By Brent Lacy

Most small church worship teams are made up of people who said yes when nobody else would.

They are not professional musicians. They did not go to worship school. They are faithful volunteers who love God and are willing to serve, and they deserve to be developed, not just deployed.

Here is a practical guide to worship team training in a small church, without a music director or a large budget.

Who Should Be on the Worship Team

Before you train your worship team, make sure the right people are on it.

The worship team is not a place for everyone who wants to be on stage. It is a place for people who meet two criteria: they have sufficient musical ability to serve without distracting the congregation, and they have the character to lead others in worship.

Character matters more than musical skill. A technically excellent musician who is spiritually immature, relationally difficult, or living in unaddressed sin will damage your worship ministry more than a less skilled musician who is genuinely humble and spiritually healthy.

The Weekly Rehearsal

One hour of rehearsal per week is enough to lead worship well in a small church. Here is how to use that hour effectively.

First 10 minutes: Pray together.

Do not skip this. The worship team that prays together before they play together leads differently than one that does not. Pray for the congregation. Pray for the service. Pray for each other.

Next 30 minutes: Run the set.

Play through the songs in order, as you will on Sunday. Focus on transitions between songs, these are where most worship sets fall apart. Work on the moments that need attention. Do not spend the whole rehearsal on the first song.

Final 20 minutes: Debrief and develop.

What went well? What needs work? This is also the time for brief teaching, a few minutes on a musical concept, a worship theology principle, or a practical skill. Over time, these brief teaching moments develop your team significantly.

Developing Individual Team Members

Beyond the weekly rehearsal, invest in the individual development of your team members.

Identify their growth edge.

What is the one thing that would most improve each team member’s contribution? For one person it might be timing. For another it might be stage presence. For another it might be understanding worship theology. Identify it and address it specifically.

Provide resources.

Free online resources for worship musicians are abundant. YouTube tutorials, worship leader podcasts, and online courses can develop your team members at no cost. Point them toward specific resources that address their growth edge.

Give honest feedback.

Most volunteer musicians never receive honest feedback about their performance. They are either praised regardless of quality or quietly removed from the team. Neither approach develops them. Honest, specific, kind feedback, “your timing was off in the bridge of that song, here is how to fix it”, is a gift.

Worship Team Culture

The culture of your worship team will shape the culture of your worship. Build it intentionally.

• Humility. The worship team exists to serve the congregation, not to showcase their gifts. A team that understands this leads differently.
• Preparation. Team members should know their parts before rehearsal. Rehearsal is for refining together, not for learning individually.
• Punctuality. Starting rehearsal on time communicates that everyone’s time is valued.
• Confidentiality. What is discussed in team meetings stays in team meetings.
• Encouragement. Team members should build each other up, not compete with each other.

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