What do I do when someone’s not quite ready to play on the worship team yet?

(Transcript)

Question:

Hey man, super thankful for you and the encouragement you provide. I am an MD music director for my church, and one of the troubles I have with my team is knowing how to encourage and develop people who aren't particularly good at a playing/singing level that I would say they're ready to serve on the team yet. But I don't ever want to tell someone no. I want to give them tools and tips to help them get better. Do you have any particular advice in that respect?

Answer:

The Power of "Not Yet"

This comes back to a hidden response that I don't think people know they can give when somebody wants to join the worship team. I think a lot of people think it's either a yes or a no. But my preferred answer, if the answer is not yes when somebody wants to join my worship team, it's not no; it is in the middle. It is "not yet."

So, I think that's what you are talking about here, where you have these people who want to join the worship team, and you're like, they could be on the worship team at some point, but they need to develop a little bit more. And so, the answer that you give them is "not yet," and then what do you do? And that's what you're getting at here.

So, for me, if I have addressed that they are not yet musically ready to serve on the team, then I give them feedback. I give them two or three things that they need to work on. So, if it's a vocalist, I'm like, "Hey, you know, your timing was kind of off during the singing portion of your audition, or you know, you're kind of flat in a couple parts here, and I just feel like you're not quite ready to be on the worship team yet and serve regularly."

Providing Actionable Feedback

First step is make sure that you give them actionable feedback, things that they can actually work on, and don't just tell them, "Hey, I don't think you're ready to be on the team yet," but give them things that they can actually work on. If it is a guitarist, tell them, "You know, you're still fumbling between the chords a little bit, and so I think that you could focus on that." So, that's the first thing: give them an action plan of things that they can work on.

Emphasizing Personal Responsibility

Now, I will give you the “cynical Spencer answer” because in my mind, if you give them things that they can work on—like actionable things that they can work on—then in today's day and age, there is no reason that somebody cannot pursue excellence in those areas. I say that cynically because that's how I learned how to play guitar. I got on YouTube and taught myself. I got on the internet and taught myself.

So, I tell you that because I want to remove some of the pressure from you before I put it back onto you. I want to remove some of the pressure from you that it is completely your responsibility to develop up these musicians to serve in your worship ministry. I think that we have our own responsibility if we desire to serve in the musical worship ministry, then it is our responsibility—somebody who wants to join your team's responsibility—to get to that level where they can serve. They should be putting in the work on their own to get to that level.

So, that's sort of the cynical answer that I give you to take a little bit of pressure off of you.

Offering Resources and Mentorship

But let's talk about things that you can actually do to help them. The first and easiest way kind of relates to what I just talked about, but you put the responsibility back on them, but you do it in a way where you say, "Here are some resources that you can use to help you improve."

So, find those YouTube channels for them. You know, there's like a million guitar YouTube channels nowadays. Point them to one of those channels and say, "Watch this video and watch this video and work on these things."

So, that's the first low maintenance way that you can do it is just pointing them to helpful resources that will help them improve.

If it's a vocalist, I love the Worship Vocalist YouTube channel—tons of great videos on there.

Now, let's move to the next level from that where it's still not you doing the hands-on stuff, but if they are a bass player, ask the bass player on your team if they would show them some things outside of your worship rehearsal, and they could raise them up and teach them and help them with what they need help on.

If you have a vocalist who's having trouble singing, match them up with a vocalist on your team and I tell you this to multiply your ministry so that it's not just everything's flowing through you and you need to handle every situation that comes up and develop every person individually.

So, match them up with other people on your worship team, and I think that that can multiply your ministry.

Providing One-on-One Mentorship

And then finally, to the last stage, that is where it is you meeting with these people one-on-one, and sometimes that's what it takes. I'm meeting with someone regularly one-on-one right now. They play a different instrument than I play. I don't really know much about the keyboard, but I know enough musically to help guide them and point them in the right direction.

So, sometimes it takes rolling up your sleeves, getting your hands dirty and meeting with them one-on-one and spending you know, 45 minutes to an hour every week for the next month pouring into this person. Sometimes that's the only way.