31 Small Things a Director Can Do to Have a Big Impact on a Choir Ministry

Leveraging Your Ministry

Small is beautiful, right? Here are 31 small things a director can do to have a big impact on a choir ministry:

1. Greet everyone by name as they arrive at rehearsal

2. Change the rehearsal seating arrangement to best fit the current week’s music

3. Work on vibrant, soft singing…it will make the loud singing have more impact

4. Rehearse an anthem only singing vowels or consonants, but not both

5. Have a choir member sit “in the pews” during a part of a rehearsal and then report back to the choir what they heard and saw

6. Ask your sound person to attend a rehearsal, and give them a running commentary about what you are trying to achieve sound-wise, and what you are listening to and for

7. Let a choir member direct the choir for a part of rehearsal

8. Rehearse in a circle so that everyone can hear everyone

9. Organize a ride-share program for those who can’t get to rehearsal any other way

10. Buy and distribute flowers to all choir members on the rehearsal closest to Valentine’s Day

11. Use a cell phone during rehearsal to call a house bound or travelling choir member or congregant and sing that week’s anthem for them

12. Schedule 5 minutes at the end of each rehearsal to have a singer tell how God has impacted their life

13. Ask the pastor to attend all or part of a rehearsal and pray with/for the choir

14. Invite a choral colleague or clinician to work with your choir in rehearsal

15. Celebrate the Lord’s Supper during a rehearsal[Tweet "31 Small Things a Director Can Do to Have a Big Impact on a Choir Ministry"]

16. Explain and adopt the “Never on Sunday” rule

17. Thank the accompanist once a week in public for their contributions to the ministry

18. Let the accompanist direct the choir during worship from time to time

19. Send a weekly email to all choir members praising their efforts and thanking them…include a devotional and the next week’s rehearsal plan

20. Start a choir facebook page

21. Send a birthday card with a personal note to each choir member on their birthday

22. Write a thank you note to choir spouses and families acknowledging their support of “their” choir member

23. Organize a small scale choir mission project such as sponsoring a child

24. Organize a men’s choir to sing on Mother’s Day and a women’s choir to sing on Father’s Day

25. Have an annual “choir reunion” weekend and invite all former choir members to attend

26. Schedule an anthem with the children’s and/or youth choir(s) and establish a “buddy system” between an adult choir member and one of the children/youth

27. Organize a choir caroling outing to congregational shut-ins during the Christmas season

28. Institute an annual award for the person(s) who contributed the most to the choir ministry during the previous year

29. Work with your pastor to plan music one season ahead

30. Create and submit budgets that "tell the story" of your ministry rather than just present numbers

31. Pray for a choir member each day

I’m sure there are more and I’d love to hear your suggestions. Let me know what small things you do to have a big impact. Please leave a comment and share your ideas with everyone reading this...

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