3 POWERFUL WAYS TO CHEER YOUR TEAM MEMBERS ON
INTRODUCTION
How do we cheer our team members on?
Encouragement is key to building strong relationships in any setting, and is especially effective in building a worship team of strong leaders.
These ideas will help you celebrate those who God has entrusted to you to lead in your community’s worship ministry.
1. Encourage Them
2. Give Them Affirming Gifts
3. Stand Up For Them
PRACTICE 1 – ENCOURAGE
Encourage them.
Encourage people. Then, go beyond the call of duty, and encourage them some more! Some people say that they’re not naturally encouragers, or that it’s hard for them to affirm people.
Maybe they say that their parents never really affirmed them, or they have another idea of how the process should work.
But, in reality, if you want to effectively lead people and keep them committed, you’d better become an encourager.
You can always be able to find something to celebrate in someone’s life at any given moment. Begin to notice the details, and celebrate the gifts stirring in another.
If you need a place to start, look at your team member and think:
“What is it about them that I love, that is amazing, that is helpful, or that is worthy of me cheering them on?”
Now, fawning over people can cause you to lose credibility over time; people may not believe you after awhile.
But, you know what? People don’t walk away. They don’t go home and complain that they’re being too encouraged or that your constant encouragement is bothering them! No!
They go home and say to their loved ones that they really appreciate their worship team.
Encouragement makes the worship team go ‘round. What are those attributes and character traits that stick out to you in the people you work with?
You may have to search far and wide through the forest of their lives to find them and highlight them, but affirm them around every corner. It will pay off in the end. It will make your team member feel valued, cheered on, and committed to.
PRACTICE 2 – GIVE THEM AFFIRMING GIFTS
Give them affirming gifts.
Are there areas of your worship team member’s life where a gift could be especially meaningful?
Spend some money, write them a card, and do whatever it takes to affirm them according to their love language.
Look and listen for the love languages of your team members, and then cheer them on – not based on your personality and what you like, but according to what they respond to and what makes them feel affirmed.
If your visual tech loves NASA, buy them the NASA Brand Guide online! If a team member loves gear, a few new cables will go a long way toward saying, “You’re important to us.”
PRACTICE 3 – STAND UP FOR THEM
Stand up for them.
Stand up for your team members before God and before people. Let your ministry team members know that you’re praying for them, that you’re grateful for who they are, and that you are there to support and encourage them.
It’s a privilege to do what you get to do together, and over time, a culture of support and encouragement creates a community of people who affirm each other.
Seek to stand up for your team members honestly and from the heart, in private and in public. Celebrate who individual team members are and what they contribute in public – in front of them! They may seem embarrassed, but deep down, they love it.
And if hard times come in a relationship, say to yourself “I’d like to give them a chance because I love their heart,” or, “I don’t know if they’re going to mature into the best person to do this role, but I’d still like to give them a swing at it.”
ACTION STEPS
Try at least one idea for the next time you meet.
Champion your team members by putting in a little extra effort. Stay close to them.
Creating a culture of encouragement and affirmation is what we’re called to do as leaders, especially in worship ministry.
Give gifts that affirm a team member’s character and access their heart through their love language.
Trust your team members, and give them a chance to try something new.
Spend your energies cheering on your team members. It’s the best team investment you will ever make.
::
GET FREE WORSHIP TEAM DEVOTIONALS
Just sign up for my email list, and receive a download of FREE worship team devotionals (and a few extras!).