Worship Leader Lessons, #4

Respect the time of a volunteer.

We’ve got a simple schedule during the week.

Choir meets from 6-7. I try to split the time of the choir between preparing for the next Sunday that we’ll lead in worship, and working on seasonal material. I’d say that our rehearsals are fairly fast-paced, and if you’ll engage, you’ll pick up a lot of music in a short amount of time. I stand in front of our choir room at a small console-piano, and teach mostly by repetition and rote, as the majority of our folks are not readers (music that is). I supplement the teaching with a ridiculous amount of falsetto singing to accompany the altos and sopranos.

Our choir rehearsal ends at 7. On the dot. Not a second over. I’ll stop in the middle of a song if I have to, but stopping on time, and respecting the schedules of those participating is a big deal to me, and so I go overboard in trying to be sensitive.

After choir, our praise team vocalists (that are singing on that particular Sunday) meet around the stage piano for 30 VERY fast-paced minutes of part rehearsal. This is their time to hear their parts, and rehearse them quickly. At 7:30, my band is ready for downbeat, and our weekly rehearsal usually lasts until 8:45. We also include the tech volunteers to make sure that sound, slides, and lighting is correct for Sunday.

On Sunday morning, we start promptly at 8 with a run-through.

What challenges do you face in respecting the time of your volunteers?