About to quit - needed to vent a bit and ask for an outside opinion

[steensn]

Very good, step in the right direction!

[after5cst]

Jon:

I am glad to hear of the surprise change in direction. With God, all things are indeed possible!

That said, once the dust settles a bit, you need to be proactive. You need to determine -- and write down -- a policy for members in the praise band: prerequisites, required commitment levels, etc.

Once you have a written policy, you then need to get the pastor's approval for that policy going forward. It's a lot easier to make sure the two of you are "on the same page" (or not) if you can establish requirements and policy while a conflict is not going on simultaneously.

A written policy can also help set (or reset) expectations within your band. As an example, if the policy is "Skipping practice equals no participation that week", then the band member understands that if he misses practice, regardless of the reason or how well he might be able to fill in at the last minute, you as the leader are well within your rights to make other arrangements.

I'm continually learning that communication and setting expectations in advance is a key part of the "business" side of music ministry, and reduces the number of places the enemy can cause disagreements within the church.

[steensn]

Jon:

I am glad to hear of the surprise change in direction. With God, all things are indeed possible!

That said, once the dust settles a bit, you need to be proactive. You need to determine -- and write down -- a policy for members in the praise band: prerequisites, required commitment levels, etc.

Once you have a written policy, you then need to get the pastor's approval for that policy going forward. It's a lot easier to make sure the two of you are "on the same page" (or not) if you can establish requirements and policy while a conflict is not going on simultaneously.

A written policy can also help set (or reset) expectations within your band. As an example, if the policy is "Skipping practice equals no participation that week", then the band member understands that if he misses practice, regardless of the reason or how well he might be able to fill in at the last minute, you as the leader are well within your rights to make other arrangements.

I'm continually learning that communication and setting expectations in advance is a key part of the "business" side of music ministry, and reduces the number of places the enemy can cause disagreements within the church.

Great advice!