The Pitfalls of a “Green Room” Mentality


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The Green Room is a great place

If you’re blessed to have a facility that allows space for one, you know they’re an incredibly useful place to meet to hang out, gather thoughts, pray, and debrief before a service. However, there are some pitfalls to the Green Room if we as leaders aren’t keenly aware and intentional and soon what I like to call a “Green Room Mentality” can develop. This mindset can quickly affect not only your team’s growth and impact but it can cause an unnecessary divide in the church as a whole. ,

There is a litany of Green Room Mentality problems that can plague your worship ministries, today I am mentioning two majors that I see and some ways to help protect against them.

1. The No Need Complex:

Have you ever noticed the person that immediately retreats back to the Green Room as soon as the worship set is over? I’d say many times that this person has a “ No Need Complex”. Without saying it, their dismissal of themselves when it’s time for the teaching is an outspoken declaration of pride. This is dangerous because they’re limiting the possibility of learning or allowing the teaching to speak into them and possibly pulling others along with them. There may be a few reasons for this. Whether it’s ignorance, apathy, an attitude of superiority, or they only play to scratch their musical itch, this person just doesn’t see the need to lead by example, for this reason, I like to set clear expectations for my team to help safeguard from this.

  • I expect them to attend and engage with a “ready” heart in one designated service for the day.

  • I encourage them to take notes with their Bible in hand. This is not because a smart device is wrong, but because a smart device can be distracting when getting notifications or updates during a service. In addition, I believe there is something about having a physical Bible for note taking and it’s an example to the congregation that the worship team is not above the need of discipleship. In fact, leaders need to be filled as much as they are pouring out. Or burn out is inevitable. (2 Chronicles 30:21)

2. Congregational Relational Divide:

Not only will the Green Room Mentality put a strain on the dynamic of the worship team, but it can place an unhealthy division between the worship team and the congregation.

The “Green Room” from a secular sense is to separate or place a divide for the entertainers from their audience for a performance. The “Green Room” mentality of the world opposes scripture, the purpose, and calling on you and your worship teams position in your church.

The moral standards of musicians operating in the world, should never dictate the moral standards of musicians ministering in the church. Worship teams should be pressing into the congregation, not withdrawing from the congregations they are called to serve.

  • The worship team is not a group of entertainers, we are worship leaders pointing to Jesus.

  • Those in attendance are not the audience. They are worshippers with us! We are ONE body.

  • The goal of worship should not be performance, but proclaiming honor and adoration to God.

The Green Room Mentality is ultimately placing you and your teams on a pedestal to the congregation. Without warning it can make you and your team seem unapproachable and distant. This is an enormous loss of ministry for your church.

Your team will lose its effectiveness because they are not engaged with the people they have been entrusted to lead and to minister to. You and your team will seem distant and not relatable. Which can cause a lot of major trust issues to the congregation.To effectively connect with your church while leading them in worship from the platform you must connect with your church off the platform. If you or your team are not connecting with your church there is misplacement for the reason we gather for worship.

Travis Agnew states it best in this way in 5 Worship Team Killers: “You will have minimal impact where you have minimal presence.”

So, watch out for these two pitfalls. Though seemingly small in their nature, there can be huge consequences if allowed to become the standard in your ministry. By their nature, they can give the appearance of an elevated platform for you and your team among your congregation. Instead, elevate the expectations of your team, lead them in the importance of being part of the body, and push humble unity and oneness!. It is on us to make sure the Green Room is an asset, not a hindrance.

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