Standards and Guidelines help eliminate the question of "is this okay or not okay". Of course if you have questions please feel free to ask any of the JCR Worship leaders for clarification! The reason these guidelines exist is because the ministry of the local church is team ministry. As JCR Worship, we work to dispel any perception that “it’s all about us” and all the other stereotypical attributes of “the band.” So, it is very important that we’re with the rest of the team, welcoming our church family to service, worshiping together, and receiving together and supporting the speaker as the Word is preached.
Mandatory Guidelines
- All worshippers in JCR Worship must attend Team Night. Team Night is the re-occuring gathering of JCR Worship to worship together, receive new vision regarding the worship ministry, and an opportunity to get to know each other better. Team Night is mandatory. If a conflict should arise, please contact the worship administrator in advance to notify JCR Worship leaders.
- All worshippers in JCR Worship must attend at least one weekend service each week. This should be a “no brainer.” In order for us to be effective in the context of our local church, we must consistently attend the weekend services. There are obvious exceptions to this one (vacation, family emergencies, etc.). Consistent non-participation in the weekend services of Journey Church Redmond may result in loss of participation in JCR Worship.
- Attend all required rehearsals. Rehearsal time is necessary to be adequately prepared for the weekend services.
- All worship team members must serve on a separate team once a month. We do this to show that we are here to build the church as a whole, not just one team! We believe in community and this is a great way to branch out and meet other members of our church.
Here are some examples of different teams you can join:
- Production
- Kids
- Youth
- Hospitality
Service Guidelines
- Before service, each worship team member should be greeting people coming into church. We want to be a welcoming and involved worship team.
- Each worship team member should be in the auditorium five minutes prior to service starting, and should make their way onstage when the service countdown begins so that the start of service is not delayed.
- Following the worship set, each worship team member should make his/her way to a seat in the sanctuary. It is okay to snack on refreshments for a small time, but each person should be in the sanctuary by the time the preaching of the Word begins. Each team member must attend at least one Sunday Service on the weekend they are scheduled.
- At the conclusion of the service, Pastor Luke or guest speaker will call for the worship team. Each member of the team should quietly and tactfully make his/her way to the stage for ministry time. Exceptions can be made but must be cleared by the worship leader in advance.
- Each worship team member must serve on another team, separate from the worship team. We are here to build the church and serve each other! This gives us as a worship team the opportunity to meet people outside of our circle, and keeps us connected. We are blessed with a great and full team, there may be months where you aren’t scheduled as much as we would like, but that’s where serving in another team comes in! We all still get to serve our church in a new capacity!
Other Aspects of being a “Team Player”
The following are a list of “expectations,” yet not requirements of being a part of JCR Worship. To really be a team player, that means we have the same heart, the same vision, the same “cry,” and the same drive. There are many ways that we go about doing that. The following are some of these:
- Pursuit – This truly is the most important meeting we have as a church. Charles Spurgeon said, “The prayer meeting is the thermometer of the church.” So, what’s our “temperature?” If our worship ministry is largely uninvolved in the prayer meeting, then it could be inferred that it is also largely uninvolved in the main drive of the church. Schedules can either prohibit or permit attendance here, so that’s obviously a “grace” factor.
- Attending Conferences/Special Events – It is strongly encouraged that worship team members attend all special worship events (nights of worship, guest speakers/leaders). These are times for us as a team to go to the next level in what we do. We have the wonderful privilege of hosting world-class ministries here at Journey Church. We, as JCR Worship, need to be first in line to receive in these times.
- Times of Fasting – Fasting is not a call to the spiritual elite. It is an invitation to go to the next level in our personal walk as well as a church. Focused times of fasting will be called as a church and as JCR Worship in an effort to be as effective, anointed, and useful as can be. Fasting is what prohibits us from getting caught in the rut of going through set lists, being un-anointed, and from burnout.
- Small Groups - Small Groups aren’t just something we do, it’s what we are! We believe Small Groups are less about what you do, and more about who you’re doing life with. We all need someone to connect with, and that’s why we make small groups a priority. We strongly encourage all of our members to get connected and join a small group.
These expectations are not to be burdensome, but rather times of “stepping up our game” as a worship ministry.
