When a worship team doesn’t sound “tight”, 9 times out of 10 it’s not for lack of ability - it’s due to a lack of discipline.  If the drummer simply plays a consistent, basic beat - just like a drum machine - and the bassist simply plays exactly with the drummer’s kick drum pattern, you will have a tight-sounding song.  No fills, crashes, or runs - just solid.  That’s the fundamental and that’s where every rhythm section should start for every song.

The problem is drummers don’t want to sound like a drum “machine” and bassists don’t want to play simple notes on every kick drum hit - it’s boring.  Right.  Keyboardists, pianists, and guitarists likewise need to keep things simple - especially while the vocals are singing a phrase.  If the challenge for the drummer and bassist is to work to sound like a machine, surely the challenge for the rest of the members of the team is to make “room” for eachother.

As I’ve mentioned before, the lead vocals and the kick drum are the most important elements of a pop song.  Regardless of the challenge to keep your parts simple, the drummer and bassist must respect the priority of the kick drum and the rest of the members must respect the priority of the lead vocal.