I think the majority of us, worship leaders and pastors, would agree that our bands can get better. Right?
We have the dream, the vision in our heads and hearts of what we should sound like. Of who we should be, musically speaking. But getting there is at times like pulling teeth.
We have ministries and teams and bands filled with weekend warriors, that have regular day jobs, that come before sharpening our musical gifts. Most of us don’t have any other paid staff or professional musicians.
So how do you get the ball rolling in the direction you want? How can you get your team to understand your dream and truly worship while leading it?
I believe a simple yet powerful secret in getting the most out of your band and moving them closer the vision you have. So what is it?
Watch Other Worship Bands
Seems crazy right? But believe me, I am always encouraged, challenged and pushed to be a better musician and worship leader when I sit down and watch other worship bands. This could be taking your team or just taking your family to another churches weekend worship service and worshiping. It could be going to a conference and experiencing their worship or… it could be watching and studying a handful of videos on YouTube.
Yep, that’s right. You can grow your team by watching YouTube videos. There are so many talented worship teams out there and many of them will record their worship services or live performances and upload them to YouTube.
I will watch a handful of videos and services throughout the week and I’m always challenged in the way I am leading. And I think this can translate over to our entire worship teams too. I love watching people worship. I love watching the entire band worship. I pick up things like certain drum beats or tempo, or maybe it’s the way the other vocalists carry their stage presence.
It’s an Online Worship Course
I would encourage you to scour the internet for great videos of songs and worship bands that you can pass onto your team. It’s like a free online worship course. Now of course you will have to cover the spiritual aspects of leading your team, but now you can show your drummer what you want. You show your vocalists better ways to express themselves on stage and how to be engaged. You can give your team a real visual and worshipful way to grow in their craft.
So what do you think? Is this crazy? You might be surprised. Next time, try sending a few videos to your team and encourage them to watch and grow in their abilities. It could be the secret you’ve been missing.
