Worship leading is a lot of fun, especially when you can get paid to do it. But where does one begin looking for a worship leading job? In this article, you are going to learn about five resources to help you find a paid worship ministry position.
Side note. Not everyone in worship ministry gets paid nor do they want or need to because they may already have another career or they want to do it as a volunteer. In this video, I don’t want to downplay the importance of volunteer worship leaders. Keep up the great work. Keep watching
In this article, I want to show you five types of resources you can use to find a paid position as a worship leader. I’m not going to cover the details of how to go through the application process. This article is for worship leaders wanting to get started with turning their passion for ministry into a career, but they don’t know where to begin looking for positions.
Thanks to the internet, finding worship leader openings is easier than ever. There are four types of online resources you can use to find a worship leading job.
Resource #1 - Church Staffing Websites
Church staffing websites are a great place to get started. I recommend starting with ministryjobs.com and churchstaffing.com. Within seconds you can browse hundreds of job openings and job descriptions. If you are new to worship ministry, these sites can give you a clear picture of what churches are looking for in a worship leader.
As a candidate, you can upload your information and resume. It makes applying for different positions efficient, and it allows churches to browse your resume and reach out to you if they are interested.
Resource #2 - Seminary and College Job Boards
Is there are seminary or Christian college in your area or the area you are interested in relocating? Check and see if they have a job board with worship ministry positions. I went to Denver Seminary, and they have a very current and active job board on their website. Most of the churches on that job board are in Colorado, but sometimes churches from out of state will post on there.
Seminary and college job boards can be a great place to connect with like-minded churches. Chances are they are choosing to post on a particular school’s job board because they want graduates from that institution or people who have similar beliefs as those graduates. These job boards are generally low tech, meaning you are not going to create an account like you would on the staffing websites previously mentioned. Usually, a posting will include the job description with contact info. Just email them what they request. Usually, it’s a video example of you leading, a cover letter, and a resume.
Resource #3 - Worship Leader’s Collective: Job Positions Facebook Group
Worship Leader’s Collective is one of the largest Facebook Groups for worship leaders. Make sure you are part of the group because there is always great discussion there. The admins of that group created another group for job postings. It’s pretty simple, churches from around the world will post worship job openings on a daily basis. The information is not entirely as organized as a job board or staff listing website, but use the search feature in the group to help you find what you need.
Resource #4 - Search Groups
While the resources I mentioned so far in this video make it easy to find job postings, what those resources don’t do is help you through the application process. Search groups help solve this problem both for the worship leader looking for a position and the church hiring for a job. The leading search groups include Vanderbloemen, Froot Group, and Sling Shot. Each group takes its unique approach to the search process, so I recommend checking out their websites and connecting with them directly to find which one is best for you. In theory, there is no reason you couldn’t work with multiple search groups at the same time.
It’s essential for you to not only find a job that looks good to you on paper, but it also needs to be a fit for your personality and beliefs. Since search groups walk you through a more thorough process, your chances of getting hired somewhere that isn’t a good fit are reduced. You can never do too much homework or take too much time when considering a new position.
Resource #5 - Job postings on church websites
Maybe you already know what churches you would like to work at. Keep an eye on their website as most churches have an employment page that lists their current openings. Carefully read the job description and follow their application instructions.
I’ve included links to all of these resources in my worship ministry toolkit, linked here. It’s my ultimate resource guide for worship leaders. Not only does it contain links to church staffing resources, but it also has my favorite list of software and gear for worship ministry.
You can also enroll in my free training, Lead Worship with Ableton. It’s going to show you how to get started with the #1 worship leading software. Proficiency with Ableton Live is something you’ll want to put on your resume.
How did you find your ministry job? Let us know below in the comments.