Worship TEam Member Form
What we Believe: Singing
We at Walnut Creek believe that singing serves a specific, God-given function in our church's ministry. While Scripture has much to say about the worship of God, there are two primary passages that we reference to help shape and guide the worship ministry of our church:
- Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. - Ephesians 5:18-19
Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.
We sing to communicate to one another the glorious truths of God, His person, character, and works. We recognize that music is a gift from God and a powerful tool for both communicating and internalizing His truth. Walnut Creek's worship seeks to call individuals to both see and respond rightly to the realities of God. In doing so, we believe God is honored in and through this activity in our church.
In Truth
Worship is not based on vague feelings or emotion, but on our knowing and responding to the truth of God. Our worship flows from Scripture and moves people toward Scripture.
From the Heart
Worship is not empty recitation, but is to be reflective of what our hearts indeed believe to be true about God. We believe true worship in the church cannot happen apart from sincere conviction. Therefore, we call people in worship not to recite words but to respond in faith to the truths we sing, so that their worship is not merely an act of recognition but a confession.
By the Spirit
Our worship is meant to reflect our surrender to the Spirit's leading in all things. Worship in our services, apart from surrender to the Spirit's leading in our lives, does not honor God (Galatians 6:1). Therefore, we call our church not simply to sing songs of worship, but to let their songs be part of a life of worship.
In Unity
The singing is primarily a congregational activity. We encourage each person to engage in the corporate singing of the church.
Biblically Based
All the songs we sing are first and foremost to be firmly rooted in truth. We therefore take the time to carefully evaluate the theology of each song and the song's connection with the truths of Scripture. We strive to maintain a list of songs that speak to the whole of the Christian experience.
Congregationally Directed
Singing is the ministry of the church body; therefore, we choose songs and sing them in a way that will encourage and prompt congregational engagement. We recognize that not every song written is intended for congregational singing; we discern and choose those best suited for individual presentation and congregational ministry.
Musically Sound
We carefully evaluate the musical qualities of every song to make sure it serves the purpose of congregational singing and matches with the skill sets of our different music team members.
Contextually Appropriate
We need to be careful in thinking about the songs we choose and how they help our entire church engage in worship. We understand that worship music can take many styles and tones and seek to find songs that fit well with the current culture and context of our church body.
How We Lead: The Worship Leader
The primary function of the worship leader is to call the church to engage and musically lead our people through the worship songs of our church.
How We Accompany: The Worship Team
All vocal and instrumental accompaniment is meant to encourage and equip our congregation to engage in worship. We see the practice of wisdom and discernment in how we form our accompaniment to accomplish this goal. Our desire is never to let what is happening on the stage distract, overpower, or replace the corporate singing of the church.
How We Serve: Striving for Excellence
We desire to glorify God by presenting our best effort in all aspects of our music ministry. Our music ministry takes the time to prepare so that it might lead to the best of its ability. We also encourage and work to equip our worship team members to grow in their musical skills.
Music Ministry Procedures
Here are some of the specific steps we follow to execute our music ministry.
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We select songs wisely and with thought to the spiritual needs of the church body. The selection of our songs follows this four-step process:
- Suggestions:
The song will review the selections given to the worship team. These suggestions can come from the church body, the pastoral staff, or different members of the worship team. Every suggestion will be compared to the current thematic needs of our hymnal. We desire to have a hymnal that addresses the truths of Scripture in a holistic manner.
- Pastoral Review:
A member of the pastoral board will review the content and style of the song to make sure they are culturally appropriate and theologically sound.
- Musical Review:
A Member of the worship team will review the musical structure of the song to evaluate the worship team's ability to present and the congregation's ability to engage in the song. - Integration:
All new songs will be thoughtfully taught to the congregation in a manner deemed best by the worship team.
- Suggestions:
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When selecting volunteers for our music ministry team, there are three primary requirements to serve.
- Church Membership
All those who are a part of the music ministry team must be active members of Walnut Creek Baptist Church. Guest servants who are not members may serve with the pastoral board's pre-approval on a service-by-service basis. - Musical Competency
All members must demonstrate basic musical competency in the area in which they serve, whether through singing or instrumental accompaniment. The worship leader will evaluate each volunteer's ability to serve in the desired position. - Commitment to Practice
All team members must be able to access the musical resources and participate in the regular practice sessions of the music ministry team.
- Church Membership