The ability to create a purpose-filled worship experience on a weekly basis is a skill that is lacking in many church leadership teams. Just because one has an excellent preacher, a great band, a talented group of singers, an able technical crew, an expensive sound and video system, and a beautiful, spacious facility, doesn’t guarantee that the ultimate goal of the service will be fully accomplished. The way by which we facilitate worship each week might vary with musical style, liturgy or ability, but it is probably agreed that the goal is not simply to wow people with a great production. Rather, our aim should be to help facilitate a one-on-one encounter between the participant and God; what happens on campus between the participant’s arrival and departure must be scrutinized and adjusted for maximum impact to allow a seamless, uninterrupted flow in the worship experience.

Whichever team or person that has the responsibility of designing the worship journey each week should ask these simple questions: 1) Who is my audience? 2) When does the participant’s journey begin and end? 3) What is the big idea? 4)How much time do I have to accomplish the big idea? 4) How do I flow between each piece seamlessly? 5) Do I have the infrastructure, the teams, the resources, the preparation time, etc., to accomplish this initiative? 6) Does each team leader have clear instructions and deadlines to adequately bring quality results in a timely fashion?

I can hear a collective laugh and then hear many say, “What kind of fantasy land are you describing? My church could never accomplish this structure, planning, or delivery!” The point in this installment of Creating Great Moments In Worship is that an effective team, along with the empowering of the Holy Spirit, is the source from which an effective weekly worship journey is accomplished; it cannot happen all by itself or through just one person–it MUST be realized through a team effort.

Here are some tips for choosing team members that will help accomplish your goals:

First, don’t look for the perfect person–they don’t exist! Rather search for promising team members–they may be musical, technical, or administrative–but their basic ability, willingness to learn and serve in a volunteer capacity are the primary requirements. (In the case of volunteers who will be working with children from newborn to college, it is imperative to acquire a background check; a church or organization at any stage of growth must prioritize the safety of children).

Second, know your limitations and look for people who will compliment your team with skills you may not possess.

Third, have a weekly production meeting with all of the leaders, sitting at one table, going over the necessary production details. The agenda each week may consist of a critique of last week’s service (celebrate, too!), discussing this week’s service, and future services that may need early attention like Easter, Christmas, special services, etc. It is important that each aspect of the service be discussed with the group, and that there be consensus, since unnecessary surprises should be avoided. The pastor, administrative leader, or the worship leader may oversee this weekly production meeting…just make it a priority to have one!

Even a small church of 100 members or less can implement structure and a leadership team that will enhance the simplest production. I can almost guarantee that, if some of these suggestions are heeded, your people will have a greater experience in worship, and you will probably begin to see an increase in attendance as well.

Look for Creating Great Moments in Leadership, Part 3, in the coming weeks. For questions, comments, suggestions or for information on how Jamie can assist you and your church, please send a note to : jamie@jamieharvill.com

Brenda and I came out of hibernation New Years Day to do some shopping; the Christmas cash and gift cards were burning a hole in our pockets. So, as I have been looking for a vintage pair of boots, we made our way into a local shoe repair to see if they had any unclaimed items for sale. In broken English, the man asked for my shoe size. He thought for a moment, turned and disappeared into the back room. Surprisingly, he returned with two pairs of  black, well-worn, re-soled western boots and plopped them down on the counter. He mumbled more indiscernible English words mingled with Chinese and handed me the first pair. The size said 9 1/2 on the inside but, forcing my foot into the top, I knew it would end up being a losing battle. So I traded those for the second pair. The tops were like glove leather, crumpled over after years of use, and the full quill ostrich uppers were pristine. I knew this pair would be a steal–probably retailing for around $400, new–and the beautiful thing was…they fit! The shop owner slurred, “Sevendee dolla!”

I wasn’t going to fall for the first offer (he needed to recover his costs but I know that the labor was negotiable), so I offered forty bucks. Acting insulted, he clear the boots from the counter and waved us away saying, “You waste my time–I not work, when talk to you!” We were just about to walk out empty-handed when he motioned us back to the counter (my newly acquired bargaining skills from watching American Pickers had prevailed!). Sarcastically, I shot back with, “I thought I was wasting your time…” Eying a worthy opponent he returned, “Fifty dolla?” I told him he had a deal and I handed over my debit card. Brenda reached to take the boots from the counter and out from the pull-straps fell a folded claim ticket with the name of the original owner. When she saw who it was, she elbowed me. I looked down, and it was one of my favorite guitar players of all time. I was just listening to his music the day before, and today I have his boots!

I walked out of there with a pair of killer, vintage Tony Lamas and a promise for a great 2011. I knew it was a nod from God as if He said, “I’ve got some great things in store for you this year, Jamie.” I take it as a blessing and a challenge. I certainly have some big shoes to fill!

LA in the 60s was a boom-town for rock and roll. The group of musicians responsible for making so many of the hits come alive in those days was The Wrecking Crew. They played on hits for the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, Sonny and Cher, Jan & Dean, The Monkees, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Mamas and Papas, Tijuana Brass, Ricky Nelson, Johnny Rivers and were Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound. At the time the record industry was primarily in New York, London and Detroit in the late 50s and early 60s. Then there was a surge towards the mid-60s that pushed the recording to the west Coast. So these musicians were recording around the clock for a good 8 years. The heyday for the group was in 1967 when the charts turned to the west.

I would give anything to have been a fly on the wall in one of those sessions. A little known fact is that Glen Campbell was one of the Wrecking Crew; he played many of the Beach Boys guitar riffs that are so much a part of our collective pop music conscious. Since I was only in elementary school during those amazing times, I wasn’t aware that people made a living creating music. The only time I saw this was in the Disney cartoon, 101 Dalmatians, where Roger, the human lead, wrote songs in his London bachelor flat. Maybe subconsciously I made a mental note that it would be cool to do the same one day.

As every musician makes the transition from amateur to pro, there are a series of lessons to be learned. The video  below is an out-take from a film being produced about the famed Wrecking Crew. Louie Shelton, guitarist extraordinaire, talks about his early days with the WC and a golden learning moment concerning “playing in the pocket” with the Crew’s famed drummer, Hal Blaine.

Louie Shelton and the Wrecking Crew

Isn’t it amazing how we survived childhood? The other day Brenda and I were talking about the incidents we survived as kids of falling, tripping, skidding and bumping into objects that create wounds and lasting scars. I spent hours in Dr. Dostrow’s office receiving my share of stitches for childhood mishaps; some were accidents, some were just stupid-kid stuff.

Brenda has a scar on her thumb which is a lasting reminder of her brother mistakenly closing the front door on her hand as a little girl. The thumb was actually severed but miraculously re-attached. I have a matching scar on my right thumb from a stupid-kid incident involving a swing set in my neighbor’s back yard. There was a side car kind-of-thing on the swing set that allowed two riders to face each other as it swung back and forth. I was curious: what would happen if I stuck my thumb in the mechanism at the top? Well, I soon found out when I pulled out my bloody appendage–the thumb was cut to the bone right behind the nail. With a tetanus shot and several stitches later, I was out playing again. Another time, I was sitting on a wooden fence and fell backward directly onto a row of jagged bricks (it’s crazy how much a simple scalp wound can bleed!). I was rushed to Dr. Dostrow’s “office of pain” for another set of stitches.

The most notorious incident happened at my cousin Mike’s house when we were around 7 or 8 years old. While playing Cowboy and Indian, Mike used a toy hammer as his tomahawk and I was using the standard toy gun. When we met up in a clearing in the backyard after a quick game of hide-and-seek, Mike aimed his tomahawk at me, reared back, and let it fly. I swear, I saw that hammer rotate in slow motion until it met my forehead above my right eye. BAM!!! I literally saw stars and heard a bird chirping as I fell to the ground in excruciating pain. I was puzzled why Mike let that hammer fly; it’s still an unsolved family mystery. All I know is that I spent the afternoon with wires stuck to my head looking at a machine with squiggly lines as the Dr. reassured my mom that there was no brain damage from the incident–only a nasty, walnut-sized lump.

The no-brain-damage diagnosis was arguable as the question still remains: what motivates a kid to stick his thumb into a swing, fall back and bust his head on a brick flowerbed, and play Cowboy and Indian with dangerous weapons? All I can say is: thank God for His protection. Kids will do dumb things and the best we can do as parents is lock them in their rooms until they turn 18! No, just kidding! As parents, we need to realize that things happen and that kids will be kids…even though some kids like me really do some idiotic things while growing up.

Coffee is very important to Brenda. On the trip home from my brother’s in Birmingham today, we went an hour out of our way to sniff out a Starbucks, all the while passing up dozens of other establishments like McDonalds and gas stations, just to snag a perfect cup of Joe. We found our fix. It’s not fair to put the blame her because I am just as much of a coffee snob as she.

I was raised with “coffee milk” from as far back as my caffeine-soaked mind can remember. We three brothers sat on the opened door of mom’s oven, warming our butts and drinking mugs of coffee laced with copious amounts of milk and sugar. I graduated to more coffee and less milk and sugar as the years progressed (to this day I can’t drink coffee totally black). Once a kid is taught to love coffee, God forbid the soul who tries to wrench it from his hand. It has become a serious habit–one that I don’t plan on quitting anytime soon.

The first date I went on with Brenda was at a coffee place in Mobile. It was there that, aside from her beauty of face and frame, I knew she was the one for me. She really loved her coffee. Plus, she had toted her Bible, which was almost as big as her, into the place. God, coffee and beauty…I was smitten! To this day, after 25 years of marriage, we can’t seem to kick-start our day without a few cups of our favorite brew.

Coffee has transitioned from a simple, hot mug of pick-me-up to a high-brow, gourmet excursion. When I visited Italy 30 years ago while on a music tour, I had to ask what the big copper machine was on the bar. I was told by the server that the contraption was an espresso maker. A what??? You see, back in the prehistoric days, I had no idea what a cappuccino was. I had to shake my head a few times and re-focus my eyes following my first Italian espresso adventure. After visiting other parts of Europe, I realized that coffee was made to be considerably stronger there. I began to enjoy the full-flavor that European coffee offered. When I visited New Orleans for the first time, I found a similar flavor in the Community coffee that the folks brewed (I believe that the water there contributes to the great flavor, believe it or not!).

This Christmas, one of the most popular gifts was the Keurig coffee maker. Brenda and I bought one last year and have sworn off the coffee pot that we had so faithfully used up to that point. Once a single cup of fresh coffee is made with the Keurig, it’s really hard to go back to the stale, hours-old coffee of the past. We can even keep a collection of various assortments on-hand to break the monotony of one particular flavor. It has become an obsession and an expensive pleasure that keeps us going back to  sometimes twice a week for more boxes.

Even though there are things to surrender as resolutions in the new year, I know for a fact that coffee will not be one of them. When our Keurig finally fails after constant use, I will rush to Bed, Bath and Beyond with my 20 percent-off coupon and return with a new Keurig coffee maker in hand. It is a wonderful addiction!