Good leaders always have a replacement plan. This is both a long-term and a short-term mindset.
Long-term: who is going to replace you when you aren't around to lead worship any more?
Short-term: who is going to replace you when you decide to take a much needed week off?
The problem is replacing yourself takes time and most leaders don't think far enough out to make it happen. Finding a replacement isn't just going to happen one day - start the process now!
Here are 3 ways to replace yourself as a worship leader:
1 | Trust others
It starts with trusting others. That doesn't mean giving them a few small responsibilities that don't actually make a difference and trusting them to do that. If you want to truly replace yourself, you have to trust other people to make decisions.
Make a list of the decisions you make everyday and start considering which of those decisions you can give away. Is it set-list planning? Is it scheduling band members? Is it planning a service? - what can you give away?
Trusting others also means considering the fact that your way might not be the best way. Different people have different insight and can add different perspectives when it comes to decision making. Just because someone does something differently than you do doesn't necessarily make it wrong.
2 | Build them up
Don't just give someone a responsibility and set them loose - you have to walk alongside them. Trust is built over time as people prove they can handle more and more responsibility. As you choose things to trust people with, show them the ropes the first few times they do it. Then, once they've learned how you do things, give them the freedom to make it their own.
3 | Step back
Once you've built them up and trusted them - set them loose. Step back, watch from a distance for a while, then only glance at what they're doing occasionally, then you don't have to watch them at all. You've laid the ground work, now benefit from the work you put in. Take a week off now that you have someone to cover your position. Maybe even retire if you're old enough!
You can't do this forever - so replace yourself!
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