Morale

‘Morale’ is a word you don’t hear very much anymore. Historically, we know it from military settings: ‘how is morale among the troops?’. Morale is the level of psychological well-being, confidence, and enthusiasm among a group relating to a task at hand. Having just come out of a strange year spent in varying degrees of lockdown throughout the country, it seems fitting to consider the morale of our church teams. 

A colleague recently mentioned that at their local school, parents, staff, and kids are all exhausted from 2020. I’d say we church workers and volunteers are pretty exhausted too. After all, we had to pivot rapidly to shift everything online almost overnight while church members patiently accommodated the shift to doing church in their living rooms on a screen.

And unlike schools, churches never take holidays. Don’t get me wrong – school teachers and families are absolute heroes in their dedication to school rhythms. But church services happen every weekend – even in holidays. The danger is that in our determination to simply ‘make Sunday happen’ every week, we forget to stop and care for those responsible for making each Sunday happen.

Detecting Morale

While levels of exhaustion or tiredness are one thing, morale is more difficult to pinpoint. Groups don’t usually come forward and say ‘our morale is low’. They just quit – or fizzle out and harbour frustration. It is up to leaders to sense where morale is at. It is a ‘felt’ thing rather than a ‘stated’ thing.

And detecting morale is complex. Outspoken group members may indicate one level of morale, while quieter members may imply another. And let’s be honest – us musicians and tech team members often speak through our actions and our craft, rather than engaging in long conversations. The need, then, is for leaders to be in regular dialogue with all team members – asking how they are, how their ministry is going, and how we can assist them.

But it’s also more than that – it’s listening to what team members don’t say. It is widely argued that modes of nonverbal communication – body language, facial expressions, glances – convey more meaning than verbal communication, accounting for up to 60-70% of our communication. That means only 40% of meaning – at most – is conveyed through words! So, we must not rely on words. Even when words are used, how are those words being said? Is there enthusiasm in the voice or reluctant compliance? Simple things like getting alongside team members during set up and pack down (rolling cables together!) can make a huge difference. You get to learn about one another, and enjoy achieving something together – albeit a small task! Don’t underestimate the power of a 2 minute conversation. It says ‘I value you’.

Communication Shapes Morale

Another thing I am learning every day: every piece of communication with your team can help shape morale. Emails, texts, conversations… The way we communicate speaks volumes. Do we pre-empt our team members’ needs, and provide the information they will need to serve well on Sundays? Do we reply in a timely manner to emails from our team? Do we listen carefully to our team members? Do we seek to communicate with a tone of warmth, respect, and service? 

I’ve noticed that if I’m stressed, I will be unlikely to communicate well with the team. But if I’m calm and allow margin in my mind for communication taking time, then I will communicate well. Communication is not the thing you squeeze in between other important things. It is the important thing. The way we communicate is, in itself, communicating something about how we value our team.

3 Achievable Morale Booster

Understanding people’s capacity to serve

In our desire to do church well, we can unthinkingly roster people on more than they can cope with. My experience is that separate conversations are required with every single team member about this. What is their capacity? How much is reasonable to expect of them? And then when will we both review that level of commitment? (After 3 months is a good starting point.) Tailoring serving roles to fit real-life capacity is crucial for team morale.

Being punctual

If anyone in the team does not arrive at rehearsal on time, it instantly communicates that this involvement is not a priority for them. We all have weeks where we run late – and when we do, let’s communicate our expected lateness in advance, and apologise to the team. But repeated lateness wears down the whole team’s morale. Conversely, when everyone arrives early, ready to help set up and share conversations, it’s an instant morale-lifter. It creates its own momentum. Soon enough, arriving early simply becomes ‘the way things are done here’, making for a less time-pressured, more relaxed rehearsal time. 

Keeping gear neat and 

A confession: I love a clean and tidy stage. It communicates calm, order, and clarity of purpose. It allows musicians the freedom to move as needed, and to focus on being a musician. A messy stage, on the other hand, communicates confusion and is asking for someone to trip or knock something over. The same is true of the way we care for our church instruments, cables, and microphones. By keeping things tidy during rehearsal and services, and then packing everything up afterwards, we are showing that music ministry matters, and that we are stewarding the equipment well. This discipline has an intangible yet positive impact on team morale. 

Morale won’t always be high. We are broken and limited human beings. But it is important to aim for positive team morale. This requires having a good read on where morale is at, consciously employing measures that seek to keep positive morale in place. Each Sunday, this warmth and joy in our team life will be communicated in our musical leadership of the congregation, contributing powerfully to the life of our church communities.

Greg Cooper
Turramurra Music Church Training; Gatherings
Music Pastor at St Judes Anglican Church in Melbourne