taking initiative

It really comes down to responsibility. Will you accept it, or will your service be orphaned when it counts? So many worship leaders don't have a clue how to operate their existing sound system, much less how to troubleshoot, update or configure any of the equipment. Understandably, this is not an area where many people just happen upon the knowledge in the normal course of a day, but there's no real reason to neglect it longer than you must. 

When your sound guy calls in sick, moves away, or simply gets burned out, your church and pastor will be looking to you to take care of the problem. It is easy to accept responsibility over the sound system when there is a knowledgable, experienced technician at the board making the gear do the job. Things get dicey when you have to be the expert for whatever reason. Expert or no, the worship leader is expected to be the best option in that situation. 

This comes across a bit harsh. I only mean to convey how important it is for a new worship leader to recognize and accept his or her areas of responsibility. Nobody else helps you tune your guitar. Nobody else has to plug in your sustain pedal or show you how to attach a strap to your bass. These are obvious technical proficiencies expected of every musician. In the same way, all that gear between the input snake and the congregation's ears 'belongs' to the worship leader in a functional sense. No, you won't be an expert in the strictest sense, at least not for a long time, but you can be your church's expert without too much trouble. Ask for help. Seek advice from more experienced people wherever you can find them. Take notes and get your hands dirty. Examine other sound systems as you invite other worship leaders to learn yours. Foster mutually beneficial relationships in your community based on finding and sharing knowledge in an area so many churches find elusive. Educate yourself on new equipment as you are able. With only a basic understanding of the role of each piece of gear, you will graduate from bewildered helplessness to confident troubleshooter and honorary sound guy. It really doesn't take a large amount of information if you take the time to grasp the purpose for each step in a signal path. 

You don't have to be the best there ever was, but you will be the best available some days. Your responsibility is to be able to handle the job in those moments. And honestly, if you can't even begin to explain where your band's sound went when it left your instruments, you might as well be outsourcing your music to an overseas help line. You don't speak their language and they don't care whether you shout, cry or beg. Don't let equipment ignorance usurp the leadership of your church's worship. 

terraforming

I suppose it comes from having a bit of military background, seeing the spectrum of leadership 'position' as multiple instances of the same basic principle: we follow an example we trust, and in doing so provide such an example to those who observe us. Our group spoke at length on the idea that every leader must also be a follower before they can hope to effectively take charge. I would add that they demonstrate continued willingness to follow and learn, even to the point of eagerness, if they truly desire to set a proper example for those they lead. 

Every sergeant in the chain of command follows the example of the rank above him and passes that on to those below. From a division level command sergeant major down to a young team level corporal, every man has a similar responsibility: follow orders and ensure that your mission is completed. It is the same in every moderate to large sized group I've ever served. The manner in which any member of a team respects and responds to those in charge is reflected in the way their subordinates will treat them. A backbiting, corner cutting middle manager will inevitably find his employees copying those same tactics behind his back. 

In the end, this is not about avoiding bad behavior so that those who follow you won't bite you in the professional rear end. All that vain self-protection amounts to digging ditches in the yard and calling it a moat. Rather, the goal should always be to seek out examples that inspire us to grow, whether that be in holiness or in skill, and then to emulate that inspiration. Doing so helps shape the interpersonal landscape around us so much more than digging a ditch; it moves mountains. 

the meta-game

Servant leadership gets such a bad rap sometimes. Submission skewed into a spineless acquiescence. At least in my experience, limited as that may be, serving goes awry when those who are served allow their perception of the relationship to devolve, to become an account of favors and accommodations due, while those who faithfully serve begin to feel the earth erode underneath them, washed away by apathetic responses. 

I forget the meta-game far too often. I must order my life according to my best interpretation of the will of God, avoiding this and embracing that, learning one, exemplifying another, all devoid of a reason beyond "I should". Sadly, the reason is usually painfully simple: I don't think about it. I don't invest the effort to remind myself that these individual steps are part of a larger plan. Today is not just about today, and it is most certainly not just about me. Today is not mine. My life crashes into everyone I meet; that interaction is not mine alone. 

We play Ultimate Frisbee every Saturday morning in the park. Terribly amateur, the hardest thing every week is honestly just remembering who belongs on which team. Yet every week, every game, there is evidence that people understand what it means to act contrary to self for the good of the team. Almost every scoring toss is built on multiple instances of diversion and teamwork, individual actions that in themselves don't address the need to score a point. Even we the amateurs understand that principle. One player frantically waving their arms, shouting and drawing attention as they streak toward the goal. Another player quietly drifts back the other way, ready to take advantage of it. Both are aware of the transaction; the high-fives and post-score chatter prove this. 

Yet the church seems to forget. Perhaps more likely, the church doesn't care enough to remember. Members coldly accept service from their pastoral leadership because that is their job, so entrenched in the view that the service is deserved that they become blind to the trade. Leaders fail equally. We let this numbness infect our hearts, convince ourselves that we must serve harder and greater to elicit response. 

Look up and know where you stand. Recognize your life, your service, for what it is. Find validation in the source and the calling, not in the response.