Rehearsal, Warm-Up, and Cool Down
as Mental Health Practice for Ministry
by Allan Rudy-Froese, PhD
Pastoral ministry has us regularly performing. When we get up on Sunday morning to preach, or worship lead, or do the children’s time, we are performing – using our bodies and voices in conscious and unconscious ways for communication. Not only do we need to perform every week, much is expected of us. Added to the high expectations of ourselves and others is our own personal level of public anxiety or stage fright.
At [seminary], I teach a class called Performing the Faith. In this class, we connect performance studies with theology and ministry. Often when I teach this course, we turn to a massive undergrad performance studies textbook for concepts and words that might help us see church performances in a new light. Of the many historical, artsy, and postmodern words and concepts we could name that might help us in church, the three that often rise to top are quite simple: ‘rehearsal,’ ‘warm-up,’ and ‘cool down.’ Actors, dancers, and musicians take these very seriously. We who perform as preachers, worship leaders, and storytellers should as well. These steps will improve our performances, and dare I say also improve our mental health. All of us, but especially those who have a moderate to high degree of stage fright, will be greatly helped by taking rehearsal, warm-up, and cool down seriously … and playfully.
Preachers, storytellers, and worship leaders do well to rehearse. Start by preparing your sermon or story out-loud. Get those biblical words in your bones on Tuesday so that on Sunday morning those words will sound more natural and alive. Rehearsing that story, sermon, or scripture reading as it develops will boost your confidence and allow you to rest better on Sunday night: your body will know what to do tomorrow. Trust your bones.
Warm up on Sunday morning before worship. Going through vocal exercises and physical stretching will get your voice and body ready to do what it needs to do. The warm up will release tension and help your body remember and be free to do what it needs to do.
Cool down refers to that period of time following a performance. For actors, cool down is often done in the company of the cast. It is a time to let go; a time to rest after ‘putting it all out there’; a time to transition from the theatre performance to everyday life. Preachers and worship leaders benefit from cool down as well. Unfortunately, preachers and other Sunday morning performers can’t escape to the green room and cool down. There are often post–worship responsibilities that prevent such a gathering of the all the Sunday morning performers. Although with planning, one could certainly pull this off. Find a room for those involved in worship to crash for 20 minutes following the service. Cool down is necessary for proper perspective on the event which preceded – so it may include a conversation about the worship service, but it is not a time for critique or evaluation. Evaluations may happen sometime after the event (Monday or Tuesday), but should not happen in cool down.
These three: rehearsal, warm-up, and cool down, are ways of improving performance, but they are also ways to deal with the anxiety and stage fright that come with performing in church. Hopefully a pattern can develop with these three in the company of the other church performers that allows the cast of Sunday morning (a little community) to feel more relaxed, ready, and genuine in speaking the gospel.
Allan Rudy-Froese teaches preaching, voice, biblical storytelling, and pastoral leadership at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. Allan is on the team that is creating Voices Together (new Mennonite hymn book), and is the editor of an upcoming edition of Vision: A Journal for Church and Theology on Laugher. Allan’s research is in the area of stage fright in the church. He lives in Elkhart IN and Kitchener ON. In the oft drive between the two locations he listens to Queen, comedians, Dire Straits, audible books on anxiety, Adele, and sermons.
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