2. Communicate:
If you have a set rehearsal day such as Thursday, it means you have a few days in-between to get your sets together and to keep your team aware of any thoughts, additions or changes. Don’t leave them in the dark until the start of rehearsal. As for the musicians, encourage them to respond or proactively reach out with concerns, questions or suggestions about the set. A lot of times, musicians are afraid to admit they didn’t have the ability or the time to learn a part. By keeping communication lines open, these issues can be worked out in advance.
RELATED: How to Lead Effective Rehearsals
3. Learn More Than Just the Upcoming Set:
Most church worship sets consist of three to five songs. It is easy for a team to fall into the trap of simply practicing those songs in the one key for that Sunday. A good way to be more prepared is to have your musicians practice (on their own time) and keep on their radar the 15-20 songs that are typically used within a season (three to six months), and also know them in a few different keys. I can’t even count the times when we showed up for service and God had put a different song on my heart, or the pastor came up in the middle of the set and asked for a specific song. Because I kept my team prepared in this way, I could throw anything at them with just a few minutes notice, without the need of chord sheets for every key. Again, by implementing this in your culture, you will start to see those that just do the bare minimum and those that are fully invested in the team.
Most worship teams consist of volunteers, but that is no excuse for us to treat our involvement with any less value than the jobs we are paid for. A worship culture should remain free and uninhibited but with a foundation of excellence. Follow these tips to lay that foundation and it will create the right kind of freedom.
