Sound, lighting, volunteers, set-up, rehearsal, technology, relationships are just a few of the elements that go into a weekly gathering. Any one of those things going sideways seems to quickly send the whole of a morning careening into chaos. What do you do when you have that feeling where time is speeding up, and any or all of those elements begin to spin faster and faster?
Assess the situation. Is there something that can be fixed right now? A sound issue, or a conversation with a band member that can be addressed and corrected now? Or is this something that needs to be dealt with later?
Make a decision and communicate. If you are the person responsible for running a rehearsal, leading worship, or executing the production of the morning, the team will be looking to you to decide and direct them about a response. Do you want to pause for five minutes to see if things can be resolved? Do you want to cut a song, or just go acoustic? Do you need to delegate responsibility for another team member, volunteer, or staff member to try and take ownership and try to troubleshoot any potential problem? Like showing your work in math class, communicating your decision making will help build and grow trust among your team.
Watch the clock. How much time do you have left in rehearsal, how much time before service? You have to be aware of the time, and the morale of the team. Don’t allow issues to derail the momentum of the team.
Remain calm. As leaders, we carry and influence culture among our team. The faster things begin to spin, the slower we must move. The more chaotic things seem the more deeply we must be a person of peace. We need to be self-aware enough to recognize how our presence influences the temperature in the room, and when we are increasing or decreasing it for those we serve alongside.
Pray. Pray in your heart, but also stop and pray aloud with and for the team. Let prayer be the stake in the ground, recounting your heart and mind, that regardless of circumstance, you desire the attention and affection of your heart and mind to be on Christ. Pray for things to be resolved quickly. Pray that God would remove distractions for His people to see and respond to Him clearly.
If the wheels come off before or during the service, we can still rest, because Christ perfects our broken offering. And God’s power is made perfect in our weakness. Yes, we want to serve God and His people with excellence, but the pressure is off of us to be the Holy Spirit in the hearts and lives of people. God doesn’t need us to accomplish His purpose and plan, and yet in His kindness, He chooses to use us. And maybe this weekend He has seen fit to use us in spite of the chaos in us and around us. Praise the Lord!