Worship Team Contract & Guidelines
Please read through the Worship Team Contract and fill out the form at the bottom of this page.
Our Core Values:
-Glorifying God
-Excellence
-Integrity
Worship Team Guidelines:
“Worship is a divine privilege, and with that privilege comes a great responsibility to show generosity to others in the body of Christ through all we do. We should never leave worship to the pastors and worship leaders. We all need to learn to be excellent, extravagant worshipers, generous in our service to one another and generous in our expression of love toward one another.” Darlene Zschech
It’s important to us that when you accept the role of a member of the Destiny worship team, we clearly communicate the responsibilities or expectations that come with the position. The following describes those responsibilities/expectations.
There are a few who are responsible for directing the worship team in the way the Holy Spirit is leading the service, we refer to these people as Worship Leaders. By following the Worship Leaders, who are following the Holy Spirit, the worship team is collectively leading the members of our congregation into a time of worship and exaltation. Some examples to emulate and avoid are listed respectively here:
What Worship Leading is:
• Worship leading is both worshiping God and drawing others into worship.
• A worship leader must be someone who worships God out of the desire and desperation of their own heart. Before anyone can lead anything, he must master it for himself. And we cannot lead where we are not first willing to go for ourselves.
• A worship leader must be someone who worships on a continual basis. Worship should be a lifestyle, not a Sunday-only thing! It is vitally important to have times of personal worship outside of Sundays.
What Worship Leading is not:
Worship leading is not simply leading songs, choruses, or a song service.
Worship leading is not playing songs while others watch. This is not a performance!
Worship leading is not playing music while others worship. We must be skilled enough on our instrument or with our voice and know the songs well enough to be able to enter into worship ourselves. Again, we can’t lead where we're not willing to go ourselves!
Worship Team Qualifications:
A committed member of Destiny Church.
“Music ministry is not the right of the talented, but the privilege extended to the committed". Terry Kinard.
You must be committed and submitted to Destiny church and it’s pastors. This also means that you must attend services as often as possible, not solely when you are playing on the team. You are also encouraged to get involved in a small group. Find family here!
Maturity as a Christian/adult:
The worship team is open to those 18 years old and above, except at the discretion of the Worship Leaders.
At Destiny Church, we believe that spiritual maturity is crucial to leadership. This is a leadership-type ministry. We are all seen as leaders and must live our lives as such; both at church and away from church, on and off the stage.
It is important to be at a level of maturity where you can accept coaching and critique from our leadership and not take it personally.
Maturity also includes being responsible enough to arrive on time, spending time throughout the week preparing, and viewing this as the leadership role that it is.
Spiritually:
We need to be committed to maturing in our Christian walk. We cannot allow ourselves to grow stagnant, or our worship will also become that way. What is in our hearts will come out when we worship. In that vein, you will be working with leaders who will not mind their own business.
If the team lead or Pastor Eric senses that something is wrong, they will likely ask you about it. It is important to remain vulnerable and transparent. As your worship leaders(Adam, Rhiana, and Rachel) we promise to do the same.
Please know that there are situations that can have you removed from the team(usually temporarily), not as punishment, but because we are all leaders and will be expected to live a life (inward and outward) that is becoming of leaders. We must strive to be a Christ-like example both on the team and off.
Commitment to being spiritually prepared to minister:
We need to come prepared not just to sing and play but also to worship the King and to minister to His people. We don’t have much time allotted toward prayer on Sundays, so please come “prayed up!” It is not our place as ministers to come “spiritually hungry.”
This is a time to be blessed, but also a time to serve. It doesn’t matter how awesome we may be musically, we must have hearts that are prepared to meet the Lord and bless Him--which is what this is all about. If we come with the mindset that we are going to touch God, it will never get routine or old.
Commitment to tithing regularly:
We believe that giving is an essential part of the Christian faith. Not only is it mandated in the Bible, but without it, the church could not function. We believe that every “all-in” member of this community gives out of the provision that the Lord has given them. We keep an open hand with everything that belongs to the Lord; we operate in generosity.
Musical expertise:
We must be skilled enough to follow a service that is led by the Spirit of God. We don’t want to limit what God will do because of a lack of practice, preparation, etc.
We need to work on our instrumental and/or vocal ability to become the very best we can be.
This includes personal practice in addition to team rehearsals.
Destiny Church is committed to excellence and believes in the practice of practice. We must bring our best possible sacrifice to the Lord. Becoming familiar with the music makes it easier to worship on Sunday mornings instead of worrying about what comes next.
Time commitment:
Practice, rehearsals, and Sunday pre-service preparation are mandatory. This can also include special events, etc.
Support of family:
It is important that the individual’s immediate family members are willing to accept the necessary time commitment and be a support to the individual. If this is not the case, please come and talk with one of us (Adam, Rhiana, or Rachel). We would love to sit down with you and maybe your family to make a plan for your healthy involvement. We believe in healthy families and want to do what we can to support yours!
Leading by example:
Worship leading is truly only done by example. This is important on stage as well as off. It is our obligation as worship leaders to get beyond our own self-consciousness, insecurities, or whatever may be hindering us from worshiping and--well--worship! Are you entering into worship yourself? Do you look like you’re enjoying worship and engaging with God?
Ability to flow with a team:
This is not a solo event, but a team sport! Worshiping and blending with others is a major consideration.
There must be unity and humility within the hearts of each of our team members in order to flow under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Ability to flow with the pastor and the pastor’s vision for the church:
Worship is a part of carrying out the vision of Destiny church. “Helping seekers become spirit-empowered servants of Christ.” The worship leading team has the support of the pastor and the pastor must have the support of the team. Unity is key in a worship service. The pastor and team work together to carry out the full vision of the Lord.
Much of the above was revised/added to fit our Destiny Church needs and views from the Bethel Music Worship Team code of conduct. They are an incredible example for the worship community and we would like for our ministry to emulate these practices.
Worship Team Practical Steps:
Audition & Trial period. First, we will have an interview and a tryout to assess your skill level. It will be very laid back, but we do need to make sure that your gifting is in music. (We have a lot of other areas to get involved in if the music thing does not work out, though.)
Things we will be looking for in the audition: musical and/or vocal ability, stage presence, and leadership qualities.
Weekly practice session:
Depending on who you are and what you play, practice sessions will vary according to which service you are playing in. Missing a practice will generally mean you cannot participate in the following service (at the worship leader’s discretion).
Scheduling:
Our schedule is sent out every 3 months via Elvanto, so internet access is important. If you are unable to make it to a rehearsal or play on a Sunday, please let the worship leader on duty know, preferably via text or phone call, as soon as possible so other arrangements can be made. If you are part of other ministries at Destiny Church, it is your responsibility to provide any scheduling conflicts to the worship leaders via the “unavailability” section of Elvanto. If a scheduling conflict arises once the Elvanto schedule has been set, please take it upon yourself to request a swap in the system. The person you request a swap with will be able to either accept or deny your request. Please make the worship leader(s) scheduled for that service aware of the change as soon as possible. (This does not apply to last-minute illnesses or emergencies. In those instances, let the aforementioned worship leader(s) know as soon as possible that you will be unable to make it.)
Sundays:
Each member of the team is expected to be at the service location at the designated time before each service. (This time will vary depending on service start time.) This allows us the space we need to do sound checks, rehearse and/or run through a bit of each song, relax, and pray before each service. If you have an instrument to set up, get there early enough to do so and be ready to begin practice with the rest of us.
Sunday Morning Practice: 8:45 AM
Wednesday Night Practice: 6:30 PM
Special Events: TBD
Removal/Suspension from the team:
If, for some reason, a member of the worship team is involved in a situation that does not glorify the Lord, we will discuss the next course of action with them and possibly Pastor Eric. Each situation will be treated differently, as most situations of falling into sin--or maybe just needing a break—can be very different in nature. A member might be suspended from the team for 6 weeks or for 6 months. All of these decisions will be made together with said member and church/worship team leadership.
We hope that nothing of this sort will ever need to take place, and we expect that each band member has an accountability partner they can seek help from before any sin is allowed to take place. We trust and respect every member of the Destiny Worship Team very highly. However, we would like to make sure everyone is aware--both on the worship team and in the church--that we do not take sin lightly.
Band member positions are places of honor and leadership; they should be treated with the highest form of holiness and respect. Our church is a place of grace, but also of discipline. These rules are not set to punish or judge, but to give each member time to seek the Lord on a deep personal level until they are ready to return to the worship band. In an attempt to make these regulations more concrete, the list below provides examples of situations that will result in suspension/removal from the team.
• Drinking alcohol
Prov. 20:1; Prov. 23:31; 1 Tim. 3:3
• Sexual Immorality: Ephesians 5:3
- Having sexual relations of any kind outside of marriage.
- Adultery
- Sexual, verbal, virtual, or physical abuse.
- Porn
• Aggression towards anyone inside or outside the church
James 1:19; Matthew 5:9
• Slander/Lying
Mark 7:22
• Stealing
Exo. 20:15
• Complaining
Phillippians 2:14-16
Destiny Worship reserves the right to add to this list. This primary listing is to help give a basic outline of unapproved conduct. Please know that if, at any time, you are struggling with something of this nature, we (Adam, Rhiana, and Rachel) would much prefer to hear it from you before the Lord brings it to light.
Our main concern is not maintaining a full band--it is for you as our brother or sister in Christ. Your relationship with the Lord is paramount.
Thank you for taking the time to read through this list. We hope that we have been able to communicate how important your new position will be and how thankful we are that you have endeavored to serve God in this position.
Blessings,
Worship Team Leadership