This Is How It All Went Down!

Hi Team,

What an incredible week we've had! And how good was our all-team meeting last week? Our turnout was fantastic, and John Uhrig led us in a deep and sincere time of worship. In case you weren't there, don't worry; I'm including some notes of what transpired and what I shared. Also, you can be looking out for our next one! It was the start of what I hope will become regular (every month) all team get-togethers. The format will be simple: worship, a brief inspirational talk (stay tuned because our very own Ivan Bastidas will be sharing from his heart in our next one), and prayer together...praying for what's right ahead of us and also for the glorious things in our future. It was brought up in the meeting how important it is for us to gather and connect regularly in order for the team to flourish. Kris Koscheski illustrated it as a garden that can grow and become beautiful or dry up and wither away if not tended to. Original songs of worship were brought up as big hopes for our future, amongst many other things.

So without further ado, here are some thoughts that I shared and also what we're gearing up for so that we can launch from a solid foundation:

Firstly, who is the team?

Many improperly view the team as only those who they see up on stage. I want to change this false perception. Many churches have already overcome this, but we're just getting started. The team is for everyone who has it on their heart to encourage and assist in any way with the dynamics of the worship service. It is not just a band. I envision it looking like a bunch of people on and off stage who have creative ideas from music, sound, lighting, and beyond. People who love hanging out, praying, and being in fellowship. This includes those who help with youth or children's worship. It includes people who commit to simply show up on time for church and stand in the front, encouraging others in worship by worshipping freely and enthusiastically (strategically placed worshippers). Let's begin to expand our own perceptions of what the team can be.

Approaching Sundays holistically

I want Sunday services to be approached differently. We really practice and prepare for specific upcoming Sundays...basically taking each week as it comes. I don't believe this has been a good system in helping the team progress and achieve new standards. We need to start approaching Sundays holistically by thinking about the season ahead. What kind of songs will we primarily be doing? We might start by looking at the top 25 off Song Select or CCLI for instance, as well as by looking at specific favorites for our congregation. The outcome of this is twofold. It means that once the musicians have practiced together and learned the dynamic of the songs, our practices could focus more on what's ahead: not simply the upcoming Sunday.  Obviously the list would change as we progress through seasons. Also I should be clear that I'm not saying that every single song in a service's worship should be pulled from the roster, but I am saying that the bulk of them should be. This way Sunday mornings are for sound check, a simple roadmap of the worship time, and any other songs that need to be touched on. I envision limiting the roster to 20 songs at a given time. If we usually do 5 songs per service, then theoretically we could go a whole month without even repeating a song off the list: not even considering 1 or 2 being pulled into a set from outside the roster. So overdoing the songs isn't a big concern

We need a regular and committed core

In order to have the team dynamics discussed above where everyone knows all the songs inside and out, we need a committed core for Sunday worship. Ideally this would be having 5-6 people up on stage (this is about the max before it starts feeling a little crowded), and having a total core of about 12. That's 2 for each instrument (i.e. Keyboards, Drums). This is small enough that it won't require an overwhelming amount of practices to keep quality consistent, and large enough that when one person is unavailable, it's likely the other can fill the spot. Same as with an ever-changing song roster, the core team roster would also change through the seasons, as people's personal lives change in availability and dynamic. My big dream for the near-future is to have a healthy core in place with enthusiastic people that can be brought in to fill the voids.

The heart of worship

Recently, I've been privileged to be able to step back and gage the climate of our congregation. This is what I've noticed: While often the team is performing well, and the songs are dynamic and engaging, the music doesn't seem to be stirring the congregation. Drums, microphones, lights, are all tools we use to praise God with, but at the heart of it all; its all about Jesus. If the church is not often engaging freely in praise in light of the tools which are being utilized, it's possible the heart of worship isn't very well established. Meaning, if we stripped everything back, would Christ and all He represents simply be enough to sing wholeheartedly? It's strongly been on my mind that it may be important for us to plan services where we intentionally step back in order to establish a foundation for authentic worship. I have experienced many churches that have fantastic and engaging music, and I know they were built on this.

Finally, 8:00am: be there or be square

This is for those scheduled for Sunday morning prep, and it literally means arrive in time to be in the sanctuary at 8:00am. Sound-check and down-beat gets postponed every minute the later one arrives. If you're somebody who is set-up and ready to go faster than others, still be there at 8:00, and enjoy hanging out and chatting while others get plugged-in, tuned-up, etc. I know there are some strong opinions about meeting time, and they're not all in agreement. So please bring a positive attitude!