3 Tools for Worship Leader Productivity
There are many productivity tools out on the market today. Some are free, some are budget-friendly, while others are a deep investment. Regardless of the price, the effort is the same — to offer those who use the services reliable and stress free avenues to daily production. Here, I will be discussing three different productivity tools that I use on a daily basis that help me in my endeavors of being productive.
The first on the list to discuss is a software called Planning Center Services. Planning Center Services is a software that utilizes multiple different areas in one place. This software allows me to schedule volunteers in their respective places each weekend during the worship service, and also allows me to communicate to each volunteer member each element and flow of the service.
For instance, if there is a baptism that the band will be playing under, I can type that into the order of service so that they can see it have that knowledge beforehand. I can also put the rehearsal times on there so that each person knows when a rehearsal is, and if there is a rehearsal or service time change, they will be able to see for themselves on planning center, rather than me emailing or texting each individual about the change and potentially accidentally excluding someone from the message. Every piece of information is there for the viewer to have access to.
Another great ability this software has is the ability to add in song files and sheet music files. With the addition of this, there is no longer any question about what chords to play and when to play them, and they are able to listen to the recording of the music to get an idea of what the song is supposed to sound like. All of these resources and information can be sent out with a couple clicks of a button, resulting in an efficient use of time and energy.
The next tool that I utilize each day is an app called GroupMe. This is essentially a group messaging app where you can place different people in a group message. One cool feature of this app is that you can give a group that is created a name. For instance, I use this app primarily for our youth worship band and media, and I call the group “Central Students Worship/Media”. You can also assign a graphic image as an emblem for the group. For the Student Band GroupMe, the graphic is the logo of the Student Ministry giving it even more distinction and character.
There are practical benefits as well with the most obvious being sending out mass messages of communication to all individuals involved at once. For instance, if I am planning an end-of-the-semester party for the Student Worship Team, I can send 1 message to everyone with the details of the party. Additionally, I can create polls, events, and send locations. So if I need to know what food items to serve at the party, then I can either create a poll with each option for the students to be able to respond to. After, I can create the event in the app which allows all students to be able to sync it up with their phone calendar.
Using this app has helped improve the communication between me and different team members, and has saved a lot of time when it comes to planning and preparation.
The third productivity tool that I use is the Apple Pencil. As a human being, I am very pro-digital. If there is a choice of writing on paper verses typing on a device, 10 out of 10 times I will choose to type. However, sometimes it is easier to be able to write wherever and whenever you want instead of spending 30 seconds to format the document in the way that will allow you to put the information where you need to. With the apple pencil, the best of both worlds collide. I am able to satisfy my digital desires, while having the ease and freedom of being able to write wherever and whenever I want. With the apple pencil, I am also able to draw out set design ideas, set list ideas, and write out different notes to myself that I may need throughout the week. Going the traditional route of pen and paper would result in stacks of paper for me to keep track of, but now I can have all my notes and ideas on one single tablet, and am able to pull it up with one touch resulting in a cleaner and more organized desk and less mental stress.
