I was in shock the moment I saw it.
There in the spotlight – a pack of cigarettes – protruding from the front pocket of our scheduled drummer.
I wasn’t leading worship, but I stood at the back and saw this happening right before my eyes.
This guy was new, for sure. He was a little rough around the edges with his personality. He had an older style. But we could deal with that because we were in need of drummers.
I wasn’t sure what to do. I pictured myself in the hot seat with my supervisor getting reprimanded for allowing this guy to play, let alone exposing his smoking habit for the whole church to see.
It’s not that I think smokers are demonic, evil people. It’s just the fact that there was a visible pack of cigarettes during worship. Awkward.
Balancing Grace & Discipleship
If you lead worship, you know the feeling.
You’re in need of musicians and oftentimes you settle for someone who can breathe and has hands to hold an instrument. You don’t care about their standards or morality as long as you have musicians to help you lead worship.
And with a variety of people comes a variety of standards.
On the one hand, you want to challenge people to come higher – disciple them to grow in Christ. You feel a responsibility to lead worship with a team set apart to holiness. But at the same time you want to have grace for people to grow.
I mean – who wants to have standards so high that no disciples are ever made?
So here we go.
Today’s post is a question I want to ask you: What are your worship team standards? What is OK? What is not OK? What would warrant confrontation? What doesn’t really matter?
A Small List of Standards
I’m thinking of things like:
- Are your musicians allowed to drink alcohol?
- Are your musicians allowed to smoke?
- Do your musicians need to be a born again Christians?
- What if one of your team members is living & sleeping with their boyfriend/girlfriend?
- Do you have a formalized dress code?
- Are your musicians required to be in a small group?
- Are your musicians required to be a member at the church?
- What if a team member tells crude jokes or swears?
- What if someone has a small drug problem?
- What if a musician is homosexual?
I’d love to hear from you. It’s awesome that so many worship leaders from unique churches across the world read this blog. And to get your insight into how you approach these difficult areas will be enlightening.
I’m not trying to create a blanket of standards that every church will adopt. Every church is different – its demographic, location, vision, and goals. So one church may look completely different than another.
What is important is that you make a decision on what you believe and what you stand for. It’s important to communicate clear standards so as to minimize future awkwardness.
So don’t leave without weighing in 🙂 Let’s help each other out! You can leave a comment by clicking here.
[ois skin=”Beyond Sunday 2″]
David, we have gone through this thought process many times. We pay our musicians, which is another discussion altogether, but with the pay comes the expectation of excellence. We have the thought that fewer rules is better because whatever you put down on paper you live and die on. When we audition the musicians we ask four questions, the first three if are deal breakers and the last one is to let us know where the person is spiritually. Here they are:
Are you in a relationship and if so does it honor God, and by that I mean if you are dating no sex before marriage and if married you are faithful to your spouse.
Do you abuse alcohol?
Do you abuse drugs?
Are you a Christian?
We explain to them that when they are playing with us people see them as faces of our church and these things, the first 3, would be a distraction and look bad on our ministry. These questions are asked on the honor system, they could lie about it, but if we find out that there are problems in any of these areas we address it.
We have a paper that states our expectations that includes being on time, being prepared, supporting leadership and each other on the team and also that we would like them to consider membership. They sign this and it is filed, that way we have a record of expectations and that they were aware of them.
Band Member Standards
The following list is the standards set out by the Worship Arts Staff of Highlands Fellowship Church. These guidelines are a standard that we uphold in our ministry as we serve our community.
To participate in our band, we ask that you strive to abide and keep these guidelines.
• LIFESTYLE: To live a life that will bring honor to Christ.
• Be a team player – encourage and care for other team members.
• Maintain a good relationship with the worship leader, band and tech members.
• Must have daily internet access & check Planning Center on a regular basis
• All band members are auditioned.
• SCHEDULING: Accept or Decline all scheduled dates at least 2 weeks prior to scheduled rehearsal on Planning Center. No response will be equivalent to a decline and a replacement will be provided.
• Repeated songs should be viewed as a new song because arrangement or key may change.
• Chord Charts may not always be available on planning center.
• Come fully prepared for rehearsals. This includes chord structure and song structure.
• FOR GUITAR PLAYERS: We play a style of music that calls for certain tones, and effects that need to match the reference track. This is learned at home not at rehearsal.
• Become familiar with click and loop for each song.
• Band members must own or have access to their instrument in order to fully prepare for rehearsals.
• CLOCKING IN: Arrive 15 minutes before rehearsal/run-through time in order to prepare for sound check. Must be clocked in 5 minutes before Rehearsal starts or you are considered late. (Instrument tuning, in-ears, tech etc…)
• Clock-in times will vary with campuses. As an example, if your run through is 8:30 AM, you should arrive by 8:15 and be clocked in NO LATER than 8:25 AM. Clock-in times after that are considered LATE.
• Starting August 29th 2013– all campus’s (excluding Bristol) will rehearse on Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM
• Starting August 31st 2013 – Bristol Campus Saturday practices will begin at 3:30 PM.
• Schedule conflicts for rehearsal’s will need to be approved in advance with your Campus Worship Leader
• Sound Check will start promptly at rehearsal/run-through start time.
• Must attend rehearsal in order to play on Saturday/Sunday. Exceptions may be offered on an individual basis.
• SERVICE ATTENDANCE: Commit to attend the 2nd Service or to watching message in Green Room during 2nd Service.
• Age: 18 years and older.
Exceptions may be offered
• Not all worship team members are compensated. Some are on a volunteer basis but uphold all the same standards as a compensated musician.
• Compensation is considered confidential and should be refrained from discussing among team members.
• Compensation will be based on the following:
a. Quality of musicianship
b. Demand for a particular instrument
c. Preparation | Coming unprepared to rehearsal will result in no compensation
d. AVAILABILITY: -Weekly rehearsal up to 2 hours and all scheduled service dates
e. AVAILABILITY: Christmas Rehearsal’s will be up to 3 hours and all scheduled service dates.
f. TIMELINESS: Clocking In will be monitored by the ADP web-clocking computer. If you do not arrive on time at the scheduled call time stated above there will be a 10% deduction from pay for that rehearsal or service. Uncontrollable events do happen so one late arrival per quarter will be overlooked)
g. Team Player
h. Talking negatively about other band members or the church will not be tolerated. – If you have a concern please express that with your Campus Pastor or Worship Leader.
• Be a Godly example. Serving in the band, keep in mind that you represent Highlands Fellowship. Please be careful what you post on ALL social media platforms. eg: Facebook, Twitter, Instragram, etc… people read it.
• Follow the direction and guidance of the Campus Pastor, Worship Leader & Band Leader.
• SESSION 101: We strongly desire band members that are also church members. With this, we strongly encourage you to complete the Session 101 and become a member within one year of joining our band. If you don’t, your position is subject to change if there is a church member that plays your instrument and has interest in serving in the band. NOTE: **Membership is not a requirement to being in the band**
Name_______________________________________________________
Date____________________
Signature_____________________________________________________
SO helpful, Greg! Thanks for sharing this.
Pastor Greg This is awesome. Very helpful thank you for sharing. I would like to have a copy of this email to me as well thank you.
Would you mind emailing me a copy of your guidelines? I would love to see them and maybe use some of the info if you don’t mind. My name is Gabe Amaya, my email is gabeamaya10@gmail.com Thank You!!
We all have standards. Whether or not they are written is beside the point. I disciple everyone on the team, but some are further along in their journey. I will sometimes allow an instrumentalist to play even if they have sin in their life (not that smoking is a sin) in order that I might have a few hours a week to influence them. However, my expectations are higher for vocalists. They sing the lyrics. They must believe what they are singing. Sometimes I make decisions on a case by case basis. Policies are nice but at times they’re also constricting.
I’ve heard others say the same thing, Gregg. They have some higher standards for singers than musicians.
Why do we need different standards for musicians and singers, though it’s something I have done many times. While the worship leaders which includes me and the singers would be deeply involved in prayers that precedes practice the musicians would always stay disconnected. Aren’t the musicians worshipping God with their music as much as the singers who worship God with their voices?
Very good point!
I call them guidelines.. Here are the ones for my band:
GUIDELINES FOR _____________ WORSHIP MINISTRY
– Must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that is consistent and growing through prayer, Bible reading and church fellowship.
– Be a committed attendee and tither of ________ Church, including regular attendance at Sunday Services.
– Demonstrate technical competence as either a singer, musician or audio/media technician.
– Singers and musicians must be comfortable on stage and expressive in their praise and worship before God.
– Maintain an faithful attendance record.
– Be committed to practicing an hour or more per week on their Sunday songs at home.
COMMITMENT TO A GODLY LIFESTYLE
Worship team members of _________ Church are expected to live a lifestyle that is above reproach, avoiding even the appearance of evil. (I Tim 3). Being a minister who is up front adds extra responsibilities because people see us as examples of what a Christian should be like. Therefore, it is imperative that we consider the way we treat each other and carefully guard our hearts from impurities and pride.
It is God’s desire and our desire to see our worship team members living a victorious Christian life, free from bondage. If there are any addictions or issues with which you struggle, please let us know – we are here to help you, not to judge you.
The following issues should be dealt with before any public ministry position is taken:
-Alcohol and drug abuse. Sexual immorality
-Prideful attitude. Anger and rage problems,
-Inability to submit to leadership, gossiping and stirring up strife
-An unbiblical lifestyle
DRESS CODE
General Dress Code: Modesty & dressy, culturally relevant style are key.
– No overly tight clothing. No short skirts or dresses.
– No sleeveless tops (without a covering).
– No revealing clothing (i.e. see-thru material without undershirt)
– Proper footwear: polished shoes or dress running shoes.
– No gaudy/over-sized jewelry (anything that might be a distraction)
Sunday Morning Attire:
Men: Collared shirt & slacks: opt. jackets, sweaters & vests.
Ladies: Blouse & pants, skirt or dress (knee length). No pants that are tight
all the way to the ankle unless you wear a long top that goes mid thigh.
No gaucho or cropped pants of any kind.
All: Nice dark dress jeans are also acceptable. Old & baggy jeans are not acceptable. If in doubt, wear dress pants. No hats.
Colors: Stick to neutral tones: Black (& all grey tones), browns (and all it’s tones) Light/dark blue, dark purple, white and off-white. (No loud prints)
SCHEDULE REQUIREMENTS:
– Typically each band member and singer will be scheduled twice per month based on their availability and monthly service schedules.
– Arriving on time and ready for practice is essential for each member! In order to present worship music that is both excellent in quality and anointing, an efficient practice is necessary. The more we practice, the freer we are to worship and lead others in worship!
Thursday Night Rehearsals: 7:30-9:30 pm *mandatory
Note: Only that Sunday’s team practices the Thursday night prior.
TIPS FOR BETTER PLATFORM PRESENCE:
– Look in the mirror and watch what you look like – jump, clap, bow, dance, raise your hands, be engaging. If something appears awkward, adjust it to make sure you are communicating what you want to communicate.
– Do not let the congregation determine your level of expression. Sometimes they will not be engaged in worship. As leaders, we always need to be engaged. Show them an example of how to express worship. Most of the time, they simply need to see worship in order to learn how to express it on their own.
– Be sincere. Worship from your heart. Give a warm smile from within. We are leading people from all different circumstances, so remember that a warm smile ministers more than you realize.
– Musicians – Be sure to stay engaged in worship. Practice ahead of time so you don’t have to focus on your instrument the whole time. Sing while you play. Seeing a musician singing from their heart can really help people worship. Move around your area. Use your space to the fullest. When there is no movement, the platform can look stagnant.
Mark, love it! Very detailed and clear. How does this go over with your new team members? Does having this written down minimize the amount of awkward conversations you need to have because people know what is expected?
Totally.. People want to be involved and these written standards really let them know what is involved..
Here is where I have onerous concerns. A man with a daughter sets standards for the youth who will date his daughter. He builds this character in her so that she will have both discernment and caution balanced within her emotional desires to have a boyfriend NOW. The doctor has standards and protocol for assessing illness that does not move, no matter the patients desires, “rights”, vitamins, fears or quackery ideas.
Why is it that the Church of Jesus Christ misses the litmus and the definitive?
Because her leaders are doctrinally impotent. We have churches led by children who want children by their side in leadership. We have church/political leaders who are afraid of being unpopular. We have religious/financial leaders who are swayed by income and outgo–nickles and noses.
This is the only explanation for the circus-like arena of activity we are now calling “worship”. It is the only reason “chicken skin” defines “anointing” and skill overshadows gifting. It is why people who are not yet qualified to lead others in worship keep showing up to “play in the band” for money and or fame. It is certainly why we continually feed on poor substitutes and the body shows signs of anemia. Our chosen proxies are man-made, cheap and plentiful, and as long as we consume them as preference, the real remains but a delicacy we yearn for through the windows viewing.
Elders–Bishops–Pastors–Presbytery–Do your job! “Just as shepherds watch over their sheep, you must watch over everyone God has placed in your care. Do it willingly in order to please God, and not simply because you think you must.” James 5:2. In fact, re-read all of James 5 to remember what a true shepherd is to do.
They are not to be bossy, but neither are they to apologize for God’s Word and firm leadership based upon that truth. Who will stand, sit, sing, play, talk, preach on this platform? This is part of your job to “Do your best to win God’s approval as a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed and who teaches only the true message.” II Timothy 2:15
Young people are directed to obey their elders and everyone is to brand the distinguishing fabric and covering of humility.
Pastor–Minister, if you are afraid of offending because you set biblical standards, or you are fearful of not being liked, or you hate confrontation and rejection–then resign, go and get professional help and wait for God to grow you up before you attempt to lead others. Pastor-Minister. If you are cruel and unloving in your application of the Truth, or your insistence of standards, then you have missed the mark. If you do this consistently, then you missed your calling as a critic.
Finally, if you haven’t, developed your list of doctrine based standards and requirements for service to others within Gods church.
MAKE IT A WRITTEN DOCUMENT and have all the Elders sign off on it as you remain accountable to one another.
–make its study a prerequisite to an application, much less a job.
–make mutual signatures be the norm
–make violations clear and their consequences even more pronounced
No one has to meet moral standards to become a Christian, but after becoming one, these same standards are unavoidable.
We know how far off base we are today, but the quest for “success” and stardom crush our foot in the doorway leading to honest confession. So we back up and out and keep on pretending. How does this show up? If you are a musician and the church wants to hire you–take a look at the musical /talent expectations as written and compare them to the spiritual qualifications and level of maturity necessary to be a leader on a stage as an example to others. Then you must have the Godly character to make the wise decision.
Anyone who leads the church (by definition of that said church) deserves such advanced understanding. With lawyers run amuk these days, such documentation is
well advised. Ironically, all churches need a lawyer proofing such documents. Along these lines, I think it wise to have all applicants for leadership submit to a background check to be kept on file.This includes praise me bands–I mean praise bands.
All of this windage from me can be encapsulated into this statement.
Your church had better have at least one man of God who fears only God and his calling is evidenced by virtue of his unswerving devotion to the everlasting Word of God as the unmoveable truth of God for the ever changing people of God.
In the absence of such leadership…let the carnival play on–
Let Retail Jesus continue to rule– Let the children play with their gadgets and toys–
Love the world and welcome her in as you mimic her to detail.
Then let the church receive her reprimand as surely she will because Christ loves his bride the church. “When the Lord punishes you, don’t make light of it. And when He corrects you, don’t be discouraged. The Lord corrects the people he loves (He uses His own standards consistent with the Word we now have) and disciplines those he calls his own.” Hebrews 12:5-6)
Mature leadership uses God’s Word as the standard. From this base foundation, combined with discernment, no one leads the flock in any capacity without such vetting.
“My friends, we should not all try to become teachers. (musicians in the praise band strutting and exercising ego’s or in a fancy choir with a delicious pipe organ showing off their impeccable skills) In fact, teachers will be judged more strictly than others.” James 3:1) The judgement of God is real and so is His favor with approval.
A fathers love for his daughter….Who gets to date his daughter. Put his passion on steroids and there you have the standard for leadership within the church.
“Don’t be too quick to accept people into the service of the Lord by placing your hands on them.” I Timothy 5:22
Musicians and music are not critical to worship and when we insist that they are, the debilitating compromises begin because just having any musician and any music becomes standard enough.
Blessings–Glenn
That was great. thank you.
David,
Great conversation starter for leaders. I finish a seminary degree a few years ago but I am not in the ministry formally. What amazed me going through classes and sharing with people who were pastoring was a lack of grace. Jesus’ central message of the cross was and is love. Some folks get caught into being the Holy Spirit when it is not our job to convict, that is the HS job. Can we lead with grace? I think it is demanded of a leader. Take your example of the pack of smokes. A conversation is very appropriate to have with him and assure him that you are not judging but it cause someone to get hung up on it during worship. Maybe someone is struggling to quit, lost someone to lung cancer, etc. An appropriate response is to just ask folks to put those things away for the sake of others at the alter. What if someone is a homosexual? Kicking them off a worship team is not going to change their sin, is it? It was interesting in seminary because there were sins that were considered to more awful than another sin. I am trying to find scripture to support that. Again, do we rely on the HS to convict and change or do we shame people? Bottom line when we point to someone’s sin as a reason they should not serve, that is a problem since we are all sinners. We have been instructed to love. Love people into the Kingdom and then let the King do the finishing work. Right? Joseph
Realizing that you’re looking for feedback on how it goes with our teams and in our gatherings, I felt led to “go back to one” and look up the word “standard” in Strong’s.
The Hebrew word for “standard” has also been translated in the NASB as “banner”, “distinguishing mark”, “sail”, “signal”, and in some cases, “warning”. The root word is a verb meaning “to be high or conspicuous” (again in the NASB, the root has been translated “displayed” or “sparkling”).
Whether we like it or not, the “lifted up” ones among us will tell others about who our tribe is… However, we have to keep in mind that the point of a standard in the Bible was to serve as a sign pointing to something, or someone.
The standards we create will ultimately drive what, or Who, “stands out” among us. They will drive what or whom people will ultimately gather around, like “an army in battle”. [Since we’re typically referred to as a “front line” ministry, I know this audience will understand the connection. 😉 ] Depending on who God is bringing your way, I believe He can use that to indicate what standards you should adopt from a social perspective.
Something else… people are drawn to those who understand what they’re going through (Jesus set that “standard” for us, so to speak), so including people who have grown through struggle is an integral part of an effective worship tribe. Please, please, PLEASE do not make it all about the young ‘uns, but ensure that you have multigenerational representation to illustrate the Spirit of Elijah alive and well (Mal 4:6).
Nancy Duarte, a marketplace expert on incorporating story into presentations, was recently quoted as saying “I’ll follow a leader who has a glorious story of failure before I will follow one who pretends he’s never failed.” It’s also been said, “Never trust a guy without a limp.” This implies the need for having people around who’ve gone through some battle and come out on the other side to give a testimony to those who are still growing and need the voice of wisdom.
I’ve been trying not to focus so much on the externals, except where they become a distraction for the congregation. It’s more about what, or WHO, they’re waiting on and chasing after, and whether they’ve been where we know the Lord wants to take His people.
Cheyne, this is so powerful. Love the quotes. And I think you’re right – we connect with leaders not because they have it all together but because they are real, honest, and passionate – calling out those same qualities in those who follow. So good.
When it comes down to it, the only question I would have is this: Do they have a heart for pursuing God? This implies they are a Christian, and are allowing the Spirit to make them more Christlike. I don’t believe anyone can lead people into the throne room of God without having been there first.
The rest of it, smoking/drinking/drugs, can very easily get to a point where you’re making some sins less acceptable than others. Therefore, set the example positively… maybe pray with your team something like this: “Lord, help me resist against the un-Christlike qualities in my life. Continue your work in me so I can decrease, and you can increase.”
Edit> I need to clarify. I don’t mean any sins are acceptable, just that some sins are considered worse than others, if that makes sense.
Dave, I really appreciate what you, Joseph and Cheyne above are sharing on this subject.
I must admit I had a bit of a twist in my stomach when reading this particular post, not because I don’t agree that there should be some sort of standard set within the worship team but because some seem to me to be quite subjective and shaming rather than geared towards the growth and support of your fellow worshippers.
I’ve been in a team since I was a teen and have grown to become a worship leader and I know that I’ve been challenged many times over the years in both behaviour and appearance. It has been a work in progress, and I have been molded into who I am today in part because of my involvement in worship. As you would expect, there have been times when I would have been judged unacceptable by the standards of some of these contracts I read above because of a failure in judgement, and I would hope that there would be some grace extended to me rather than a strike through for violating the rules.
I feel that it’s should not be about ‘allowing’ or ‘forbidding’ things but discipling people to grow in discernment and Christ-likeness with as much grace as we possibly can. For example, there is no dress code in our team, people can come wearing their normal clothes like jeans and colourful t-shirts, as long as they’re not offensive. Because the team dynamic is based on relationships, we trust our worship leader to want the best for us and to approach us with honesty and clarity but also love if we sometimes fail.
Things that I would personally emphasize are:
– People should be Christian and our church should be their home church (ideally members or planning to be in the near future)
– You must not just play your instrument but worship yourself when you’re on stage.
– Being a team player e.g. I would challenge regular lateness and general flakiness in responding to emails
– A bad attitude, especially whether or not people are receptive to gentle criticism and willing to change, would make me reconsider their place on the team.
Any other visible sin might be considered on a case by case basis within our relationship building since people are works-in-progress. Smoking for example I would not think of as a sin. I am often struck by how God pinpoints things in our life that need to change in what may seem to others like the ‘wrong order’. Often, smoking is really down God’s priority list. If we had to do everything at once, we would be seriously overwhelmed.
Anything that the church might consider a ‘ church discipline’ issue would be raised with the elders and would likely not just be a worship team thing anyway. It might just be a case of ‘not yet ready to be part of the team’ rather than a big no.
Pauline, thanks for sharing! I totally understand your concern. That’s precisely why I wanted to write this post because there’s an interesting tension between discipling someone in their walk with Jesus and extending grace where they fall short. None of this was written with the spirit of judging someone for their lifestyle choices. I just know in my local church I want to navigate these tensions with Biblical clarity and wisdom. Thanks for your insight. So good!
Good stuff, Dave. Just for clarity – if someone had a great attitude, was a fantastic musician and wanted to serve but didn’t have a “heart for pursuing God”, mainly because they’ve never come to Christ or even heard about Him – would you seek to lead that person to Christ before they joined the team? This is good stuff.
I think the answer to this is summed up by your definition of the role they will be having. If they’re part of a music team, then you might answer one way. If you’re building a worship team, then they can’t contribute on the only level that’s important to that structure.
For me and the church/team structure I serve in, yes – they would have to be a Christian before they served in the worship team. You’re absolutely right though, I’d have a common passion (ie music) with them, and it gives a perfect way to build relationship which would hopefully lead onwards. However, I’ve seen non-Christians get involved with music teams because they like the music and wanted to an excuse to play, not because they like God and want to build his church and kingdom.
Might we be looking at a variation on “do not be yoked with unbelievers” ? http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/6-14.htm
Solid. Respect your vision, man.
Wow, these comments are so varied. One thing I just want to clarify: Love means to desire the highest good for someone. that may take many different forms. But mostly when people get on their “love” soap box, it’s just the form of a soft agreeable expression. But love is also discipline, confrontation, rebuke. All of these are good for us at some time or another. I think it is good and “loving” to have standards and requirements for those who want to serve in any ministry. Heck it’s Biblical! God uses Leaders to keep us on His path. We all need reminding and nudging to rise up to what’s expected of us by God. How we get along with others directly correlates with our spirituality. How well we submit to leadership also correlates with how well we submit to the Lord. We do our brothers and sisters a disservice if we let them give sloppy service and never confront or expect excellence. There are way too many rogue Christians who want to do their own thing. We need to avoid the temptation to value someone’s gift over their character. That can be a hard lesson to learn. I had Worship Team Guidelines and Requirements that I typed up for one of my worship teams in our European church. I’ve often looked at it and feel it doesn’t fit an American culture. So I need to rewrite one for this current team. It’s been encouraging to read some of yours and to see that my expectations were “normal”. Yet some people think you are asking too much just for them to know their part! We are living in difficult Church times. I have some strong opinions about: Yes, your worship team members SHOULD all be Christians. This is ministry by golly! When church leaders start to put the quality of a musical performance above the purpose of the Church, ie the building up of the BODY OF CHRIST, something is way off. This is where we are making an IDOL out of music in our churches today.
If someone told me they struggled with homosexual desires but was a Christian, I would still allow them to serve in worship ministry. If anyone was a “practicing” homosexual or adulterer, or fornicator, that’s where I draw the line. We all struggle with sinful desire, but a mature Christian learns self control. I think I will start to ask prospective Team members if they have anger issues, because I seem to be getting alot of that these days. I think one of the reasons why it’s difficult working with musicians and those in the arts, is their identify and self worth can be so caught up in their gift/talent, that if you give any input, they interpret it as belittling their self worth/gift, they can’t handle it. Even if it’s constructive to help them, all they hear is “you’re not good enough”. Pride takes on many expressions.
I’m also not a fan of churches hiring Christian musicians who do not even attend their church. Whatever happened to serving freely? and using the very people God’s given you to disciple and raise up? I’ve lost one of my players to a church who hired him because they needed his particular instrument and now I only have him half the time. Thanks a lot _____________ church. I don’t think it’s ethical. When other churches start to compromise and do these kinds of unethical things in the name of ministry it effects us all! It hurts the body of Christ not helps.
Thanks for sharing, Louise! Love your passion. The only distinction I would make is I believe some churches allow non Christians on their team as a form of discipleship and building up the body of Christ. Sure, those people aren’t leading worship or preaching, but they are taking part in the band. That experience alone can really help to bring someone closer to Christ. I just think vision and expectations need to be clear.
I have a huge issue with a written list of rules, especially for “modesty.” Modesty is personal, let alone the fact that every physical body is different and has different needs. You can’t have a “one size fits all.” Once things start being nitpicked and pinpointed down to “knee length” or “no sleeveless shirts” or “jewelry can only be X,” we’re stepping away from God and stepping towards man-made rules and regulations. To set “standards” is to create MORE distractions, because people who know these “standards” now look around and automatically size people up as to whether they’re following them or not. I have seen this happen over and over again- when someone mandates a dress code, judging begins. People start thinking, “That skirt is two inches above her knee! Why are they allowing her to sing on praise team today?” or gauging one’s closeness with God/comparing ourselves amongst ourselves with how much they fall in line with these specific rules, instead of thinking things about God. I get it – we’re humans, and we like to have rules and lines and have people know how to fall between them because it appears to make life easier. But again, we’re humans, and things that start out with the best of intentions can turn into judging really quickly. I left a church because of this exact reason, and I came to this church for this exact reason- because it didn’t appear to have these “standards.” Let’s stick to the things God’s heart is after (fruits of the Spirit! beatitudes!), and not create standards that we thought up ourselves. Being a follower of Christ comes in many different forms and formats, and people should be allowed to serve God (yes, even on a worship team!) even if we don’t all dress and look the same.
Because God likes rules and laws I think we should too! He is a God of order. He gave us the 10 commandments to govern our lives by through the power of His Holy Spirit along with the admonitions of His Word. Just because some people abuse rules doesn’t make the concept of rules wrong. People are wrong and people will abuse even “good” things. We can’t go to extremes. Moderation in all things.
Rules should be the requirements that scripture puts on us along with practical things needed for your particular church. There is nothing wrong with that at all. In fact, if a church doesn’t have any requirements or rules, I think it would be church with sin running rampant. Paul exhorts those who are to be in leadership to live up to a certain standard. That is all we are doing. Be careful that satan doesn’t drive you to an extreme where you throw off all restraint because you saw the other extreme in too much restraint. That is his M.O.
Louise,
Yes, I agree, God has order. I believe that we should follow the order that God has set into motion instead of creating our own standards or rules to follow – those would be man-made. I have not adopted the other extreme where no rules or regulations are allowed in my life; however, I have adopted the idea that teaching of principles (instead of “rules”) allows an individual to develop personal convictions. Teaching rules and not allowing a person to develop convictions of their own (which may differ from person to person) is doing a disservice to discipleship.
Well said Anonymous. Yes principles are important and yes, for others to order their lives by God instilled convictions is the ideal. But what if someone has none of that either because they are immature in the faith or were never taught them? And then they are up in front in a worship team? Do we wait for them to caught up to the more mature or do we gently educate (disciple) them as to the “whys” of certain standards? Surely everyone should comply in a ministry setting and there should not be a double standard. All of this really boils down to how extensive your “rules” really are. If a church is extreme in their rules then yes, you will have people bucking at those rules. But I’m not talking about extreme rules, just common sense things that are Biblical and practical. I wouldn’t agree with a church that told me I had to only dress with neutral colors. I think that’s taking it too far. But if I really wanted to be in that worship team bad enough, I would comply even though I didn’t like it. I was in a team years back when they told us no more jeans. Well, that is all I ever wore, so I was not happy about it. But I submitted anyway. We may not always agree with the decisions and ways our church does things but that’s ok, as long as we deny ourselves and see the bigger picture.
Love this discussion here. What would you say to a guy team member who wears something very sloppy? Or a girl who wears something that is very revealing? Would you overlook it? Would you confront it? I appreciate your perspective on principles over rules but just curious how to handle a situation like that.
Hi David, Actually this very scenario has come up before in one of my worship teams. We had a guy who wore shorts and flip flops, a girl who went the other extreme and wore really sloppy ugly clothes (because she didn’t want to stand out! Ha!) and another girl who wore see through clothes. I can’t quite remember exactly how we handled the shorts and flip flops guy. (I think I told him I wish he would dress better) but I don’t think he changed his dress. He turned out to be very problematic and rebellious in other areas and left our church mad. The girl who under dressed in baggy clothes, well I told her she was drawing just as much attention to her dumpy clothing as someone would if they dressed lavishly. The whole point of a dress code is to honor the Lord and not distract people from worshiping. That sister was very young but a precious girl. She made a turn around. Today she is a pastor’s wife. My problem-ed girl who wore revealing clothes I had to talk to and she always acted real surprised about what I was pointing out, although she continued making bad judgments in clothing from time to time, she did eventually change. Each time I would talk with her, she was humble and sorry. This girl was older (believe it or not) and was really into the current fashions to the extreme. My thinking is: you can’t let, how you think someone will react, keep you from talking to them because it is the right thing to do. I’m learning to approach each person with discernment according to their individual sensitivities. As leaders, this is all a part of the territory and we shouldn’t be afraid to lead. Yes, we may lose some but we still need to do the right thing and leave the consequences with the Lord. And today this is getting even harder to do because so many “Christians” are self willed and not used to being held accountable.
Perhaps this would be best addressed in a small group setting, where principles and motivations are discussed with a biblical basis. Talking about how to develop personal convictions with Christ as the guide can have much more of a positive affect than to try to define modesty ourselves (which can bring on a host of other problems).
I think it’s important for worship leaders to have standards. Kids these days have a plethora of negative influences to view. One of the things I love about our church is that the female worship leaders are a great influence on my girls. They manage to have a sense of style but always maintain modesty. I’m not saying that it’s all on the women to have standards of course. This discussion just ties in with a thought I had a short while back.
Overall, I agree with and appreciate your standards for worship team members.
I’ve had a meeting with our worship team in which generalized standards have been communicated, i.e. “walking the talk”, living our day to day lives in accordance with Biblical standards, setting a good example. To me, as a worship leader, that includes not swearing or telling crude jokes, no drunkenness, no drug abuse, no living together without marriage and no homosexuality. I don’t require church membership but do require a member to profess a born again relationship. I also prefer worship team members to be regularly attending our church, but on occasion will use a musician who regularly attends elsewhere.
Blessings,
Olen
Great discussion! As a female worship leader/music director, I speak to our women at least 4x a year about appropriate dress standards. This is serious and lighthearted at the same time. The guys know what’s coming down the pike when I ask them to step out for a few minutes at rehearsal. It’s all good though, and over the years I’ve developed a relationship with everyone — even if someone isn’t picking up on the content of the group discussion, I can pull them aside and share my heart. It’s always a bit awkward, but when a woman chooses to ignore your direction and races out of the house without giving a nice, long look in the mirror, they need direct guidance and correction. If it’s consistent a problem with the same person, then there’s a bigger issue at heart. Perhaps entrance on to a worship team was premature AND/OR standards were not clearly written and articulated.
Great conversation here! Just wanted to add a couple of thoughts. I think we all agree it is often easy to identify what we want in this are but much harder to put into practice. If we approach these situations with the right spirit of mentoring each other in the faith, we can work to bear each others burdens on our Christian journey. We must always think of a worship team as a ministry first because if we are fostering an environment of growth in our ministry, and our people are growing spiritually, it will spill over into our worship and ultimately to our people in the local church, which in the end is a goal I am confident we all share.
In terms of specific rules, i think there is a place and they are necessary. However, I also am cautious with trying to construct a paradigm that is more abbout our human need and desire to develop a controllable model, which gives us comfort. I believe this is particulalry true in a worship ministry where so often we can feel out of control in the sense that we are looking to the Lord and His Holy Spirit to lead us in our worship. We must be careful to not make the rules the ruler!
Many of us have heard the phrase, “Rules without relationship leads to rebellion.” Without worship leaders pulling our team up in love and having open dialogue with each other, whether it be necessary correction or just a listening ear, it is only a matter of time before that person who isnt following the “rules” self-selects themselves out of the ministry. This can often be a key reason for a high degree of turnover and frustration on our worship teams and it always needs to start and be emulated by the leaders. Too often I think we fail our team members, our congregation and ultimately the Lord because we as leaders fail to communicate, in love, with the people God has positioned us to lead. Dont be afraid of the difficult conversations because if you approach them based on the word and in a merciful and loving spirit, you may just save someone’s life and you will find yourself growing in spiritual ways you never did before. “Iron sharpens iron!”
Sorry if this comes across preachy. Certainly not my intent just sharing from my own leadership experiences and failures over the years. In love. John
After checking out what several churches are doing in this area, we came up with a Worship Team Lifestyle Commitment Form for each member to sign and commit to:
Worship Team Lifestyle Commitment
Bethel Pentecostal Church
I affirm my faith in Jesus Christ as my Saviour, and my submission to Him as my Lord. I submit to the authority of the Word of God.
As a Worship Team Member of Bethel Pentecostal Church I will adhere to Biblical moral standards and will uphold them in conversation, work, and lifestyle. I will seek to strengthen and edify the Church Body.
I understand that as a worship team member these are my responsibilities:
1. To make Sunday Church services and Monthly Worship Team Meetings a priority in my life. I will attend faithfully and be on time to practices and worship services knowing that my absence or lateness affects not only myself, but also the entire worship team. If I will not be available for any given weekend I will let the worship leader know as soon as possible so that he/she will be better able to plan the services knowing who will be available and who will not be available.
2. To encourage my fellow team members in their areas of service, and support them in prayer.
3. To offer my creative input with humility and grace.
4. To guard the unity of the church and worship team by refraining from gossip. I will neither speak nor listen to a negative word or gossip about my fellow team members or the worship ministry.
5. To communicate all worship team concerns in a godly and prayerful manner to the worship team leader.
My Commitment To My Church:
1. To support and further the vision and mission of Bethel Pentecostal Church with the gifts God has given me.
2. To submit to the leadership and authority under which God has placed me.
3. To serve my God and King with a positive and joyful attitude.
I Understand That:
1. I must be at practices and monthly meetings in order to be on the worship team on Sunday mornings(unless excused due to work, illness, or scheduled holidays). I will notify our Worship overseer prior to the meeting if and why I am not able to attend.
2. As a part of the BPC worship team, I am a leader in the church and realize that others will be looking up to me so I will act, speak, and dress in a Christian manner as a representative of the church and of Jesus Christ and not wear any clothing that would distract attention from the Holy Spirit’s work in peoples’ lives (including jeans with holes, shorts, short skirts and low-cut, revealing clothing for women).
3. As I begin serving with the worship team I will be under an “audition” phase for the first two months and will attend monthly meetings. At the end of which I will meet with the worship director and we will discuss any potential issues we may see and also whether worship ministry is right for me.
4. At the end of my “audition” phase, if either the worship leader or I determine that service on the BPC worship team is not a good fit for me at that time, I will continue to strive to find my area of ministry.
I affirm both singleness and marriage as biblical lifestyles within the Christian community and that marriage is an exclusive life partnership of love and faithfulness between a man and a woman. Sexual union is reserved for marriage, celibacy is required of the unmarried, and each Christian is called to a life of sexual purity in both thought and action. I affirm that any sexual activity (heterosexual or homosexual) outside of marriage (by a married or single person) is a violation of Biblical standards.
I agree to the standards for a worship team member and will not participate in the following: abuse of alcohol or use of illegal drugs (including marijuana), use of tobacco, sexual impurity (including pornography), and guilt in a criminal offense. If at any time I fail to uphold these standards, I will be prepared to step down from the team for a time for personal ministry.
My Personal Commitment
As a Worship Team Member, I affirm my agreement and commitment to Bethel’s Worship Team Members Lifestyle Commitment. If at any time my beliefs change, I will inform the Worship Ministry Overseer and be prepared to step down from my position.
____________________ ________________________ __________________
Name (Print) Signature Date
To be signed by all Worship Team Members of Bethel Pentecostal Church.
We strongly feel that being on the worship team is a leadership position, a very up-front ministry and that each member needs to be an example to the congregation. Our dress requirements are neat attire, modest (no short, shorts or short skirts or low tops). And plain shirts without insignia or wording). It works well.
I believe members of the worship team should be born again,sold out 4 Jesus,we need to stop compromising,n settling 4 less in the body of christ,the world has their believe.God is holy n he expects us to be holy.Thank you.
Wondering if anyone requires background checks for musicians. We do but don’t enforce it. I’m wondering if we should be more strict about that. Being on stage implies a level of trust on the part of the congregation. Given today’s climate I’d hate to allow predators access to our vulnerable attenders.
I am sorry but a background check!
Seriously, unless they are hands on with children it should not matter if they have a felony or even if they have a charge that is related to abuse. Jesus covers all that, when will the church allow their brothers and sisters to walk in their new identity, and the complete and total forgivness that is in Christ Jesus? If they are born again and they have served their sentence or paid their dues, (unless they are working directly with children) there should be NO need for that.
I am from the Philippines and I’m too young to be a worship chairman and at the same time, music director. I am just 17 years old and the reason behind my young leading is because our former chairman/music director disgraced our loving pastor because of their different stands on faith. So when we are in his authority years ago, he set a lots of standards that actually made the worship team become too perfect and if we go out of the rule even we dont mean it, he will reject us. From the ratio of i think 15 in the team, we’re moved to 10.
So as the new chairman I have decided that everyone should be born again, a member of the church or at least 3 months consecutive attender. after the next requirement, we will disciple them skilfully and spiritually for at least half of the year. The discipleship includes cleaning the pastor’s house and the church and also gardening so that we can see their hearts and attitude if they are willing to serve the Lord through this discipleship methods. I think through that we can develop their potential because they have proven that they are willing to learn more and serve God. We accept homosexual in the discipleship. haha. Hoping that God will move in their lives through His words. We will not let them enter the holy ground unless God tell us to do so after their 6 months training. But as long as we can see in their everyday lives that this is not yet the proper time for them, we will still train them until they’ve received the Holy Spirit. (audition first after training. Now if they weren’t qualified because of the auditions , we will train them skilfully using our coaches from the guitar part, drums, voice, keyboard and many more). So we accept everyone in the training but not particularly in the worship team. When we’re out of any musician, we will wait even if we have to sing in acapella, we will do.
I just gave the worship team at my small church the new standards and expectations for the team along with our new vision. For a while there was too much leniency and people were doing whatever they wanted to do. God has been placing in my heart to establish order so we can grow into who He has called us to be. When I gave the requirements and expectations a couple people got really upset over the dress code, specifically hair color.
A young person on the team had dyed their hair a wild hair color the week before and I was not sure how to address this. I had not presented the expectations yet and I wasn’t expecting to confront this issue on our team. I fasted and prayed and I felt in my heart the Lord lead me to decide that wild (bright) hair colors will not be allowed (at least for now), because it is unprofessional and can be very distracting. Our church is a mixture of youth and older adults. The adults would most likely find this to be distracting especially.
Well, when I presented this new rule, of course they did not take it well and got very upset. All I asked was if they can just tone it down a bit, but they did not agree at all. They even walked out of the church right before we even finished up and didn’t say bye to anyone :(….. Did I make the right choice? I know that this person’s hair color was going to distract people in our church. And for the sake of peace and unity I decided to not allow it. I am not against dying your hair a crazy color, personally, but as a leader sometimes we have to make difficult decisions thinking about the ministry as a whole and not just ourselves.
I’m a very laid back person in general, I’m not that strict. Our dress code is business casual. I just wish everyone was understanding. I just hate feeling like the bad guy.
I would appreciate your thoughts on this.
Thank you,
Adrianna
It’s a tricky one … no one likes being told what to do, especially in an environment where we’re meant to be accepting!
First, I’d make sure it was an issue. Sometimes people may disapprove, but that doesn’t make it a must change thing immediately. Sometimes adults need to lighten up too! Also, I’ve been in churches where attitudes are assigned to various groups through presumption, and that can sometimes inflate an issue out of nothing. If your music team is off to the side and not directly at the front of the church, it may be less of a problem.
Would a better way to approach the issue be to put the responsibility in the hands of the youth member by saying “Hey, it’s occurred to me that there may be some of the congregation whose attention gets split between God and your hair. Does this bother you, and if so can you think of a solution?” – Maybe all they need to do is tie their hair back or wear a hat, rather than dye it another colour.
I pray for protection over the relationships you have with your team, and that wise choices are made by all parties. God bless your church!
I am currently facing a situation with a singer on our team who has been raised in the church, knows that having an unsaved boyfriend isn’t wise but has still chosen to do it. I talked to her, she knew everything- every scripture and reason why she shouldn’t be going out with someone who doesn’t love Jesus, but she’s choosing to do it anyway. In all other aspects she appears to have a heart for God and to serve in the church. HARD SITUATION! what to do?! Is wilful sinning (or being a bad example to ppl watching her life) a reason to ask someone to leave the team?!
My gut reaction is no, it’s not reason enough.
We’re all sinners. Every sin is willful sin. If it weren’t, we wouldn’t be responsible. And if we’re not responsible for our own actions, a sin can’t be a sin at all. So now you have to ask yourself are you’re elevating the seriousness of someone else’s sin above your own?
Thankfully, we’re redeemed! God doesn’t wait until we’re got our lives sorted before making use of us. If God has given gifts to her or called her to serve by singing, should we get in the way of that? I think you’ll be in a much healthier position by maintaining and investing in your relationship with her, rather than cutting her off from what she obviously loves doing. Plus, you should ask to meet this guy! Maybe you can encourage him to come along and listen to his girlfriend sing one day 🙂
My sticking point is that as Christians we are always trying to be like Jesus- so if you know what you’re doing is wrong, and you purposefully continue to unrepentantly do it, isn’t that a pretty big issue? I sin all the time, but the reason I’m forgiven is that I hate it and I don’t want to do it and I’m sorry I do it. So shouldn’t ppl who are placed in ‘leadership’ on the worship team be at least trying to be more like Jesus? (Even if they’re failing, at least they’re trying?) Grace isn’t really for sin that we want to do and keep doing it- it’s for sin we genuinely regret that we’ve done.
It’s all this that makes me uncomfortable- and am I helping her by just letting whatever slide? Is not admonishment and correction sometimes appropriate?
You raise interesting points. We should all strive to be like Jesus. What does it mean if we strive to be like Jesus in all but 1% of our life? I think it makes us a work in progress. We’ve all fallen short, so I would be very resistant in establishing an environment that says some have fallen more short.
I firmly believe that it’s easier to change someone’s behaviour from a position of relationship rather than judgement. I’ve known people to leave church because in their brokenness they’ve been told they can’t serve. I think if you can see gifts of the spirit in this person, see love flowing from this person, God is at work in their lives.
We are in a transition period at our church wherein our senior pastor who was also our worship leader is now stepping off the worship ministry to concentrate on leading the church. In the process, he has appointed one of the back up singers and occasional worship leader to lead worship for our Wednesday and Sunday services and has appointed me coordinator over the worship & arts ministry. I have been assisting the pastor over the last two years so the transition into the coordinator role has been a no-brainer. I should also say I am one of the keyboardist.
My question is: we have a requirement that everyone on the team has to be at sound check at 9 a.m., before pre-service prayer. We used to do our sound checks 15 minutes before service started but that was more of a frustration than a help as it always ate into the start of service. Hence, moving the sound check at 9. Since moving it to 9 a.m., this person has very rarely made it into sound checks. I was hoping that now that she has been appointed the worship leader, that she (and her family) would make every effort to be at sound checks. She will not.
I am frustrated because the same double-standards that were allowed to apply to this person is still being applied even after she became the worship leader.
What should I do? I don’t want to lack grace for this person but I am quite frustrated. Help!
I can relate to your frustration.
If I were you I’d approach her and in a gracious way ask her ‘why’ she doesn’t make it on time. Is she struggling because of the kids? Her husband (or whatever family she’s with) or does she just not care?
Once you know the reason it’s easier to deal with it I think.
I think if you made it really clear why it’s important for her to be there right on 9, that’s also good. If she doesnt really need to be there at 9, then it’d be hard to convince ppl to follow the rules (maybe change the time if it’s actually just making ppl get there way early and then have to wait around).
It’s way better to address issues face to face before they eat you up alive (even though its awkward as anything!)
I definitely understand where you’re coming from though!
I’m new to this site and am not a worhip leader. However, I do play the drums at our church on Sunday mornings while we worship God in song. Our worship leader recently presented us with a list of standards and expectaions for being on the worship team. So I decided to look in to this topic as it kind of caught me by surprise and the main question i have is this: why is standing on a stage in front of the congregation playing an instrument and/or singing considered leading people in worship? What makes us leaders? Is there even a need for “worship leaders?” Why can’t we just be worshipping God along side the other people in the congregation and just happen to be playing instruments? What is the biblical basis for worship leaders? I would appreciate any comments or in site into this topic. Thanks!
Yes we do not allow any member of a choir or worship team to smoke, use alcohol, drugs, commit adultry or fornication and they all know. Now most of them are already tempted on those things I mentioned already. Now I don’t know what should I do.
I am only about 4 months into putting God 1st into my life and it has changed my life (from night to day). I know that performing, playing classical piano is in the enlightened path that God has placed before me, but I’m just now working up to becoming an amateur performer.. So I have alot of practicing to do – I love the practice :-). I’m in my 40’s and do not have a wife or children (never got married and decided not to have children until hopefully sometime in the relative near future)
Is it okay to practice piano on Sunday? Anyone? Please email me if you can, at
mgarcia-rrmit@mail.com.
Thank you for your time.
Mark
I have a couple of requests: What would you do with a singer/aspiring worship leader who chooses to miss practice to attend a family member’s event every week for the season and still expects, almost demands to sing with the worship team on Sunday mornings? Second, as the leader, I have been trying to mentor this person, teach and correct. But this person keeps running to the pastor and his wife and will not meet with me unless they are present. It is so frustrating to say the least. Help!
I grew up with “holiness codes” and Levitical perceptions of morality. It’s a bottomless abyss. You guys need to get out of that nonsense altogether…..trying to determine is someone is “holy enough…”
It’s an affront to all of my theological sensibilities…..
Good Luck
My name is Neil Shaw and I am a Pastor of a Baptist Church. We have a very polished worship team with great God gifted musicians. However some of my leaders are giving me a hard time because my drummer ( a born again man ) is living with his girlfriend. They say his sin is a harboured sin therefore he said NOT be part of the band………My answer to them is the following: If a Christian harbours hate, which many do, they go to bed filled with hate, wake up filled with hat and live their lives refusing to reconcile. Surely there is no difference, since harboured sin is the same. In my opinion, if that is how we deturmed who uses their gift in the worship team we are likely to have no band what’s so ever………What I really would appreciate from you, is scriptures to back up my theory……Thank you for hearing me out. Look forward to hearing from you.
Please reply and keep in contact.
am greatfull for this greg