3 Questions to Ask Musicians before they Join the Team

One important aspect of the audition and onboarding process for your worship team is conversation. It’s getting to know potential team members! There are a handful of questions I ask almost everyone who joins my team. Sometimes I ask when a person first expresses interest, sometimes it’s as the audition is taking place, sometimes it’s a combination. The point is to get to know them! Today, I’m sharing 3 of the most common questions I ask:

1.    How long have you been attending the church?

 I usually require someone joining my team to have attended the church for 3 months before joining the team. I want to be sure, and more importantly, I want them to be sure that our church is home to them! I started doing that because sometimes people get excited about a church, sign up to serve everywhere, and then lose their zeal. Usually after 3 months, they’ve made that church theirs.

2.    What’s your musical background?

 I always want to know a little about someone’s musical background. If a drummer has only ever played heavy metal, it may be difficult to transition to worship music. If a pianist is classically trained, they may have a hard time only reading a chord chart. It helps to know those things ahead of time!

3.    What’s your church background?

 As a worship leader, I like to know my team’s history with the church. Have they been on a worship team before? How long have they been walking with Jesus? Do they come from a certain denomination? Have you only ever sung from a hymnal? I want to get a glimpse of their worship style as well as a glimpse into their life with Christ. 

I think it’s important to note that in my eyes there really isn’t a right or wrong answer to any of these questions. They just help me to see where the person is at personally, musically, and spiritually. 

What questions have you found to be helpful? I’d love to know!