Why Your Church Might Be Struggling to Hire a Worship Leader

Have you ever noticed how many worship leader job openings are floating around right now? It’s not just worship roles, either—youth pastors, associate pastors, even lead pastors. I'm subscribed to several staffing agencies, and every week, my inbox is filled with emails from churches looking to hire. Sometimes, I even get phone calls from agencies or local pastors here in Kansas City who say, “Hey, we came across your resume and think you’d be a great fit,” or, “Do you know anyone who might be looking?”

It reminds me of that verse—The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” I don’t want to take that out of context, but it resonates. There are churches ready for a harvest… but not enough leaders to help them get there.

So why is your church still struggling to hire a worship leader?

Let’s talk about it. In this post, I want to share five common mistakes churches make when trying to hire worship leaders. These come from my own experience, conversations with pastors, and insights from staffing professionals.

But before we dive in, a quick note for anyone new here:

Hi, I’m Curtis Biswell. I help churches and worship leaders thrive by focusing on character, competence, and cognitive health. This blog and my podcast, The Curtis Biswell Show, exist to encourage and equip the next generation of worshippers and church leaders.

What Pastors Are Saying

Before I share the five mistakes, I want to start with some insight from pastors I've spoken to recently.

1. “Good musicians attract good musicians.”

A pastor from a small Missouri town shared this with me. He said, “We don’t have a lot of musicians, and the ones we do have—they get the job done, but we’re not really attracting more.” There’s something to be said about excellence attracting excellence. When there’s a lack of strong musical leadership, it becomes harder to grow the team.

2. “We don’t have the sexy factor.”

Another rural pastor shared that it’s hard to get candidates interested in applying because they feel like their church doesn’t have the same appeal as the big church in town. Whether that’s production value, stage design, or social media presence—some churches feel they just can’t compete.

3. “People don’t want to relocate.”

A staffing agency I spoke with said this is becoming more common. Worship leaders and pastors are becoming more rooted in their communities. They’re less willing to uproot their families—especially with housing costs, inflation, and the general challenges of moving.

5 Mistakes Churches Are Making in Hiring Worship Leaders

Based on my conversations, experiences, and observations, here are five mistakes that might be making your search harder than it needs to be:

1. Not Properly Defining Reality

Many churches operate out of a vision that doesn’t match their current reality. For example, church planters often come out of strong sending churches with big dreams—but their local context may look very different. If you're in a rural town or a smaller neighborhood, your approach needs to reflect that. You can’t plan based on what was or what should be—you need to honestly define what is.

2. Unrealistic Expectations

This one hits home. I’ve worked with churches that want someone to schedule the team, lead rehearsals, build slides, pick songs, and lead on Sunday, for $150 a week. That’s not realistic. Even churches that are a little more generous sometimes underestimate the time each responsibility actually takes. If you’re offering 10-15 hours a week, but the job requires 20+, that’s a mismatch. Honest conversations around expectations and compensation are crucial.

3. Afraid to Take Risks

This might be the hardest one to hear. Many churches follow formulas like: “We can’t hire staff until we grow by 75 more people.” While it’s wise to be good stewards, formulas don’t always account for faith or calling. Sometimes the step of faith comes first, and the growth follows. Hiring a part-time worship leader might stretch your budget, but it could also catalyze the spiritual and numerical growth your church needs.

4. Not Investing in the Next Generation

Are you raising up the next wave of worship leaders from within your own church? Many churches don’t have any sort of pipeline or discipleship plan for musicians and worship leaders. If you’re not mentoring or developing talent now, you’re going to be constantly relying on the hiring pool (which, as we’ve seen, is getting shallower).

5. A Lack of Culture or Vision

Sometimes it’s not the job description or the pay—it’s the culture. Worship leaders today want to be part of something meaningful. They want to know your church has a heart for worship, a vision for discipleship, and a desire to develop leaders. If your team is burned out, your systems are unclear, or your mission is fuzzy, that can repel great candidates.

Final Thoughts

If you're a pastor reading this, my encouragement is this: don't let defensiveness be your default. Instead, ask the Spirit to help you see where there might be blind spots. Take an honest assessment of your reality, expectations, risk tolerance, and culture.

And if you're a worship leader looking for a place to grow—or you're in a church struggling to find one—I’d love to help. Coaching, consulting, or just an honest conversation—I’m here.

Let’s raise up worshippers who lead with character, competence, and cognitive health.