How to build an influential worship ministry

Farmers aren't defined by their harvests but rather by the soil they cultivate. It's the foundation from which everything grows. As worship leaders, perhaps we should see ourselves as farmers, too, focusing on cultivating a healthy culture instead of obsessing over what we sound and look like.

I really admire some worship leaders, teams, and churches - probably the same ones as you. I love the music and the vibe. I marvel at how they can consistently write and release good songs. They always seem so cutting-edge and vibrant. No wonder I try to copy emulate, and learn from them. I want what they seem to have - a vibrant, healthy, thriving, creative, joyful worship ministry that impacts millions. Maybe it’s just me.

The thing is - what I admire is the fruit. I am often oblivious to the tree, the roots, and the soil from which that fruit comes forth. I try to recreate their fruit; I’ll even buy the stems/multitracks, so I can sound more like them… but that’s a shortcut, an attempt to produce what they produce.

We're often judged by our output, leading us to take shortcuts to look and sound good.

I know this from observing well known ministries and working with worship artists like Maverick City Music, being behind the scenes for recordings and writing camps. I know that the music we love and the authentic worship we were drawn to came not from talent alone but was a culture that was cultivated patiently and intentionally. The soil produced the fruit. Good seeds germinate in healthy soil and grow into healthy trees, resulting (quite naturally and effortlessly) in sweet fruit.

You can take two identical seeds—healthy in every way—throw one on a concrete floor and one on good soil. Come back in a year. The one on the concrete will still be sitting there—probably a little shriveled up. The other would not only have grown into a tree but reproduced many seeds after its kind by way of the fruit. What happens to the seeds that are sown in your culture?

A caution to the wise. Healthy soil also attracts stubborn weeds that can disrupt our crops and suffocate our fruit-bearing trees. This is why some soaring, fruitful ministries suddenly fall apart and fizzle out. It's not because they were fake, but because they didn't maintain and protect the health of their soil.

They stopped nurturing the culture. The Lord told Israel to let their fields rest every seven years, allowing it to rejuvenate. As leaders, the culture we cultivate is crucial and within our control, more likely to produce what we desire.

What if our primary function wasn't just making music and leading worship but cultivating an environment where great worship can thrive? Maybe that’s what a worship pastor does, but regardless of your title, leading people is what we are called to do. Leading people means creating a culture where people can thrive. What if more churches and worship leaders focused on cultivating a strong local culture rather than worship output? It requires patience and long-term thinking, but there's something worth exploring.

Focus on the inputs, not the outputs—even when everyone around you is looking for the outputs. Look for the evidence that we are doing a good job and deserving of our place and their affection—if I’m being honest.

Let's build great worship cultures in our local churches because they produce sustained, life-giving fruit that impacts people's lives. Jesus desired all the kingdoms of this world and spent most of his time on earth creating a culture with the Twelve. From those few, he would gain the kingdoms of this world.

You already have the resources you need. It's in the people and the culture you get to cultivate. If you are never known beyond your four walls, leave a legacy of a healthy culture with your team—and watch what the Lord sows in that soil.

Remember, all healthy things grow.

Amen.