I played pretty much every week for over 2 years. I am burned out completely. I haven’t been back to church, and haven’t even touched a guitar for 6 months-it stole all of my joy in everything connected with it.
I serve as the only electric guitar player and serve every Sunday. Our entire praise team serves every Sunday. I have been burnt out for some time as there is not anyone to fill in, I have had serious thoughts of moving on. The last two summers the praise team took two months off. Sounds great, however, another Christian band that I play with was asked to fill in three Sundays of the eight I had off. Need to work it out for myself because I feel like I miss the worship experience because I am constantly working to make sure the music sounds good, worrying about what song is next, etc.
To answer your question about what various churches are doing - I am paid full time and lead every Sunday morning (two services) and every other Sunday night. I have the youth lead one Sunday night a month and I help guide them a bit. I have a family that leads worship one Sunday night a month and that's a night off for me. I rotate my team members, even when that means sometimes it's not a full band. I don't let anyone serve every Sunday of a month. I'm not where I can have two or three full teams that rotate, but I do make sure every volunteer has at LEAST one full Sunday off a month, including my key leaders. One of them recently told me not to worry about scheduling days off for him because he loves doing it. My response was, "Yeah, I want you to keep feeling that way. You have the third Sunday of this month off." ;)
Been leading for 10 years almost every weekend. Our team usually takes a week vacation a year. Not burnt out at all. Worship is still my passion and will always be.
Small church. One Sunday service, one mid-week practice, one pre-service run through. Six-person group has been together over ten years. In the past we have only been able to take off about three services/year. Our solution was to upgrade to the X-32 with 32 track recording card. We have recorded and re-mixed nearly all the songs on our list. We have used the recordings numerous times with good results. Weeks off can be planned in advance. Of course recordings are not as good as performing live, but right now it is our only solution. May God bless your ministry!
I am the worship coordinator at my church. We don't have a staff worship leader. I schedule fill in leaders for each week. We have a core of four musicians including myself (keys) plus a paid worship leader. It can be challenging for us to have time off, but I am always urging my team to take time for themselves. My drummer was sick last week and I really didn't sweat it! My pastor was worried that it would feel less full and upbeat without him, but said after the service that it was great! Part of the challenge is getting rehearsal time to put new musicians in. Many of my leaders prefer a Sunday only rehearsal and that makes recruiting challenging! Even though I struggle to get my team to take time for themselves, I always see it as positive when they do! One aspect of the service you didn't talk about is the tech team. I have had two sound techs quit from burn out in the past year. Not easy to fill that seat! I have a hard time taking time off too. It feels like the whole service will fall apart if I go on vacation. I know this isn't true, but I love what I do and want even my off days to be awesome! I love how you said our job is to equip our church family, not to build a band! This takes a lot of the pressure off! Thanks for sharing this.
Some people can do that and love it. There are horses for courses. For me, I'm a multi-instrumentalist. If I don't take a break one Sunday out of the month, that keeps more people in the audience that could be cultivating their God-given talents, and I burn out faster. The excuse would be that the ministry shouldn't have to cultivate a job that the multi-instrumentalist can cover. Not correct.
My wife and I are the worship leaders and associate pastors. We do have (finally) 2 other singers, one keyboard player (pastor's wife), one drummer and I play bass. We serve every week and can only take 1 or 2 Sundays off a year. It can be utterly exhausting.
Good advice I recently left the church I’d been attending for the previous year because I burned out. I started out volunteering 3 Sunday’s a week at a single service and in a few months was leading two services every Sunday. I finally hit a breaking point and quit.
Our Worship directors are awesome with this, they do a great job of ensuring no one's over volunteered :) Personally, the ratio that works for me is 3 out of 4 weekends serving :)
Electric Guitar player here. I play about twice a month. Don't feel burned out at all. I'm using my ability to worship Jesus with music. HOW THE HECK COULD I GET BURNED OUT!!!??? I COULD DO THIS FOREVER. But it is nice to worship from the point of view of the congregation twice a month as well.
I see this at my church. Luckily our worship minister is pretty flexible with letting people take weeks off when they need them! I plan on getting an electric soon so I can fill in whenever they need me to
Worship leader/Bass player & music director at my church, we do not have rotating musicians, same team plays every sunday, we try to schedule 3 sundays a year off. We love playing every week, wouldnt have it any other way
I lead worship on 2nd & 4th Sundays. I have also as a bassist played 2 services every Sunday and have run into fatigue and burn out. I think rest is very important because you can't serve from an empty cup
I'm the worship Pastor... we don't have many musicians. other than guitars. we use them all every week. I never get a break. I'm on every Sunday unless I take vacation (like 1-2 times a year)
Although this year, I started giving them 1-2 sundays a month so that we prevent burn out and because I believe their hearts are more important than the band. However, our pastor is against this and does not understand the importance of giving them weeks off. :/
I am, as are a few in our worship team, serivng pretty much every week. Lack of serving team members makes it hard. I am also of the mind that I am going to be there, i can serve as well, but I know that it cannot be sustained long term.
Volunteer at our church. Just until recently I played electric guitar every Sunday for main service and Friday at our youth service. After watching some of your previous videos, I took courage and talked with my worship leader. Now I have every other Sunday off and we got another electric guitar player. We also have now two full teams that rotate every week. Keep up the good work and I enjoy the content a lot. Cheers
Sound guy. Every week since January 5th. Love it but I'm anxious for a back up just in case something happens. I sometimes hang a Help Wanted sign because I forget to ask for help.
As the worship leader, I try to give each musician and A/V at least one Sunday off each month. On positions that are one deep, I aim for one week off every other month. During the summer we have an acoustic set with just me on guitar once a month to ensure that everyone has a break. While I don't get that week off, it simplifies rehearsal and is still a bit of a break. Then for my breaks, I try to take at least one Sunday off every six months and have someone fill in so I can recharge with my wife and kids since they sacrifice so much so that I can do this. It takes being intentional about scheduling time off not just for the volunteers but for yourself too. Without that, it is easy to get caught up in the "making a band" death spiral!
Worship leader here- small church (60 ish in worship). Piano, bass, acoustic, 2-3 singers. Usually the same team every week. Really appreciate the mindset talk- definitely something our church can do better.
I have been playing every single weekend but after listening to your explanation, I realize that I need to take at least one weekend off a month. Thanks for the sound wisdom!
I serve pretty much every weekend and weekdays plus sometimes playing at other campuses and running over back to ours to play so yea it’s tough and we don’t take too many breaks
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! CHANGING THE OUTLOOK FROM A BAND TO PASTORING....AND INSTEAD OF FIGURING WHO IS ON, TELL PEOPLE WHEN NOT TO SHOW UP! I AM RENEWED JUST WATCHING THS THANKS SO MUCH GUYS! PS 4 MUSICIANS, SAME 4 EVERY SUNDAY THAT WE CAN.
Even as the only electric player, I started purposely taking at least 2 Sundays off a month. It's not worth getting burned out if I can help it. It's not that I don't care, it's more that I want to be able to just worship in the congregation with my family. It's not my issue there aren't other electric players.
Quite personally, I’ve never understood the concept of burnout. We are called to live a life of rest through the comfort and power of the Holy Spirit. The church I serve in and lead worship in definitely has a lack of musicians in several areas, and I have gone as long as 8 months straight before... That is 4 services a week (Thursday night and 3 Sunday services), flexing from piano, vocals, and acoustic guitar, etc... never feeling burned out at all. I love doing it. Recently, back in December, when our worship team finally seemed consistent and strong all the way around, I came to a place where I wanted to serve in other areas that had more of a need. So I did that for about a month, was enjoying it quite thoroughly; however, then 2-3 people on the worship team got “burned out.” So I was called back up to fit the needs of the worship team, and I’m just now into my 2nd week back. I do my best to serve wherever there’s a need, but I think as worship leaders, we should have such a strong cultivated lifestyle of balance and rest. We shouldn’t get so easily burned out.
At my church, I serve as a musician (piano or guitar), singer and worship leader 3 times/week... Without any type of breaks. The only time I don't serve is when I'm sick I've been serving like this for 6 straight years... I'm leaving the worship band because it's not sustainable anymore. I feel too burned out just to take a vacation and come back after a few months..
I remember when I was young:) lol But seriously, start setting a healthy rhythm and boundaries for your self now and as you get older you will not have to suffer what so many have before you!! You are young so start those habits now!!! Although you may not need as much time off as a married parent, you still need a break and a chance to just enjoy worship from the bleachers!!
I play guitar but I'm also the head leader of the team, mostly because I'm the oldest member. I've done worship every Sunday service & Wednesday bible study with events here & there, even in the Texas heat. I've dealt with burn out doing this & having a fulltime job to support my family. Sometimes can affect my performance at the church & even at work. Still have yet to take a break. Hard to find fill in musicians since everyone wants to get paid or the person is a beginner & I don't have time to teach. Our church is strictly volunteer only but does require being loyal. Which I get, but it's difficult. I currently got fired from my job & transitioning to a new job so the few weeks I have off has helped me but I'd like to avoid this feeling from me & others in my team as well. Most my leaders are highly energetic people who do get to take breaks but it's difficult for us since there are no volunteers to fill in.
I am an MD and lead guitarist and I play every Sunday of the year but I love It so much. I've never felt burnt out. But for the others in the team, they are paid musicians so they are usually there every Sunday.
Thanks Brian and Fuller for all your work... Here in Australia at One2One COC we have various teams on worship and generally most of us play once a month so burnout should never be a problem.
I'm a worship leader, but also on staff. We have 5 services a week across 2 campuses - a Sunday morning, midweek evening, and Saturday night service at one campus; a Sunday morning and midweek evening at the other. I'm leading worship at one Sunday and one midweek every week. I rotate between campuses as needed, but every week, twice a week. Because I'm on staff, there's an expectation that I'll be there when the doors are open, whether I'm leading or not. But honestly, sometimes I just need to not lead. I took an entire month off earlier this year because I felt the need to step away from that area for a while. Came back a month later refreshed, recharged, and ready to lead in that area again. TAKE TIME TO REST. Can't say it loud enough.
I think also that we've focused so much on the big name professional worship teams, that we have to have our best team members play every week in order to appear credible. Worship is not something you do to be seen as a credible ministry. That's a rock concert. Worship is something you do to minister to the Lord, and build up the saints in your church. How you do that can vary from week to week and be just fine.
Challenges? All of the above as mentioned as 02:16 Our people rotate but we are thin in a few spots like drums and vocals. I'm wondering if in many communities today fewer people are learning "worship team " instruments in their youth, or fewer are maintaining their skills as they become adults? ( or still playing but find worship music uninteresting? )
I play guitar every weekend, 3 Sunday morning services (8:45, 10 and 11:15). I don't take a break at the moment as I am the only electric guitar player. We have trouble finding musicians especially a consistent drummer, although we have 2 auditions coming up soon. Our church has grown from 150(ish) to over 600 in about a year.
I play every week I don't block out spread between a few of our campuses. I'll block out ~6-8 weeks a year for vacations. I do think as a single person with no kids I'm better positioned to deal with a heavier commitment load then a lot of the other volunteers I play with. But breaks are good, I'll have 3 weekends off in July and I'm not upset about it.
Brian and Fuller you guys are awesome I really like the passion you guys have for God and people more then what you guys do at the church ..... I need help I have been serving on my church for 11 years as a worship leader guitar player I do all the schedule on Planning center I try to help my worship team as the best as I can and my work is construction I do tile it’s not easy ... I love being able to give my best to serve good I do worship every Wednesday and Sunday and some especial events my service on Sunday is 6:30 pm and even help some of my friends on their church’s Sunday morning ...... but the problem is I’m burn out and when I try to explain this to may pastor he says that I we need to be responsible because God is counting on me and I should be grateful to be where I am now and be able to do what I do because a lot of people want to do and they can’t God has given me everything I need etc .... I totally get it and I understand but I need a way to explain that I need a recharge ..... HELP ME
I'm sorry to hear that, Maicon! We've heard that argument before (the one your Pastor makes to you). Fuller and I often refer to that as 'spiritual bullying', and it's actually really common among church leaders. I don't think those leaders mean to bully, but essentially that's what they are doing. Those situations are a lot tougher because the person who should be the one pastoring you is actually doing the opposite. The principle of Sabbath is the one where I'd start, personally, when talking to your pastor about it.
Maicon Tavares You need to go ahead and schedule some time off and let your Pastor know you’re taking it because your family and your health is the most important ministry you have. Without those, you will become useless and used! Just make sure you spend some time getting your responsibilities covered that week! Also, if your Pastor pushes back, please have him email me and we can set up and time to navigate this together!! Blessings
So do you have any videos on how to recruit musicians? I know you said talk about it with the pastor and communicate it from the pulpit, but what if you have and no one is coming forward to volunteer? Any other thoughts or ideas on how else to recruit people, especially if you do not have the money to bring in outside musicians.
At my old church I was the only and main Guitarist for about 8 years. With maybe a total of maybe 12 Sunday’s off lol I played every Wednesday night, youth group, and Sunday all those 8 years.
We have a decent rotation (at least 2-3 to rotate between with at least half of the positions), or we just make sure to not schedule anyone for every week of every month. What would you suggest would be the best methods and procedures for getting people in the congregation excited and motivated to want to audition for positions on the worship team, ESPECIALLY MUSICIANS?
I lead every week and usually get 2-3 Sundays off a year. I have an A team and B team that alternates every week. Not a very big team but worst case I will do solo acoustic worship is if needed. Have had pretty good success there. The hardest part is getting someone to cover leading when needed.
Hello to everyone....don’t know how to start this one....it’s kinda difficult....well the thing is that in our church the ppl in charge of the financial stuff pretty much never “invest” in equipment...all our equipment ranging from pianos,guitars,mics,console mixers, PCs,and anything you can imagine are like 14 yrs old....I have talked countless times about that with them but it seems like they don’t think that it’s a serious problem...for instance during a Sunday sermon the mics failed the piano started randomly switching on and off...and they other day the main console was somehow water damaged and as a result we have some serious chnl problems......what should them or how should I tell them? Any ideas? Thanks
I play guitar in our band. Almost every weekend for 6 years. This video is fantastic. We are slowly adding musicians and I’m going to share this video with everyone in the ministry.
I've been the only lead guitarist for almost as long as I've been in in a worship band so I have played essentially every week. The only time I take off is when I'm out of town for vacation a couple times a year. I love it. I'm not really a singer so my guitar is my voice. I have loved every band I've served with and I cherish the musical and spiritual bond I have with them. They are always my closest friends at church, and it shows when we lead worship. However I've never been afraid to tell one of the worship leaders if I needed some time off. Sometimes you just need to regroup and recharge, and it's ok!
We have the other issue. We have three "thin" teams. One plays twice a month and the others once (and adhoc on the fifth Sunday if there is one). It would be great to combine the three into two, however getting people to up their commitment is a real problem. It's been the norm for many years to have three, and I think people are a bit blind to the benefits of moving to two.
Worship MD and lead guitar. 2 Sundays off a year, unless REALLY sick in bed. We have 0 alternate musicians at this time. Our drummer is taking 2 weeks off in September and I’ll be subbing for him, but there is no one to sub for me.
I do fill in worship leading at various churches (mostly small) and I laughed when he said your job is to empower “all the guitarists in your church”. 99% of small to medium sized churches are lucky if they have one capable guitar player. Burn out is real, but the other reality is most churches don’t have 3 musicians who can play week after week etc.
Yeah the Sunday Vlog series is all filmed during our Sunday morning worship services. If you mean do I film during the preaching? Sometimes I do, but we have two services. I sit with my family during one message and usually in the green room for the other service. But almost all of the filming I do is before/after the services - I rarely film anything during the message time.
Every weekend, with practice every week too! I also play in a concert band that practices every week and has concerts sprinkled throughout the summer, and also play in a P&W band that is separate from my church. I absolutely get what you are saying here! It can be a lot to keep going week after week for sure! I do feel like I have a unique situation in a way... I live in a world full of chronic pain and other fun neurological adventures, so being able to worship by playing my instrument is really all I have left to look forward to. For those small moments, I’m able to compartmentalize it all. Yeah, I’m still in pain when I play, but it seems to be a little more tolerable. I can’t sing without getting super lightheaded and dizzy, so that’s not an option either. It also helps keep me accountable in a way too... if I didn’t have to play I would stay home in bed and watch the service online because it’s a struggle just to sit in the pew for the sermon!
I serve pretty much every week, between Worship Leading, Guitar and Keys occasionally Bass when needed. I oversee the team in a volunteer capacity. The rest of the team probably about 2 times a month, I have the occasional week off myself but quite often need to be rostered on out of necessity. It's getting easier the more people we have joining the team though so we should be in a place where I can have more weeks off soon.
10 years, every Sunday. Been through 3 different “leaders” now the pastor is leading and killing the music at church. Love to see a video on how to ask your pastor to back off and let the praise team lead itself. We have lost 20% of our congregation, 80% of our youth and have reverted to playing bluegrass and songs that were written and recorded in the 50’s. I’m so burnt out and ready to walk away. Waiting for God to lead me.
Bryan Hopkins dang bro!!! Sorry to hear that! Sounds like your wheels are already spinning! I would encourage you as you’re trying to discern your future, now more than ever, you need a break! Just tell your pastor you need a break to get your head clear and do some praying! Sometimes after a nice vacation you can see things a little more clearly than when we’re burn out and in the thick of it. I’ve gone through this several times in my ministry. Hang in there bro let Jesus refuel you and fill you up! No man, no ministry, and no church can give you what Jesus can and only Jesus can!
As the apprentice pastor I serve on the music team every week. In the past year and a bit I have had a two week holiday around Christmas time and then have had a break about once a quarter. Hoping to have a break once a month or at least rotating between positions on the music team (currently am doing admin / band leader / sound every week). Even if things are not covered I need to take care of myself and trust that God will work even when I am away. It will be a bonus to have team members stepping up every few weeks or alternating weeks.
I was active for 3 years and a half playing rythim guitar and then drums in a church down here in México. Greetings btw God bless you guys, pardon my English. Every sunday we have 3 services. The first one starts at 9 am, then the second at 11:30 am an the last one is at 6:00 pm. Sunday after sunday we were the same group of musicians with 2 rehersals of two hours through out the week. I started very very enthusiastic with all the energy in the world thanks to God. After a year and a half I started to feel not so full of the same amount of energy and I told my leader but she kept telling me that I shouldn't feel like that and if I kept feeliyng like that then my heart wasn't in the right place and I don't deserve being in the worship team. That honestly scared me because I thought I was being ungraetful. Then I understood that wasn't the case. But the consequences were I quit.
I lead 1-2 times a month, play usually 1 other time. So generally 1 week off. We experience burn but we try to combat that by going to other events, or church services where we are not involved.
I've been playing lead guitar at my church since 2013 and I am still playing with breaks every month but the last time I had a Sunday off was back in September 2018. I have experienced a bit of burnout but that hasn't me from serving Jesus
I serve playing guitar and singing every week all year. No break. We also do a community outreach once a month which is a two hour set. But I've been playing actively for 20 years so it's all I know.
I typically go somewhere in the range of 4 to 6 on and 1 off for the most part. i'm the only acoustic player and run our tech/loops/clicks so it's hard to be off. granted, we're a plant, we're mobile so there's set up even when not playing that week, the plant is less than a year in and we're always wanting to try and "pull our weight." I still need focus a bit more on 1 major component of why weeks off are important. More than just rest, I'm learning the importance of worshiping with my wife. it's just another area where we can grow closer together, so I'm trying to make it more of a priority when I am off to schedule that around her off weeks too
I'm the only guitarist at my church. We have one musiciana for every instrument( bass, piano, drums) and we serve 3 services a week(Friday night, Sunday Morning, afternoon). Its very common here in this area that we have the same musicians play every week(end). At least 2 services a week. We dont really get time off unless we tell them. I'd say it's been like 5 years since I've had a real break but I'm taking 3 weeks off starting next week🙌🏽.
I play every week I flip between acoustic 1 week and electric the next, occasionally I'm the only guitarist and play both. I absolutely love playing music. I got married earlier this year and Told my worship pastor I wanted a month off. 2 weeks in I was begging to be back on the team. My practice routine structures my week, I wasn't sure what to do with myself anymore lol. I Get to play live music every week, there are alot of musicians that can't say that. Infact I wish I could play more lol..like A night service or a worship night...Should I reach out to other churches, or Should I feel blessed with the opportunity I've been given?!
Seems like we do at least one song each week that you do in your set (was Living Hope this week). We use Planning Center for scheduling which works well. Personally I set myself for twice a month on our Tuesday services, been thinking of bumping it up to 3 times for availability as I enjoy it. I don't think any one serves every week as we have a pretty large pool of volunteer musicians for Sunday services, although some may do up to 3 times a month. This includes our staff Worship Leader, who will generally take a break every couple of months, or often will just play guitar and let the Worship Team lead by committee.
For a volunteer at our church, it adds up like this: Wednesday evening rehearsal: 2.5 hours (6:30pm to 9pm) Sunday morning: 6 hours (6:15am to 12:15pm) Practice time: 1-3 hours. At least that's how much time I spend practicing each week (volunteers are expected to have music memorized for rehearsal) So all told we are asking volunteers to spend 10+ hours a week devoted to serving at church. That's pretty much a part time job for which they don't get paid. If we asked them to do that every week on top of their full time jobs, families, and other responsibilities, they'd get burned out pretty quick. Even if a church asked for half that amount of time, it would be quite a burden to ask someone to give that much every single week with no break in sight.
Take a vacation within the next 4 weeks!!! Be blessed and consider this a nudging!!! The world will keep spinning and God will still show up. You need and DESERVE a break my friend!
In my case I wouldn't call it burnout from too many service hours per month, more like a false expectation of "fun." It may be fun, may not, but one thing it definitely is, is service to God. It's taken longer than it should for me to realize the worship team is a lot more like an orchestra than the small rock combos I used to play in. :-)
So I am a volunteer lead guitarist and I serve three a month/ on call on my week off just in case of an emergency fill in, three services a Sunday with two rehearsals
Volunteer AVL tech lead (no tech on staff, aprox 250 attendees). Server in some capacity every week (FOH rotates through 3 of us, but I still do practices, and other tech tasks). Aprox 3 Sunday’s a year off and I am on call those Sundays. Been serving in current church for 18 years. Actively developing other volunteers, but it is challenging. I do love what I do, but yes, burnout.
That's such a struggle with me. I am a worship leader but I also am in love with the gift of music, it fascinates me. It's a great reminder nonetheless to remember that it's not about building a band but man, I wasn't expecting to hear that. Either way, thanks for the advice y'all
Brian!!! VOCALISTS ARE MUSICIANS TOO!! I always enjoy your videos but you made a statement that just always rubs me and probably many others the wrong way! you said you have 4 musicians and 2 vocalists! All of us who serve on the praise team are musicians. Whether we only sing or we play a guitar and sing or just the drums!
Sorry Jesse! Yes vocalists are 100% included in the 'band' and 'musician' lingo that we use. We consider anyone in tech/production as part of the team, too, and the same principles apply there as well.
I played pretty much every week for over 2 years. I am burned out completely. I haven’t been back to church, and haven’t even touched a guitar for 6 months-it stole all of my joy in everything connected with it.
I serve as the only electric guitar player and serve every Sunday. Our entire praise team serves every Sunday. I have been burnt out for some time as there is not anyone to fill in, I have had serious thoughts of moving on. The last two summers the praise team took two months off. Sounds great, however, another Christian band that I play with was asked to fill in three Sundays of the eight I had off. Need to work it out for myself because I feel like I miss the worship experience because I am constantly working to make sure the music sounds good, worrying about what song is next, etc.
To answer your question about what various churches are doing - I am paid full time and lead every Sunday morning (two services) and every other Sunday night. I have the youth lead one Sunday night a month and I help guide them a bit. I have a family that leads worship one Sunday night a month and that's a night off for me. I rotate my team members, even when that means sometimes it's not a full band. I don't let anyone serve every Sunday of a month. I'm not where I can have two or three full teams that rotate, but I do make sure every volunteer has at LEAST one full Sunday off a month, including my key leaders. One of them recently told me not to worry about scheduling days off for him because he loves doing it. My response was, "Yeah, I want you to keep feeling that way. You have the third Sunday of this month off." ;)
Please keep doing these talks with fuller. I am learning so much
Awesome. Thanks guys
Been leading for 10 years almost every weekend. Our team usually takes a week vacation a year. Not burnt out at all. Worship is still my passion and will always be.
Small church. One Sunday service, one mid-week practice, one pre-service run through. Six-person group has been together over ten years. In the past we have only been able to take off about three services/year. Our solution was to upgrade to the X-32 with 32 track recording card. We have recorded and re-mixed nearly all the songs on our list. We have used the recordings numerous times with good results. Weeks off can be planned in advance. Of course recordings are not as good as performing live, but right now it is our only solution. May God bless your ministry!
I am the worship coordinator at my church. We don't have a staff worship leader. I schedule fill in leaders for each week. We have a core of four musicians including myself (keys) plus a paid worship leader. It can be challenging for us to have time off, but I am always urging my team to take time for themselves. My drummer was sick last week and I really didn't sweat it! My pastor was worried that it would feel less full and upbeat without him, but said after the service that it was great! Part of the challenge is getting rehearsal time to put new musicians in. Many of my leaders prefer a Sunday only rehearsal and that makes recruiting challenging! Even though I struggle to get my team to take time for themselves, I always see it as positive when they do! One aspect of the service you didn't talk about is the tech team. I have had two sound techs quit from burn out in the past year. Not easy to fill that seat! I have a hard time taking time off too. It feels like the whole service will fall apart if I go on vacation. I know this isn't true, but I love what I do and want even my off days to be awesome! I love how you said our job is to equip our church family, not to build a band! This takes a lot of the pressure off! Thanks for sharing this.
Played bass for 5 years as the house player. Never took a break. Loved every minute of it. Never experienced burnout.
I agree.
Some people can do that and love it. There are horses for courses. For me, I'm a multi-instrumentalist. If I don't take a break one Sunday out of the month, that keeps more people in the audience that could be cultivating their God-given talents, and I burn out faster. The excuse would be that the ministry shouldn't have to cultivate a job that the multi-instrumentalist can cover. Not correct.
My wife and I are the worship leaders and associate pastors. We do have (finally) 2 other singers, one keyboard player (pastor's wife), one drummer and I play bass. We serve every week and can only take 1 or 2 Sundays off a year. It can be utterly exhausting.
Good advice I recently left the church I’d been attending for the previous year because I burned out. I started out volunteering 3 Sunday’s a week at a single service and in a few months was leading two services every Sunday. I finally hit a breaking point and quit.
Our Worship directors are awesome with this, they do a great job of ensuring no one's over volunteered :) Personally, the ratio that works for me is 3 out of 4 weekends serving :)
Electric Guitar player here. I play about twice a month. Don't feel burned out at all. I'm using my ability to worship Jesus with music. HOW THE HECK COULD I GET BURNED OUT!!!??? I COULD DO THIS FOREVER. But it is nice to worship from the point of view of the congregation twice a month as well.
I see this at my church. Luckily our worship minister is pretty flexible with letting people take weeks off when they need them! I plan on getting an electric soon so I can fill in whenever they need me to
Rehearsal on thursday night, service friday night, service sunday morning. For 12 years now. Maybe about 8 weekends off in total
Hey Brian and Fuller, I play electric and I typically play twice a month, either every other week or two weeks on two weeks off.
Worship leader/Bass player & music director at my church, we do not have rotating musicians, same team plays every sunday, we try to schedule 3 sundays a year off. We love playing every week, wouldnt have it any other way
Hi. I'm in a worship team in my church in Germany. We have 3 teams in the church. Every team plays once per month.
I lead worship on 2nd & 4th Sundays. I have also as a bassist played 2 services every Sunday and have run into fatigue and burn out. I think rest is very important because you can't serve from an empty cup
I'm the worship Pastor... we don't have many musicians. other than guitars. we use them all every week. I never get a break. I'm on every Sunday unless I take vacation (like 1-2 times a year)
Although this year, I started giving them 1-2 sundays a month so that we prevent burn out and because I believe their hearts are more important than the band. However, our pastor is against this and does not understand the importance of giving them weeks off. :/
I am, as are a few in our worship team, serivng pretty much every week. Lack of serving team members makes it hard. I am also of the mind that I am going to be there, i can serve as well, but I know that it cannot be sustained long term.
Volunteer at our church. Just until recently I played electric guitar every Sunday for main service and Friday at our youth service. After watching some of your previous videos, I took courage and talked with my worship leader. Now I have every other Sunday off and we got another electric guitar player. We also have now two full teams that rotate every week.
Keep up the good work and I enjoy the content a lot.
Cheers
Finally they are back! The vlogs :)
Ha thanks! I actually have a handful of them sitting on my hard drive - this one was from a few weeks ago. OK back to editing :).
Sound guy. Every week since January 5th. Love it but I'm anxious for a back up just in case something happens. I sometimes hang a Help Wanted sign because I forget to ask for help.
As the worship leader, I try to give each musician and A/V at least one Sunday off each month. On positions that are one deep, I aim for one week off every other month. During the summer we have an acoustic set with just me on guitar once a month to ensure that everyone has a break. While I don't get that week off, it simplifies rehearsal and is still a bit of a break. Then for my breaks, I try to take at least one Sunday off every six months and have someone fill in so I can recharge with my wife and kids since they sacrifice so much so that I can do this. It takes being intentional about scheduling time off not just for the volunteers but for yourself too. Without that, it is easy to get caught up in the "making a band" death spiral!
Worship leader here- small church (60 ish in worship). Piano, bass, acoustic, 2-3 singers. Usually the same team every week. Really appreciate the mindset talk- definitely something our church can do better.
I have been playing every single weekend but after listening to your explanation, I realize that I need to take at least one weekend off a month. Thanks for the sound wisdom!
I serve pretty much every weekend and weekdays plus sometimes playing at other campuses and running over back to ours to play so yea it’s tough and we don’t take too many breaks
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! CHANGING THE OUTLOOK FROM A BAND TO PASTORING....AND INSTEAD OF FIGURING WHO IS ON, TELL PEOPLE WHEN NOT TO SHOW UP! I AM RENEWED JUST WATCHING THS THANKS SO MUCH GUYS! PS 4 MUSICIANS, SAME 4 EVERY SUNDAY THAT WE CAN.
Abe Sines praise God!!!
Even as the only electric player, I started purposely taking at least 2 Sundays off a month. It's not worth getting burned out if I can help it. It's not that I don't care, it's more that I want to be able to just worship in the congregation with my family. It's not my issue there aren't other electric players.
Wells306 amen bro!!
Excellently put my friend!
Quite personally, I’ve never understood the concept of burnout. We are called to live a life of rest through the comfort and power of the Holy Spirit.
The church I serve in and lead worship in definitely has a lack of musicians in several areas, and I have gone as long as 8 months straight before... That is 4 services a week (Thursday night and 3 Sunday services), flexing from piano, vocals, and acoustic guitar, etc... never feeling burned out at all. I love doing it.
Recently, back in December, when our worship team finally seemed consistent and strong all the way around, I came to a place where I wanted to serve in other areas that had more of a need. So I did that for about a month, was enjoying it quite thoroughly; however, then 2-3 people on the worship team got “burned out.” So I was called back up to fit the needs of the worship team, and I’m just now into my 2nd week back. I do my best to serve wherever there’s a need, but I think as worship leaders, we should have such a strong cultivated lifestyle of balance and rest. We shouldn’t get so easily burned out.
At my church, I serve as a musician (piano or guitar), singer and worship leader 3 times/week... Without any type of breaks. The only time I don't serve is when I'm sick
I've been serving like this for 6 straight years... I'm leaving the worship band because it's not sustainable anymore. I feel too burned out just to take a vacation and come back after a few months..
I serve every weekend, no breaks.... weird thing is i’m 16 years old haha, but I love doing it.
THAT'S AWESOME MAN KEEP UP GOD'S WORK! BUT HEED THEIR WARNING AND TAKE SOME TIME FOR YOURSELF AS WELL!
I remember when I was young:) lol But seriously, start setting a healthy rhythm and boundaries for your self now and as you get older you will not have to suffer what so many have before you!! You are young so start those habits now!!! Although you may not need as much time off as a married parent, you still need a break and a chance to just enjoy worship from the bleachers!!
Thanks guys! I will take your advices
I play guitar but I'm also the head leader of the team, mostly because I'm the oldest member. I've done worship every Sunday service & Wednesday bible study with events here & there, even in the Texas heat. I've dealt with burn out doing this & having a fulltime job to support my family. Sometimes can affect my performance at the church & even at work. Still have yet to take a break. Hard to find fill in musicians since everyone wants to get paid or the person is a beginner & I don't have time to teach. Our church is strictly volunteer only but does require being loyal. Which I get, but it's difficult. I currently got fired from my job & transitioning to a new job so the few weeks I have off has helped me but I'd like to avoid this feeling from me & others in my team as well. Most my leaders are highly energetic people who do get to take breaks but it's difficult for us since there are no volunteers to fill in.
I am an MD and lead guitarist and I play every Sunday of the year but I love It so much. I've never felt burnt out. But for the others in the team, they are paid musicians so they are usually there every Sunday.
Usually 2-3 but our leader tries to give everyone breaks
Thanks Brian and Fuller for all your work... Here in Australia at One2One COC we have various teams on worship and generally most of us play once a month so burnout should never be a problem.
I'm a worship leader, but also on staff. We have 5 services a week across 2 campuses - a Sunday morning, midweek evening, and Saturday night service at one campus; a Sunday morning and midweek evening at the other. I'm leading worship at one Sunday and one midweek every week. I rotate between campuses as needed, but every week, twice a week.
Because I'm on staff, there's an expectation that I'll be there when the doors are open, whether I'm leading or not. But honestly, sometimes I just need to not lead. I took an entire month off earlier this year because I felt the need to step away from that area for a while. Came back a month later refreshed, recharged, and ready to lead in that area again.
TAKE TIME TO REST. Can't say it loud enough.
I think also that we've focused so much on the big name professional worship teams, that we have to have our best team members play every week in order to appear credible. Worship is not something you do to be seen as a credible ministry. That's a rock concert. Worship is something you do to minister to the Lord, and build up the saints in your church. How you do that can vary from week to week and be just fine.
Challenges? All of the above as mentioned as 02:16 Our people rotate but we are thin in a few spots like drums and vocals. I'm wondering if in many communities today fewer people are learning "worship team " instruments in their youth, or fewer are maintaining their skills as they become adults? ( or still playing but find worship music uninteresting? )
I play guitar every weekend, 3 Sunday morning services (8:45, 10 and 11:15). I don't take a break at the moment as I am the only electric guitar player. We have trouble finding musicians especially a consistent drummer, although we have 2 auditions coming up soon. Our church has grown from 150(ish) to over 600 in about a year.
I play every week I don't block out spread between a few of our campuses. I'll block out ~6-8 weeks a year for vacations. I do think as a single person with no kids I'm better positioned to deal with a heavier commitment load then a lot of the other volunteers I play with. But breaks are good, I'll have 3 weekends off in July and I'm not upset about it.
bassplayerjosh sounds like you have a healthy set of boundaries bro!!! Nice job
Is this Churchill? You stud. Either way. You stud. :)
@@bmitchellmusic Haha you know it! Right back at you!
Brian and Fuller you guys are awesome I really like the passion you guys have for God and people more then what you guys do at the church ..... I need help I have been serving on my church for 11 years as a worship leader guitar player I do all the schedule on Planning center I try to help my worship team as the best as I can and my work is construction I do tile it’s not easy ... I love being able to give my best to serve good I do worship every Wednesday and Sunday and some especial events my service on Sunday is 6:30 pm and even help some of my friends on their church’s Sunday morning ...... but the problem is I’m burn out and when I try to explain this to may pastor he says that I we need to be responsible because God is counting on me and I should be grateful to be where I am now and be able to do what I do because a lot of people want to do and they can’t God has given me everything I need etc .... I totally get it and I understand but I need a way to explain that I need a recharge ..... HELP ME
I'm sorry to hear that, Maicon! We've heard that argument before (the one your Pastor makes to you). Fuller and I often refer to that as 'spiritual bullying', and it's actually really common among church leaders. I don't think those leaders mean to bully, but essentially that's what they are doing. Those situations are a lot tougher because the person who should be the one pastoring you is actually doing the opposite. The principle of Sabbath is the one where I'd start, personally, when talking to your pastor about it.
Thanks Brian I definitely will try to see how that goes pray for me and my church and the leadership thanks again
Maicon Tavares You need to go ahead and schedule some time off and let your Pastor know you’re taking it because your family and your health is the most important ministry you have. Without those, you will become useless and used! Just make sure you spend some time getting your responsibilities covered that week! Also, if your Pastor pushes back, please have him email me and we can set up and time to navigate this together!! Blessings
Hey is there a link to those resources on how to lead solo that were mentioned in the video?
So do you have any videos on how to recruit musicians? I know you said talk about it with the pastor and communicate it from the pulpit, but what if you have and no one is coming forward to volunteer? Any other thoughts or ideas on how else to recruit people, especially if you do not have the money to bring in outside musicians.
At my old church I was the only and main Guitarist for about 8 years. With maybe a total of maybe 12 Sunday’s off lol I played every Wednesday night, youth group, and Sunday all those 8 years.
We have a decent rotation (at least 2-3 to rotate between with at least half of the positions), or we just make sure to not schedule anyone for every week of every month. What would you suggest would be the best methods and procedures for getting people in the congregation excited and motivated to want to audition for positions on the worship team, ESPECIALLY MUSICIANS?
I lead every week and usually get 2-3 Sundays off a year. I have an A team and B team that alternates every week. Not a very big team but worst case I will do solo acoustic worship is if needed. Have had pretty good success there. The hardest part is getting someone to cover leading when needed.
Hello to everyone....don’t know how to start this one....it’s kinda difficult....well the thing is that in our church the ppl in charge of the financial stuff pretty much never “invest” in equipment...all our equipment ranging from pianos,guitars,mics,console mixers, PCs,and anything you can imagine are like 14 yrs old....I have talked countless times about that with them but it seems like they don’t think that it’s a serious problem...for instance during a Sunday sermon the mics failed the piano started randomly switching on and off...and they other day the main console was somehow water damaged and as a result we have some serious chnl problems......what should them or how should I tell them? Any ideas? Thanks
I play guitar in our band. Almost every weekend for 6 years. This video is fantastic. We are slowly adding musicians and I’m going to share this video with everyone in the ministry.
I've been the only lead guitarist for almost as long as I've been in in a worship band so I have played essentially every week. The only time I take off is when I'm out of town for vacation a couple times a year. I love it. I'm not really a singer so my guitar is my voice. I have loved every band I've served with and I cherish the musical and spiritual bond I have with them. They are always my closest friends at church, and it shows when we lead worship. However I've never been afraid to tell one of the worship leaders if I needed some time off. Sometimes you just need to regroup and recharge, and it's ok!
We have the other issue. We have three "thin" teams. One plays twice a month and the others once (and adhoc on the fifth Sunday if there is one). It would be great to combine the three into two, however getting people to up their commitment is a real problem. It's been the norm for many years to have three, and I think people are a bit blind to the benefits of moving to two.
Worship MD and lead guitar. 2 Sundays off a year, unless REALLY sick in bed.
We have 0 alternate musicians at this time. Our drummer is taking 2 weeks off in September and I’ll be subbing for him, but there is no one to sub for me.
I do fill in worship leading at various churches (mostly small) and I laughed when he said your job is to empower “all the guitarists in your church”. 99% of small to medium sized churches are lucky if they have one capable guitar player. Burn out is real, but the other reality is most churches don’t have 3 musicians who can play week after week etc.
So, were you filming this during the service?
Yeah the Sunday Vlog series is all filmed during our Sunday morning worship services. If you mean do I film during the preaching? Sometimes I do, but we have two services. I sit with my family during one message and usually in the green room for the other service. But almost all of the filming I do is before/after the services - I rarely film anything during the message time.
Every Sunday and every Wednesday. There’s 4 of us.
lilduke 505 recipe for burnout!! Find some time to take off for your own health and the health of your ministry!
Every weekend, with practice every week too! I also play in a concert band that practices every week and has concerts sprinkled throughout the summer, and also play in a P&W band that is separate from my church. I absolutely get what you are saying here! It can be a lot to keep going week after week for sure!
I do feel like I have a unique situation in a way... I live in a world full of chronic pain and other fun neurological adventures, so being able to worship by playing my instrument is really all I have left to look forward to. For those small moments, I’m able to compartmentalize it all. Yeah, I’m still in pain when I play, but it seems to be a little more tolerable. I can’t sing without getting super lightheaded and dizzy, so that’s not an option either. It also helps keep me accountable in a way too... if I didn’t have to play I would stay home in bed and watch the service online because it’s a struggle just to sit in the pew for the sermon!
I serve pretty much every week, between Worship Leading, Guitar and Keys occasionally Bass when needed. I oversee the team in a volunteer capacity. The rest of the team probably about 2 times a month, I have the occasional week off myself but quite often need to be rostered on out of necessity. It's getting easier the more people we have joining the team though so we should be in a place where I can have more weeks off soon.
Whoop whoop!!
10 years, every Sunday. Been through 3 different “leaders” now the pastor is leading and killing the music at church. Love to see a video on how to ask your pastor to back off and let the praise team lead itself. We have lost 20% of our congregation, 80% of our youth and have reverted to playing bluegrass and songs that were written and recorded in the 50’s. I’m so burnt out and ready to walk away. Waiting for God to lead me.
Bryan Hopkins dang bro!!! Sorry to hear that! Sounds like your wheels are already spinning! I would encourage you as you’re trying to discern your future, now more than ever, you need a break! Just tell your pastor you need a break to get your head clear and do some praying! Sometimes after a nice vacation you can see things a little more clearly than when we’re burn out and in the thick of it. I’ve gone through this several times in my ministry. Hang in there bro let Jesus refuel you and fill you up! No man, no ministry, and no church can give you what Jesus can and only Jesus can!
When is the "worship team manual" coming out?
www.worshiptutorials.com/course/the-worship-manual-volume-1/ :)
I serve every week. No break in 4 yrs.
I'll repeat what Fuller said to another commenter. You deserve a break. The world will keep spinning and God will still show up at your church.
As the apprentice pastor I serve on the music team every week. In the past year and a bit I have had a two week holiday around Christmas time and then have had a break about once a quarter. Hoping to have a break once a month or at least rotating between positions on the music team (currently am doing admin / band leader / sound every week).
Even if things are not covered I need to take care of myself and trust that God will work even when I am away. It will be a bonus to have team members stepping up every few weeks or alternating weeks.
I was active for 3 years and a half playing rythim guitar and then drums in a church down here in México. Greetings btw God bless you guys, pardon my English. Every sunday we have 3 services. The first one starts at 9 am, then the second at 11:30 am an the last one is at 6:00 pm. Sunday after sunday we were the same group of musicians with 2 rehersals of two hours through out the week. I started very very enthusiastic with all the energy in the world thanks to God. After a year and a half I started to feel not so full of the same amount of energy and I told my leader but she kept telling me that I shouldn't feel like that and if I kept feeliyng like that then my heart wasn't in the right place and I don't deserve being in the worship team. That honestly scared me because I thought I was being ungraetful. Then I understood that wasn't the case. But the consequences were I quit.
I play piano at my church and I'm the only one playing so I don't get chance to really take breaks! It's definitely hard!
I had to let the powers that be that I can only play every other week to allow me to properly prepare for service.
At 10:20 --- "only need one guitar player" One electric, or one total?
One total is enough, but it really depends on your team and style.
just curious... how many cups of coffe did that dude have before this video ?
I lead 1-2 times a month, play usually 1 other time. So generally 1 week off. We experience burn but we try to combat that by going to other events, or church services where we are not involved.
I've been playing lead guitar at my church since 2013 and I am still playing with breaks every month but the last time I had a Sunday off was back in September 2018. I have experienced a bit of burnout but that hasn't me from serving Jesus
Make yourself take a break, for your own good. Ask the WL to do an acoustic Sunday or something that does not need a lead.
I also think that it's a different experience when you take a break and worship.
I serve playing guitar and singing every week all year. No break. We also do a community outreach once a month which is a two hour set. But I've been playing actively for 20 years so it's all I know.
Are you guys going to do any tutorials or playthroughs on the NewHope original songs
I typically go somewhere in the range of 4 to 6 on and 1 off for the most part. i'm the only acoustic player and run our tech/loops/clicks so it's hard to be off. granted, we're a plant, we're mobile so there's set up even when not playing that week, the plant is less than a year in and we're always wanting to try and "pull our weight." I still need focus a bit more on 1 major component of why weeks off are important. More than just rest, I'm learning the importance of worshiping with my wife. it's just another area where we can grow closer together, so I'm trying to make it more of a priority when I am off to schedule that around her off weeks too
I'm the only guitarist at my church. We have one musiciana for every instrument( bass, piano, drums) and we serve 3 services a week(Friday night, Sunday Morning, afternoon). Its very common here in this area that we have the same musicians play every week(end). At least 2 services a week. We dont really get time off unless we tell them. I'd say it's been like 5 years since I've had a real break but I'm taking 3 weeks off starting next week🙌🏽.
This was really great and you should talk more about this.
As always, great words of wisdom, thanks Gents!
Mehn, this is really good. Thanks for sharing.
I play every week I flip between acoustic 1 week and electric the next, occasionally I'm the only guitarist and play both.
I absolutely love playing music. I got married earlier this year and Told my worship pastor I wanted a month off. 2 weeks in I was begging to be back on the team. My practice routine structures my week, I wasn't sure what to do with myself anymore lol.
I Get to play live music every week, there are alot of musicians that can't say that. Infact I wish I could play more lol..like A night service or a worship night...Should I reach out to other churches, or Should I feel blessed with the opportunity I've been given?!
Seems like we do at least one song each week that you do in your set (was Living Hope this week).
We use Planning Center for scheduling which works well. Personally I set myself for twice a month on our Tuesday services, been thinking of bumping it up to 3 times for availability as I enjoy it. I don't think any one serves every week as we have a pretty large pool of volunteer musicians for Sunday services, although some may do up to 3 times a month. This includes our staff Worship Leader, who will generally take a break every couple of months, or often will just play guitar and let the Worship Team lead by committee.
It’s only once a week. Why would anyone be burned out?
For a volunteer at our church, it adds up like this:
Wednesday evening rehearsal: 2.5 hours (6:30pm to 9pm)
Sunday morning: 6 hours (6:15am to 12:15pm)
Practice time: 1-3 hours. At least that's how much time I spend practicing each week (volunteers are expected to have music memorized for rehearsal)
So all told we are asking volunteers to spend 10+ hours a week devoted to serving at church. That's pretty much a part time job for which they don't get paid. If we asked them to do that every week on top of their full time jobs, families, and other responsibilities, they'd get burned out pretty quick. Even if a church asked for half that amount of time, it would be quite a burden to ask someone to give that much every single week with no break in sight.
Okay thank you
In four years of service, I've had less than 10 days off.
It's time to take a break, my friend :).
Take a vacation within the next 4 weeks!!! Be blessed and consider this a nudging!!! The world will keep spinning and God will still show up. You need and DESERVE a break my friend!
Thanks, Brian. Actually doing that now. Praying for God's direction.
Every week since 16
I intern as an MD and play lead guitar. I'm 4 weeks on and then 2 weeks off.
In my case I wouldn't call it burnout from too many service hours per month, more like a false expectation of "fun." It may be fun, may not, but one thing it definitely is, is service to God. It's taken longer than it should for me to realize the worship team is a lot more like an orchestra than the small rock combos I used to play in. :-)
So I am a volunteer lead guitarist and I serve three a month/ on call on my week off just in case of an emergency fill in, three services a Sunday with two rehearsals
Volunteer AVL tech lead (no tech on staff, aprox 250 attendees). Server in some capacity every week (FOH rotates through 3 of us, but I still do practices, and other tech tasks). Aprox 3 Sunday’s a year off and I am on call those Sundays. Been serving in current church for 18 years. Actively developing other volunteers, but it is challenging. I do love what I do, but yes, burnout.
That's such a struggle with me. I am a worship leader but I also am in love with the gift of music, it fascinates me. It's a great reminder nonetheless to remember that it's not about building a band but man, I wasn't expecting to hear that. Either way, thanks for the advice y'all
In my church at college, I'm on electric guitar every week
I lead every week and I take off about 2-3 times a year.
Volunteer Drummer here. 10 on 1 off.
Also. I really hope you are making a part II. Yall just kinda split lolz
I'd estimate 40 to 45 Sundays a year.
In my church we get etleast 1 week off a month 👌
Brian!!! VOCALISTS ARE MUSICIANS TOO!! I always enjoy your videos but you made a statement that just always rubs me and probably many others the wrong way! you said you have 4 musicians and 2 vocalists! All of us who serve on the praise team are musicians. Whether we only sing or we play a guitar and sing or just the drums!
Sorry Jesse! Yes vocalists are 100% included in the 'band' and 'musician' lingo that we use. We consider anyone in tech/production as part of the team, too, and the same principles apply there as well.
2nd