Blog | How to Find Volunteer Worship Leaders
How to Find Volunteer Worship Leaders
We all know of the “church shopping” phenomenon. It’s usually the bane of any church planter. When a church is just starting out, getting everything sorted and finding its “home base”, so to speak, takes time. In other words, congregation patience would be incredibly helpful for church plants, but the truth still stands that first impressions often have a greater weight in choosing a church than the long-term strategy. We wish it wasn’t that way, but unfortunately that’s the case.
The Importance of Finding a Good Volunteer Worship Leader
All that to say, research shows that the quality of worship music at a church – big or small – is one of the key factors in attenders choosing to stay or move on. Look at it this way – while the sermon, church goals, and mission may all be on point, you may be sacrificing an opportunity to grow your congregation by not having the right worship leader (or not having one at all).
If your church needs a volunteer worship leader, here are some tips on how to find one and what to look for:
Christian Colleges
If there are any nearby Christian colleges, the chances are high they have some sort of worship ministry program – whether as a major or a student organization. The point is, Christian college students studying or helping with worship ministry are often looking for a way to grow as leaders, and small churches or new church plants are a fantastic way for them to enter a ministry leadership role.
Current Volunteers or Leadership
People often only look for new volunteers outside of their current pool of leaders, but when it comes to finding a volunteer worship pastor for a new church, you may have to start looking at options within your church’s leadership and volunteers. Talk with those who are musical and have expressed an interest in that type of role. Whether it means a transition out of their current, or a balance between the two, the right volunteer worship leader may be right in your current ministry leaders.
Neighboring Churches
This is a tricky one – church plants need volunteers from other churches to come on board and help out, but you also don’t want to end up in a taboo situation with other neighboring churches and pastors. If you’re looking for a volunteer worship leader, reach out to a few local worship pastors and ask them if they have worship team members that may be willing to help out as you’re getting your bearings straight.
Local churches may have various team members or teams on rotation, making musicians available on weeks they aren’t scheduled. A worship pastor may also know of high school seniors or recent graduates looking for worship ministry leadership positions. It’s always worth the call.
One vs. Multiple Volunteer Worship Leaders
Another important decision to make is whether or not your church is going to use one or multiple worship leaders. There are obvious benefits and drawbacks to each option, but for a lot of starting churches, it can be difficult to have a volunteer commit to the responsibilities of a worship leader as an every-week job.
If you have someone who is willing to commit to being the sole worship leader, that’s great. Having one person in charge of the worship ministry allows for more consistency, easier communication between you and the worship ministry, and less moving parts.
Having a rotation of volunteer worship leaders can also be largely beneficial, in that the commitment required of each person is less, so finding volunteers may be easier to begin with. It’s ultimately up to you, and the specific situation of your church and volunteer search will most likely dictate how this all pans out.
Building a Worship Leader Culture
At the end of the day, you don’t need a “Band-Aid” solution. Hiring a capable volunteer (or multiple volunteers) who can lead worship on a week-to-week basis is great, but doesn’t set up the ministry for growth, as it makes it all dependent on one key person.
In the same way that church planters empower and lead other leaders to carry on aspects of the ministry, you want to find a worship leader that can empower worship team members to lead on their own. Their long-term trajectory should essentially be to build a ministry that can operate – with as many or few volunteers as available – without them. It mitigates the risk of a ministry’s dependence on one individual, opens the gate for other leaders to step up, and allows a worship leader to focus on building a leadership culture rather than focusing solely on week-to-week songs and lyrics.
Summing It Up
It’s not easy to find volunteers who can hop in and commit to serious leadership positions in a new church plant. However, there are a few places outside of your own congregation where you can begin searching for willing and capable people to step into a worship ministry role.
Christian colleges often have worship ministry programs or organizations where students are looking for ministry leadership opportunities. You can find people in similar situations at local churches through talking with worship pastors who may have volunteers looking to branch into leadership positions that are simply unavailable at their own church.
But the most important factor in the search is – it’s not about where to find them. It’s about finding the right person who can shepherd worship team members into leadership positions. It’s about building a worship leadership culture from the bottom up.
About the Author
Chris Fleming is a professional musician from Minneapolis, MN who has played with artists such as Kari Jobe, TAYA, Aodhan King, and Jason Gray. He is actively involved with the CCM scene and has contributed as a drummer, music director, song writer, and producer for various worship artists and churches locally and nationally. Chris is the Motion Designer at Motion Worship, helping to create motion background collections and countdowns for our subscribers.