Last week I asked you to share what team related issues you are facing. I got some great questions, many of them expressed by multiple people, showing that they are common challenges for team leaders.
Over the next week, I’m going to respond to five questions. I’ve sought to guide with biblical principles as well as to share from my own experience.
This first question was the most common question I received, so I’ll start with it?
1. How do you get children to attend praise dance practice regularly?
The biblical principle here is faithfulness. It’s calling each other to let your “‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No,’” as Jesus instructed us in Matthew 5:37. Having both parents and children sign a written covenant before joining the team and/or before beginning rehearsals for a special occasion really helps with attendance. Faithfulness is important for children and parents. As God is faithful, His children need to grow in faithfulness. This means keeping the commitments we make to each other.
In our dancer’s covenant, I detail how many of the rehearsals a dancer must attend to be take part in a dance. (For example, they must attend 8 out of 10 or 9 out of 12 in order to participate. I leave room for them to miss a couple, understanding that life sometimes necessitates that.) I ask them to prayerfully consider the commitment before agreeing to dance. I also sign this covenant.
I make other commitments to them as well. I commit to pray for them, to prepare for our rehearsals and to teach biblically. So, they understand that we are committing to each other.
I also communicate with parents about my heart on this matter. I emphasize to the parents that I want the children to know the dance well enough to be free to truly worship. If there is a child who misses rehearsals early on, I’ll make a point to check in with them, seeing if anything is wrong.
In addition, I try to think practically, making sure my rehearsal times are family friendly times. When it’s possible to piggy back rehearsal time to a time when adults are at church too, that helps. This shows respect for the family schedule and the parents’ time and is what I appreciate as a parent “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.” Luke 6:31
I’d love to hear from you. Please share in the comments section (at the beginning of the post).
If your team has a dancer’s covenant, how has that helped with team attendance?
What other strategies/approaches would you suggest to a leader to help with attendance?
Watch for these upcoming posts:
Thursday: Holding together Technique Training, Choreography and Spirit-Led Worship
Friday: Helping the Child who Loves Performing More than Worshiping
Saturday: Dealing with the Dominant Team Member
Sunday: Making Your Dance Team Male-Friendly
Awesome! Your teachings are soooo spirit-filled. I sense much peace when I read your words…such a comfort and counselor. I will defintely implement in my team. Good for young and not so young team members. Wow!!!
Adrienne. Thank you so much for your encouragement. Praise God. He is Peace. Yes, absolutely, these are for young and old. Really, almost all the principles apply to adults as well. Looking forward to hearing more from you.
Wow Amy! I am so excited to see these questions and answers so I can learn from them. It is wonderful to learn tips from more experienced leaders so that when the opportunity comes to possibly lead a team we can be prepared and have a strong team. I love your heart for children. Your information is greatly appreciated.
Robin, I’m so glad to hear these topics speak to you. Thanks for your encouragement.
I really appreciated this information! Thank you! I am going to be bringing a praise dance group idea to my church and am trying to get all my ducks in a row. I have never done this before but always loved watching our dancers at my church growing up. I dont really know what a typical rehearsal would look like? I can’t imagine we’re dancing the whole time😆 Do you do some readings or a short lesson plan too? I have my dance the Lord choreographed for me, was also thinking about making a video so they could watch and practice at home. Would love to hear more about a typical rehearsal and what that looks like for you and how you do the costuming. Thank you for sharing what you know😍
Hi Adriana. Thank you so much for sharing. I pray blessing on you as you take this step. I usually begin by sharing the vision for the dance, praying with the team, and outlining the commitment I’m asking of them (being as specific as possible really helps head off other problems: How many rehearsals? Do you expect them to attend every rehearsal on time? Or, do you need them to commit to 8 out of the 10 total? What is the practice commitment you’d like them to make between practice (to practice with the video once a day? 2-3 times between practice?) I pray for them and with them for the time of ministry we’ll have. Then, we usually warm up to a worship song. After that, we work on choreography, learning it. Then, end in prayer. Bless you!
Also, you asked for resources, I do talk about preparing your team to minister in “From Performance to Worship.” It’s oriented for kids but applicable for adults as well. Also, Team Terrificus is a great book with wisdom for leading a team. https://worshipdanceministries.com/from-performance-to-worship/ https://worshipdanceministries.com/team-terrificus-team-tips-book/