One question that has come up again and again across many Worship teams is this:“We are very busy, and we don’t have time during the week to meet as a worship team, what can we do to continue to grow our team?”
I completely understand the heart of the question. In different churches, teams and volunteers are also busy people. The creative team are made up of all sorts of people from many spheres of life. From the professionals who work long hours in the city, to the single and stay-at-home mums, not to mention the many students; all incredible people with big lives.
These people generously volunteer their time to be a part of the creative team. They give more than is required and often thank the leadership for the privilege of serving. What a blessing this is — it’s certainly not something totake for granted.
Part of all this means they set time aside during the week to attend Team Nights. I’ve written about this before on many occasions so I won’t speak too much about it here, but Team Nights have been a great blessing to us as a community.
The other huge blessing that we haven’t written about too much is our pre-service prayer meetings. These are a hidden gem and one that I’m sure many worship teams are neglecting.
I think of these pre-service gatherings as a hidden gem because they provide more value to us as a team than one might think at first sight.
Here are five reasons why pre-service gatherings are important:
1. They provide an opportunity for the current team to gather
The question I received over and over after last week’s post was about finding time to meet without creating another night out for people. Before a service is a perfect time to meet. By doing this regularly, you will be able to create a team culture. You can talk about the specifics of the service you are about to lead people in, but you can also encourage your worship team with your vision for the future.
2. They provide an opportunity to raise up leaders
Imagine you ask a potential leader to bring a short devotional thought or you have them pray over the group prior to next Sunday’s service. Doing this will build confidence in the new leader, over time it will develop them, and it will mean you are released from this aspect of the day. If you’re intentional about this pre-service time, you can transform it from “wasted time” into a leadership factory!!
3. They provide an opportunity to widen the definition of the “worship team”
Now that you’re gathering prior to each service, why not invite a group of people to provide breakfast or morning tea for those who are gathering. Many people would love to serve in the worship team but don’t sing or play an instrument — no problem — they could come and host in the room where you’ll meet. Some of the best conversations and pastoral care will happen during these gatherings, and it’s usually those with a hospitality gift who will have those conversations naturally. Don’t neglect these people, utilise them. Invite them to look after your team. It doesn’t take a huge commitment, yet the community you develop will be a huge reward.
For us at Hillsong Church, we include all our worship, television, and production volunteers in these gatherings. The entire creative team and many of their family come along to pray and commit the service to the Lord. Whether you have been rostered for that service or not, you’re welcome to be a part of the pre-service gathering. They’re fun times of food, real fellowship, and then the team head off to the service lifted up and ready to point people to Jesus.
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