Worship Leaders Resource Page
Intro
Hey lead team! First off, THANK YOU for being willing to give of your time, talent, energy and efforts to be a part of the True Hope Church Music Ministry lead team. We couldn’t do it without you. Secondly, I wanted to create a one-stop page where I can post update videos, share helpful links and resources, etc. I think this will be much more efficient and eliminates the risk of things getting buried in group texts. ☺️ So take a look over this page, get familiar with it, and please let me know if there are any other topics or resources that you’d like covered. Something I am pushing our Sound team to do is to embrace the mindset of being a “constant learner.” We all have things we can improve on and grow in. So my intention is that this page be a tool that helps us grow as worship leaders, singers, and musicians!
Role Descriptions
Worship Leader
The role of our worship leaders is multi-faceted. Ultimately, we carry the awesome responsibility of helping create an atmosphere where people can authentically worship and engage with God through music.
A few highlighted responsibilities of a worship leader at True Hope are…
Worship Leaders choose songs, at least two weeks in advance, from our song catalog to create set lists for upcoming Sundays that you are leading.
Worship Leaders communicate with their band via text/phone at least one week in advance to make sure everyone is on the same page regarding songs, renditions, changes, etc. and they are ready to go for Thursday run-through.
Worship Leaders efficiently lead the Thursday run-through. They not only know their own parts, but they are familiar enough with everyone else’s parts that they can give guidance and direction to each member of the band.
Worship Leaders are able to lead the band AND the congregation on Sunday mornings. They aren’t simply “performing” the songs. They usher in God’s presence and guide the congregation into worship.
For a full Worship Leader role description, please take look over the following document…
Worship Co-Leader
The role of our worship co-leaders is also quite multi-faceted. In support of the Worship Leaders, our co-leads carry the awesome responsibility of helping create an atmosphere where people can authentically worship and engage with God through music.
A few highlighted responsibilities of a worship co-leader at True Hope are…
Worship Co-Leaders will assist the Leader in the song choice process, at least two weeks in advance, from our song catalog to create set lists for upcoming Sundays that you are leading.
Worship Co-Leaders communicate with the Leader via text/phone at least one week in advance to make sure they have what they need and to offer assistance in any way possible.
Worship Co-Leaders offer support to the Leader, and guidance to the band during the Thursday run-through. They not only know their own parts, but they are familiar enough with everyone else’s parts that they can give guidance and direction to each member of the band.
Worship Co-Leaders do what is necessary to support the Leader in leading the band AND the congregation on Sunday mornings. Co-leaders aren’t simply “performing” the songs. They usher in God’s presence and guide the congregation into worship.
For a full Worship Co-Leader role description, please take look over the following document…
Song Selection Process
Why are we doing this?
We have a limited “Current” songs catalog in order to serve our congregation, our band, and each other. By having a limited number of regularly sung songs, our band can better prepare and learn the material, and our congregation can more freely engage on Sundays. Please take a look at the Song Catalog Update video for a full comprehensive overview.
New Songs
Similarly to the past, we have a Spotify Playlist where you can post songs you wish to be considered for the True Hope Current Catalog. I have a few criteria that I look at when adding new songs to our Current Catalog…
The song theologically aligns with Scripture.
The song culturally fits in well with True Hope.
At least half of the Worship Leaders and/or Co-Leaders are in agreement to sing and lead the song, otherwise it won’t be sung enough times for the congregation to learn it.
In order to add a new song, we are going to remove one song from the current list to make room for the new song. The song being removed may then go into our “Classics” category or it may be retired all together.
So what are the “rules”?
OK, so you are scheduled to lead a Sunday morning and you need to build your set list. What are the “rules” of the song catalog?
The majority of your song selections should be picked from the current list. If you find yourself picking songs multiple Sundays in a row that aren’t on the current list, please pause and remember why we are doing this...we are doing this to serve the congregation and ultimately to lead them into engaged worship with Jesus.
So what do you do if you feel really strongly that you want to lead an old song we haven’t done in a while? Or a song that isn’t on the current/classic list but we used to sing it? Come ask me about it! The majority of the time, I will lean towards giving you more freedom than less.
How about if I want to sing a new song that we’ve never done on a Sunday before? I will direct you to the “New Songs” section above.
Any questions? Any concerns? Please just come to me directly and I’ll help however I can. If you take a look at our current list, and you feel like for whatever reason you don’t have enough variety to choose from in the fast/medium/slow categories, let me know and we can work together to find a solution.
Audition Process
The audition process has changed over the last few months. The first step to auditioning is an online form to fill out, and then you are asked to send in a video or audio recording of yourself singing or playing an instrument. If anyone you know is interested or if you are asked about our audition process, please direct them here.
Resources for Worship Leaders
Something I am passionate and want to see us embrace culturally is the “art of learning.” Basically, let’s never grow complacent or stop the process of growing as singers, musicians, and worship leaders. A few areas I’d love to see us improve is our understanding of music theory, our ability to communicate musical ideas and directions using the Nashville Number System, and our ability to efficiently communicate with our sound techs and understand what they need from us. I will be sharing videos below on these topics. Do I expect us all to spend countless hours on this? Not at all! I will present a similar challenge to you all that I presented to our sound team…just learn one new thing each time you are scheduled to be on the team. You don’t have to learn it all immediately. Just dedicate yourself to understanding one new tidbit about music theory, or watch one video on working with a band, etc… Slow, healthy and sustainable growth for our leaders and our team is what I am looking for. Questions? You can always ask me!
Music Theory
As our band grows and the level of musicianship improves, it is important that our Leaders and Co-leaders have a working knowledge of basic music theory. I am happy to talk through any of this with you, but I do think a few of these videos do a great job at unpacking music theory in an understandable way.
Nashville Number System
The Nashville Number System is the way I would like us all to learn to communicate with your band about chord progressions or chord changes. Here are some videos that break down what it is and how to use it.
Communication
Whether it’s working with the sound tech or with your own band, communication is key and it’s something we can always grow in. Here are some links that I have found informative and helpful!
Extras
This is a section where I will post extra resources that I find interesting, inspiring or helpful!