Recover
A worship leader once wrote this after leaving his church staff position:
“I need a little bit of space to recover from the battlefield before I go to the next war. That church was God’s call, yet it indeed has required us to lay down our lives. My confidence has been eroded significantly and my view and experience of relationships has been wounded. I need space to heal, be fortified, and receive perspective. There’s so much muted life, compressed passion, wilted creativity, blinded vision, limp energy, forced smile in me. My friends have seen this, I know. I’ve been feeling the pains of coming alive once again as the cryogenic freezing process reverses. And I can’t wait! Yet it’s certainly not instant. I’m clearing my heart for what is coming next. I still don’t know how worship ministry fits in with what will come my way soon, but I have this sense as I try to wait that God is preparing something for my family that will amaze us.”
Have you ever felt that way? Ministry is tough. We need grit, resilience, and an absolute 100% dependence on the Father to carry us through.
That worship leader was me in 2017. Why? Because I didn’t understand the Five Faders. Don’t believe me?
In 2014, I was hired to do a job. I wanted to do it well. I’m built to “make it better,” so everywhere I looked, I’d try to improve things. Case in point:
One of my first ways of “helping” was to have the projectors work better. (Yes, I know I’m the worship leader, not the tech director, but I can help!)
There were windows all along the walls on both sides of the sanctuary. They were probably nine feet tall, but the roller blinds only came down halfway, allowing bright light to wash out the screen.
Easy fix.
I’ll pull them down all the way on the front windows.
I tried. They were stuck. I carefully pulled, with determination. A little too much determination. Down came the blinds. About ten minutes before the service was to start.
A paper clip and scotch tape helped us make it through the service.
Multiply that approach by 150, and you know what went wrong:
I hadn’t listened and gotten to know the people that I was to lead. Before they would follow me anywhere, they needed to know that I cared and that I saw who they were. And because all my Faders were engaged EXCEPT my Shepherd Fader, those were three long years.
I don’t know what Fader you need to engage, but your team does. Ask them what Fader (Artist, Shepherd, Priest, Educator, Producer) would make you a better leader.
Here, I created a form that will allow your team to do this anonymously: https://forms.gle/46HJXMAApb8ZiCfL6
If you find yourself in a leadership situation that’s frustrating or simply not life-giving, we help leaders like you every day. Get more information about our coaching at https://www.adlibmusic.com/coaching.
-Dave Helmuth
Author of the Five Faders and Founder of Ad Lib Music
Recover (Nº 483)
Why do some leaders succeed at building lasting worship ministries while others fail? In the Five Faders, Dave Helmuth explores the process of development and breaks down the lies, myths, and traps keeping you from being the fruitful leader God desires. Using decades of evidence-based insights, Dave reveals how understanding what motivates you is the first step in becoming a Five Faders Leader.
With our framework for becoming the best Artist, Shepherd, Priest, Educator, and Producer, you'll learn to slide each Fader up or down as Love requires you in each moment of leadership. Through relatable stories, insight gained from years of coaching worship teams in every kind of setting, and step-by-step advice, readers learn how to become the healthy expression of their Fader, build a culture of honor on your team to bring out the best in everyone, and be the most effective leader in the ever-changing landscape of ministry. Whether you’re looking to relieve frustration, increase confidence, or outlast change, this book offers the tools to become a Five Faders Leader.
Buy on Amazon at https://amzn.to/3WqUeKi.
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