5 Ways to Get The Band There on Time (1/5)

As worship leaders, we've all been there a few times. Rehearsal is about to start and we look around the room and see... this:

A worship leader friend of mine recently approached me and said, "How do you get everyone there on time?" He told me that his band is frequently 20-30 minutes late for rehearsal and that one of his vocalists actually got mad when she showed up late and the band had started without her. He said that this was very frustrating for him but that he doesn't have enough band members to be able to say, "Be here on time or you won't play." So what to do?

I thought about it and came up with five big things that have helped our teams in the past. Over the next five weeks, I'll share them with you as well.

I'll start with the problem. If your band members are consistently showing up late, it's because you've (probably unintentionally) created a culture of lateness. Culture isn't created quickly; it's formed over time, with a bunch of little factors combining and building over days and weeks and months and years.

Here is the mindset to approach the next five weeks with; rather than try to apply a band-aid to the problem, how can I focus on changing the culture? How can I create an environment where timeliness is part of what we do?

• 1) Realize that it starts at the top.

Some of us are hard-wired to run according to a schedule. We thrive on being places on time or early. Being late will drive us insane and ruin our day.

And then there are the rest of us. We are constantly rushing from place to place, just arriving in time and sometimes getting there a little (or a lot) late. Life is busy and it just seems that there isn't time to fit everything in. 

It's important to realize, though, that as a leader, it is crucial to be on time, especially when you are asking you time to give you their time.

The point blank truth is that if you are a person who is occasionally late, if you often find yourself running a little bit behind, your band or team will absolutely get a message that you probably don't intend to send, the message that "Your time is not that important to me".

Let me take a quick sidebar here: at this point, you might be telling yourself, "As the leader, I am always there right on time for practice! It starts at 7 and I am there at 7 sharp!" When I first started in ministry, that was me. I would be there right when rehearsal started and pat myself on the back for it, but I began to notice that practice wasn't starting on time because, once I arrived "on time", I had to set up my gear, print off the music, and five other little things that took up everyone's time. It's didn't take the band long to get lazy in their set-up approach as well, and even if everyone arrived right on time, we weren't starting practice for thirty more minutes.

I quickly adapted my plan of attack. Now, I make it a habit to be there 30-45 minutes before rehearsal is even supposed to start so that when rehearsal time rolls around, I am ready to play music. You know what happened? The culture began to change. Guitar players with a bunch of gear started getting there early so that they would be ready by practice time. It became awkward to walk in late because everyone else was ready to go.

(It may sound more regimented and mechanical, but it actually made practice more fun!)

So: if your team has a lateness problem, start by looking in the mirror. How are you doing at setting the culture or timeliness and preparedness?

• Action Steps:

1. Stop being late!!!
2. Get there early enough to be ready for the start of rehearsal.
3. Be prepared; don't make your team wait on you!

Why New Songs?

Sing a new song to the LORD!
Let the whole earth sing to the LORD!
Sing to the LORD; praise his name.
Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. - Psalm 96

I love all types of songs. There is something awesome about a familiar song, one that you've heard so many times you could sing it in your sleep, one that's meaning has sunk all the way into your bones, one that when you hear those first few notes, your brain hums with perfect recognition.

But it is also a great feeling to hear a new song and think to yourself, "How have I not heard this before? It's amazing!" When I hear a really good new song, I am equal parts excited (that I've found it) and disappointed (that I've gone this long without it.) Maybe I am the only one who thinks like this, I don't know. Obviously I like music a lot.

All that to say I'm never content sticking with the tried-and-true songs that I know like the back of my hand. One of my great joys as a worship leader is teaching NEW songs, whether they are songs that I have written or someone else has written. And what's more, God wants us to sing Him new songs. There is a freshness to it, and it lets us express our worship in new and different ways.