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Leading Worship Leaders
4 ways I'm learning to guide artists.
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Keeping the vision clear becomes exceedingly difficult as volunteer teams grow. Newer team members require orientation to arts ministry expectations, strategy, and values. Veteran servants also need frequent reminders, because, as our pastor often says, "vision leaks." With so many rehearsals and services, how do we make time to communicate our foundation? Our team has experimented with many strategies to keep vision clear; we gather arts ministry volunteers a few times each year. We highlight core values and inspire our teams by showing them examples of changed lives. In a recent team meeting, I invited a drummer new to our music ministry to tell his story. Wes's description of coming to Willow Creek—feeling blown away by the music, and seeing a drum set on stage just like his at home—was a great inspiration to our team. Wes told us he couldn't get over the quality and style of music he was hearing at a church. Over time, Wes investigated Christianity and volunteered to serve. Eventually he gave his life to Christ. After hearing this, our volunteers jumped to their feet in applause. Wes vividly reminded us why we serve. We expect our team leaders to consistently reinforce both the church vision and our team values through individual conversations and prayer times in smaller rehearsal settings. 2. Lead "up" effectively. Artists in every church need a bridge to those who make the major decisions—including the pastor and leadership bodies with influence over the artists. Leading up involves advocating for what artists need to flourish and clearly communicating to artists and leaders. For example, very few church boards comprehend why the arts ministry needs certain equipment—and certainly won't believe what some of this equipment costs. Too often I became so absorbed in leading the artists that I neglected to provide the right leaders with vital information about the arts ministry. Artists also need a fuller picture of all the departments competing for limited church resources. Otherwise they develop tunnel vision and ignore other significant ministry areas. Doug Veenstra has greatly enhanced my leadership horsepower. We co-led our arts ministry until Doug and his family relocated. As partners, Doug and I focused on what we do best. I concentrated on overall creative direction for services and events; Doug developed and led our people day to day. I wasn't aware how poorly I led up until I watched Doug do it so masterfully. He carefully built relationships with a few members of our church board and the elders and also communicated frequently with key leaders in other departments. |             |
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