The benefits of a local worship leader gathering

August 30, 2007

Since this blog started in the summer and I’m a sucker for useful resources, I’ve spent a lot of time talking about seminars, either online or the various conferences available to worship leaders.

Today I was part of another kind of gathering that is also extremely worthwhile. Here in my little slice of Northwest Indiana there is a small gathering of worship leaders who meet once a month to talk about what is going on in our ministries (usually about 5 or 6 of us each gathering). It has become a highlight of my month, and I find myself looking forward to it more and more each time it comes around. The reason why is simple: we worship leaders live a bizarre life and have very unique careers, as pastors/musicians/trainers/etc., and it is nice to share that experience with other people who understand, even it is for a handful of  hours every few weeks.

I know, this isn’t an earth-shaking revelation. But I think back to other areas where I have lived, other ministries I’ve been part of, and a group like this didn’t exist—and thus, I missed out on something that would have made my worship leading stronger. Chances are, many who read this post have never met or attempted to interact with other worship leaders in their areas.

I’d like to share some of the reasons our local group is so encouraging to me. Keep in mind, this is in no way a how-to or an exhaustive list of what an area worship leader gathering should look like… that depends on the people involved. Also, I have to say thanks to the folks who started my local gathering and those who continue to meet regularly in it… Scott, Jeff, Nancy, Dave, Bobby—I appreciate the conversations we have and they help me be a  better leader. Our local gathering is useful because:

1. We keep it simple— we meet for a few hours at one of our church facilities (we rotate so no one gets stuck driving too far each month) and then we share lunch together. No formal structure or topics, or “leader” of the group. There is always plenty going on… good and bad… to keep the conversations going.
2. We share resources. It makes sense that if  we all live in the same general area, songs, etc., that are meaningful to one church may very well be beneficial to another.
3. No pretense. We all know none of us have things completely “figured out,” and are in a very real way feeling our way through what it means to be a worship leader. This allows us to share our concerns and fears; no one understands the struggles of a worship leader like other worship leaders.
4. No judgment. We all come from different church backgrounds, but that never gets in the way.

These are all “unspoken” standards, but they keep the gathering from being just another meeting filled with small-talk. If you have a local worship leader gathering that you are part of, where you physically meet regularly, I’d love to hear about it and what makes it useful to you. Leave a comment below and let me know!

Posted in Worship Leadership