More than a Musician

Credit: Ginny on flickr (Creative Commons)

So this week instead of having our usual church band practise, we had a social event instead. I run the rota on a 3 month basis and I make sure during that 3 month cycle there is at least one practise where we have time to just socialise, to be together as people, to share life. Oh and by the way, it is not only the church musicians and singers who are invited, we also include the sound team and multimedia teams too.

This month was movie night! We all brought some drink and food to share and we watched a movie. On other such evenings, the band have all gone along to the local ten-pin bowling alley, or we play board games round someone's house, or have a Christmas party.

The point is, the people you have been called to lead in your church ministry are people! They are not simply a tool or an instrument that so happen to make nice music once a week. It is also important that the team members get this idea too - they are people and being part of a church family means that you get to do life together. This in turn builds a little into the discipleship of the people you lead, showing that you value them for who they are, not for what they do (or can do for you). It also helps to show appreciation for the time, energy and effort that dedicated volunteers give to the church.

A fantastic book about leadership by John C. Maxwell called 'The Four Pillars of Leadership' speaks about how building strong and healthy relationships between yourself and those you lead, as well as fostering an environment where positive relationships can develop between team members themselves is a key component to being an effective leader.

So, when was the last time you and those you lead took time out away from the 'job' to get to know each other on a more social level? Perhaps this is something you can consider doing. Build some intentional relationship-building social time into your schedule or church band rota and you will be surprised by the results.