Eleven Deadly Sins of the Worship Team, Part 8

By Jon Nicol

Deadly Sin #11: Segue?! What’s a segue?

The band is rocking. The vocalists are singing their lungs out. The congregation is beginning to engage in worship. We are moving forward.

Then, like a Hyundai driving into the side of a Dollar General store, all forward momentum stops.

We practiced each song thoroughly, polishing every one from intro to ending. But what about ending to intro? No one planned what to do when one song ended and the next one started.

Transitions happen. They can be a smooth and unnoticed movement from one set of tracks to the other. Or they can be a train wreck.

An unplanned transition kills forward momentum. It jars worshipers out of a moment and forces them to focus on who’s leading worship versus Who they’re worshiping.

It’s a deadly sin, no question. But how do avoid this sin?

Plan, practice and assign your segues.

Plan your segues. Determine what needs to happen to get from this song to this song. Or from one worship service element to the next. Create a plan to bridge the gap.

Practice your segues. Don’t just talk about how you’re going to transition. Do it. Over and over until it’s right.

Assign your segues. For each segue, at least one person should be assigned to make the transition happen.

• It might be the drummer who counts in the next song as the last notes of the previous song ring out.
• It might be the vocalist who begins reading scripture along with the guitarist who underscores the reading in the same key as the next song.
• It might be the worship leader saying a short, but well thought-out prayer while she slips her capo on to start the next song.

It just has to be someone driving the bus from the end of point A to the beginning of point B.

I’ve written extensively on segues. Here’s one of the most recent posts, which will link you to a series entitled “28 Ways to Create Great Segues.”

Question: What are some ways you plan, practice and/or assign segues?

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July 11, 2012