Last week we started a quick 2-week series on the Pastor / Worship Leader Relationship by talking about what every Pastor needs from their Worship Leader.

This week we turn the tables and I want to talk to Pastors about what your Worship Leader needs from you. And if you’re a worship leader, feel free to print this out and “accidentally” leave a copy on your Pastor’s desk :-).

As I have  said, the most important relationship inside the church is the relationship between the Pastor and Worship Leader. But it’s also a relationship that can hold a lot of tension. That tension MOST LIKELY comes from one specific thing:

Lack of clarity about the expectations of the other person.

The worship leader says, “If my pastor would only do ______, then I would be able to get ahead,” while the pastor says, “If my worship pastor were only planned further in advance, we would be able to do _______ with our Sunday service.”

The remedy – clear expectations on the role of both the Pastor and Worship Pastor.

So now that we have opened the conversation on expectations, let’s talk about what the Worship Pastor needs from the Pastor.

#1 – Clear direction. The #1 frustration I hear from worship leaders in my live events and coaching networks is that they feel the Pastor is just not clear on what he wants. Now, this is not fully the pastors fault… after all we always listen through our own filters (right or wrong).

But Pastor, your worship pastor wants to serve you and give you exactly what you want. If you want to see the productivity, engagement, and overall effectiveness of your worship leader go to record levels, the best way to do that is to give clear direction, expectations and deadlines for what you want. Remember, if it is unclear in your mind, it is a dense fog in your Worship Leader’s mind.

#2 – Help. Worship Leaders don’t always ask for it (they should), but one of the most beneficial things that your worship pastor receives from you is your help. They need to know that they can bounce an idea off of you, be honest with you when something isn’t going well, or ask for advice on how to deal with a problem they’re facing. Too many times Worship Leaders don’t ask. But many times Pastors don’t listen or engage this area either.

Don’t be afraid to pry into your Worship Leader’s work and ask questions that will help reveal areas where they need some coaching.

And when your Worship Leader comes to you for help, do your best to fully engage the question. As the pastor you have the amazing ability either to add or remove pressure from the Worship Pastor’s ministry. Remember to do both!

Pastor – Do you know an area where your Worship Leader needs help right now? If not, you don’t know your Worship Leader well enough.

Worship Leader – Are you asking your Pastor for help when you need it? If not, you’re missing out on one of the best resources available to you.

#3 – Ongoing Training. Too many Worship Leaders are exactly the same today as they were a year ago. They are struggling with the same challenges and frustrations that have plagued them for months. The team is the same size. The quality of the worship service is the same. The weekly frustrations are the same. That’s a terrible place to be in ministry.

As the Pastor you can help ensure that your Worship Leader is constantly growing to meet the new challenges that come with each season of ministry.

And most importantly, ensure your worship pastor finds a coach. As a Worship Pastor, our church would have benefited GREATLY in the early days if I had a coach. Almost everything I learned I learned the hard way – through my own successes and (mostly) failures!

But I learned to capture what worked and build systems around it so that I wouldn’t fail at it again.

That’s how our team grew from 2 to 200 people. How I developed my personal leadership abilities. How our worship services are planned months in advance. How we’ve built a healthy and thriving team. We’ve done it, but it was much harder than it had to be – if I had only had a coach!

Now, I’m a coach. I give those systems back to other worship leaders through the Worship Leader Tele-Coaching Network. In these networks, the average worship team doubles. The worship leader develops a one-year personal growth plan and doubles his/her effectiveness. The pastor emails me and says what a difference the network is making in their worship leader.

The Worship Leader Tele-Coaching Network is a way for you to invest in your worship leader’s growth through a 12-month training experience. Over 250 pastors have already have already experienced the benefits of having their worship pastor learn and develop these systems, and you can, too.

My next network begins on Friday, October 11… Learn more and apply online at www.worshipleaderinsights.com/coaching. .

Your partner in ministry,

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.