There’s always room for conflicts when working together. Preachers and worship leaders are no exception. This is why they need to know how to maintain a positive relationship despite misunderstandings and disagreements.
Unfortunately maintenance doesn’t happen itself. You must make it happen.
This blog post is about a few things worship leaders and preachers can do to maintain their relationship. By the way I am Yohan from Sri Lanka. I am a preacher and a pastor in the making, and in some occasions I help my local church in worship ministry also.
Since I am more of a pastor and a preacher I felt justified to start with the preacher’s role in maintaining the relationship.
For preachers and pastors
- Value – Your worship leader is God’s gift to you. He/she is the person that prepares the ground for you to sow the seed. Don’t think of him/her as a mere musician who keeps the congregation awake.
- Encourage – Encourage (in private) and appreciate (in public) your worship leader. It motivates him/her to function at his/her best.
- Talk – Talk to him/her when he/she falls short of your expectations. Not as his/her pastor or a preacher, but as a beloved brother in Christ.
- Trust – A good worship leader usually gets more attention than the preacher. You have to live with it. Don’t feel insecure in your seat and seek to pull him/her down.
- Mentor – Iron sharpens iron. Mentor him/her to take the best out of his/her potential. Guide his/her spiritual growth.
For worship leaders
- Humility – Pride goes before a fall. Be open to suggestions, corrections and even rebuke if necessary.
- Flexibility – A worship leader should always plan his/her work. However leave room to the preacher or the pastor for adjustments.
- Communication – Do communicate – it takes the tension that rests in between and nurtures the relationship.
- Loyalty – Support the pastor’s vision. Earn his/her trust. You will win the hearts of even the most difficult preachers and pastors.
- Understand – The preacher/pastor has many roles to play (leader, friend, coach etc). Keep conflicts at minimum by understanding that he/she can’t be your friend when playing by rules and regulations.
Conclusion
Most problems that occur between preachers/pastors and worship leaders are surface problems. They become root problems because the two parties involved, fail to handle the issues wisely. I want to quote Sovereign Grace Ministries in conclusion:
“This is unfortunate because as the two most public roles within the church, they set the direction and tone for the people who make up that local body. If they are in healthy partnership, the church can be vibrant and alive with energy and vision. But when these two roles are not in sync, the people sense it and the tension hinders the spiritual strength and development within the local church.”
I hope the above principles will help you to improve the relationship with each other and thrive towards spreading God’s kingdom. Do you have any suggestions, other than the ones I mentioned above?
Yohan Perera is a husband, preacher and IT enthusiast living in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He and his wife Sheryl are the founders of Virtual Preacher, an online resource providing free Christian preaching and teaching resources. Visit www.virtualpreacher.org/ for more of Yohan’s ministry.
