ASSEMBLING A WORSHIP DESIGN TEAM

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. –Albert Einstein

How did we start designing worship as a team at Ginghamsburg? We started in the middle of great difficulty, as I'll describe in the following pages. Through a series of perspective-shifting events, the opportunity arose to pull together a worship design team. But before there was the team, there was worship. Worship is critical to what we do here at Ginghamsburg. Our mission statement, organized around the three Cs, is

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Bring seeking people into a life-Celebration of Jesus. Grow as disciples in Cell community. Serve out of our Call and giftedness.

Powerful worship celebrations are essential to fulfill our call to bring seeking people into the church. But what is a powerful worship celebration?

The multisensory worship style we embrace at Ginghamsburg evolved in response to a lightbulb moment. In the early 1990s, our pastor, Mike Slaughter, went to a presentation in which the speaker used computer-generated slides. Mike was struck by the potential of that technology, and a mental lightbulb came on as he realized that pictures and visual images could be a powerful way to communicate the greatest story ever told. For the church to remain effective into the future, Mike concluded, we must cease telling the story through "talking heads" alone and begin to incorporate multimedia into our worship. Mike dreamed of worship celebrations where storytelling and artistic imagery would invite worshipers to participate in the process, using their senses and powerful mental capabilities to encounter God more deeply. (See Michael Slaughter, Out on the Edge: A Wake-up Call for Church Leaders on the Edge of the Media Reformation [Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998].)

Armed with this vision, Ginghamsburg moved in 1995 into a new worship facility that was media capable. But despite the media-friendly new church building, challenges arose. No one on staff knew much about the equipment. The music director had never considered what connection the music might have with visual imagery, and simply showing random pictures during a worship celebration does not effective storytelling make. Thus a primitive version of the worship design team was formed in the belief that what no one person could pull off alone, many people together might actually have a shot at.

When it comes to designing worship, teamwork is absolutely essential. If we still think we can plan the most precious hour of the week in a vacuum, shame on us! Even as worship designers, how can we think we have all the best ideas about appropriate music, drama, sermon themes, or visual imagery?

When we do have good ideas of our own, we're tempted to claim solo credit by saying, "God gives those ideas to me." Maybe so, but remember that even God is a team of three parts.

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"Let us create human beings in our image" —Genesis 1:26, emphasis added

A LEADER WORTH FOLLOWING

During Jesus' ministry on earth, he assembled and led a team of twelve. Twelve ordinary people with sometimes conflicting, sometimes complementary, ideas. Twelve minds working together to get the job done. And when the task was too cumbersome for twelve, he pulled out a micro-team and headed for the mountaintop.

"After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John ... and led them up a high mountain by themselves."—Matthew 17:1

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Jesus needed his team's input. He knew that giving it deepened their understanding. Seeking his disciples' feedback, Jesus asked:

"Have you understood all this?"

"What are others saying about me?"

"Who do you say that I am?"

"Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink?"

Sometimes the team got the message; sometimes it didn't. On one occasion, the whole team quite literally missed the boat, causing Peter nearly to drown as he tried to walk on water. Of course, Jesus caught Peter and pulled him back in the boat. But as soon as the crisis was averted, he stepped back and encouraged his team to rethink the situation: "Now, let's go over this again, guys. Why did you doubt?"

Jesus was a master leader. As you prepare to lead your team, study Jesus' example. Then ask yourself the following questions:

• How can I follow Jesus' example as a servant leader?

• How will I verify that my instructions to team members have been heard and understood?

• How will I communicate to my team members that I value their ideas?

• How will I handle situations in which team members' ideas differ from my own?

• How will I nurture each team member's giftedness to strengthen the whole team?

Jesus and his disciples were a great team. Like all great teams, they frequently bounced their ideas off one another. Worship teams can do this too. As your team develops, you'll find yourself testing everyone's ideas in order to find out if they're worth keeping (the ideas—not the people). As Kenny Rogers sang in "The Gambler," "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, / Know when to walk away and know when to run." Some ideas you'll hold tightly and run with. Other ideas you'll drop immediately and run away from. And along the way somebody called the leader (perhaps that's you!) may eventually have to decide which are which. Remember that the buck stops with you, but only after you've consulted with your carefully recruited team.

PICKING THE PLAYERS

A great team requires great players. Each team member will come with unique strengths and weaknesses. However, our experience has shown that several traits are must-haves for any worship design team member. Here are my four Fs of great worship design team players:

Faith

No matter what the individual's role on the worship design team (videographer, drama writer, music director, or another position), his or her faith matters. The faith of great players must be active, vibrant, and passionate. These people must love Jesus! This kind of radical faith is described well in Michael Slaughter's Real Followers (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1999).

Remember, this is the group who, along with the speaker, will help discern the best...