Week 12: Keeping Up - Developing An Effective Timeline

Join This Conversation

Permalink Reply by Nate Woodward on May 14, 2009 at 1:56pm

I think it very much depends on how scripted your gathering is, how complicated your elements are, and how many people are involved. If you're going to have a drama or a short film every week, then yeah, four weeks is a good benchmark. But I've never been at a church where we needed to start putting together the elements of a gathering four week out.

My experience has been that there are different kinds of planning. Long-range planning might look at the topic or series we'll be doing during the next several months. Maybe we'll look ahead to a specific special Sunday--confirmation, graduation, baptisms, Easter, etc. But most of the nuts and bolts start taking shape one-to-two weeks out, because that is when the pastor starts tackling the text. If you have a mid-week rehearsal, then you've got to have things planned by then, but many smaller churches do the rehearsing Sunday morning before the service.

At my current church, the challenge I face--as one who has input but not decision-making authority (it's a pretty informal leadership structure)--is how to encourage others in leadership to start planning more in advance. I can't figure out how do you start backing up the timeline, to get people to start planning more than a few days in advance. It's been a challenge elsewhere, too, because most of the time it feels like we're just keeping our head above water, just getting everything done for the current week. How can you do that AND plan for the gatherings that are one and two weeks in the future? Everybody has to be on board, ready to put in the significant extra time and effort.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Emily Flowers on May 18, 2009 at 8:13am

I agree. I'm working in a situation where two pastors alternate preaching (generally, on an every-other-week schedule). They typically can only give me a very general idea of where they're headed with their sermon and what text they'll be focusing on early in the week. And...I've already got to have some idea of what we're doing musically because we rehearse on Tuesdays. I wish we could work 3 to 4 weeks in advance because I find myself really crunched for time (up until the ninth hour sometimes). Often following a service, I'll think...man, if I'd known the pastor was gonna talk about such and such, we could have used this video clip or that song. It's frustrating. I'm praying that we'll find a way to allow for more ahead-of-time planning in our situation.

Nate Woodward said:

I think it very much depends on how scripted your gathering is, how complicated your elements are, and how many people are involved. If you're going to have a drama or a short film every week, then yeah, four weeks is a good benchmark. But I've never been at a church where we needed to start putting together the elements of a gathering four week out.

My experience has been that there are different kinds of planning. Long-range planning might look at the topic or series we'll be doing during the next several months. Maybe we'll look ahead to a specific special Sunday--confirmation, graduation, baptisms, Easter, etc. But most of the nuts and bolts start taking shape one-to-two weeks out, because that is when the pastor starts tackling the text. If you have a mid-week rehearsal, then you've got to have things planned by then, but many smaller churches do the rehearsing Sunday morning before the service.

At my current church, the challenge I face--as one who has input but not decision-making authority (it's a pretty informal leadership structure)--is how to encourage others in leadership to start planning more in advance. I can't figure out how do you start backing up the timeline, to get people to start planning more than a few days in advance. It's been a challenge elsewhere, too, because most of the time it feels like we're just keeping our head above water, just getting everything done for the current week. How can you do that AND plan for the gatherings that are one and two weeks in the future? Everybody has to be on board, ready to put in the significant extra time and effort.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dan Bracken on May 18, 2009 at 9:19am

I've been workin on a week-to-week basis now for almost 3 years. Josh is absolutely right when he says it can lead to burnout. There have been Thursday and Friday nights when I've been up working until 2 a.m. (sometimes ALL night), punching out videos/sermon graphics/announcement slides... Working 4 weeks in advance would be awesome. But I'm hearing a similar frustration that all us week-to-weekies share: Can't turn the week-to-week titanic. Getting other leaders on board (especially when you lead pastor is traveling all over the world, speaking at conferences, and doesn't even have TIME to work on his weekend message until the week-of) can be very challenging. I've been able to do two things that help: 1) Staffing of UNpaid servants. It's amazing, PRAY FOR HELP and it will come! This summer, I have 6 unpaid servants lined up. To be honest, I'm not sure what to do with them all. 2) Anticipate burnout and be proactive against it. Keep doing what you enjoy... have fun with what you do. Seek creative freedom... take creative risks! My crutch is humor... it's my fall back. Any week I feel the stress breathing down my neck, I'm sure to pick a project I will enjoy. Be creative with your time on your day off... find healthy stress relievers. I play disc golf.

All that aside... if any of you find a way to turn the titanic, please share

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Josh Linman on May 18, 2009 at 12:34pm

Nate, Emily and Dan, thanks for the great comments. I feel your pains about the challenge of turning the titanic...as Dan put it so well. (Dan - between the titanic thing and week to weekies I think there's an awesome book to be written).

One of the best places to start is doing what Emily does. Think about those video clips, songs, dramas, etc. that would have worked great with the message you just heard then sit down with your pastor and share them with him/her. If your examples are powerful enough they might start to help the pastor understand how planning ahead could help them communicate the message more effectively.

That's another key, you'll want to help them understand this planning ahead thing is not only for the musicians/techs/creative's benefit but for the pastor's benefit as well.

With your foot in the door show your pastor what you would need from them: answers to just a few questions:
1) what's the topic/scripture?
2) do you have any story / illustration ideas?
3) what's the felt need you're trying to engage?
4) what do you want people to takeaway from the message, what is the desired outcome?

These are big idea questions, they aren't detail oriented and they don't have to be long drawn out complete sentence answers. The pastor won't have to have the sermon completed to answer these questions, they leave a lot of room for the pastor to change their mind, rework things, etc.

What do you think? Is this realistic or do I live in a make believe, fairy tale land? I know it's easier said than done but I really believe if you share your frustrations and concerns - keeping it focused on the fact less planning = less impact and not as effective communication of the gospel...pastors have to listen right? Let's keep the conversation going.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Nate Woodward on May 18, 2009 at 2:13pm

I feel like the grand lesson of all my experience leading worship is God teaching me that his Spirit matters more than my effort. (I'm not pentecostal by any stretch of the imagination--that's not the direction I'm going here.) I've had a few instances of feeling burned out, but usually it's because I'm impatient to see results, more concerned with getting everything right and being successful than in asking how God intends for me to grow in this context. In other words, the pressure to perform is usually self-imposed. If I listen to God, he is always telling me, "Do not be afraid; you are loved because you are my child, not because of what you do; I don't need this worship gathering to be perfect." I see myself as an artist, and so I desire to do things that are beautiful and evocative and deeply moving. But this has to come out of a place of joy, not fear.

Does planning ahead matter? Well, yes, I think it does, for spiritual reasons. I am concerned when I encounter teaching pastors who are starting to identify the major themes of the sermon only days before they preach. There is no time for extended mediation and reflection, and I think these are vital to proclaiming the gospel. It's not just the implementors/artists who benefit from and extended timeline.

But I also think God often works in spite of planning, and often works in spite of a lack of planning. I am usually the one freaking out about getting everything perfect, and it is usually my pastor who is the voice of calm and peace, who assures me that God is not impressed by what I accomplish but just wishes me to delight in Him. But occasionally, we designers/artists/worship leaders need to be the voice who says, even to a lead/teaching pastor, "We are too busy. We need more time to reflect and listen."

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dan Bracken on May 18, 2009 at 5:34pm

Nate... yes! I love what you said about serving God with excellence through JOY and not FEAR. Fear is the thing that drains us, isn't it? God really does call our lives... that's no light task for anybody. If God calls us to be designers/creative people... I'm sure that means lots of time at the drawing board. Obviously, God wants to show the world something through us. I think if more people would fully fully fully give themselves to God... wholly dedicated to this thing called sacrifice (with boundaries, of course... a man's gotta eat!), the world may be a different place.

Keep up the good work, friends! And Josh, good tips on how to work the rudder. I'll see if the crew can't have (yet another) sit down with the captain

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Emily Flowers on May 22, 2009 at 4:03pm

I think that when the service is well-planned...I tend to be more relaxed, which opens me up to experience worship with all gathered because I'm not busy thinking about the details. And, overall, those are the best worship experiences for all of us.

Thanks to all of you for your responses and encouragement! God bless!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Sloan Inns on October 29, 2009 at 7:47pm

I love this

"3) what's the felt need you're trying to engage?"

That is the perfect question to ask my pastor... we have a tough time communicating about what he wants for the service... I have tried, "what angle would you like?" but this new question hits it home!

Thanks!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Josh Linman on October 30, 2009 at 12:46pm

Great! Let me know how it goes. That was (is) a key question for the worship design team at Ginghamsburg Church in Ohio when I was there for an internship.

It is amazing how a few simple questions can get you a ton more information about the sermon/focus of the service than just a title or scripture...and the pastor still doesn't need to have his whole sermon planned out to answer them...

▶ Reply to This

▶ Reply to This