Handbook

  

WELCOME!

Welcome to a special family and ministry – the Family In Christ Music & Worship Ministry.  May God bless you as you consider joining us in this leadership ministry. It is our prayer that this instrumental family will be a real blessing to your life and that you will be a blessing to our lives and ministry as we serve Him together. 

 

PURPOSE & VALUES OF THE MUSIC & WORSHIP MINISTRY

 

Purpose: 

The Worship Ministry at Family In Christ exists to exalt Jesus Christ and,

           through His power, ignite a passion for the presence of God.

 

Core Values:

  1. We exist to worship God and practice His presence.  (Eph. 1:12; Romans 12:1)
  2. We are gifted, called, and set aside to lead in Worship. (Numbers 8:14-16a; I Peter 4:10)
  3. We are a family committed to building one another up in Christ.  (Hebrews 10:24)
  4. We are a people of prayer.  (Psalm 34:15)
  5. We are called to excellence.  (Col. 3:23)
  6. We are called to reach out to the lost. (Luke 19:10)
  7. Unitywithin the music & worship ministry is essential.  (Eph. 4:3; Matthew 18:15-20)
  8. Authenticityof worship leaders is vital.  (Matthew 15:8-9)

 It is important that we realize that we are Worship Leaders in a very real sense. It is our calling, not only to lift up our praises to our God, but to lead others to His very throne in worship. 

What an awesome and exciting responsibility! 

 

The Call To Excellence: 

Because of our purpose, because of our high calling, because we represent none other than the ALMIGHTY GOD and our SAVIOR – we are called to a ministry of EXCELLENCE! He gave His best to us and therefore deserves our best. Thus the Family In Christ Music & Worship Ministry motto:  ONLY OUR BEST FOR OUR LORD. We are serious about our commitment to God and to our ministry. What a fruitful and fulfilling experience the Praise Bands will be for you as you give your best to the Master Musician!

 

What Is Our Role In Leading Worship? 

We are Worship Leaders, leading the congregation to focus upon God’s worth and leading them in responding to His worth. It must be understood that we are not mere performers. Such is the purpose of musicians in the entertainment industry. There is nothing wrong with entertainment, but our calling is much higher. Our role is to glorify God, not ourselves. Often people have this mistaken notion that the musicians perform and the congregation is the audience. Not true. God is the audience, the congregation as a whole is the “performer” and the musicians are the “prompters and facilitators.” Is this so unusual? It was musicians who led the Israelites into battle, musicians were vital to the temple worship, musicians announced the birth of Jesus, and musicians are prominent in the Revelation account of glory! We are important, and we should not take our calling lightly.

 

What Does This Understanding Of Worship Mean To Us As Musicians? 

We are compelled to be prepared to lead in a manner worthy of the One whom we are celebrating! We will purpose to live holy lives, spending time with our Lord in the Word each day, so that the Holy Spirit can use us as His instruments. We will always have our music well prepared, fit for the King; not perfect, but the best that we can bring. By doing all this, and with the Spirit’s power, we will be dynamic musicians leading a dynamic church toward dynamic worship to our dynamic Lord!

 

POLICIES & PROCEDURES

 

Attendance: 

Our ministry can only be as good as our attendance. If we miss rehearsals, we’ll not be as effective. If we miss a worship service, the ministry is weakened. Of course there will be times when one must miss, so each member is simply asked to do his/her best in scheduling around the ministry schedule. The point is, we are called by God Himself to be in this ministry, and we are called to a ministry of excellence.  When we are motivated by that calling, being absent is no problem. When you must be absent, please inform Tony (303.466.7770 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) as soon as possible. If a member is unable to attend on a Saturday afternoon rehearsal but is available to play on Saturday and/or Sunday, this will be acceptable as long as you make previous arrangements with Tony and that you come prepared.

 

Before Rehearsal: 

  • Have your music prepared and practiced.
  • Be familiar with the map as written out on the Cue Sheet and have your music marked accordingly. 
  • Music should be in cue sheet order.
  • Arrive at rehearsal 15 minutes early to set up, tune, warm up, and fellowship.

Rehearsal:

Currently, all of our Saturday night and Sunday morning Praise Bands rehearses on Saturday afternoons at 4:00pm until 5:30pm.

 

Rehearsal Etiquette:

  • Come prepared to work in a spirit of praise and worship.
  • Come prepared to have fun and build one another up in the Lord.
  • Practice at home. Rehearsals are not for practicing individual parts.
  • Have your music ready and in order before rehearsal.
  • Have a pencil or pen at your music stand.
  • Keep chatter and noise to a minimum.

Saturday Night/Sunday Morning Etiquette:

  • Come prepared musically and spiritually to lead in worship.
  • Start time for Saturday night is 4:00 with rehearsal, and start time for Sunday morning is 8:00am.  Please arrive 15 minutes early to set up and warm up your instrument.
  • The weekend Praise Band is expected to play at all services.
  • Sing with the congregation if you are not playing.

Music, Mail Box, and Binders:

Music for congregational accompaniment including a listening CD will be ready for you no later than one week before it is played. Usually it will be emailed to you or placed in your mailbox located outside of the church office at least two weeks ahead of time. Seasonal production music will be available months ahead of time.  This should give you ample time to practice and prepare all music. 

 

Special Events:

Generally speaking, all Saturday night and Sunday morning Praise Band members are expected to participate in the special events unless extenuating circumstances prohibit participation. Please let Tony know as far in advance as possible if you cannot participate in any of the events. 

 

Retreats:

A very important aspect of the Music & Worship Ministry is the Fall Retreat and the Winter Retreat. The retreats are essential musically; we use the Fall Retreat to learn music for Christmas, and we use the Winter Retreat to learn the Spring Worship Musical.  The retreats enable us to present these special productions without interfering with our primary ministry of worship leading. The retreats are also essential for the spiritual and relational well-being of our worship family, allowing in-depth time for study and relational activities that bond our worship family together. You’ll not want to miss either retreat!

 

Soloists & Ensembles:

We will try to schedule instrumental solos or ensembles from time to time. If you wish to play a solo or play in an ensemble please let Tony know.

  

  

O N L Y   O U R   B E S T   F O R   O U R   L O R D!