How to Increase Commitment from Your Worship Team Members

When you think about members on your worship team that you wish were more bought in, is there anyone that comes to mind? If so, think about what makes you feel like they aren’t fully committed. Do they constantly decline to serve? Maybe they show up, but aren’t present nor participate in hanging out with everyone. Or does it seem they’d much rather be elsewhere than serving at church that day? Today we talk about how to increase commitment from your worship team members because we’ve all experienced one of the above examples.

No one wants to lead a worship team with flaky, unreliable members.

Today’s blog explores one of the most effective ways to increase commitment from your worship team members. So often, the above examples are symptoms of the same root issue. 

In fact, I believe there is one key thing you can do as a leader that will solve 99% of the commitment issues you might have with a worship team member. Overall, actions reflect priorities. Today we explore the primary way to increase the level of importance a team member is giving to your worship team. The best way to do that is by telling you a story about how I got a $15 bag of almonds for free on a flight.

How ME getting a $15 bag of airplane almonds for free will change YOUR worship team (sounds dramatic, but honestly true)

I was once on a flight, enjoying the best part of air travel: no cellphone signal. There’s something so incredibly satisfying about being limited to the plane’s small selection of movies and mini pretzels. On this flight, I watched a docu-series about the food & hospitality industry. In short, this particular episode highlighted a hotel manager who loved and adored providing a space for people to feel seen, special, and cared for. 

As this episode played, I started thinking about how often I overlook people in that profession, such as hotel concierges or waiters/waitresses. And yet, a piece of why they love to do what they do is because it gives them the ability to care for others. (How interesting, they love to care for us, and sometimes we act like we don’t care about them.)

Meanwhile, while musing on this thought, a flight attendant approached my seat with the snack cart.

Immediately I was overcome with the thought, “Woah! Here’s another person I so often overlook, who is probably involved in this profession because they love to care for people.” So I decided instead of immediately telling them what snack and drink I wanted and getting back to my TV show, I would ask them, as genuinely as possible, “How has Sunday been going for you today?”

After being handed my mini-pretzels and ginger ale, I said to the flight attendant, “Can I ask you a question?”, “Yessir, what can I help you with?”, “Truly, how are you doing today? Has the day been good to you?” This opened up a beautiful and quick conversation. At the end of the interaction, I thanked him for caring for people as much as he does and, overall, how appreciative everyone on the plane was for him.

It was evident that the conversation meant a lot to him. 

His body language and overall countenance proved it. Then ten minutes later, he wheeled the cart back to my seat, knelt to my level, slid open a drawer, and said, “Hey, which of these would you like?” He was pointing to the drawer of premium snacks that were only available for purchase. I said, “Ohh, um, almonds?” He pulled out the huge 6oz bag of salted almonds and handed them to me. Afterward, he looked at me with a slight smirk and index finger against his lips and said, “Shhhh.” He smiled, got up, and pushed the cart down the aisle toward the front of the plane. 

This interaction brought me to tears.

I wasn’t in tears because I got a ridiculously marked-up bag of salted almonds for free. I was in tears because of how much a 30-second interaction, deeply appreciating and loving this individual, meant to him. In response to my being loving, present, and caring to him, he went the extra mile to do something for me that I couldn’t have gotten otherwise.

There’s no way he would have given me the bag of almonds for free if I said, “Hey! Can I have that $5,000 bag of salted almonds for free?” NO! He would have laughed and carted off to the person behind me in 24D.

So much of this interaction directly applies to you as a leader and how to increase commitment from your worship team members.

Want to increase buy-in and overall engagement? Deeply care for your worship team members! People want to be a part of places where they feel cherished and cared for. BUT your motivation can’t be the bag of almonds. If your motivation for loving people is what it will get you in return, then your love is transactional and not truly genuine.

I admit, this entire blog is kind of a bait and switch. However, it isn’t wrong to want to know how to increase commitment from your worship team members.

At the end of the day, people prioritize what they value.

Our values are shaped by our God-given DNA, and in that God-given DNA is the desire to feel loved, cared for, and wanted. 

If you can create an environment where your worship team members feel loved, cared for, and wanted, then you will 100% see an increase in your member’s overall commitment to the team. Why? Because they aren’t showing up to play a role. They are showing up to a place where they feel like they matter. I can not emphasize this enough the hallmark of great teams, and great leadership is the core belief from its members that they are deeply loved and valued at a high level!

The result of deep belonging is always high prioritization.

Yes, circumstances may come where priorities need to change, but until they do, priority will remain. 

This isn’t a theory; I’ve watched it firsthand.

My friend Greg is one of these embodiers of creating teams where people feel like they deeply matter. So much so that one time he was going to a movie theater with a few of the guys on his team, and these random kids made fun of him for his shoes being fake Jordans (caught!) Without hesitation, these 16-year-old kids that Greg went to the movies with punched one of the hecklers in the face!

Now in no way am I saying that was a good idea for the kid to do. Violence = bad. BUT what I do think it showcases is the deep sense of belonging these students felt with Greg. 

This is how to increase commitment from your worship team members.

People will always go the extra mile when they feel like they belong. Care more about them as individuals than them as team members. Take them to coffee, spend time with them after the worship set, call them on your way home from work, send them memes on Instagram, shoot them a check-in text. Let your actions prove your priorities!

If you prioritize your team members, your team members will prioritize the team.

It’s that simple. So today, as you’re in the very real tension of needing an increased level of buy-in from your worship team, remember this: Create an environment worth belonging to, and your team members will joyfully choose to belong at a deeper level. I have watched this prove itself true over and over again. 

In our quest to cultivate a more committed worship team, we must understand that at the heart of commitment lies genuine care and belonging.

People are always more willing to invest in environments where they genuinely feel loved, valued, and appreciated. As leaders, our motivation should always be to cultivate an atmosphere of genuine love and care. 

It’s not about the “bag of almonds” or what we can get in return but about creating a space where everyone feels integral to the bigger picture. By prioritizing your team members as individuals and valuing them beyond their roles, you’ll inevitably foster a sense of belonging that translates into commitment. This is how to increase commitment from your worship team members.

Other blogs that we know you’ll love:

• 5 Things Worship Pastors Do that Annoy Volunteers
• How to Kick Someone Off the Worship Team
• Worship Team Apps: The 7 Best for Planning & Performance