After 18 years of leading worship for the same church (14 of those in the same building), I’ve had the privilege of over time adding some helpful tools to our setup that serve the congregation and band in simple ways. Check out these 5 simple Worship Ministry hacks you can do now to help your team and church engage with the Living God.
- Provide Earplugs at the entrance to the sanctuary
Most of a churches volume issues can be handled before [the] sound gets the loudspeakers and ears of the congregants. With that in mind, it’s [a] nice gesture to supply earplugs at the entrance for anyone that might prefer an attenuated experience. I have found that even when the sound is appropriate by any standard of measurement, there is still a small percentage of congregants that would benefit from a set of free earplugs. We refill this bin only once or twice a year and that’s taking into account that some kids think it’s candy
- Buy a Backstage Tea Kettle For Your Singers
Christianity is a SINGING FAITH! Adding an affordable electric hot water kettle a great way to bless the singers of your worship team and encourage good vocal health! As I mention in the $200 Voice Lesson (free if you register to my newsletter), hydrating our bodies with room temperature and lukewarm fluids is crucial for a great vocal.
ALSO: MY 12 GO-TO APPS FOR WORSHIP LEADERS
- Make a Diagram of the Stage Inputs and Put Them Everywhere
We’ve all been there. Screaming back and forth from the sound team and stage to “turn up this or that”. In addition to numbering cords and DI boxes, it’s a great idea to POST the inputs for the WHOLE STAGE at the soundboard and on the stage somewhere. Musicians and sound personnel can easily locate each numbered stage input with a legend that shows the whole stage at once. Instead of only you and Elder Bob knowing that 5 is now 7 and 8 is 9, let everyone in on the info!
- Attach A Drum Key to the Drum Set with a String
As I covered is Winning the Volume War for Drummers, the drum set is one of, if not the MOST crucial instruments on the stage. Think of how many times those drums are hit during the course of several songs — tuning something that gets hit several times is a great idea! Many times drummers will not have drum key and attaching one to the community drum set (hi-hat stand) will keep it handy at all times.
- Permanently Tape Worship Leader Cues on the Music Stand
“Uh, it’s time for the announcements… uh…. welcome to Faith Chapel…. uh, now is when we do the pass the thing…” As worship leaders, we lead the congregation with simple instructions every week that can become mundane. Instead of each leader creatively using his or her own language for those transitions TAPE the most CRITICAL information to a music stand. Use this for the call to worship, communion, tithe or exit language. Visitors will thank you.
