Ch. 5: Specific Service Elements
Navigating variables is part of an ever-growing and expanding team, and a great VD will be able to pivot and adapt to whatever the moment needs- personally, and as we lead the vocal team.
As a team, we always should remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit, on-stage and off-stage. During a set, a Worship Leader may pivot and go in a different direction than planned- these are beautiful moments that we as Vocal Directors need to follow and support well.
There are both practical and spiritual tips we can give our vocalists to aid them in following a Worship Leader in flow moments or ministry time, including but not limited to:
Ensure your vocalists have the Music Director prominent in their mix, so they can hear calls dictated from the Worship Leader to the MD.
Know our songs inside and out, so changing the arrangement won’t throw them off.
Pay attention to the Holy Spirit as you worship- He is a God of unity, and when we lean in, we can all receive the same direction from Him.
Pay close attention to the Worship Leader, song lead, speaker, or whoever is the current focal point on the platform.
Don’t get too distracted with your own vocal part or personal worship experience, and miss following your leader.
As VD, for open-ended moments of worship that could contain multiple songs or tags in flow, consider assigning the same vocal part to each person, to streamline the sound and avoid confusion or overcomplicating the moment.