Church Media Blog

As I travel leading worship and training worship leaders and teams, I get many questions regarding how to be a healthy team or grow together as a team.  Asking these questions shows great humility and a desire to grow, which is such a beautiful thing to see in the Church.

Over the last several years of worship ministry, I have learned a lot about what it means to be a worship leader and the make-up of a healthy team. There are so many important pieces to this discussion, but the conversation must begin with one word: surrender.

Tip #1 – A healthy team is surrendered

It starts with letting go of what we want.  Because it isn’t about what we want.  It’s about what God wants to do through us.  That mental shift changes everything.  Worship leading is a gift and it’s a high calling. Our main job is to surrender to where God is leading.  For leaders, that may mean surrendering your desires or plans in order to come alongside of the vision and needs of the ministry.  For team members, maybe it means stepping back from worship team for a season because God is going to move in a new way or through someone else.  Or maybe it means stepping up to the mic to lead even though you’re terrified. Wherever God is leading, our job starts with complete surrender.

Tip #2 – A healthy team is prepared spiritually

Private worship comes before public worship.  Our priorities need to be in that order. If we are not investing in our own personal, private time with the Lord in worship and in the Word, we cannot lead from a place of overflow in public places.  Without this intentionality, we can quickly become exhausted and unable to lead to our fullest capacity.  (This applies to everyone, not just the “leader”).  Your choice to make (or not make) this a priority will have a profound impact not only on your leadership, your team and the Church, but on your entire life.  It’s that big of a deal.  It’s preparation for the spiritual battle you face every weekend in worship ministry…and even in everyday life.  You may have to fight for the time, but you will never regret it.

Tip #3 – A healthy team knows one another

You’ve probably heard this.  But, it’s so important, that it’s worth repeating.  Investing in relationships within your team is crucial.  Sharing artistic gifts in public can be a vulnerable thing, and it’s so important that we trust one another as we serve together.  I encourage you to schedule times throughout the year to get together, just because.  No meetings or agendas. Just relationship investment.  It doesn’t have to be formal.  Just get to know one another. These investments will only make you stronger as a team.   I understand that you don’t need “one more thing to do”. But, with a shifted perspective, you might find that you’re happy you took the time!  You may be blessed with a new friendship.  And your church will be blessed because you are a healthier, stronger team that trusts one another and leads the church into the presence of God with strength and unity.

Tip #4 – A healthy team is prepared musically

Worship Leaders – I encourage you to spend enough time preparing for rehearsal.  I believe that rehearsal is not for learning music or figuring out song flow. It is simply for putting everything together.  Learning music and prepping song flows, tracks, etc., is for you to prepare beforehand (and communicate to your team in advanced as well, so they can prepare).  The best thing you can do is over resource your team. Give them every tool you possibly can to set them up for success (and make it easier for them to come prepared to the rehearsal).

Team members – whatever your role is – be intentional in your preparation.  Learn your music before rehearsal.  Know it inside and out.  Study that sound board.  Dig into that lyrics program. Wherever you serve, your leader (and your church) will be incredibly blessed by your time and care.  You will also bless your other team members as you respect one another’s time by arriving at rehearsal prepared and ready to go!

Tip #5 – A healthy team understands their role

 We are all in this position to serve, so let’s remember that as we continue.  But, going further, we need to have a deeper understanding of our individual role on the team.

Leaders, your role is to lead with kindness, while still being clear about expectations and what is needed.  Bring your team along with you in the journey, communicating with clarity.  Further, it’s important to be on the same page as your Senior or Lead Pastor.  Work together, instead of against or independent of one another. When leadership is unified, it’s a powerful thing.

For other team members, respecting the leadership that God has put in place for that time is key.  Remember, they have spent time before the Lord, seeking His will for that weekend (set list, team, etc.). So, it’s a blessing when we respect their time, care and hard work by coming to rehearsal prepared and ready to support the vision God has placed on their heart.

Whatever your role in worship ministry, I pray that these tips are helpful and encouraging. When it comes down to it…this verse from Colossians 3:17 sums it up beautifully:

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

That is my prayer. That every time I lead worship, every team I train…whatever I do…that it would be in the name of Jesus and for His glory and fame.

May all we do point people to Him.

Andrea Olson has always loved worship, writing songs for the Church and leading people into and encounter with God’s Presence.  She has been a worship leader in Minnesota for the past 14 years. In 2010, Andrea started a unique 1:1 mentorship program for young local worship leaders.  As more leaders and churches began reaching out for help and training, God grew Andrea’s passion for worship in the Church and in 2014, Overflow Worship was born. This ministry for Worship Leaders and teams began with the annual Overflow Worship Conference, which now, is hosting its 6^th conference on October 11-12, 2019.  Now, in addition, Andrea (with family in tow) travels the Midwest going into churches leading worship, training teams and equipping leaders with practical tools to thrive in their ministry. To learn more about Andrea or Overflow Worship, visit www.overflowworship.com.     

By Bobby Smith & Spencer Roth

I love beginnings. Something fresh. Something new. The start of a journey when everything is perfectly packed, unspoiled, and ready for anything. Walt Whitman once said, “Afoot and lighthearted I take to the open road, healthy, free, the world before me.” Well, that is how we started songwriting for our church. We had everything before us, with no expectations or imposing deadlines. Something fresh.

Fast forward a few years and the seed that was planted grew into a full ministry with semi-annual songwriting retreats, weekly co-writes, a full-length record, radio play in fifteen different countries, thousands of downloads, and new culture of worship at our church. God gave the growth.

We were happy. Satisfied. God, however, had more in store and we found ourselves caught in a story only He could write. We were offered an opportunity to go to North Africa to put on concerts and share Jesus with thousands upon thousands of students there. It was honestly hard to believe what was being described with such an unreal opportunity in such a hard-to-reach place, but we just said, yes.

Yes.

So often, God is patient with His people. He calls us, knowing exactly what we need, and waits for obedience. Just a simple yes.

We had never stopped writing music, and we had a stockpile of new songs we wanted to share with the church. We never planned to release something again so soon (less than a year) after our first record. Five songs started to stand out and we got to work recording. This “By Design” EP became a rallying cry for our church as we began singing the songs together in worship and the church came alongside us buying them up to support our trip. It was overwhelming, and wound up making a way for our large team to head there.

We feel that all of the songs off of this EP could be useful depending on your context or the specific need. The three songs that have been most successful for us in our context are Relentless God, Behold, and Mercy.

Relentless God: Relentless God, musically speaking, is a BIG energy song. Heavy electronic synth vibe, but there is tons of room for other instruments to find their place as well. It it’s just an all-out party any time we use this song in worship. In lyrical terms, it is all about our God who chases us down through all of the junk that we can get ourselves into. It’s about his inexhaustible love for his people. I think the music and the lyrics pair well together for a perfect opener for a high energy worship set.

Behold: Behold is another great opener. It’s a fast 6/8 tune, with a nice big full band sound. Musically it’s pretty straight forward and should be easy to fit into any worship context. This song is about the return of our King, Jesus. When we see him, we won’t want to do anything but praise him. I love how triumphant the lyrics to this song are. A lot of songs about seeing Jesus one day are slow ballad-y types and I’m glad this one turned out much more up-tempo and celebratory. This song is another great “one spot” for almost any worship context. Our church loves to sing it!

Mercy: Mercy is a classic “mid-tempo build” song. This song is very dynamic with lots of space for reflection, and spots to speak “into the song”. Most of the time when we use this song in a worship set, we read scripture, or have one of the worship leaders speak some sort of exhortation during an instrumental break. This song is all about our brokenness before a perfect and Holy God and in light of that, how incredible his mercy is. The bridge lyrics are some of my favorite lines we’ve ever written: “Because of what you’ve done, I am a new creation. Because of who you are, I’ll never be the same.” Because of the tempo and the lyrical content, this song works well in a “three spot” right before the sermon, or as a response song.

Here’s a quick Father’s Day history lesson: The first observance of Father’s Day didn’t occur until 1910 at the YMCA in Spokane, Washington. A woman named Sonora Dodd came up with the idea to honor her father who was a Civil War veteran, raising six children alone, after the death of his wife. Dodd proposed a day to honor fathers with religious services, special meals, small gifts and flowers. The first President to support Father’s Day was Woodrow Wilson, but it wasn’t until years later in 1972 that it was established as a permanent annual observance by presidential proclamation.

Although the first Father’s Day was over 100 years ago, many of us still struggle with finding ways to show fathers and father figures just how valued they are. Even churches experience difficulty in producing the perfect Father’s Day service to honor the dads in their congregation. Here you’ll find some helpful Father’s Day ideas for church, including sermon ideas, video tips, and other ways to honor dads.

Preach an Encouraging Message for Dads

A dad may wear many hats, but he’ll first and foremost be a father. Use the holiday to remind fathers of their crucial roles in creating and sustaining a spiritually healthy environment for their children. There are plenty of Bible passages that highlight the place of fathers in guiding their families to become developing believers. You can find Father’s Day sermon ideas on SermonSearch.com.

Honor All Kinds of Dads

Dads come from different backgrounds and are at different stages of life, and you may very well have one of each in your place of worship on Father’s Day. Keep that in mind as you make your plans.

Use a Dad-and Christ-Honoring Video

In addition to encouraging Dads through your message, you may also want to consider using a Father’s Day themed video as a part of your service. WorshipHouse Media has hundreds of videos to choose from – whether you’re looking for something funny, inspirational, or anything in between.

Do or Give Something Tangible

Have “Dad snacks” to hand out at the end of the service like cookies, root beer or chocolate. Having kids hand them out at the end of a service is an added bonus. If your church is unable to do something like this, you could also include a craft or project into the Kids’ Ministry lesson, something that the kids could give to their Fathers on the way home from church – a card, a handmade art project, a coupon book for services around the house, etc.