Faith + Hope + Love

I. 3 Factors that affect the average CFAC worship set

1. Leading from the Lord in terms of theme and direction (usually w/ Pastor)

2. Capability of the Worship Team to do a song well
3. Time it takes to actually run the song and practice it

II. Most common obstacles and difficulties:

1. Cramming stress
2. Bad mix of sound (too loud, too soft)
3. Feedback
4. Mistakes (anything flubbed or done shoddily)
5. “Close but no cigar” phenomenon (songs played well but thin “Presence”)
6. miscommunication re: repetitions of song Segments or transitions
7. playing too much or too little

III. A worship set that has the “IT” factor:

1. very thick presence of God
2. Music mixed well
1. Driving when it needs to build and be declarative (drums and guitar)
2. Solemn when it needs to be (keyboards and drums)
3. Majestic when it needs to be (drums)
3. Clear connection made by congregation with God
4. Seamless, spirit lead transitions between songs and song segments
5. song choices and treatment create an atmosphere aligned to the message/theme for the day
6. song choices and treatment create and atmosphere conducive for people to connect to God. (full sensory assault)

IV. Principles

Main Principle that applies to making a worship set conducive for more of God’s presence: John 5:19

I am only doing what the Father is doing.

First question to ask: What is the Father doing today?

Where to find the answer: Leading from Pastor, topic for message

Worship Ministry time is an emotional Journey

Lyrics and Arrangement ought to be relevant to the ff:

• Theme for the day
• Musical “language” of the congregation
• Capability of the worship team musicians and singers

V. Most important factors for Good Music

• Volume
• Tempo
• Timing
• Dynamics
• Buildup
• Wind down
• Spontenaity

Guidelines per instrument and as they apply in CFAC:

1. Drums: Fills, Style/Treament (approach) – CFAC: Driving and Steady, low volume, cymbal heavy

2. Lead Guitars: Patches (texture of sound), Arpeggio Choice – CFAC: not Classic Rock

3. Rhythm Guitars: percussiveness as a guide for vocals (and drums), mid volume

4. Bass: Arpeggio Choice, mid volume – CFAC: simple, driving, textured

5. Keyboards: Patches, Style/Treatment (approach) – CFAC: Pad, piano, less brass, more organ andRhodes

6. Vocals: DYNAMICS, enunciation, microtone-watch, TONE and CLARITY, volume and confidence

VI. Simplified formula for Powerful Corporate Worship

Excellent Playing + John 5:19 + Spiritual Preparation + Physical Atmosphere = Powerful Corporate Worship

1. Excellent Playing: Fruit of Time spent on music alone and together

Excellent Playing = (Time Spent Practicing Properly) x (Repetition)

Time Spent Practicing Properly = (Individual Practice) + (Practice as a Team)

**********  (Excellent Playing) x (Repetition) = Better Recall

2. Spiritual Preparation: Fruit of walking with God and with each other

Spiritual Preparation = [(individual worship) x (#of members)] + (Team Devotion)

Individual worship = Your Walk and Intimacy with God

Team Devotion = Time outside Sunday + time spent together in prayer and scripture

3. John 5:19 : the Leading of God

A. The leading of God = Good leaders + Good Followers

Good leaders = Sensitivity to God’s plans + ability to communicate the plans + love for God + love for  people

Good Followers = Submission to authority + ability to execute plans + love for God + love for people

*** Sensitivity to God’s Plans and Submission to authority are fruits of Your Walk and Intimacy with God, AKA Individual Worship

B. The Leading of God: Discerning the Season of the Church

Season of the Church = What is God doing + What are the people going through + What is the Leadership recognizing

• Combination of Discernment on the part of the leadership working with How the Lord is orchestration things in the lives of the people in church.

• We are always strongest if we respond according to the season we are in.

• We must always ask if our worship is relevant and in step with the season of the Church.

General kinds of Seasons CFAC went through as marked by “CFAC hits” sung over significant and recurring periods of time

1. Celebration: For all You’ve done, You are Good,

2. Deep Reverence and Worship: Yahweh, Forever Oh Lord, You’ll be there, You are God Alone

3. Deliverance, Warfare and Breakthrough: Turn it Around, Another Level, God is Able

4. Bridal: Carry Me, Here in Your Love, Your Love is Extravagant

5. Repentance: Give us clean hands, Create in Me a New Heart (Psalm 51)

4. Physical Atmosphere: Elimination of All distractions

“When the vision is not clear or where there is no purpose, people will argue over what is and isn’t permissible” – Lisa Bevere

Areas of and actual Distractions:

• Sonic
• Multimedia
• Venue
• People

1. Sonic Distractions:

• Feedback
• Bad Mix

2. Multimedia Distractions:

• Wrong lyrics
• No lyrics
• Technical Difficulties (projector bulb)
• Bad background
• Slow transitions
• Overanimated Transitions

3. Venue Distractions

• Lighting issues (too bright, dark, soon or fast to switch lights on or off)
• Space issues (too cramped, too empty)

4. People distractions

• People who sing too loud in small spaces
• Shame based culture that hinders use of area closer to front
• Irreverent church culture where people walk in halfway into worship
• Celphones

VII. Solutions

1. Clarification of Tasks to eliminate distractions and Obstacles

Ushers:

• To officially handle People and Venue distractions
• People to turn of the lights
• People to Handle Lord’s Supper
• People to handle seating and latecomers

Lyrics person

• Posses 1 flashdrive with collated powerpoint slides of ALL songs
• Take note of new songs and create slides for them to be updated on all laptops used
• CRUCIAL: memory of all songs for smooth transitions and spontaneity
• 1^st project: edit all lyrics both in accuracy and format as per current CFAC venue (all lyrics on upper part of screen so all can see)

Sound Engineer

• has full knowledge of all interconnected equipment

• Knows every channel on the sound board
• Knows the songs and band well to adjust as needed for desired effect of song
• On Standby to guard against feedback even during the message
• Knows how to care for Soundboard

Video Person

• Knows how to use the projector and laptop/s
• Knows how to use soundboard so sound comes out
• Knows how to troubleshoot soundboard in case sound doesn’t come out
• Knows how to care for projector
• On standby for playing videos required by speaker or as part of service (lord’s supper)

Tech Support/Premises

• Knows how to troubleshoot soundboard (backup sound Engineer)
• Has full knowledge of all interconnected equipment
• Knows every channel on the soundboard
• In charge of caring for, procuring, and tracking all equipment
• Custodian and procurer of supplies and equipment (batteries, cables, strings, wires)
• Has full knowledge of all the kinds of wires needed to run a fully functional sound system for use of a Church
• Has access to stock room

Worship Team Admin

• In charge of Team Funds
• Arranging Team lunches
• Calling for food
• Has a team to help prepare for lunch
• Keeps track of all worship team materials (books, videos and audio)
• Has access to Prayer Room
• In charge of office work like printing
• liaising with lyrics people
• Making sure everyone has a set list on the Sunday

Choir Master

• In charge of all vocal harmonies
• Memorize all vocal harmonies for all songs past, present and future AKA song GEEK
• Ideal if capable of training others to sing

Repertoire Master

• In charge of keeping track of full worship team repertoire
• Memorize worship team repertoire or at least have a document that has all chords
• The chord master
• Ideal if capable of charting out music and arrangements

Musical Director/Worship Leader

• Determines the treatment of each song to be played

• Determines arrangement
• Has a heart for the atmosphere God wants to move in
• Has a heart for the congregation’s response to musical tastes
• Coordinates Rehearsals and determines flow of the worship set
• Sensitive to the Leading of the Spirit
• Chooses songs according to Church Season, Pastor’s Leading and Team’s capability
• Liaises with Pastor
• Sensitive to leading of the Spirit for Response and Benediction Songs

Worship Pastor/s

• Helps with group and other people’s individual walks with God
• Prays and walks with the Team members
• Takes leadings and works in concert with Senior Pastor of the Church
• Organizes group time with the team
• Ideal if capable of preparing devotionals for the team (be it in a group or material online)

Song Leaders

• Full Memory of Lyrics
• Clear confident voice
• Aware of nuances of CFAC speakers
• Of one heart with worship director/leader

Lead Guitarists

• Studies and memorizes the arpeggios and lines of repertoire
• Comes up with the closest or most pleasing tone in relevance to original songs

Musicians and Singers

• Studies the songs
• Memorizes the song segments
• Worships with the songs in their personal time
• Shows up to rehearsals on Time
• Has a heart for the “sound of the house”

VIII. Conclusions

Most Crucial/Common Factor: TIME

The more time spent, the greater the gains. Time is after all the only currency we truly have and can spend on this earth.

Deficit of time in one factor can be made up for in another factor to get desired results.

The real question is: Will we spend it? And will we spend it together.

It’s 8am in the morning. The sun’s risen almost one forth into the sky. Cool morning air greets me as I step out of my parent’s apartment building and head towards my car. It’s a Sunday and I’m off to church.

My guitar is at Church so I bring nothing but my bible and notebook. I’m pulling out of the parking lot and instinctively, I reach for my mp3 player so I can “start worshipping” even before I get to church.

But something stops me. At this point in my short Spiritual life, I have come to discover that it’s the Holy Spirit, nudging for me to stay in God’s presence and remain still and silent. Well as still and as silent one can be while driving to church.

I smile and think to God, this was not how we started. Once there was a time when worship music played almost 24/7 and I had known no other way to enjoy and bask in the presence of God.

Before Christ, I was never fully a part of the church. In 2003 we had moved to what is now my home church and I was pretty much floored by the experience. I had never heard or seen worship the likes of what I saw at my church. It wasn’t an “Araneta Coliseum” level production but there was something about the words… the music that awakened something in me that I never thought existed.

I kept attending and eventually got “rope-a-dope-d” into helping out with the music ministry. The words “worship team” were suddenly added to my vocabulary. The concept was great and my mother signed me up without my consent. I’d have been lying if I said I didn’t have the time to spare. I did have time but just didn’t want to spare it. Begrudgingly and out of guilt I said “fine” and was, in almost an instant, neck-deep in worship music.

At that point my only real “encounter with God” was when I prayed the sinner’s prayer when I was 16… ish… a moment so unremarkable I can’t even remember when it happened and only that it did while sitting on a monoblock bench in the church we had come from. I liked the hymns at that church but I just couldn’t connect any deeper to God with the music or at all for that matter.

Then suddenly I’m in this new church the sound was uplifting. Bit by bit, my soul opened up to God preparing me for that milestone of a day when Christ made a dramatic appearance in my life that would change me forever. I realized that there was so much in my life that did not align with God and that I myself was not under the Lordship of Jesus. So In tears and gratitude, knowing full well (and finally) that I desperately needed both Lord AND Savior, I gave my life to Christ in September of 2007.

For a couple of years after that, worship music played non-stop for me. I was “worshipping” pretty much all the time and anywhere I could so long as I had my trusty mp3 player. I was so hungry for God’s presence.

Whatever the moment called for, the answer to everything for me was worship. It came to this point where I knew that worship had something no other musical experience could have: the presence of God. Back then there was no greater way to commune with God and receive from Him.

It’s 8:30 and I’m making good time, driving down South Super highway, zipping by some literal Sunday drivers. Still musing at how I used to be I can’t help but give God an embarrassed smile. Ah The folly of youth. I had equated worship and music. As if they were one and the same. I had the “knowledge” in my head that worship was a life of obedience. However I was still in that young spiritual phase where God’s presence was “dry-er” without the music.  

And now here I am a few years later, a bit more mature after a lot of obeying (and disobeying) God’s instructive hand in my life and I’m cherishing the silence. Same timeslots. Same God. Different person. Different methods. Suddenly I’m finding that the music can sometimes be a distraction. Suddenly I have come to realize that it was the presence of God all along that made the “worship music experience” otherworldly.

“Spiritually young” as that phase was, God used that era to train my heart to seek Him outside the Sunday services. I’m not so magnificently mature now but at this point of my journey, a habit of seeking God and being faithful at waiting on Him throughout the week has been developed.

More important than offering a song, or creating an atmosphere where one can encounter God is the encounter itself. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Diligence isn’t a matter of how hard you push but how often, especially under difficult circumstances.

It is in the practice of diligently seeking God that we are found faithful to the one who draws us near to Him.

Worship has taught me about faithfulness and devotion. Some people start out with God by reading the bible a lot. Some by simple attendance in church. I started with worship and worship music. And I have never been the same ever since.

It’s 8:45. I’m pulling over in front my home church ready to open it up. I linger in the car, a new habit. I’m not “finishing one last song” before getting out. I’m learning how to abide in Him right before the hustle and bustle of ministry sweeps me away in a crazy tide. So I linger. And bask. Before I know it, it’s 9:15 and my other team members are pulling up the driveway.

It’s not always like this. I still listen to and get floored by worship music. But that’s not just what I’m after now. Now I’ve developed a hunger for waiting on God in the stillness so the still small voice can speak. And for this morning… I am found faithful by His grace. I pray every morning of every day is like this for us all. That we be found in Him and thus be found faithful.

True love… The kind shed abroad on the cross does not hesitate to forgive or accept… Does not keep a record of wrongs. Will overcome any great offense or hurtful incident… True love overpowers the crippling blows of any betrayal. It’s the kind of love I’m learning. Day by day identifying more and more with my Lord Jesus… Learning to love in the way that He has loved me and always will… True love is the death of all pride and self entitlement. The death of yourself so the best in another can come forth…

Oh how greatly you have loved me Oh God. May I Iove the way You love.