My hope last week was to give a vision for why we should make space for new leaders. This week I hope to give a few practical steps about how we might make space for new leaders.

There is a training rhythm that I have seen repeated often across social media, it goes something like this:

I do, you watch, we talk
I do, you join, we talk
We do, we talk
You do, I join, we talk
You do, I watch, we talk

I think this is a healthy rhythm for developing worship leaders as well. Because leading worship can be complex - in its preparation as well as its execution - you want to make sure that these categories are true in your preparation and planning, in your leading from the platform, and in the normal rhythms of serving.

Preparation and Planning.

How do you build a set list? How do you schedule a team? What is the philosophy of worship? The smallest amount of my job is the most visible portion of my job. When you're training and developing new worship leaders, they need to know the thought process behind your song choice, the conversations you’re having with the pastor, and the way you prepare personally, spiritually, and practically for a rehearsal and for the weekend. Sound doesn’t just get set up, lyrics don’t automatically appear on the screens, and the team leading can’t just show up without knowing what music is on for the service. Do not just show the what, but the how and why behind what leads you into the weekend. For many of us, this will likely mean we need to do some work to articulate our auto-pilot decisions.

On the platform.

Leading worship requires trust. Trust is only developed over time. I find it helpful to have new leaders face be familiar with the congregation from the platform before they are responsible for leading a song or a service. Have the new leader accompany you over a few weeks playing and singing. Then after several weeks of leading in that way, ask them to lead a song - or a Scripture reading, prayer, or verbal transition. As they settle into that new rhythm, and the congregation becomes familiar with their leadership, have them lead everything with you accompanying their leadership. And finally, allow them to lead on their own with you leading from the congregation.

Leadership happens on and off the platform. If we truly desire to disciple, equip, and train others to lead, we must give them access to our lives, and every aspect of our leadership - not just the obvious places. Invite questions, ask questions. Listen, be interested. Create a safe place for mistakes. Be gracious. Give away authority. Invite collaboration. Die to yourself.

The job of every leader is not to produce more followers, but more leaders.

I have written before about my youth pastor telling how I should always be looking to work myself out of a job. And truthfully within the Church, there would probably not be many leaders who disagree with that statement - Jesus did call us to make disciples after all! But how do we move this from good intention to action?

Within the church that I serve, we have a leadership development framework - a process by which we identify, develop, and train those who we believe could one day help to work us out of a job. Maybe your context does not need to require something that formal. Here are some questions to consider in raising up other leaders:

Who is servant-hearted?
Who is teachable?
Who is already carrying the culture we are trying to build?
Who is already leading without a title?
Who can I encourage to do intentionally what they are already doing naturally?
Who does the team trust and respect?
Who does the team listen to?
Who do our people trust?

I often think of leadership the same way I think of parenting - part of my job is calling forth the gifts and talents of the person under my care, even though they may not be aware those things exist within them. As leaders (and parents), this requires prayer, time, intentionality, and relationship. It also requires a fair amount of humility - being willing to die to myself, my own sense of self-importance, considering others more highly than myself, and giving away authority. And this is what it is to make disciples - what a beautiful gift that Christ calls us to give and receive.

Next week we will look at practically how that might look as you invite others to lead and serve alongside you on and off the platform.

If you desire to make space for new leaders, here are a few other posts you may find helpful:

Identifying and developing new leaders.

A team of worship leaders.

The benefits of co-leading.

Making Space for new leaders Part 2 (Coming Next Week).