I have seen quite a range in local churches when it comes to pastors and their collaboration with the worship arts team—everything from essentially no collaboration (you do your part and I’ll do mine) to high-level integration, where the entire Sunday morning experience is a journey that weaves the teaching with the arts. Most churches are somewhere in between, and I believe most want to improve the collaboration for the sake of the congregation.
To see any progress requires, in my view, two key ingredients:
Commitment. First, both the pastors and the worship arts leaders must make a commitment of time and energy if there’s any hope for collaboration. A series of quick e-mails or even a hasty phone call will not do the job. Our pastor often tells other pastors they need to invest a disproportionate amount of time to the weekend services if they hope to see them reach their potential. With all the other responsibilities on a pastor’s plate, this may seem like a luxury he or she can’t afford. But as weekend services go, so goes the church. I urge pastors to commit to a weekly meeting of at least an hour with the key leaders of the arts ministry—to brainstorm together and figure out how to bring the biblical teaching to life by unleashing the arts. Yes, this is a costly sacrifice. But it will be worth it.
Communication. A pastor and arts team must also practice superb communication if they hope to collaborate well. This means active listening, learning how to react to one another’s ideas, and creating a safe place for evaluation and critique. (Ask, How did we do? How can we make it even better?) Speaking the truth to one another in love is absolutely essential as we build trust and learn to work as a genuine team, looking out for one another’s interests and serving with mutual respect. I’ve had to say some hard things to pastors over the years—and I’ve heard some hard things back. If we go underground with our feelings and concerns, we cannot hope to collaborate well. Make a commitment to always communicate!
