Question: How many vocalists should be up leading worship at your church on any given weekend? Answer: As many as you need to get the job don
I realize that’s a cop-out answer, but a second question clarifies: “What are you trying to get done – i.e. what’s the job?” The job of a worship leader is – of course – to lead worship. This requires engagement with the congregation. Here are a couple of determining factors:
ROOM SHAPE AND SIZE: If you are in a large semi-circular room and have only two or three vocalists, the people sitting on the side have no one engaging with them. Five is a better number – lead with two on harmony and two doubling melody. Seven also works, creating a 2nd row with two people in it. Three or four will often be enough for theater-style rooms [where the majority of the congregation directly faces the stage];
OVERALL TEAM SIZE: The minimum vocal team size I recommend is three – in very tiny churches, it may be that your band members are also the backup vocalists [BGVs];
VIDEO: If you are live-streaming your services, it adds a level of complication. Not only do you need to place people, program lighting, etc… for the live services, you have to take video shots and angles into account. There may be a setup that works great live, but looks weird on video or blocks the video shot of other team members.
Notice that I didn’t mention style. This is because I don’t believe that a church should commit to a style. They should commit to worship. Of course, you need a general vibe at any given time, but don’t get stuck there. Styles are constantly morphing and changing over time – building variety into the services makes it easier to shift with them. Variety is a value. The style within one worship set can also change [within a general range], and you can vary the number of singers on stage to fit the song/vibe [ie not everyone has to be on the platform for every song]. #creativeworshipideas
creativeworshipideas 