How do I join the worship team?

A few months ago, I emailed our worship leader and told him that I was interested in playing guitar (and auditioning) on the worship team. I never heard back. So after a few weeks of waiting I talked to him one Sunday after church. He apologized for not getting back to me, and said that I he would. But another two months have gone by, and I still haven't heard anything back.

I'm trying to determine how I should interpret this:

1. Our worship leader doesn't need another guitarist (we have about 10 guitarists that rotate through on a weekly basis, and some of them are not very good).
2. He's just bad at getting back to people, which one of our pastors confirmed to me when I told him about the situation.
3. God is saying "not yet, son".

I've felt a calling for some time to join a worship team, and other worship band guitarists have told me that I would be a perfect fit. So now I'm ready to look outside our church for opportunities to put my talents to work for Him.

What are your thoughts on this situation?

#2 may be backing up #3. Keep pressing (strong but gently haha), if it's meant to happen, it will. Some people are just forgetful and just don't remember to call you back/follow up. He might also not want to tell another guitarist he wants to switch you into the rotation and the other person out. It will work out.

Hey Vedt,
10 players rotating in and out seems like a lot of fish in the pond, even if some aren't very good. Here's a couple ideas-
1) Ask about the rehearsal schedule and ask if you can drop by to listen. Don't bring your guitar, don't talk, just sit there and listen.
2) Sometime later (NOT directly after rehearsal) tell the WL you feel like you could contribute to the program and ask where he needs help.
3) If he says 'I'm up to my eyeballs in guitar players' you'll know where you stand and can perhaps offer other ways to be involved
4) If you have a youth pastor you can talk to him about helping with or helping start a youth band.

As a WL I'm always happy to have players- but the ones who take the initiative to provide leadership under my direction/supervision to help us all worship better are the ones I appreciate the most.

dude... 10 players? If you're only going to get to play once every 10 weeks (or once every 5 if he uses two at a time) I say go somewhere else. Maybe someplace that actually needs a guitar player.

dude... 10 players? If you're only going to get to play once every 10 weeks (or once every 5 if he uses two at a time) I say go somewhere else. Maybe someplace that actually needs a guitar player.

I'm at a church as a member, it just so happens that I'm part of the praise team. Freelance musicians is exactly why most churches around here require a minimum 6 months as a member of the church before asking.
Stick with it if you feel like you belong, the rest is gravy.

I'm at a church as a member, it just so happens that I'm part of the praise team. Freelance musicians is exactly why most churches around here require a minimum 6 months as a member of the church before asking.
Stick with it if you feel like you belong, the rest is gravy.

^ This !!!

Here's a couple ideas-
1) Ask about the rehearsal schedule and ask if you can drop by to listen. Don't bring your guitar, don't talk, just sit there and listen.
2) Sometime later (NOT directly after rehearsal) tell the WL you feel like you could contribute to the program and ask where he needs help.
3) If he says 'I'm up to my eyeballs in guitar players' you'll know where you stand and can perhaps offer other ways to be involved
4) If you have a youth pastor you can talk to him about helping with or helping start a youth band.

As a WL I'm always happy to have players- but the ones who take the initiative to provide leadership under my direction/supervision to help us all worship better are the ones I appreciate the most.

This is it exactly. In the nicest way possible, put yourself on the team. You first have to commit yourself to going to every practice, learning all the songs, serve in other ways they may need at the time.

For my life this approach has opened many doors for me whether at work, socially, or in church. When you offer yourself out there people will get to know you and some may want you to be part of what they are doing.

I've felt a calling for some time to join a worship team.

This is the key. Does it sound to you like the WL recognizes your calling, that you have something to contribute as your friends say? Believe me if you are getting the run around now, do you think that you are going to be able to develop and express your gifts with an unsupportive WL? You asked what we thought- I think if you continued down this path that you'll just end up frustrated. You need to find a place where you really do fit in. I left a church that burnt me and I looked around for a new home for a long time; a church that would recognize my gifts, talents and calling, and support me in developing them. Their was one church I liked to visit, they had a good worship team, I liked the Pastor... I liked the way they "did" church, it seemed like a good fit, but they didn't need me. They already had 6 electric guitar players. The team I'm with now was a really good veteran team, but they had no electric guitar player and not enough men.

I was a member of our church for a few years, and I worked covering lights and screens on Wednesdays. We had a church split, and much of our worship team went away. We got a new guy leading worship on Wednesdays, and he was trying to sing and play acoustic at the same time, and the playing got in the way of singing, so I volunteered. About eight years later, our new worship leader wanted to set up a second band, and I got to play Sundays.

I have two suggestions, based on this: a) find another place of ministry (such as running sound or lights or ushering or playing on Wednesdays rather than Sundays) , which will let the worship pastor get to know you in other ways, so he can know you're good for what you want, and 2) there are too many guitarists in general. If you can play another instrument, you might get to step up quicker.

Good luck and God bless.

Yes... look outside the church.

Appreciate the feedback. I emailed our WP a few days ago and asked if I could sit in on rehearsals. Haven't heard back.

One part that I did leave out from the OP was that I've approached two of the guitarists to ask them how they joined the team. The first question from both of them was: who are you playing with now and can I hear a recording of you? I understand where they're coming from - one is a youth pastor but has a solo acoustic career on the side, and the other toured with Rebecca St. James. So I'm definitely getting the "who's this no-name guy?" treatment. It's frustrating because our church has to pay most of the guitarists that play on Sundays...at a time when we're having budget problems and reducing staff. So why wouldn't they want to look at having members who are equally talented, but also committed to the church, play guitar for worship? In any case, the questions have prompted me to do two things:

1. Look outside my church for opportunities to play guitar during worship. My cousin is WP of a smaller church nearby, and he is always asking me to come play there.
2. Think about recording an EP of my solo acoustic stuff (which I was planning to do anyway).

Apparently in my church you need to be a big deal in order to even get an audition...

One part that I did leave out from the OP was that I've approached two of the guitarists to ask them how they joined the team. The first question from both of them was: who are you playing with now and can I hear a recording of you? I understand where they're coming from - one is a youth pastor but has a solo acoustic career on the side, and the other toured with Rebecca St. James. So I'm definitely getting the "who's this no-name guy?" treatment.

Wow, this is a whole different vibe than my church, hard for me to relate to.

If "no-name guys" don't have a chance to play how will they going to develop into a ministry unto which they are called? Your musicians are paid? Sorry I just don't get that. Go to your cousin where you'll be appreciated and can be a blessing.

Appreciate the feedback. I emailed our WP a few days ago and asked if I could sit in on rehearsals. Haven't heard back.

One part that I did leave out from the OP was that I've approached two of the guitarists to ask them how they joined the team. The first question from both of them was: who are you playing with now and can I hear a recording of you? I understand where they're coming from - one is a youth pastor but has a solo acoustic career on the side, and the other toured with Rebecca St. James. So I'm definitely getting the "who's this no-name guy?" treatment. It's frustrating because our church has to pay most of the guitarists that play on Sundays...at a time when we're having budget problems and reducing staff. So why wouldn't they want to look at having members who are equally talented, but also committed to the church, play guitar for worship? In any case, the questions have prompted me to do two things:

1. Look outside my church for opportunities to play guitar during worship. My cousin is WP of a smaller church nearby, and he is always asking me to come play there.
2. Think about recording an EP of my solo acoustic stuff (which I was planning to do anyway).

Apparently in my church you need to be a big deal in order to even get an audition...

So you have someone ASKING you to come play and minister and instead you're butting your head up against a "too cool for you" wall at some big church with 10 players who think they're hot stuff? Get out, go play for your cousin and don't look back.

You've got a wide open door. Run through it!

There's nothing wrong with paying your musicians. From my experience, you're going to be hard-pressed for good players if you're not paying them. Also, there's biblical support for paying your church leaders, including musicians. I guess we aren't really supposed to get into theological discussions on the forum though.

I would say go elsewhere. If you've got a leader whom is that forgetful and isn't interested in new musicians, then you're looking into working for someone who probably isn't organized and may be frustrating to deal with anyway.

If "no-name guys" don't have a chance to play how will they going to develop into a ministry unto which they are called?

Amen, brother. Having your name out there shouldn't be a prerequisite for doing worship at your church. That is incredibly ridiculous.

...you're going to be hard-pressed for good players if you're not paying them.

Thankfully that statement is not true everywhere. My church is blessed with an overabundance of talented musicians lined up to play on a purely volunteer basis.

You're a lucky guy. I'm fortunate enough to have some close friends I can call up when I'm back in my home town, and being a student I can call up some of my friends from the college when I'm at school. But if it weren't for that, I don't know how I would find enough people to make a band that played well and had their heart in the right place.

I was a member of our church for a few years, and I worked covering lights and screens on Wednesdays. We had a church split, and much of our worship team went away. We got a new guy leading worship on Wednesdays, and he was trying to sing and play acoustic at the same time, and the playing got in the way of singing, so I volunteered. About eight years later, our new worship leader wanted to set up a second band, and I got to play Sundays.

I have two suggestions, based on this: a) find another place of ministry (such as running sound or lights or ushering or playing on Wednesdays rather than Sundays) , which will let the worship pastor get to know you in other ways, so he can know you're good for what you want, and 2) there are too many guitarists in general. If you can play another instrument, you might get to step up quicker.




I started in my church at the age of 14 doing lights and visuals for the whole service and eventually the P&W leaders daughter who was my age told her that I was playing sax and it might add something different to the overall sound (I was 16 at the time). So once a month the leader would write me a part and I would get to play. Once a month turned into twice a month then every week.

Eventually we lost our guitarist and bass player and our drummer too, so it was just the P&W leader on piano. Not due to dissatsfaction with the church but because the guiatrist and bass players both were Burmese and our community funded the creation of a Burmese church so they could worship in their native language.

We also had another guitarist and was a insanely talented lead guitar player who had to leave the state due to work, I love it when he comes back because he brings his 1972 Fender Stratocaster and lets me play it for the set and he plays whatever guitar I have, the neck on that thing is a dream and is the only guitar which has ever felt like butter in my hands. The drummer was one of three college students we had who were from England and were here getting degrees in Aviation so they got their degrees then went back to England.

With the band practically non-existent I picked up guitar and another one of my friends at the church who played clarinet picked up bass and learned what we needed to know to just help and now the P&W leader refers to us as the foundation of the band. She doesn't like to go through a set without us and periodically since she is on our churches Pastoral Search Committee she has to leave to hopefully find our churhc our new senior pastor she is confident that the set will not fall apart. Her son who is in highschool is playing drums for us andis one heck of a drummer.

I guess what I am saying is it took me seven years to get to where I am now in my P&W band and the seven years of waiting was worth every second. I went from changing lights to playing rhythm guitar every week.:cool:

Having your name out there shouldn't be a prerequisite for doing worship at your church. That is incredibly ridiculous.

I should say that it's not entirely surprising to me. The Minneapolis area has a very clicky music scene, particularly in Christian music. Everyone knows everyone, helps out on their recordings, plays with them every now and then, etc. So if you're not a member of that group (yet), then you're not looked at. I work in finance, and trying to get on the worship team is like trying to get a job at an investment bank. It's all about who you know (and Jesus doesn't count)...

Jesus should count more than anything.
Just saying...

I say pray and ask for guidance. You'll be led to where you need to go. You got some good points on why you should be given an opportunity, but they are not seeing that. If they got the "show me who you are" attitude, then their heart is not in the right place. You may be better off growing at your cousins church. But again, pray bro.

try switching to bass.

no, try switching to drums. you don't even have to be able to keep time.

Try switching to cowbell.
Always need more cowbell.

I'm going through the same thing right now. Moved to NJ in August and started attending an awesome church that really taught the Word. Good worship team. I had been on two in Kansas. One for a tiny church that met in a school and another at a mega-church. I've approached the worship leader a few times and heard the same thing about auditions will be coming up but still nothing.

Then at my son's baseball practice, one of the associate pastors sons was on the same team so we started talking. Turns out he does the Thursday night service for their Celebrate Recovery ministry and they have bass, drums, acoustic and vocals (him). I told him of my desire to serve and we're going to start next week (I'm in Madison, WI on business this week).

I can't wait because for me, playing music that glorifies Him is such as awesome way to worship. It will happen, just not in your time and maybe not in the way you think it will.

I would look somewhere else. Especially if he has the "who is this guy attitude."
Keep in prayer about it also because no church is perfect and anywhere you go you're going to have to deal with something. It makes it easier if you know that's where God wants you to be.