5 Practical Tips for Starting at a New Church

Last week I started in a brand new worship pastor position. It’s been a great experience so far and I can’t wait for what’s to come. I’m working with a great team and have a lot of ideas about where we can go!

If I’m honest though, I wasn’t always this confident. In my first worship position, I didn’t really know where to start or how to be successful. Luckily, after many transitions, I’ve learned a couple things. 

So today, I’m sharing a 5 practical tips for starting at a new church. If you’re new to your position (or even if you’re not), this list is for you! These are easy things, and some may not take much time, but they will build a solid foundation for your ministry both now and in years to come. 

Get to Know People

I know. You don’t need a blog post to tell you to get to know people when you’re starting in a new place. But let me tell you why you should get to know people. 

Getting to know your church, and allowing your church to get to know you, builds trust. Trust is vital to leadership. If people don’t trust you, they won’t follow you. 

Getting to know your church also informs how you need to minister. As you get to know people, you’ll learn their prayers and praises. You can then choose songs that parallel those prayers and praises!

Spend Time with Your Team

I have a friend who often says, “community off-stage creates chemistry on stage.” The longer I lead worship, the more I find that to be true. You need to know who you’re ministering with! Learn how they operate. Learn what they’re passionate about. Learn why they joined the worship team and their goals as leaders. Build friendships with those you’re doing ministry with. It will make your ministry much more effective and much more fun. 

Learn what the Church is Singing

One of the first things I did in my new position was look through my new church’s song library. I pulled up Planning Center and started taking note of recently led songs, songs I know, songs the church knows and songs that were recently introduced. That gives me a starting point to work from when choosing set lists. (It also helps to ask some of your current team and other staff members what songs are connecting.) When starting at a new church, it’s best to start with what the church knows and build from there. If you introduce too many new songs too fast, your people may get lost. 

Take Inventory of Your Equipment

Start by taking some time to get to know your sound system. Find out what kind of board is being used, how many channels you have, how many channels you’re currently using, etc. Then find out what other equipment is laying around. In nearly every church building there is a backstage or closet that is full of stuff no one has gone through in years. In nearly every portable church there is a bin or two that needs to be organized. Organize it! I know it’s not fun, but it will give you a chance to see what you have. I did this last week and found all sorts of cables, microphones and direct boxes I never would have known were there! Now when a cable goes out, I know where to find a new one. When I need another microphone, I know I don’t need to purchase one. And as a bonus, now everything is organized the way I like it to be!

Plan Your Ideal Week

Whether you’re full time in your new position or a volunteer, this is something you should do. Plan when you’ll choose songs, when you’ll send planning center requests, when you’ll follow up from Sunday, when you’ll set up the stage for rehearsal, etc. Chances are you won’t get this perfect every week, but with a plan these things are more likely to happen and more likely to happen on time. So often in the past songs have been sent out late simply because I never said, “I’m going to have them out on Tuesday by 2pm.” Now it’s on my calendar. That’s my aim every week. Author and productivity expert Michael Hyatt often says, “what gets scheduled gets done.” I’ve seen that to be true over and over. Plan your week!

If you start a new position with these 5 things, you will start well. You’ll start with pastoring, team building, leading effectively, knowing your tools and having a plan. That’s a great platform for any change you want to make or mission you want to accomplish. 

Want more practical advice for leading worship? Order a copy of my book, Becoming a Worship Pastor, today! It will take you from leading songs to leading people!