Relational Dynamics Within the Worship Ministry

The following article is published in the 2013 edition of the Journal of the Baptist Church Music Conference.

Relational dynamics within the worship ministry

Southern Baptist church musicians from congregations of all sizes face the challenge of selecting, developing, and shepherding a ministry team to accomplish the goals of the music and worship ministry in their local contexts. The vast majority of these ministers are the only paid musicians on the church staff and must rely on a network of lay leaders and volunteers. A growing number of larger congregations call a dynamic team of paid staff members to guide the various aspects of the music ministry. Lead worship ministers on both sides of this spectrum face the same challenge: how to shepherd, guide, and develop this team to accomplish the task of worship and musical leadership.

Our colleges, universities, and seminaries do an excellent job in providing a broad musical foundation for success in local church ministry but often struggle to effectively train students in the interpersonal skills needed for long-term ministry. Musicians spend countless hours in the practice room and in ensembles honing the skills necessary to perform the musical responsibilities of their calling, but often have little preparation for the complex relational dynamics that they will face within the local church. Most worship pastors learn the necessary interpersonal skills with varying levels of success in their first ministry position. Few church musicians fail because of a lack of musical ability, but sadly the landscape is marred with the countless failures of worship leaders who were unable to navigate the often tumultuous waters of relationships within the local church.

Outside of weekly corporate worship leadership responsibilities, I believe the most important task of the worship pastor is the development of his or her ministry team. Regardless of the size of the church, the mission of the worship and creative arts ministry is too large for one person alone. The ongoing recruitment, training, empowerment, and evaluation of paid and volunteer team members are critical for the long-term success of the worship pastor. We must take seriously the task of developing leadership experience and skill. Fortunately, a host of secular and religious authors have written excellent books and resources concerning leadership and administration in recent years. The following suggestions come from lessons I have learned as a part of the ministry team at First Baptist Church in Keller, Texas where I serve as the Associate Pastor of Worship of Creative Arts. I am blessed to serve alongside a tremendously talented and godly team of musicians who constantly challenge me to pursue God, love the church, reach out to the lost, and strive for musical excellence. This list of relational and leadership dynamics is not exhaustive, but does represent the most important ways in which I seek to lead our ministry team.

Lead Spiritually

Hebrews 13:17 indicates that leaders have the responsibility of “keeping watch” over the souls of the congregation, “as those who will have to give an account.” This is a tremendous duty and one that must take precedence over all other obligations, including musical performance. The primary task of the minister of music is to lead the worship ministry team spiritually. First and foremost, this means having a vibrant personal spiritual life marked by the regular study of Scripture, worship in the local church, and fellowship within the Body of Christ. Modeling this behavior is critical, but the minster of music must go beyond this and take an active role in the spiritual formation of the worship ministry leadership team. This will find expression in various ways including Bible studies, times of prayer, and service together.

As anyone who has ever served a local congregation knows, it is far too easy to allow worship leadership responsibilities to replace individual spiritual formation. This is true for the worship leader as well as those who serve musically in leadership positions. Henry Blackaby defines the task of spiritual leadership as “moving people on to God’s agenda.”¹ All of the church’s various activities including missions, evangelism, and discipleship flow out of the worship of God by his people. The minister of music must consistently remind the ministry team of the supreme importance of their relationship with God and the value of private times of worship. As we model and lead our teams to grow in their walk with God, we forge strong relational bonds based on a mutual love for God, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and the world.

Genuinely Care About Your Team

The strength of any relationship is proven during times of stress and conflict. It is during these times that the ministry team must rely on their shared experiences, common vision, and genuine concern for one another. The team leader must take the time to invest in every member of the team and understand his or her passions, skills, and weaknesses. A worship pastor must be available and approachable, but also should actively engage in the lives of the team members. This means going beyond the tasks of ministry and spending time with them outside of business hours. I try to share a meal with every member of my team on a regular basis. The simple act of a common meal and conversation has the incredible ability to bind hearts and spirits together. Serving together in areas of ministry outside of worship and music is an excellent way of learning more about the team and understanding their personality traits. Some of the most fruitful times of relationship building I have had with my team members have occurred during the long bus rides of student music tours. Leaving the comfortable environment of everyday service allowed us to see new aspects of each other and strengthen our friendship and fellowship in the Gospel.

Another way to develop relationships within the ministry team is to involve family members in ministry gatherings and demonstrate that you value their spouses and children. This is tremendously helpful during the seasons of church life when everyone on the worship team must spend extra hours away from home and family during preparation for special times of worship and music. Leaders must be careful to see team members as individuals and not view them simply through their ministry responsibilities.

Establish the Vision for Ministry

When the worship ministry team grows beyond a single staff person, it becomes crucial for the leader to have a clear picture of the shape and direction of the ministry. This vision for ministry must be an extension of the church’s larger mission and propagate the values of the church as a whole. Finding the right team members and helping them capture the vision for ministry is absolutely critical. In his TED talk in September 2009, Simon Sinek stated,

“If you hire people just because they can do a job, they will work for your money. But if you hire people who believe what you believe in, they will work for you with blood, sweat, and tears.”²

Team members expand the vision throughout the various ensembles and ministries and must be able to support and clearly articulate this mission. The creation of this worship ministry philosophy and plan must be a collaborative effort, but the worship pastor should be the guiding force behind the process.

An important part of this formation and communication is the distillation of the mission and vision to its core elements and forming them into easily repeatable and reproducible statements. In his book Visioneering Andy Stanley states:

Vision will prioritize your values. A clear vision has the power to bring what’s most important to the surface of your schedule and lifestyle. A clear vision makes it easy to weed out of your life those things that stand in the way of achieving what matters most. Vision empowers you to move purposefully in a predetermined direction.³

One of my early tasks as the worship pastor at FBC Keller was to guide our worship team in the formulation of our vision for ministry. Our team identified four areas that shape our ministry and guide decisions across every age grouping and musical endeavor. We believe that the members of the Worship & Creative Arts Ministry are called to worship, grow, create, and serve. The simple identification of four action verbs allows us to constantly repeat them and place them before our congregation. Because a worship leader’s time is limited and the responsibilities are numerous, the most effective way of promoting the mission and vision of the ministry is to have it become part of the vocabulary of the team and congregation.

Communicate Clearly

One of the greatest challenges to building strong relationships within the worship ministry team is a lack of clear communication. As the complexity of the ministry increases, the need to communicate increases exponentially. Every leader and team will embrace their own style and method of communication, but it is important that clear ground rules are established early in a worship pastor’s tenure. Good communication flows from the overall mission and provides the team members with specific actions. Team members must know the relative importance of each task and the time frame in which they are expected to complete it.

The demands of time and energy on the worship leader seem to grow each year, but the ministry team must have the leader’s attention when they meet. In an age of smartphones and social media, face to face communication takes on even greater importance. Leaders must listen carefully, thoughtfully consider what is said, and then offer suggestions in a way that encourages dialogue. Worship pastors also must be consistent in their communication. Team members must be able to trust the leader will actually do what he or she says.

Learn from the Team

Communication needs to flow in both directions and leaders must take the time to listen and learn from the team members. Another crucial way a worship pastor can strengthen the relationships within the worship team is by intentionally finding ways to learn from other members of the team. This often means finding leaders who are better in certain areas and helping them achieve greater success than you can have individually. Every member of the team needs to feel that they are valued and are making a contribution to the success of the ministry. John Maxwell states, “We should strive to see others’ unique experiences and skills as a resource and try to learn from them.”⁴ The ministry team and the congregation take notice when the leader is willing to step aside and let other team members take center stage. This builds tremendous credibility and serves as a powerful example of how the Body of Christ should function. The ability to learn from other members of the team is a mark of godly humility and wisdom.

Concluding Thoughts

The collaborative nature of music ministry within the local church requires worship pastors to possess the ability to guide ministry teams made up of staff members and volunteers. While most ministers of music have the necessary musical skills to lead congregations in worship, many lack the requisite leadership and relational abilities. Worship leaders can improve the productivity and development of their ministry team members by emphasizing individual spiritual growth, demonstrating genuine concern for the ministry team, establishing the vision for ministry, improving lines of communication, and learning from the other team members. It is a tremendous privilege to serve the Body of Christ alongside likeminded believers who love God and enjoy making music for his glory. Worship leaders must carefully cultivate their ministry teams in order to maximize the spiritual and musical gifts of their congregations.

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¹John C. Maxwell, The 360-Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2005), 164.

²Henry Blackaby, Spiritual Leadership: Moving People on to God’s Agenda (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2001), 20.

³Simon Sinek, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” TED: Ideas Worth Spreading, September 2009, http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html, accessed December 30, 2012.

⁴Andy Stanley, Visioneering (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 1999), 12.