Studies show that most people remember a very small percentage of what they hear. This means that after an average Sunday morning service, people may not remember most of what the pastor spoke, but they will be singing the chorus of the song you sang for days or weeks to come. When you lead worship, you're doing so much more than preparing people to hear your pastor preach. You are teaching and shepherding them.

Have you ever had those days, weeks, or even months where the challenges with people on your team seem constant? Maybe it’s that one person’s normal mode of action that just bugs you. Or maybe it’s that one guys seeming unwillingness to change even though you’ve asked him to over and over again. There’s nothing like the responsibility and challenge of leading others to make me see my need for God’s character to be formed in my heart.

It's been said that leadership would be easy if it weren’t for the people we're leading. Such a true and revealing statement. I’d like to think that my first inclination is to love people. And maybe it is, until the pristine shimmer of unmoved waters is hit with the slightest pebble that causes ripples to form.

It took me a long time to realize the importance of having a practice specifically for the singers on my worship team. Band practices, I could understand, but was a singer practice really necessary? As I started talking with and listening to my singers, I discovered that they had a lot of questions about what, when, and how much to sing.

A few weeks ago, as I was talking with one of my mentors, my answer to a question she asked me left me in pain. Her question wasn’t new or profound, but my response shocked me. “Where is your heart in this season?” she asked. Now, as a “well-trained” pastor’s kid, I immediately opened my mouth to respond with one of the five answers that I typically have ready in my “right-answer” arsenal.

In different seasons we may find ourselves and people on our teams struggling with insecurity. In this post, I am going to give you ten strategies for dealing with insecurity, both in your own life and in the lives of those on your team.

Nothing destroys team dynamics like ungodly speech. Sarcasm and coarse joking disrupt the authentic community by hindering honest, clear communication and discouraging true relationship and vulnerability. The closer we grow as a team, the freer we feel. This is a good thing, honestly.

We often romanticize Inspiration as the driving force behind our creativity. However, its fleeting nature can be an obstacle if that's what we're relying on to create. On the other hand, discipline (the “d-word” for creatives), which is often overlooked, ultimately serves as the backbone that sustains creative endeavors.

If you want a healthy team you have to make time to build healthy people. If you focus on building your ministry, prayer room, or worship team without building and investing in people, you are in danger of your team burning out. Don’t underestimate the importance of real human relationships in the midst of your ministry assignments.

No one wants to admit that they struggle with pride. And though it might take on different forms for different people, everyone struggles with it. When I first started leading, I was so worried about being perceived as prideful. (Talk about a not-fun way to lead!) From the songs I did to the way I sang, everything caused me to question how people saw me…

In 2005 I started by first worship-team Bible study and it was massively unsuccessful. Why? To start with, I picked the Book of Galatians which is by far one of the hardest epistles to understand. But I was audacious and wanted to know the Word and challenge my team, so I went for it. Secondly, I had everyone on the team buy an inch and a half thick commentary and assigned 30-40 pages of “required reading” each week. Let’s just say that after the first week, I was overwhelmed. I had great motives and all the passion but had the wrong idea of what would make my Bible study a success.

Envy is something that everyone struggles with. We’re all on the same playing field living in a fallen world on the journey of sanctification. This fact, in and of itself, should give you confidence to face this challenge. Feeling like you’re the only one who struggles not only keeps you away from people (because you feel like you’re worse than them), but can also keep you away from the Lord.

Think about someone you know personally who is a more talented worship leader than you. See that person’s face in your mind. Hear that person singing and playing. Think about how successful he or she is at leading worship. Now, put all of that out of your mind because I have a secret to tell you: Your success isn’t based on how talented you are, nor can it be measured by anything you do or don’t do outwardly.

One of the greatest strengths you can develop as a leader is to learn how to relate well to the leaders running alongside you and the leaders serving over you. Understand and recognize the leadership position you have. Are you part of the pastoral staff as the worship leader?

As a worship leader, you’re leading people on a monthly, weekly, and sometimes even daily basis. That’s quite the leadership commitment.

If your worship team doesn’t currently have a team Bible study, you should think about starting one. I can't encourage you enough to consider the benefits to your team of meeting together to have regular discussions around the Word.

Whether you’re a part-time volunteer or full-time worship leader on staff at a church or house of prayer, I strongly encourage you to have a vision for you and your worship team to pursue. Overlooking this step will present challenges down the road that you may not foresee right now. Get the vision. Write it down. And walk it out.

As worship leaders, insecurity can hinder us from reaching our maximum leadership potential both on and off stage. For so long I tried to not to let anyone see my insecurity and would internalize so much of what I was thinking instead of being honest about my feelings.

Surveys have shown that some people fear public speaking more than death. Have you ever noticed the amount of time and effort people spend trying to combat fear, nervousness, and self-doubt?

It seems counterintuitive, but the more you replicate yourself, the greater your job security. Contrary to the belief that “You’re going to work yourself out of a job,” the exact opposite is true in the Kingdom of God.