10 Ways to Avoid Mishaps In Worship

Excellence is a great goal for our worship services each week. But as part of a local church ministry, we are faced with imperfection--not only with our own fallen nature and limited skills--but also with our volunteers, those who share ministry from the stage with us. Even though we put a premium on excellence, our primary goal is to see lives changed for Christ, and we are charged with the duty and honor of loving, leading and ministering to our team members and congregation.

We cannot avoid the possibility of mishaps during our services. It's not a question of "if" they will happen, but "when!" Without a game plan of how to handle these intrusions, we can be completely thrown off-guard when these distractions raise their ugly little heads.

Here are 10 considerations from my upcoming book, Worship Foundry, to help avoid being derailed during a worship service.
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With any performance, things have the potential to go wrong: microphones can stop working; the power can fail--causing silence and darkness; music cues can be missed, etc. Whether it's human error or just some freak accident, problems will arise.

In any event, our greatest ally is preparation. A thousand mistakes, and an equal number of equipment failures, can potentially be avoided by thinking through every possible technical, musical or transitional weakness that may be lurking in our weekly worship plan. Paranoia about something going wrong during a worship service shouldn't rule our planning process, though. If we plan far enough out from the performance, with plenty of time to process the program design--while utilizing the talent and wisdom of our planning team--we can anticipate problems and make corrections.

As I have written before, a seamless flow is necessary when leading our congregations on a weekly worship journey, helping to focus their full and active attention on Christ during the song set and while communicating the message of the Gospel. When things go wrong, the congregant's attention is deflected away from the intended focus and toward the distraction. This destroys that precious state of mind which every skilled communicator works for: the place where the audience is no longer self-aware, time flies and they are fully engaged in the moment.

There are two areas to consider when dealing with things that can go wrong during a performance: the stage and the audience. Here are 10 crucial things to keep in mind that may help avoid the most serious of problems.

From The Stage

1. Don't do anything from the stage that hasn't been scrutinized and agreed upon collectively by the worship production team. Of course, there will be times when God wants to go in another direction, and the pastor or leader of the service will have to make that call. Spontaneity doesn't always equate spirituality, though.

2. Make sure that during rehearsal the technical aspects of the service are tested and that the equipment is properly working; confirm stage entrances and exits, segment hand-offs, how staging will be moved, who will do what and where,when, etc.

3. Make sure that sight lines are established between the leader, band and vocalists. If this isn't possible due to a complicated stage setup, then create an audible means of communication if changes are needed during the performance (provide a wireless, in-ear monitoring system to stay connected with the tech team). Use pre-determined hand signals or gestures as a means of visual communication between the stage and the technicians at the sound console (front of house= FOH), without having to disrupt flow.

4. When a mistake is made, try not to draw attention to it. It is likely that the audience won't even be aware of the mess-up. Skilled performers know that a mistake can enhance a performance when, even after a stumble, they land gracefully on their feet (this is only for the highly-skilled among us)!

5. If possible, designate a person from the tech team to help with potential stage problems. When called upon, they can inconspicuously move to the stage to fix a sound problem or make an equipment change. It's important that those on stage remain focused on speaking, playing and singing. If a problem brings a performance to a screeching halt, it needs to be established beforehand who from the staff will stand in the gap and carry the program until a solution is found, or to conclude the service altogether. As said in an earlier post: an audience's trust in a good leader will go a long way in helping to get through a distracting moment during a service.

From the Audience

1. Some churches, pastors and leaders encourage children to sit with their parents during a service. But when disruptions come from babies and small children in the audience, it makes it all but impossible for others in the service to stay focussed on the message. If necessary, create a policy that limits certain ages to participate in services. If this is not possible, take the opportunity to promote your well-equipped, secure, clean and nurturing child care facility, where their age-appropriate behavior is better suited. Another great way to help with this is by supplying a private and discreet "family room" for parents or caretakers, supplied with a video feed of the service. A separate, private location for nursing mothers will also be very helpful.

2. Make it a policy for those who choose to sit toward the front of the sanctuary to remain seated during the entire service. Encourage those with pertinent personal or physical issues to sit in a place within the sanctuary where they can easily exit without disturbing those around them. Section off an area of the sanctuary for special needs. Sanctuary etiquette must be taught from the pulpit, as well as in orientation classes. Pastors and/or worship leaders will have to make special effort to teach worshipers proper behavior in casual worship environments. This may need to be done often, especially in a growing church.

3. Train ushers and greeters, in advance of any given service, to be aware of potential interruptions in the audience; teach them to assist the pastor in a proper and discreet manor when called upon. 

4. Make sure that a person of authority, other than the one leading from the stage, is available to help contain any situation that may arise during a service. If the pastor or leader makes a gesture from the stage, that appointed person can move quickly toward the disruption or spiritual need in the audience.

5. Sometimes a medical emergency may arise during a service. If the ill person is mobile, it's best to handle the situation and attend to their needs with as much discretion as possible until they are stabilized, or until emergency personnel can transport them. Sometimes the person cannot be moved immediately, or without profession medical assistance. But if it's at all possible, respectfully allow the service to carry on. Plan in advance how to approach a medical emergency, and make a plan as to how emergency personnel can enter and exit the facility with as little disruption as possible.

We can't prevent every disruption in our services. Problems can turn out for the better, though, if we plan for an "escape route" before things go horribly wrong. Let's face it, to ere is human, but to walk headlong into a problem because of poor planning or laziness is just plain inexcusable!