Team Dynamics

SHIFT TEAM CULTURE

...IN A SEASON OF CHANGE

Since your team is already uneasy, why not make even more changes?

BY RICH KIRKPATRICK

When things are changing, making changes makes sense. No. Really. Everyone is screaming for certainty, but the best thing we can do is use that uneasy feeling to improve vital areas that leadership sees as necessary and to align more fully with the values God is communicating. Our tendency as leaders is to minimize the disequilibrium, knowing that we are in peril of losing our position. Changing culture, more than anything else, requires courage. Right now is our moment for such a sign of courage.

The coronavirus pandemic is both a terrible force negatively impacting how we do church and an opportunity to change how we do church for the better. Confronting culture is part of the artist's role within society as well as within the local church. The local church is not immune to the ways of thinking that the general culture espouses, whether it fits our faith or not. Also, the local church, like any organization led by people, is prone to building a strong culture. Change aversion awakens when uncontrollable circumstances arrive. But, for those of us who are leading teams and planning, we may finally be able to make changes unheard of just months ago.

Values and mindset are the keys to making even the smallest changes work for a team. Here are some cultural values rooted in experience and Scripture to introduce and adopt on your team (if you haven’t already).

TOOLS ARE ESSENTIAL O N LY FOR HOW THEY HELP PEOPLE.

Prayer, a vital activity in any ministry, can now be facilitated online. One of our leaders introduced the use of the Discord platform for the production team. Discord is an app that any smartphone or computer can download. It has channels to break up the stream into conversations that work. This tool helped us facilitate a significant cultural change: regular intervals of prayer. Praying for each other, the ministry, the leadership, and the nation keeps a team focused on the right priorities. Whether we are using Slack, or Google Suite, or Zoom, people are what makes the tool valuable–not the other way around.

…people are what makes the tool valuable–not the other way around.

MAKE WORKING TOGETHER AS REL ATIONAL AS POSSIBLE.

Don't assume people know that you care for them. Yes, we all cry when we lose the best vocalist or front-of-house mixer. I am talking about something a bit deeper, however. In some of our church cultures we love to fill a position, and people on worship and production teams are especially prone to finding strong identities in their roles. Community plays out in how we interact online. Every time you gather, how is each person seen as valuable beyond the skill or time they provide? Writing notes, texts, and prayers of encouragement can go a long way. Saying, "Thank you," is energizing for people who love to serve. But saying, "I care about you," can be life-giving. Change the culture to see past the gift to the hearts of your team members.

Every time you gather, how is each person seen as valuable beyond the skill or time they provide?

Change now what you know you want to change later.

M A K E C H A N G E S YO U WA N T T O S U R V I V E B E YO N D T O D AY.

Each change you make should be one that doesn’t just meet the moment but takes you much further, way beyond the moment. Think back: when you had a live service format in play, you had a programming, preparation, and rehearsal rhythm. This template helped keep everything moving on the 52-weekend worship service train. But now, there is an opportunity to plan further out, include more people in collaboration, and share the content you create. If you know you need to start a choir, find a way to do that now. If you know the future requires adding some elements to worship such as responsive readings, do it now. If you want to expand musical styles to grow inclusion and train your church's culture to appreciate the idea of exploring, do it now. Change now what you know you want to change later.

Things can get rather complex. Leadership is often about clarity, so the moment may be an opportunity to consolidate things. One church leader with whom I talked was embarking on two live-streamed services, an outdoor service, and the possibility of a new worship service with a different musical flavor happening at a fourth-scheduled time. In contrast, some churches have been smart to embrace ways to consolidate and simplify their processes. For instance, prerecording part or all of a streaming service can eliminate the need to perform live several times with all the hours and work that entails. Adding services might make sense, but adding complexity should be questioned. Keeping things simpler may very well cure or keep some of the typical church over-calendaring disease at bay.

I hope this list helps frame some principles. Whether we are talking about tools, relationships, strategy, or simplicity, our role as leaders of worship is one we cannot do alone. We need the Spirit. And we need each other.

RICH KIRKPATRICK

AUTHOR, MUSICIAN

Rich is the author of The Six Hats of the Worship Leader, writer for several ministry publications, and leads worship with A Beautiful Liturgy.

Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and the Center for Excellence in Preaching worship.calvin.edu

online SYMPOSIUM ON WORSHIP January 6–26, 2021

You are warmly invited to engage in a free learning experience around key topics and themes in public worship and the Christian life at the Calvin Symposium on Worship.

Join with participants from around the world through online media to learn and connect together. The Symposium features flexible learning options available to all people regardless of their location.

Registration is required and will open Fall 2020. There will be no fee to access the Symposium.