Worship team requirements

CHAG Worship Team Requirements

  1. Church Membership is a must for choir members and regular participation in activities of the church.
  2. An ongoing commitment to Biblical giving (time, money, talents etc.).
  3. Personal prayer life is a must. If you do not have personal prayer please keep away from the worship team. No prayer, no life. Without life you cannot lead the church into worship.
  4. A commitment to integrity in personal walk in recognition of the public ministry function of a worship team member. This includes examples in conduct, appearance, and relationships within the worship team, the church, outside of the church, and in overall walk. A good testimony in and outside the church is a must.
  5. A commitment to consistency, faithfulness, and excellence in attendance in worship team practices and activities and in personal preparation.
  6. A commitment to growth as a worshiper in both public and private worship. This includes “leading by example” when serving in a public setting (on stage).
  7. A commitment to growth, always looking at scope to improve your God-given abilities. This includes both in skill as a musician and vocalist. Practicing and singing alone, listening to songs, styles, voice modulation etc resulting in growth of your skills in singing and in instruments.
  8. A commitment to unity and integrity in relationships with other worship team members. A commitment to demonstrate servant-hood, flexibility, and humility in dealing with inevitable technical, relational, and schedule challenges associated with this ministry.
  9. If singers/players/sound-techs/person on ppt cannot attend their “weekend” practice, they are responsible to Pas. Paul Ruban in advance so that he can find a replacement for you for that particular Sunday.
  10. Musicians, sound technicians, and computer operators are supposed to reach the church 30 minutes before the practice schedule.
  11. Getting ready on Sunday before service. Rest well the night before. Pray and offer the worship service up to our Lord. Pray and come with a new anointing to minister to the church.
  12. Know what the audience needs. People come in with a broken heart, full of problems. They want the songs to minister them and heal their wounds. Sing not to delight the audience. Sing to heal the wounded soul. When the Holy Spirit is the element that is behind every song and every sermon, people will crowd in to see and hear what is going on. Professionalism and perfection is not what feeds people, though is it is needed. Choirs singing on key will impress some people but if you want to feed the hungry soul, get anointed. Now don't get so anointed that you have a Holy Ghost break down every time you get up to speak or sing, but allow the Holy Spirit to operate through your person and your emotions.
  13. Bring your bibles for the practice and Sunday worship.
  14. Keep an in-order song book.

Most importantly let the Spirit work through you, your team and the music. Give Him the highest priority.

WORSHIP LEADER GUIDELINES & CHECKLIST

1. Preparation

a) Selection of songs. Get the sermon schedule for the Sunday(s) that you would be leading. Ask the Pastors for the theme of the sermon. Select the number of songs based on the length of those songs and whether there are any special events during the service, such as communion, testimonies, child dedication etc. Usually 5 to 6 songs will be fine. Plan for 35 minutes of worship songs; leave the remaining time allowed for the Holy Spirit to minister.
Response songs: Ask the pastor if there are specific needs and ideas that he may have for the response after the sermon, ask him what your role is in those songs.

b). Sequence or Flow of the songs. Why do you pick these particular songs for worship? For example, songs that could be related to the scriptures or to the particular sermon for the week (or sermon series.) As part of the process of knitting the songs together, the Worship Leader can reference the Bible passage from which the song comes from. That way, the audience realizes that they're really singing the Word of God. Not only is the Word of God powerful & effective, but there's something about referencing it which allows people to focus, understand the Scripture(s), and get more out of their worship experience. If you have just finished seven minutes or so of soft worship music, your audience may be ready for a change of pace in the instrumentation/tempo. Another slow song may tend to bore your audience. Pay close attention to your audience's response to your song selections. Try to incorporate a hymn in your worship list. If your do not have time for a whole hymn, the chorus of the hymn will do great help.

c). Get familiar with the songs. Practice the songs again and again. Be fully prepared with the vocals of the song even before the practice. The choir needs to know that you are fully prepared. Picture in your mind how you would like things to be on that particular Sunday, explain it to the choir members so that they can help you in what you intend to do.

d) Be considerate when it comes to new songs. Avoid picking a brand new song as the first song because warm up to the worship is important. We could usually build up “momentum” off the first song. Introduce new songs after you have got the people’s approval as a worship leader that particular day. Try to teach a new song first and then ask the people to catch up with the choir. Remember we would want the congregation worshipping too.

e) Practice is important! Practice with your team so that you, vocalists, and musicians are familiar with the flow of the songs. If necessary, seek feedback from you team members during practice.

h) Getting ready on Sunday before services. Rest well the night before. Pray and offer the worship service up to our Lord. Spend time with God and be fully prepared for worship. Pray and come with a new anointing to minister to the church.

Leading Tips

1. Flexibility is the key! A worship leader must know the pulse of the people; he must evaluate the response on a given day. Keep one or two favorite songs (which are well-known by the congregation) always as a backup. If you feel the worship is down, pick up these songs, you will see greater participation. Be sure to keep the choir, musicians, and the person on the PPT updated with the backup songs.

2. Personality Tips
a) Never preach. After all you are leading the singing, not the talking. Sunday worship is NOT a fellowship sharing time.

b) Respect silence. Give time to reflect. Keep it simple.

c). Getting People’s Attention. Observe. Maintain eye contact with the congregation if at all possible. Listen to your team. Listen to your musicians and vocalists. Also, vocalize your cues to your team if necessary.

d) Let your words be positive! Your lips help in the proper pronunciation of the words. Thus, the congregation follows your example. Remember you’re leading. So lead with your voice, steady and strong. Avoid shouting out very loud. In addition, your conviction and commitment to worship is important. Try to cue the congregation to come in with you, especially for newer songs.

e) Take utmost care when handling the Bible as the whole congregation is watching. Keep the Bible down as gently as possible (as opposed to putting it down).

f) Smile Please.

3. Know what the audience needs. Sing not to delight the audience. Sing to heal the wounded soul. When the Holy Spirit is the element that is behind every song and every sermon, people will crowd in to see and hear what is going on. Professionalism and perfection is not what feeds people. Choirs singing on key will impress some people but if you want to feed the hungry soul, get anointed. Now don't get so anointed that you have a Holy Ghost break down every time you get up to speak or sing, but allow the Holy Spirit to operate through your person and your emotions.