Worship pastors, you were not hired to be the “protector” of your team. You were hired to be its leader.
I’m sure that if you’re a worship pastor, some variation of “duh” just went through your mind. But I have time and time again seen worship pastors whose personal friendship with team members causes them to behave in ways that are absolutely not in the best interest of the church. Here are two of the most common variants of how protector mindsets play out:
- Team members are shielded from ANY negative feedback. It’s always “Great Job,” even when it was very low quality;
- Team members are shielded from the results of their actions (ex ongoing lateness, lack of preparation, etc…).
The first of those is undesirable, but the second can actually destroy teams. Overprotective leaders – regardless of the ministry area – are like overprotective (ie “helicopter”) parents. If the team members are always shielded from negative feedback or the results of their actions, they remain “immature” in their roles, instead of stepping up and developing into all that they could be. Don’t do that to them.
Instead, cast a clear vision of what a worship team should be. Set easy to understand expectations and boundaries and hold everyone – including yourself – to them. Be reasonable, but don’t be a pushover. If someone is struggling with lateness, for example, find out why. If there’s a good reason, work with them. If it’s just “how they are,” you may need to make a change…
More in the days to come…
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