Baseball scouts have long looked for a 5-tool player: hitting, hitting for power, running, fielding and throwing. It’s a rare breed to see one person be above average in each of these areas. As a result, team management and leadership seek to mix and match their player strong suits so they are complementary. If you have a great team player who excels at three out of five and another person who excels at the remaining two out of five, you’re in for some powerful team dynamics.
Much like sports, worship leadership includes key components, and it’s not very often a person is able to be above average at all of them!
Leadership
The ability to lead people, lead a team, an organization and a crowd or congregation. The heart for leadership in the spiritual realm, helping to lead with heart and with compassion. The patience to lead with volunteers.
Musicianship
The ability to play music and skill in vocals, instruments, etc.
Administrative
The ability to plan ahead, align people, schedule, notify, be flexible, and help the church use their gifts by having music and songs in place in time.
Relational
The ability to connect warmly with people, keep people on your side, help people grow, lead people in community, warm friendships.
Technical
The ability to understand sound, lighting, recording, apps, video, social media, streaming, websites, planning center, abelton, and the list goes on.
To those of you out there who feel very much suited in each of these areas, awesome! Now your only issue is time – how do you get it all in over a course of the week?
To the rest of us, how do we maintain an effective ministry if we don’t excel at one or more of these areas?
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A few thoughts in no particular order:
- Desire to become better: Identify your weakness and desire to learn more about how to accomplish and grow in strength.
- Name your team: What aspects of these do your team members help accomplish? If you don’t feel strongly suited in tech, for example, who will be your go-to person?
- Excel even more in one or two: Which one or two are you most gifted in? Focus much of your time on these areas. If you feel strongly suited for music and administration, then spend time getting all the details straight and taking the music over the top! As you do this, other pieces will naturally begin to fall into place with the momentum you create in the strong areas.
- Invite feedback: If you’re not sure which areas are your weakest, invite feedback from your leaders, from your pastor and from your team.
- Be encouraged: Where God has called, he will provide the needed resources, wisdom, people and strengths to get the mission accomplished.
Take heart, I’ve seen leaders who play drums, never sing in front and keep the whole thing going with admin and tech as their main focus.
I’ve also seen people who are very gifted leaders and play only a little music, but are able to build a team and invest in a team that is able to accomplish amazing music.
I myself feel that tech is not my strongest suit, and admin is not far behind. But I love the church, the people, the vision and the relational connection in the kingdom work. I most often have found that tech people emerge when there is a need and that there are always people willing to help with the background administration pieces. Of course, I’ve learned some and grown with it in both of these areas, but after 25 years, I’m realizing it will never be a passion.
I would love to hear from you – what are your strengths? Which ones do you need to work on? In what areas of your team leadership do you need to lean on others around you?
