There’s no doubt that every pastor starts with a whole lot of questions, especially at the beginning of the church planting process. The worship team formation process can be a huge concern, especially if you don’t have a musical background. The problem is, without the right answers, most church planters will either throw up their hands and give up or spend tons of money unnecessarily.
Here are some tips and suggestions to help you navigate the early formation process without feeling pressured to hire a full-time worship leader immediately.
Use what you have on hand.
Within the core group, I’m willing to bet you have someone or maybe even a few people that play guitar or keyboard. You may not know simply because you didn’t ask, so go ahead and out it out there at the next small group gathering or core group meeting.
Let’s say you don’t have anyone that plays either of those instruments.
Do you have someone with computer skills? They don’t need an IT degree to pull up some worship videos on YouTube. If they have some editing skills, they can even fade out and then fade into the next video to make it seamless. That dead space between songs can be awkward.
If those two suggestions don’t work for your context, default to an iPad or laptop with some songs. Take the lead and have them close their eyes and listen to the words of the songs. You could even have someone read some scripture verses while the music plays in the background. Keep in mind that singing is just one way to worship.
One average guitar player is better than a choir of tone-deaf singers.
In my opinion, don’t just add people to the worship team for the sake of having a team. Have a set of criteria for qualifying people to join the worship team. One of the tests should be that they can actually sing or play the instrument (whichever role they are auditioning for).
It’s better to have an average guitar player or keyboardist than a bunch of people who aren’t a good fit. It’s unfair to them because that’s clearly not their calling or purpose. It’s also not fair to those who have to sit there, do their best to smile, and simply bear the screeching of the tone-deaf. Simon Cowell might say they sound like tortured cats. 😊
Add to the worship team as God sends the right people.
Pray and believe that God will send the right people. He will. Trust Him, and don’t get too anxious.
I hope you are encouraged if you’re a pastor who needs a kick start with worship team formation. Don’t just sit on this new knowledge and forget about it. Put it to good use so you can start your worship team on the right note. See what I did there 😊
