What to Do After the Audition: Shepherding, Feedback, and Follow-Up
Auditions are only the beginning. The most important discipleship moment is what comes after—especially when someone doesn't make the team.
Last week we talked about a step-by-step way to hold auditions for people in your church to join the worship team. This week, I want to walk you through an equally important process: how to follow up with everyone who was brave enough to show up to your audition night.
Here's the thing: a simple "yes" or "no" response isn't the heart of a good and healthy worship leader. As shepherds in their lives, the way we handle follow-up after auditions is a vital part of the discipleship process.
The Reality Check We Need to Face
Let's be honest about what's happening in that audition room. The person sitting across from you was likely nervous, spent significant time preparing, and is genuinely hoping to make the team. In our experience, we typically move forward with only about 30% of people who audition. So if 15 people come to an audition night, maybe 5 are immediately ready for Sunday mornings, and perhaps another 3 we can coach up through other pathways.
That means 7 out of 15 people are about to hear "not yet" or "not right now." How we handle that conversation matters more than we might think.
According to a Pushpay Volunteer Survey, only 36% of volunteers at mid-size churches say they receive follow-up or coaching after initial onboarding. We can do better than that. We must do better than that.
Rule Number One: Never Ghost Someone Who Auditioned
Before anyone leaves your audition night, establish a clear timeline for follow-up. For us, it's two weeks. Make sure they know exactly when they'll hear from you, and then honor that commitment.
Why does this matter so much? Because that person took a risk. They stepped out in faith, believing God might use their gifts in this specific way. The least we can do is honor their courage with clear communication.
When you do follow up, be honest but honoring in your response. Vague feedback like "we'll keep you in mind" or "maybe next time" doesn't serve anyone well. Instead, give specific, actionable feedback that actually helps them grow.
Creating a Framework for Graceful, Honest Feedback
Here's what effective feedback sounds like: "We loved your worshipful spirit, but we noticed you had difficulty hearing harmonies when we sang together. Here are our recommendations for next steps..."
Notice the pattern? Affirmation first, then honest assessment, followed by a clear path forward.
For some people, that path includes the phrase "we'd encourage you to work on these things and try again in six months at our next audition night." But for others, it might be better to suggest a different ministry that could be a great fit for their current skill level and spiritual gifts.
Remember, our role is to steward the gifts of the church well. That means helping people find the right place to use their gifts, even when that place isn't the Sunday morning platform.
Offering Real Growth Opportunities
Don't just tell someone what they need to work on—give them tangible ways to actually improve. This might look like:
Recommending voice lessons with a specific teacher you trust
Creating a Dropbox folder with tutorials, charts, and practice tracks
Connecting them with a mentor from your current team
Suggesting specific online courses or resources
The goal isn't to create hoops for people to jump through. It's to give them a genuine roadmap for growth.
Alternative Pathways for Growth
Here's something crucial to remember: everyone can lead worship. Sometimes the most powerful worship leading happens from the seats, not the stage.
For those who play or sing but aren't quite ready for Sunday mornings, student ministry often provides the perfect training ground. It's typically a lower-pressure environment where they can develop their skills while still using their gifts for God's glory.
For those who might not be musically ready (and may never be), look for other key areas where you know help is needed. Maybe they'd be incredible at:
Worship hosting and guest services
Production and technical support
Prayer ministry during services
Small group worship leading
Special event coordination
The heart behind this approach is crucial: we're not trying to shuffle people away from what they want to do. We're helping them discover where God wants to use them most effectively.
The Bridge Workshop (or something similar): Setting Up Success
For those who are immediately ready for the team, don't just throw them into the rotation. We've found it incredibly valuable to have an intentional onboarding process—what we call our "Bridge Workshop."
This might look different at every church, but the core elements should include:
Ministry DNA: Sharing your vision, values, and heart for worship ministry
Practical expectations: Rehearsal schedules, preparation requirements, communication norms
Technical training: In-ear systems, stage setup, any technology they'll need to know
Relationship building: Time for coffee, hearing their story, and answering their questions
The goal isn't to overwhelm them with information, but to set them up for long-term success and integration into your ministry culture.
Building the church body, Not Just Bands
As Mike Harland says in Worship Essentials, "We're not just building a band—we're building a body." This perspective should shape every conversation we have post-audition.
When we help people find the right place to use their gifts—whether that's on the platform or in another crucial ministry role—we're actually serving the whole church. We're "fanning into flame" the gifts God has given His people, which ultimately serves everyone's worship of the one true God.
This isn't our small, lame version of American Idol or The Voice. We're attempting to set people up for success in using their gifts for God's glory and the church's good.
The Long View of Discipleship
Remember, some of your best team members might be the ones who didn't make it the first time they auditioned. Some needed time to grow musically. Others needed to mature spiritually. Still others needed to learn what it means to be faithful in smaller things before being entrusted with larger responsibilities.
Following up with honesty, love, and genuine care for each person isn't just good leadership—it's biblical discipleship. It's speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). It's encouraging one another and building each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11). It's understanding that sometimes wounds from a friend can be trusted (Proverbs 27:6).
Moving Forward With Grace and Truth
The way you handle post-audition follow-up will either build or damage trust in your ministry. It will either encourage people in their gifting or leave them feeling dismissed and devalued.
Choose to err on the side of over-communication rather than under-communication. Choose honesty wrapped in genuine care. Choose to see each audition as a discipleship opportunity, not just a talent evaluation.
Your church is watching how you treat the people who are brave enough to step forward. Lead in a way that makes them proud to be part of a ministry that truly cares about people.
Feel free to use these templates below for your own follow up - amend them as you like and make sure you are ready to follow up with those who have auditioned.
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Email Templates for Post-Audition Follow-Up
Copy and adapt these templates for your own ministry context:
Template 1: Welcome to the Team
Subject: Welcome to the [Church Name] Worship Team!
Hi [Name],
Thank you so much for auditioning with us! We know it takes courage to share your gifts, and we're grateful you stepped out in faith to do that.
We're excited to let you know that we'd love to have you join our worship team! Your [specific positive quality - musical ability, heart for worship, etc.] really stood out to us, and we believe you'll be a great addition to what God is doing through our ministry.
Your next step is to join us for our Bridge Workshop (or your version of this) on [date and time]. This is where we'll share more about our ministry's heart and vision, go over practical expectations, and get you familiar with our systems. After that, we'll get you scheduled for your first Sunday!
We're looking forward to serving alongside you and seeing how God uses your gifts to point our church toward Jesus.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Blessings, [Your name]
Template 2: Not Quite Ready, But There's a Path Forward
Subject: Thank you for auditioning - here's what's next
Hi [Name],
Thank you for taking the time to audition with us! We know that requires courage, and we're truly grateful you shared your gift with us.
After careful consideration, we feel like you're not quite ready for our Sunday morning team just yet. Specifically, we noticed [specific, kind feedback - e.g., "some difficulty with harmony parts" or "timing challenges with the rhythm section"]. This doesn't mean we don't see your heart for worship or your potential - it just means there are some areas to focus on first.
Here's what we'd recommend as next steps: [specific growth recommendations - voice lessons, practice resources, etc.]. We'd also love to connect you with our student ministry worship team, which would be a great place to develop these skills in a more intimate setting. We believe that six months of focused growth could really prepare you well for our next audition round in [specific timeframe].
We want to support you in this growth journey, so please don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need recommendations for teachers or resources.
Blessings, [Your name]
Template 3: Not Ready, But Here's How You Can Still Serve
Subject: Thank you for your heart to serve
Hi [Name],
Thank you so much for auditioning with us! It takes real courage to step out and share your gifts, and we're grateful for your heart to serve in worship ministry.
After prayerful consideration, we don't feel like the Sunday morning worship team is the right fit at this time. While we see your love for Jesus and desire to serve, we think your gifts might be better utilized in other areas of ministry where you can make an immediate and significant impact.
We'd love to connect you with [specific alternative ministry opportunities based on their strengths]. These roles are crucial to creating environments where our church can worship well, and we believe you could really thrive in one of these areas. Sometimes the most powerful worship leadership happens off the platform, and we'd be honored to help you find that place.
Blessings, [Your name]