Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Be Running Worship Team Auditions at Your Church

Jul 23

Written by Trevor Robert
Worship Pastor at Sanctus Church

“Ya I’ve been playing guitar and singing since I was a little kid!”

If we each had a dollar for how many times we’ve heard that as someone’s reason for why they should be allowed to play on the worship team we would all be doing pretty good. Maybe so good that we could open a Chick-fil-a franchise in our home town (yes, that’s my dream in life). But the reality is that a) usually that person is way better in their head than in real life or b) they feel that just because they want to they should be on the worship team.

If we are trying to build a healthy and thriving worship team at our church, auditions are an essential way to ensure not just that our team members are competent on their instruments but that they also have the character to be up on that stage leading other people in worship.

Here are my top 5 reasons why I think you should be running auditions at your church.

Character Matters!

Auditions (at least the way we run them) can be a trying process for some people. You have to fill out a form, provide references, submit a video, practice for your audition time and then take a night of your week to come and audition. While there are specific things they have to do in order to go through the process, how they accomplish those different tasks and the attitude with which they do it is one of the most important things I, as a worship pastor, am looking for in people. The reality is that character matters. I don’t care how good you are, character will always show itself at some point. Putting someone on your team just because they can play will almost always come back to bite you.
Find the right fit.

In my years in ministry I have run a whole lot of auditions. As a leader it’s our goal to not just lead our ministry’s well but to lead them in submission to the Holy Spirit. He’s your best friend when it comes to building your team. Sometimes you’ll have someone who is an amazing person and a great musician but you’ve just got the sense from the Holy Spirit that they wouldn’t be a good fit. Maybe it’s musical preference, maybe it’s their schedule or other reasons that you can’t see. Walking through auditions gives time for both you and them to get a feel for if this is really going to work.
Can you play?

I mean it seems obvious but an audition is built around giving the person an opportunity to show you they can play. There are lots of different ways to run an audition but when you put that person in a band and ask them to fill in that space you’ll find really quick how good of a player they are. The best part is that even if they can’t play you now know where they are on the spectrum. If they aren’t up to the standard you’re looking for on your team you have a great starting point to help develop them onto the team.
Build the team!

Auditions are a public way that you can let your church know that you need people and that you are looking for people to join the team. But even more than that, I know that for our team (who doesn’t often have a mid-week rehearsal), that it’s always an amazing night to build relationships and community with other people already on the worship team. We usually eat dinner together and spend 3-4 hours playing music and chatting. Creating more opportunities to serve and have your team together will always be helpful.
Peace of mind.

When you’ve personally on-boarded your team members you can know that they love Jesus and are walking with him. As well as know that they will be able to deliver on Sunday mornings. Not only that but even if they do join the team, you know how you can help encourage them to grow. You can rest assured that they have great character, are competent, a good fit and will be a great addition to the team.

Hopefully that helps you see why (if you’re not already) you should start running auditions at your church. If you are running auditions I hope it helps you to consider a couple extra things you could implement or think about with your auditions. The main thing I hope to stress is that skill is not the most important thing. Character and skill must go hand in hand!

Happy auditioning everyone!