Serving in Music Ministry at Grace Community Church
GCC Music Leader Position – Volunteer
A. Personal Qualifications
1. Member of GCC
2. Deacon qualified
Not necessarily a recognized elder or deacon at GCC, but that there are no significant concerns or dis-qualifications in life related to these leadership and life qualifications.
a) Biblically qualified, man of the Word
b) Actively striving to be a 1 Tim. 3 man.
c) Actively engaged in reading the Word on a consistent basis.
d) Devoted to increasing his understanding of God’s Word and the character of God.
e) Actively engaged and focused in prayer.
f) Humbly placing himself under the authority of the Word of God.
g) Actively striving in a deepening relationship with the Person of God.
3. Consistently demonstrates fruit of the Spirit
B. Relationship to the Elders
1. Committed to GCC and it’s leaders
2. Submitting to one another out of reverence to Christ (Eph 5:21)
3. Loving one another with brotherly affection (Rom 12:10a)
4. Outdoing one another in showing honor (Rom 12:10b)
5. Does nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in a humility counts others as more significant than himself (Phil 2:3-4).
6. Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph 4:3)
7. Open-minded and flexible to other ways of doing things.
8. Committed to having the same heart and mind as the elders and other worship leaders. (Acts 4:32, 1 Peter 3:8, Phil 2:1-2)
9. Humbly places himself under the authority of the elders and is actively striving to maintain and grow a strong and unified relationship with them.
C. Leadership Qualifications
1. A Christ-like leader…serves those that he leads through love
a) Serves the worship team by encouraging musicians to use their gifts to the best of their ability
b) Serves the church body by choosing songs that are sing-able and arranging them in a way that encourages participation and minimizes distractions.
c) Serve the elders by being receptive to their input in what ever form that may be so that the Word of God may be proclaimed!
2. Skilled in organizing and directing volunteers
3. Skilled in working through problems and relational issues that arise in ministry situations
4. Able to work well with other leaders and ministries
5. Able to graciously receive (and implement if possible) input and ideas from those on the worship team
D. Music Qualifications
1. Committed to growing in his music skills and leadership
2. Familiar with, and able to play, both older music forms (hymns) and newer music styles
3. Pleasant vocal quality and reasonable range
4. Discerning in ability to choose songs that are theologically sound, musically excellent, and congregationally friendly
5. Able to bring cohesion to whatever mix of instruments/singers are available
6. Able to work with minimal accompaniment or with more complex arrangements
7. Able to use current technology which will be helpful and beneficial to the overall music effort
E. Time Qualifications – Ideally not to exceed 10 hours per week
1. Lead at least one music practice per week
2. Plan and publish a music rotation at least monthly
3. Be available most Sunday’s to lead music in both hours of the main service
4. Have time to choose and learn new music to teach
5. Be available to lead music at major conferences and special events (3 or 4 weekends per year)
III. Music Team Specifics
A. Music Team Requirements
1. Member of GCC
2. Have a deep desire for and give evidence of growth in godliness
3. Attend rehearsals and participate fully in the worship ministry.
4. Must have a heart attitude of worship. (No music-reading or experience required.)
5. Must have proficient skills for chosen area of service. (Singers need to be able to hit correct pitches and sing harmony parts, etc. Musicians need to be skilled in playing instruments.)
B. Rehearsal/Ministry Guidelines (as of 10/1/17)
1. Singers:
We would like to ask that all singers commit to the following:
a) When scheduled, commit to being present at all practices.
b) When scheduled, commit to arriving one hour before Sunday service for practice and prayer.
c) Core Group Singers: Erin and Kaylee – Commit to every Sunday with 2 weeks off every third month.
d) Rotating Singers: If there are 4 ladies on rotation, make out a rotating schedule for 3 months at a time. One lady will rotate in for a month with Kaylee and Erin serving for all Sundays in that month. (Two ladies will rotate in on the third month)
e) “On-Call” fill in: In addition to signing up for a full month every four months, we would like to ask that the rotating singers sign up for a month of being on call…in case the scheduled singer is sick or something unexpected comes up.
2. Example of rotation:
Month 1: Erin, Kaylee, Singer 1 “On-Call”: (Name of volunteer singer)
Month 2: Erin, Kaylee, Singer 2 “On-Call”: (Name of volunteer singer)
Month 3: Wk 1: Singer 4, Kaylee, Singer 3 “On-Call”: (Name of volunteer singer)
Wk 2: Singer 4, Kaylee, Singer 3 “On-Call”: (Name of volunteer singer)
Wk 3: Erin, Singer 4, Singer 3 “On-Call”: (Name of volunteer singer)
Wk 4: Erin, Singer 4, Singer 3 “On-Call”: (Name of volunteer singer)
Then start rotation again
You can give each rotating girl a number…like Jessica (1) etc
3. Musicians: Piano, Drums, Electric Guitar/Acoustic Guitar, Bass
All musicians are to commit to the following: (Maybe make the bass guys (or anyone with an ever-changing work schedule) be a little more flexible and the other musicians more committed?)
a) When scheduled, commit to being present at all practices.
b) When scheduled, commit to arriving one hour before Sunday service for practice and prayer.
c) Serving for one month every 3 months (2-3 months out of the year) (depending on how many sign up)
C. Dress Code Requirements
Generally, these apply when singing on the stage at church worship services.
1. Ladies – Please no shoulders, no knees, no form fitting outfits, and no low-cut blouses of any type
2. Men – no shorts, no logos, no flip-flops/Chaco’s
D. Music Team Resources
Weekly email with schedule and songs for practice before rehearsal
E. Music Team Opportunities
1. Sunday morning worship services. (9:00 AM and 10:30 AM)
2. Additional ministry opportunities may include special presentations such as Christmas concerts, Easter services and other events. As opportunities arise, the music team will participate in other presentations consistent with its music leading mission.
F. Other Expectations
1. A positive, servant-hearted attitude is essential for an effective music leading ministry. Questions are encouraged. Input is great and will be studied, but any kind of critical spirit is harmful. Please minimize personal conversations during rehearsal. Our schedule is filled with music, devotion and prayer.
2. Guard your heart against jealousy and pride. There are a number of enormously gifted people on our team. The Lord will raise up whom He will, when He will. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for your music team leader as he strives to make right choices and to provide opportunities for everyone in the ministry.
3. Please try to be on time to everything. Punctuality is important.
4. Cultivate a sense of expectancy. You have a unique part so be ready and open to grow and learn. Give God the glory for the results, which will be reflected throughout eternity.
G. How Do I Join the Music Team
1. Fill out music ministry application
2. Contact the music leader
IV. Sound and Media Team Requirements
A. Steve Creasy is the deacon of sound and media
1. All changes to the sound board and sound stuff must be approved by Steve
2. Steve will manage the expertise of others for a more coordinated approach between sound/media/music teams
3. When present on Sunday mornings Steve has the final say on sound levels, technical issues, etc.
B. Sound Team
1. You must be a member of GCC
2. Those who do sound on Sunday mornings need to attend the music practice during the week
3. Sunday morning sound will be for both services with a second person taking over for the sermon as the sound person goes to Sunday School
C. Media Team
1. Ideally the Sunday media person needs to arrive an hour early to run through the songs as the music team practices – this allows them to spot problems with grammar, song arrangement/version, etc.
2. Media is not a place to hide on Sunday mornings and needs constant focus to get the job done well
3. If you work media one service you are generally expected to attend the next service (Sunday School)
D. Live Streaming
The job of Live Streaming at Grace is a very important job. People who are not able to come to church for a variety of reasons, as well as people who are considering attending Grace, view our services every week online. Our weekly average is 10-15 views, so while you work in this job, you are representing our church (and Christ) to potential visitors. People may determine whether or not to actually visit our church based on what they see (or DON’T see) on the Live Stream!
1. RESPONSIBILITIES:
a) Arrive AT LEAST 30 minutes before your assigned service begins.
b) Turn on or check equipment to make sure everything is working.
c) Prepare slides for your service.
d) Actively monitor the equipment during the service.
e) Turn off equipment at the end of service.
E. Easy Worship
Running Easy Worship is a big responsibility. This person is really a part of the worship team, and errors here are immediately known by the congregation as well as those viewing the service online. To be successful at this job, one needs to be focused on what is going on in the service. The music leader will usually ensure that the songs for the day are loaded into Easy Worship before service, but you are responsible to see that this is done. This is why it is imperative that you arrive and be in the booth ready to go no later than 15 minutes before your service begins.
1. RESPONSIBILITIES:
a) Arrive AT LEAST 30 minutes before your assigned service begins.
b) Turn on or check equipment to make sure everything is working.
c) Ensure projectors are on by ensuring the green light on the end away from the lens is on. If it is amber, get the remotes and click the power button.
d) Ensure EW is showing on the projector screens in the auditorium and on the preview monitors beside the EW laptop and in the rack in the media room.
e) Ensure that the announcement PowerPoint slideshow is imported and running at least 5, but preferably 15 minutes before the service begins.
f) Take note of any misspellings or errors in the songs and correct them after the worship time.
g) Restart the announcement slideshow between 1st service and Sunday School and before 2nd service.
2. Hints:
a) When to advance the slides
In order to make the worship go smoothly, don’t wait too long to advance to the next slide. A good rule of thumb is to switch to the next slide when the congregation still has 2-3 words left to sing on the current slide.
b) Be careful of distractions
Don’t be distracted by talking or paying attention to what others in the media room are doing. If you lose focus, you are likely to miss a slide advance and disturb the flow of worship. Remember, if we all do our jobs well, no one knows we are even there! If not, EVERYONE knows who did it! Don’t be a distraction to the service, help it flow well!
c) Be alert if singing
If you feel the urge to sing, please do so very quietly and to yourself. It is easy to be caught up in what you are singing and forget what you are doing, as well as being a distraction to others in the room doing other jobs. While we shouldn’t be completely disengaged from the worship our main job is correct operation of EW. If we are blessed by the song but the rest of the congregation gets lost because the slide is wrong, the body is not edified. Remember, you are there to serve the body FIRST!
F. CD Recording
We record CDs as a way to have a master hard copy of each sermon or Sunday School lesson. These master copies are what get uploaded to the internet for others to listen to on our website. If these are not done properly, the sermon is gone forever! It is very important to record accurately, starting and stopping at the appropriate time. Remember, the CD sleeves have a plastic window in them. All CD label information should be clearly seen through the window, or it is useless. Don’t write on the CD’s near the edge.
1. RESPONSIBILITIES:
a) Arrive AT LEAST 15 minutes before your assigned service begins.
b) Turn on or check equipment to make sure everything is working.
c) Label the master CD with the sermon title, scripture reference, speaker name, date, and the word MASTER on it.
d) FIRST SERVICE ONLY – Label CDs to be copied the same as the master without the word MASTER on it, (usually 9 for a normal service) and insert them into the duplicator.
e) Duplicate the sermons and take the copies to the box just outside the media room window, moving last week’s sermon to the “last week” box, and put current service into the “this week” box.
f) Keep CDs, sleeves, and pens put away in the cabinet after use.
g) Throw away any paper and empty the trash can at the end of second service.
h) Take master CD from EACH SERVICE to the Annex and place them on the church secretary’s desk.