How To Unstick Your Lowest Fader: PRODUCER
Unlike personality profiles that might box you in, the Five Faders teaches you how to become the healthiest version of that Fader.
There are no boxes in the Faders! We all have every Fader. But it could be stuck at the bottom.
I want you to have the necessary tools to move your Faders. Sliding Faders that haven’t moved in years can feel unnatural, complex, or uncomfortable.
Today, we wrap up the series by learning how to free your inner Producer Fader.
The Producer is an Architect that designs excellence and transcendence. They plan to exceed the usual limits and love to have a well-planned service executed with excellence.
Like each Fader, the Producer Fader is crucial to have on your team. We must value this Fader! (Especially if you’re a Priest Fader) :)
There are probably some myths you believe about this Fader. Maybe you’ve experienced the unhealthy expression of the Producer, which we call the micromanaging and controlling Dictator. You know, the control freak?
But replace that image with a healthy Producer. We call it the Architect - someone who can take an abstract idea and flesh it out into a beautiful, functional reality. This is our aim.
Next, look inside your heart and notice what’s coming up. “Why is everything so planned out in our service?” “I don’t feel like we’re making room for God.” “You can’t really worship in only twelve minutes!” “How am I supposed to know what God will be doing so far in advance?” “We never get to breathe in the service.”
How will you deal with this self-talk? You must confess and replace it. “The only thing worse than organized religion is disorganized religion. (Andy Stanley)” “I can learn to plan space for the unexpected.” “Since I have a limited budget of time, I must be intentional about how I use each moment.” “If I look closely at creation, I’ll be blown away by how much order and forethought has gone into it. Besides, God works outside of time.” “I can create moments to breathe in the set.”
Lastly, here are some practical strategies to grow as a Producer.
Template
Do you have a “template” that repeats the same service order weekly? No? If you look at your most recent month of services, did they all start with an upbeat song, followed by welcome and announcements, followed by a three-song set, followed by a sermon, followed by a closing song? You have a template but just don’t know it. Use that to your advantage by not starting from a blank page. Then have fun occasionally switching it up!
Cut the Clutter
You have too many songs in your database, making planning and rotating songs difficult. Plus, it prevents your congregation from knowing the songs. Jon Nicol’s genius created a SongCycle system that fixes the problem. Here are the cliff notes:
Delete songs you haven’t used in two years.
Categorize the shortened list into categories.
Determine how many of each category to do each week.
Schedule by category, starting with the ones done longest ago.
I made a video of it here: https://youtu.be/QpY6UuGKv5k.
Plan in Bulk
Never plan one week at a time. It’s so inefficient! I like tackling a month at a time. You can do in two hours, what would take eight hours if done each week. Seriously!
Think Sequentially
A transcendent worship service (that exceeds the usual limits) is a journey. It has a peak, a pinnacle where everything is headed. (Same is true for each song!) Be sure to build up to each peak.
The best plans have purposeful transitions. I’m amazed at how little thought goes into what happens “in between” all the elements. And nothing can derail a moment like an awkward or insensitive transition. You are holding the hearts of all the gathered worshipers. What do we need to jump from one thing to the next?
Know how to choose songs based on where you want to take the people. When they walk in, where are they? Knowing this will help find the right opening song. Then sing through it and ask, “Where does my heart want to go next?” Once you know where the sermon is headed, ask, “What do I need to affirm, declare, or pray to prepare myself to hear this message?” And then, “What would be an appropriate heart response after hearing this?”
Bring in Help
Someone on your team has a higher Producer Fader than you do. Ask them to show you how to listen, prepare, rehearse, think, and play…as a Producer.
Lastly, try one of these “How to get along with me” for Producers:
RESPOND TO THE PCO EMAIL!!!!! (please)
Stay on schedule, remain in your allotted time
Show up when you said you would. Preferably early.
Offer to help
You can also find resources on the Producer Fader in past Fertilizers by searching by that topic: https://www.adlibmusic.com/worship-fertilizer/category/Poducer+%28Faders%29
-Dave Helmuth
(purchase my book, "Worship Fertilizer: (the first hundred)" HERE)
How To Unstick Your Lowest Fader: PRODUCER (Nº 372)
