Some may think that worship ministry is all about music.
Good communication is just as essential and can make or break great worship experiences in your local church.
The benefits of excellent communication include: 1) engaging the team and church, 2) recruiting, developing, and leading, and 3) making an impact where you are and beyond.
Here are some thoughts about worship leaders and communication.
Episode #147 on Apple | Episode #147 on Spotify
✅ Written Communication
Written communication will help you keep things moving forward. You can share vision, details, and encouragement. Your written communication can have an impact far and wide. Written communication can include church publications, letters, emails, texts, or social media. Writing out your prayers, opening statements, and exhortations can keep things fresh from the stage. Writing letters to your team to thank them and celebrate specific successes in ministry partnership is important.
✅ Verbal Communication
Your verbal communication will help you build bridges and lead worship effectively. Don’t mumble, don’t change your typical, natural cadence of speaking (some people get breathy or sing-songy in front of others), and don’t trail off from the mic. Share things you have prepared (at least from time to time) so you don’t get into a verbal rut from the stage. Speak confidently and concisely in meetings and with your team—work to be as clear and brief as possible.
✅ Team Building Communication
Over the years, I have learned the importance of responding to those in the inner circle. You want to make sure your closest and most prominent team members can reach you. Of course, still keep boundaries in check. The best way to do this is to respond quickly during the hours you are “working.” If you respond quickly between 9 am and 5 pm, that’s when people will try to reach out. Not responding after hours is a good way to keep building good communication habits (from both perspectives – your time and the downtime of your team). Your communication with your team will help motivate, keep the vision hot, and help grow deeper relationships. Share your dreams during meetings, during evening rehearsals, give people feedback, help them grow, and be positive about the church and leadership.
✅ Informal Communication
It’s often the unplanned conversations that have the most impact. The planned, on-stage communication is powerful, but the un-rehearsed word, the off-stage word, those are the things that often sink deeply into the hearts and lives of those around you. Informal communication includes small talk, questions, the words you use, and your curiosity and interest in others. Don’t gossip. Build up. Find out about others. Share personal stories, but not too much. Informal times of communication make up most of your life!
✅ Non-Verbal Communication
Your non-verbal communication as a ministry leader says so much! We want to dress like we believe what we do is important. Looking the part goes a long way to effective non-verbal communication. Our spaces – like the office/desk area, our cars and the backstage tidiness – can have an impact on how we communicate. Then of course, there are the main ways we communicate non-verbally – through smiles (which need to be bigger from the stage), our eyebrows, our posture, walk, handshakes and eye contact. Live in confidence as you allow your non-verbal communication to work for you in worship leadership – before and after worship, between songs and as you begin the service. Watch yourself on video, pray for the Holy Spirit to be at work in you, and be confident in your calling and God’s work in and through your life. Don’t take yourself too seriously – but love Jesus and love your people.
