Worship Team Communication

It has been a few weeks since I posted a worship team training thought on here, so I wanted to post something I had been working on.  This month’s value is unity: leading with selflessness.

We are a team.  The musicians, technicians, and host team.  We all work together to make one thing happen: we want to create an environment where people can offer worship to Jesus.  We believe that the message begins in the parking lot and every volunteer role is crucial to allowing people connect with God.

I recently had one of our volunteers ask me, “Do I answer to…?”  I never thought we had a hierarchy of people, we are simply all on a team.  But what he was asking for was simply a system.  Clarification on how communication goes.  Who should he go to with a question or concern?

It was a great question.  I knew the process in my mind, but I had never really verbalized it.  So I decided to make a trial attempt at an organizational chart.  It really functions more as a line of communication chart (you can click on it for a bigger view of it).

As worship pastor, my primary job is to coordinate with my assistants (staff positions which provide administrative help) and the three key leaders for the week: producer, worship leader, and host team leader.  My best effort will be to really work with those three leaders who can in turn work with other leaders (reminds me of Jesus’ model).  From those positions, each leader is responsible for communicating with other people and so on down the list.  On weeks when I felt the burden of getting every piece of information to every person, I remembered the story of Moses and Jethro and how I need to get disciplined so that I can do my job better and other people can do their’s better.

Here’s the breakdown with a simple description of each position:

• Worship Pastor & Worship Assistants (part of the staff team) – We work to ensure all materials are in place and sufficient information and direction is given to rest of team.
  • Tech Team – taking care of audio, video, and lighting
    • Producer – this person communicates with the whole team and keeps everyone organized and alert
      • Audio Tech – keeps it sounding pretty
      • Light Tech – keeps it looking pretty
      • Video Switcher – controls what is seen on the screen
        • Lyric Projectionist – helps you sing along
        • Background Projectionist – helps you visualize
        • Camera Operators – helps make a large room smaller
  • Music Team – provides soundtrack for worship
    • Worship Leader – leads band and vocalists, primary vocalist for the day
      • Band – laying the beats down
      • Vocalists – leading you in singing
  • Host Team – makes you feel welcome among God’s people
    • Host Team Leader – coordinates team to ensure people know how to connect at this church
      • Host Team Members – gives direction, provides hospitality
      • Junction Leader – heads up team of workers
        • Junction Workers – serving coffee with a smile
      • Head Usher – heading up usher team
        • Ushers – providing order and organization during worship
      • Parking Lot Team Leader – coordinating the toughest team in the church
        • Parking Lot Team – where the message begins

Hopefully, this makes sense to those serving and those desiring a place to serve.  And if you are looking for a place to serve, we have the best team in the world at making Sundays a place where lifestyle worship is born.

Travis Agnew

Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.