not just giving them information?

  • What has been confusing?

  • Where have we dropped the ball (for the congregation, for the team, with visuals, with helping equip those on the platform knowing how to effectively communicate)?

FORMATION

  • What is missing?

  • What is stale?

  • Are the ordinances being thoughtfully navigated (within the service and by the communicator)

  • What has been surprising?

What would you add?

Here are some other similar resources you may find helpful:

Don’t Judge The Service.

Service Evaluation.

10 Questions to Consider.

Tuesday Refocus: September 5

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“We must learn to grow like a tree, not like a fire.” - Wendell Berry 

The presence of a fire is visible in all our senses.

But a tree? 

Almost invisible. 

Slow and underground.

A tree is nourished more than it is fueled.

In the same way, the spiritual life is experienced and rooted in the depths before it is stretched and sustained in the heights.

“Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.” - Psalm 1

Father, may our lives be rooted in You. Jesus, may we abide in You. Spirit, may we be led by You. In Christ’s name, amen.

Growing,

AB

Lead Like Yourself

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We all learn by imitation. And as we become comfortable and familiar with whatever we are doing, we slowly settle into our own rhythms. I think the same is true when it comes to leading worship.

There are some aspects of how I lead worship that I do from conviction - like saying ‘Let’s hear God call us to worship from His Word…’ rather than ‘Let me call us to worship…’ There are some things that I do when I lead worship that are about my personal preference - like changing the keys to easily flow from one song to the next without stopping. And as we train worship leaders, I think it is important to help them see the distinction - what is conviction (the how and why of what we do here), and what is personal preference (will look different depending on the leader and the team).

After helping to lay out the difference between conviction and personal preference, I often say to worship leaders - I want you to lead like yourself, not like me. I lead the way I do after many, many years of leading in various environments. I am not interested in making little versions of Aaron, but in helping develop worship leaders who can lead like themselves with clarity, and conviction - even if what they say, and how they lead looks different than the way I would lead.

Every one of us is seeking to imitate Christ. So the question shouldn’t be - how would Aaron lead in this environment - but how would Jesus lead in this environment. Lead like the Spirit of God inhabits you as a follower of Christ - because He does.

Growing As A Communicator

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Public speaking consistently tops lists of things people most fear. It is not often I meet a worship leader who feels comfortable or confident when it comes to speaking and communicating non-musically from the platform. Give us an instrument and a room of any size and we are fine, ask us to speak? No thank you.

There is a big difference between a song leader and a worship leader. A song leader will see communication as merely information transfer - a quick welcome, verbal cues for lyrics, prayers to transition from one aspect of the gathering to the next. Worship leaders see communication as a way to continually shepherd people during the gathering. To direct people’s attention and affection to specific aspects of the heart and character of Christ, the beauty of the gospel, the truths being sung, and invite people to respond with their whole lives.

Whether you are comfortable with public speaking, or it makes your skin crawl, we can all grow in our ability to communicate clearly and effectively as worship leaders. I believe what will have the biggest impact on our ability as worship leaders to communicate well is intentionality. This means putting thought and purpose behind when you will speak and what you will say. Where are the holes in the flow of the gathering? How can you help connect the dots for people between what has happened in the week, what is happening in their lives, what they have just heard preached, and the reality of the Gospel?

Whether you are comfortable leading verbally or not, my encouragement is always the same: write it down. This doesn’t mean that you must read something verbatim. But writing down what you will say helps you to formulate more clearly what you are wanting to communicate. It can also ensure that you won’t start down a half-thought-out rabbit trail to nowhere. Once you write it down, practice speaking out loud. You have to get used to the sound of your voice as you speak something that is not off the cuff but planned and purposeful. Practicing it out loud also allows you to fine-tune the rhythm, timing, and clarity of what you are trying to articulate in the first place.

Okay, so maybe you are slowly easing into growing as a verbal communicator. Another form of communication often overlooked as worship leaders is our body language. Making eye contact when leading up front, smiling, having a posture of openness, being available and engaging off the platform, presence without swagger, working to avoid the appearance of frenetic pace which can often accompany before and after service.

Like all skills, the more you practice the more proficient you become. If it feels overwhelming, or scary, take small, intentional steps each time you serve. Honestly evaluate, elicit feedback from people who are strong in this area. Practice, practice, practice. Our people are worth the growing pains.

Developing A Team: Without Musicians

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After high school I served a worship leader as a part of a church plant. It was new and exciting, getting to choose the songs that would make up the catalogue of our services, think through our structure and liturgy, casting vision about who we were and what our gathering would look like. The only problem? My mother and I were the only two musicians committed to serving as a part of the launch team for the church. Often people have a hard time envisioning what you are going to do until they see it. So trying to gather people and musicians before the launch was often met with, ‘sounds great, let me know when you start…’ It was the first (but not the last) time I had struggled to find other musicians to serve as we led corporate sung worship.

It can feel overwhelming simply to accomplish a weekly service when you are struggling to find Godly, gifted, and consistent musicians for your worship team. Like everything, we must start where we are: who do you have? If you are the only musicians willing and available to serve, that is still a good place to start. Here are other things to consider as you try and develop a team:

Make it a hospitable place to serve. Early communication with set lists, keys, chord charts and lyrics, and rehearsal times are essential. You have to establish a healthy, stable culture even if you’re the only team member. Showing up early and prepared, being considerate of those serving, being gracious and appreciative are small things that can make your team a more hospitable environment - a place where people would delight to serve.

Have conversations. Do you know other musicians and worship leaders in the area? Ask if anyone would be willing to help you out on a consistent basis, maybe once a month, or for a few months at a time. What seems like an obstacle to overcome could actually birth opportunity for co-laboring, partnership, and seeing the Kingdom continue to advance in your context.

Hidden musicians. I have often been surprised how many people sing or play instruments that do not put themselves forward to serve on the worship team. Maybe it is their season of life, they are already committed to a specific area of ministry within the Church, or simply because they have not been asked. Raise the question, be specific: ‘We are looking for guitar players, piano players, vocalists who can help us not only sing, but worship God through song, are there those a part of our community already that have the gifts and the desire to serve in this way?’

Pray. In one church where I served, as our team grew, one of our pastors asked me, ‘what does the team need, what do we need to pray for?’ For many months we prayed for more worship leaders, to my surprise, what God brought was not more people like myself (young guys playing guitar/piano who sang), but many gifted female leaders who could lead the band through rehearsal, and the congregation through the service, but did not play instruments.

Be creative. Pray specifically, but be attentive and aware of the ways God may be answering your prayer in a different way than you had anticipated. God answered my prayer for more worship leaders, but what a blessing to the team and the congregation I would have missed had my specific pray request required my specific answer.

If you are struggling to find Godly, consistent, and gifted musicians, take heart. I am often comforted by the reality that God does not need us to accomplish what He desires, but He chooses to use us. The worship of God does not start or stop based on our team - or lack thereof. Because of Christ, all of our broken offerings are perfected before the Father.