One thing every pastor and worship pastor is familiar with is the turnover rate of musicians and praise team singers. Sometimes, it becomes a challenge to fill those positions. There are smaller churches without musicians, let alone a worship leader. A number of churches would like to add newer praise songs to their worship services; however, they don’t have musicians and singers who know how to play or sing them.
What do we do when we need musicians and singers? How do we fill those positions when we have a musician leave our worship team? How do churches find those who can lead newer songs in their worship services? As our church grows, how do we give more people opportunities to serve?
I have been a full-time worship pastor now for almost 29 years and during that time I’ve experienced a turnover of great musicians and singers. Sometimes, just as one musician was leaving, the Lord had already sent someone who could fill that position. Other times, there was no one to be found and the search became more difficult.
There are several things I have learned over the years that can help pastors and worship pastors find musicians and singers.
1. Pray
First, we must always be praying and asking the Lord to send us more. Churches need to have a plan to help find those who are in their congregations who might have the God-given ability to serve in their music ministry.
2. Look at who is already serving
Churches who have choirs can use them to find those who God has gifted to become praise team leaders. We must constantly be willing to let new people serve on our teams. Some churches only have one team and they use the same people every Sunday with no rotation.
Consider using a rotation and allowing others to serve in music ministry. Having the same group every Sunday lead worship may be easier, but in the long run, you limit your music ministry from growing. New people may come to your church who have God-given abilities to serve and will not feel like they will ever be given the opportunity to use them. As the church grows, there needs to be more opportunities for others to serve.
3. Grow future worship leaders
There is another way to find musicians and singers in your church. Your church needs to become active in growing future worship leaders. It is good to have a Children’s Choir and observe those whom God has gifted to sing.
Consider starting a Student Praise Band in your church. There are students in your church who are in school choirs and bands. There are students taking lessons to learn to play the piano and the guitar.
As a pastor or worship pastor, start providing ways for your students to get involved in music ministry. Give them an opportunity to serve!
I was at a worship conference called Worship 4:24 in Ohio last year with a featured guest artist, Travis Cottrell. Travis Cottrell is a Contemporary music artist, song writer, author, and worship leader I’m sure most of you know. He was teaching a session and mentioned to us that every service in his church has at least one student on the worship team. He is growing future worship leaders.
4. Focus on children’s and students’ music ministry
I have an advantage since I have a wife who serves in our music ministry. She has led children’s choirs in both churches that I have been the worship pastor. She also directs our Christmas programs.
Now that we have been in our present church for over 20 years, we are seeing some of the ones she had in children’s choir now as some of our main worship praise team singers and some musicians. Every one of them at some time or another were a part of our Student Praise Bands. My wife and I lead these bands and we help train them to become worship leaders.
Our Student Praise Band is made up of high school and some college students. They lead our church in worship every Wednesday night. The present band we have now consists of drums, bass, piano, keyboard, acoustic guitar, electric guitar and two praise singers along with my wife and myself.
These students are very passionate about this ministry and have a strong desire to use their gifts for the Lord. This excites our church when they see our students playing instruments and leading worship. Every week at least one of them is on our Sunday morning worship team. Because they are involved, this helps them feel more of a part of our church. We have become actively involved in growing future worship leaders by giving them an opportunity to serve.
5. Start where you are
I often think back many years ago to our very first Student Praise Band we started with one singer and a guitar. Over the years, the Lord has helped us build larger student bands. No matter what size your church, I would highly encourage you to start a Student Praise Band. Start small and continually pray and seek the Lord in finding musicians and singers in your church.
Come up with a plan to give more people who have music abilities the opportunity to serve. Never just settle for what you have right now. Keep on visualizing the music ministry continually growing. Always be praying about how you can do things better and involve more people in your music ministry. As a worship leader, build the music ministry to stand with or without you. Build future worship leaders. When we do this, we choose to build God’s Kingdom rather than our own kingdom.
Greg Smith serves as Worship Pastor at Ozark Family Church in Ozark, MO.
