We want the meetings to be…

a)   high quality (doing things as well as we can for the glory of God)

b)   a safe space – for everyone, including those who are discovering their gifts, so that when things go wrong we learn and grow rather than blame and resent!

The leader of the meeting needs to…

1.    Be prepared:  Think about the theme of the meeting and make sure everything in the meeting will help the members towards understanding and engaging with that theme.

2.    Be communicative:  Talk to everyone else involved in the meeting well in advance (two or even three days if possible) – the band leader, the speaker, tech operator and the person doing the prayers. There might also be drama / book review / film clip to consider.

3. Be prayerful: Pray for the meeting. Arrive in good time before the meeting (around 30 minutes) to make sure everyone and everything involved is okay and to pray as a whole team (band, tech team, speaker etc).

4.    Be constrained: Use the list provided by the band leader to choose songs and to decide the order that they go in. Also, work out if it is best to have gaps between songs with some talking / explanation / prayers etc, or to run songs as a block. This isn’t about picking your favourite songs, but about what is best for the whole houseparty and for that particular meeting.

5.    Be creative: is there a game or activity that would fit in with the theme? Early in the week, games and activities also help to create a sense of community. Is there a film clip / drama that would fit well with the talk or has the speaker got that sorted? Would it be helpful to change lighting / layout of the room? Have background music as people arrive or a video playing? Intersperse prayers with songs, have open prayer or ask someone to sing a solo.

6.    Be careful: about involving members – not always picking the same people to be up-front, not exposing or putting pressure on members to ‘perform,’ and not making a role model out of someone who is not yet ready for it.

7.    Be the leader: your job is to lead, so step up. It’s not enough to announce three songs and sit down again. Ask for the help and input that you need, but it is you who will be up there. This is how you learn and grow! And if that doesn’t make you pray, nothing will.