7 Habits of Highly Effective Worship Leaders

Leading worship and teams well is not something that simply happens out of thin air.

It's a diligent, daily practice of habits that compound over time. 

Like other effective leaders, worship leaders practice seven habits that keep their influence and work at the highest level. (Thanks to Stephen Covey for a great foundation in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.)

Let's dive into them.

They own the process.

An effective worship leader knows each step in the process of what it means to produce music for worship services. This means they:

• Can assign roles and schedule well.

• Can address and correct mistakes and weak spots (with grace).

• Can at least ensure all tech functions right, troubleshoot problems, and fill in the gaps if a volunteer is absent (whether personally or delegating it to another team member).

• Can prepare material sufficiently and create an environment for their team to to do the same.

They maintain focus.

I've seen this mostly play out in rehearsals, where the worship leader has a well-oiled team, or on the other hand, looks like they're herding cats.

An effective worship leader communicates goals with the highest clarity and brevity, and knows how to keep others moving together toward those goals. In rehearsals, they keep the ball moving; there's no dead space or distractions. In worship services, they guide the congregation with precise exhortations that point them to Jesus, His Word, and the message for that day.

They prioritize well.

The responsibilities of a worship leader in many churches goes far beyond the music, and the demands of those responsibilities adds up.

An effective worship leader recognizes what is:

• Urgent and important.

• Urgent, but unimportant.

• Important, but not urgent.

• Not important and not urgent.

They know what needs to be done and when it needs to be accomplished, and they take the necessary steps to follow through, either personally or through delegation. 

They see success for everyone.

It's easy for churches to develop "silos" of talent, time, and attention. This often creates competition between ministry areas.

An effective worship leader recognizes the value and importance of areas outside their ministry, and they actively work to promote strengthening the church as a whole. This can range from sharing volunteers to compromising on budget resources and sharing spaces. They happily accommodate when they can, and lovingly advocate for their responsibilities and resources when the time comes.

In the same way, they make musical expression accessible for everyone as much as possible. This comes down to arranging music in the right keys and choosing melodies that are singable, along with instrumental direction that the band can perform 

They pay attention.

Because our daily responsibilities can be a lot to fulfill between ministry, family, other work, and time with God, our tendency is to operate with blinders, at times. This results in missing crucial moments, like when a team member or congregant is obviously unsettled but not expressing themselves, or when there is grumbling going on. 

Or, they can easily miss positive moments, like celebrating prayers being answered or giving thanks for particular blessings. (I fall into this one a lot; my mind misses the present because it is so fixed on the future tasks or to-dos ahead of me.)

An effective worship leader keeps their finger on "the pulse" of their community so they can best minister and lead collective expression that most closely aligns to their current needs. Their conversations are deliberate, their listening undivided, and their empathy and compassion fueling their response. 

They make it easy for others to work together.

Sometimes, conflict or friction arises in music ministry. This can be due to clashing personalities, too much overlap in singing/playing roles, or a forced "picking up of slack" when a team member doesn't do their part.

An effective worship leader knows how to direct communication and pair people together in a way that makes their strengths shine and compliment the rest of the group. If someone isn't up to the same level as the rest of the group, the leader gives them attainable goals and directs the rest of the team in a way that fills the gap without overloading responsibility. If conflict arises, they resolve it quickly by any appropriate means.

They continuously improve, personally and then collectively.

Once we get to a certain level in our skills, we tend to coast or ease back on developing them. This is a dangerous place to be, mostly because "rustiness" can creep in and undermine our follow-through. 

An effective worship leader works on their craft, keeps it in shape, uses it as a springboard for creativity and innovation, and then encourages others to do the same. 

Take Action Today

I want you to spend some time reflecting on these seven habits. What are you doing well? Where can you improve? Who can you call on to help guide and keep you accountable in exercising these habits?

Write your thoughts down and then revisit them every month, quarter, and year, and see how things have changed for the better. Even if you make small steps as you go, you'll be amazed by the greater transformation!

Bass Player Resource: Travis Dykes

We’re spotlighting another creator this week, this time with bass players in mind.

Travis Dykes is a rising heavyweight in the world of gospel/CCM bass players, and also boasts a really popular YouTube channel, where he documents tours, studio sessions, and gives lessons to a subscriber base of over 180k people.

He’s also written a fantastic book for beginning bass players called Do-It-Yourself Bass Guitar, where he gives you the need-to-know information to get you playing right away.

If you’re a bass player looking to step up your game when comes to technique, gear, and mindset, Travis is your guy.

To get a glimpse of his playing, check out this awesome play-through of Kirk Franklin’s “Love Theory”:

Be blessed 👊✌️