THE HOW-TO FILES: Creating a feedback-friendly worship and creative team.

Tips on how to give feedback that helps and doesn't hinder your church, or worship and creative team.

Photo by Yogendra Singh on Unsplash

After a spirited church service, the worship pastor, James, felt compelled to provide feedback to his talented female worship leader, Sarah. Overwhelmed by his dissatisfaction, James approached Sarah with a furrowed brow and began dissecting her performance in excruciating detail, completely dismissing her enthusiasm and the congregation's engagement. Sarah deflated and disheartened, left the conversation questioning her abilities and vowing to avoid James at all costs. The misguided feedback shattered Sarah's confidence and strained their working relationship, highlighting the importance of delivering constructive criticism with empathy and encouragement.

I was playing around with Chat GPT and asked it to create a story about a Worship Pastor who thought he had a “culture of feedback.” The above is what it came up with. I’m sadly surprised by how close it came to many a story from real life that I’ve been told over the years.

Many of you reading this received “feedback” after a service, or even during a church service, that left you feeling like Sarah from the story.

Or, maybe you’re like James from the story. You have intentionally or unintentionally given feedback in a way that has devalued the person you’re serving the Lord with more than the value of the feedback you thought you were offering.

I want to tell you that we have only ever given great feedback and done the process well, but that would be a lie. I know there have been times when our feedback has lifted meetings, changed a moment, and brought clarity and confidence. And there have been moments where we have crushed hearts without meaning to, caused people to lose their sense of purpose or belonging, created confusion, or left team members wondering what we want from them.

Feedback is essential to creating anything meaningful. But giving well-received feedback is difficult. Creating a culture of feedback is almost impossible. It can be done, but it takes intentionality and humility. You need to be willing to receive input if you want to give it.

To create a culture that’s feedback friendly, you have to be more committed to the well-being and development of the people in your team than the feedback you feel you’d like to give.