Lessons from Ultimate Frisbee for Worship Teams

Posted by Jimi Williams on May 16, 2011 | 2 comments

I wrote an original blog post called “Lessons From Ultimate Frisbee” last June. And apparently it has driven more traffic to the Bridge Blog than any other post, until Josh’s post on Bin Laden a few weeks back.

So in order to regain the “Search Engine Optimization” crown from Mr. Howerton, I submit today’s blog post for your reading pleasure.

I just returned from a worship conference in Buffalo where I met a bunch of worship leaders and taught on building healthy worship teams. Here are a 5 of my thoughts from Ultimate Frisbee that can help you worship team:

1. Worship leading is a team sport. Sure you can stand up with a guitar and lead a few songs, but leading with a team is so much more fun and effective. God gave us the ability to hear a wide range of sound from booming lows to crisp highs. Incorporating a wide range of instruments in worship is like painting with a wide pallet. Also, there is a relational aspect to team. It’s good to rely on one another.

2. You are never as good as you think you are. Every weekend warrior has images of themselves during their glory years of athleticism. Likewise, as musicians, we often see ourselves as more skilled and better looking that we actually are. The solution to this is a video camera.

3. Pass the disc. As in Ultimate Frisbee, you won’t get very far in worship leading if you don’t hand off to others. Giving other leaders the chance to grow is a blessing for them, for the church and for you.

4. Don’t take yourself too seriously. There’s always “that guy” on the sports field that thinks you are playing for a gold ring or international fame. He’s hurting himself and everyone else. Worship leaders, relax and have fun. It’s music, not the Super Bowl.

5. And finally, shirts and skins NEVER works on a worship team.  This might seem obvious, but just wanted to throw it out there.

I love you, church family!

Jimi Williams
Worship Pastor, The Bridge