O F T H E
WO R S H I P
LEADERSHIP
The Six Hats
BY R I C H
LE A D E R
K I R K PAT R I C K
Tech teams are built on trust and empathy. Every church deals with production, whether we have 60 people in our services or thousands. My worship leadership experience includes both small churches and large ones. Every church—regardless of size—needs a way to show lyrics, amplify the sound, and invite people to engage through some form of production technology. But, production is an awkward hat to wear, let alone discuss. In my book, The Six Hats of the Worship Leader, I started a conversation about how to "wear a hat, share a hat, or give a hat away." Leading worship is more than music, and it's more than being in front of people. When appreciation for the people who wear the hat of production or tech lags, the results frustrate. When a lyric is too late, or misspelled, heads turn back to the tech booth. This scenario is horrifying to the person advancing the screens as the whole production team intends to be invisible. What is even worse is when a worship leader or pastor from the front calls out the person or makes more obvious the error! When a microphone misses the first words of the worship leader's intro, heads look to the audio engineer without the knowledge that the worship leader turned on his microphone, forgetting that it takes at least three full seconds to find the radio signal that transmits to the PA system. Yes, tensions not only grow but possibly inhibit the atmosphere of the entire worship team and crew when such things happen. And, no matter how professional the situation, they will happen. The good news is that there are some ways to help the people who wear the Technical or Production Hat of the worship leader.
Here are seven tips to help establish a basic level of trust. The main thing to remember is that empathy matters. Walking in the shoes of the production team creates a culture that listens and empowers people already wired to go the extra mile for the rest of us!
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Put all hands on deck. Build unity by sharing the hat for set up and clean up. When audio lines need checking before rehearsal, the band can come early to help. If you worship in rented facilities, everyone needs to pitch in! We, as musicians and technicians, are one team. Choose leadership. Challenge the technical director to participate in setting the vision for the service. Maybe, the first step is to put in place a person to lead the production team. Tech is part of worship leadership, too.
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Commit to punctuality. As a whole team, show up on time to keep morale strong. Being first in and last out is the call of those who serve in tech. Be aware of what your actions speak to your teammates.
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Spread the thanks. Thank people both on and off the platform. Have you thanked the techs for their work lately? Thanking people for their contributions—on stage or not— indicates a healthy team.
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Communicate intentionally. Protect your team by offering insights when no one is in earshot. And, if your feedback can wait, send it later rather than during a service.
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Kill the cliques. As a musician, I understand the bonding that is special when you play music together. However, we want more than musicians and music to lead worship. Include in your relationships and care for people in the production team.
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Grow in skill. Helping people master a skill may be the most effective investment and motivator. When is the last time you offered a workshop, video, or training experience for your tech team or leaders? When your production team grows, so does the entire team.
L E A D T M E DR YS N H AI P M I C S
Production and Tech
I imagine a worship team as a whole unit made up of very different skills, roles, and personalities. As we explore each hat or role worship leaders wear, we need to remember an important principle: When a worship team operates in unity behind the scenes, it leads people better in worship from the stage.
VO L . 29, N O. 1 | W O R S H I P L E A D E R .C O M | W O R S H I P L E A D E R
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