I recently received a message from a friend who leads an all-volunteer worship team that performs at churches and Christian conferences. He responded to my Business and Missions article and said: “I totally agree! We are trying to do this within our worship team. We are even trying to use the AGILE way of working and feedback after each service. God bless you. My struggle is with the team members’ commitment to the volunteer ministry, especially after years of serving. How do you keep the same level of commitment with this new generation when their priorities keep changing?!”
I received my friend’s permission to answer him here, since this is an excellent leadership question. I will direct my response to my friend. We’ll call him John to keep his name confidential.
John, you have done an amazing job building a beautiful worship team. You are an inspiration. I have not used AGILE, but I am familiar with it. Let me share with you some thoughts for your consideration. I hope some of them will help.
I employ a three-step process to inspire people and cultivate team culture, which is how I think any company or organization should be built. Consider these steps below, and if they connect with you, make them markers by which to measure your success.
Excellence.
People want to be associated with excellence. I see that you are already doing that, and it sounds like you are excelling with the use of feedback and the AGILE platform for process improvement.
My question/challenge is this: What is your vision to keep elevating the worship team to the next level of excellence? What is next?
Bottom line: People want to go along with, be associated with, and be a part of a successful journey.
Growth.
Aim to have people grow by being a part of your group. How? And in what areas? There are three: personal, professional, and spiritual growth.
Naturally, your focus is on worship and leading worship. In addition, what complementary programs do you offer, or can you start, so everyone associated with your group will say, “I have grown so much as a person (not just musically) by being a part of this group”? When our companies or ministries focus on growth, we attract and retain the best talent.
Most of the time I see ministry leaders who think, “We are doing good work together, so people will come along with us.” This may be quite true, but it’s not enough to attract and retain people. What if once a quarter, you invite a speaker to speak about life, career, emotions, or another relevant topic? How can you help each of your volunteers grow spiritually?
Of course, the challenge here is resources. The how. How do I accomplish this? That is what you have to figure out. But that’s what makes leaders great. They make time to figure out what is difficult.
Bottom line: People come along with leaders and groups that make them better people.
Mission.
People want to be associated with groups that are making a difference, a positive impact, doing good in the world.
As a ministry, you are by nature doing that. For me, as a family doctor, it is embedded within my work to help others. But I found that if we are not careful, we and our people can easily become jaded, no longer seeing that we are making a difference. At this place, we are tempted to become robotic, no longer authentically touching lives, just performing.
How can you connect your people to the way in which your ministry and work is touching lives? Could you, for example, say that the goal after each time of worship is for each team member to connect with a listener and talk to them about God? Could you, a few times a year, bless the homeless or the elderly, even though that’s not part of your core ministry? How can you go outside of standard worship team delivery to show them how they touch lives?
In our organization, we host several medical mission trips, operate a clinic in Africa, and much more. Does this connect with everyone? No. But boy, does it connect with a few, and these few are positive contagions. Yes, as a medical clinic, we help people inside our doors, but what has fueled us and set us apart is what we do outside our doors, what we do outside of the norm.
Bottom line: People come along with leaders who are doing good in the world.
In conclusion, here are a few other thoughts for your consideration. First, think about recruiting leaders and drafting an organizational chart so you are not having to do all the work above by yourself. If there are 12 people, choose three leaders and form groups of four. Invest in the leaders to then invest in the rest. Second, are you receiving mentorship from worship team leaders who are more successful than you? Third, do you have unhurried, one-on-one time with each member, even if it’s just once or twice a year? During this time, hear their heart first. Know where they are.
John, I hope this helps. May the Lord continue to bless you.
