Meaningful worship. Dynamic teaching. Relevant Sermon series. Creativity. Excellence. Souls impacted for the kingdom of God. I truly believe that every pastor and worship pastor strives for these elements every Sunday. How do we get there? Well, I can say with certainty that the most important relationship in the worship planning process is the pastor/worship pastor relationship. Now, having said that, here's another truth. Potentially the greatest tension in the worship planning process is the pastor/worship planning relationship.
I've had the privilege of being involved in a Worship Leader Coaching Network for the past 4 months. I know that Pastor Dave has mentioned this before in the past, but its worth saying again. If you're not involved in some type of mentoring / coaching relationship as a pastor or worship pastor, you are definitely missing out. I have both been encouraged and learned many things just over the past few months. Let me just say a quick thanks to my coach Jason Hatley. Thanks Jason for all your help! Now, back to this relationship. It has the potential to make or break your planning and implementation of worship services. If its non-existent, trust me, it will show on Sunday mornings. I don't believe that any of us want a bad relationship, I believe the problem lies more in the fact that we are not actively engaged in making it happen. Sometimes we can assume that "it will all just work out". I am blessed to have a Pastor that takes this relationship seriously. I can honestly say that we work together and actively engage in the process of worship planning. We meet weekly to evaluate the services and spend time on creative planning elements, song selection, and future series topics. While I have a great Pastor and friend in Dave, there are also things that I MUST do to help this relationship. Here are some of my responsibilities: a) Loyalty to the Pastor, b) Trust - its one of the greatest gifts I can give him; c) Excellence in my area; and d) Communication.
I hope each of you can say your relationship with your pastor, or if you are a pastor, your relationship with your worship pastor is great. If you can't say that, here are a few steps you can take to start turning the relationship in an active direction.
1. Commitment: "trust + loyalty" - are you committed to this relationship?
2. Clarify Roles: you must have role clarity or you will have role confusion.
3. Communication: "the biggest problem with communication is the assumption that it is taking place".
4. Create Systems: ensure that there are systems around that help you continue the relationship.
I want to encourage you to take a moment and evaluate your relationship as a pastor or worship pastor. Maybe take some time this week and meet with each other and have an open dialogue about this relationship. Trust me, it will have a positive impact on your Sunday mornings!
