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Campus Praise Team

CAMPUS PRAISE TEAM

To support and help make our congregation’s worship the best it can be, the Worship/Music Ministry Team was formed. This team of singers and technical people was formed with the goal of assisting worshipers to have heart-changing encounters with God the Father in the presence of Jesus, His Son, and through the power of His Holy Spirit.

Dedicated members of our ministry include the following:

Those who select the songs (coordinated with the theme of the day’s sermon) and plan the progression of each Sunday’s worship service

Those who publicly direct the worship

The Praise Team: singers whose amplified voices make the melody and the harmonizing parts easier for other worshipers to hear and to follow

Praise Team members are grateful for the privilege and responsibility of encouraging worshipers visibly and audibly. Our role is to be servants, not performers, and to do our best to personify the devoted worship that we’re promoting. Of course, this doesn’t happen effortlessly, and so this role of service does have important requirements:

•Musical ability — For obvious reasons, PT members must have an effective level of musical talent. We must be able to carry our own ‘part’ (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) while others around us are singing their different harmony lines. A solo-quality voice and the training to sight-read new music are welcome assets but are not required. More important is the ability to consistently blend well within the chords. Some people have had no musical training but do have the basic talent that can be developed. We will work with such learners in every way we can, to help them maximize their giftedness.

•Commitment to excellence in our personal lives as well as our public ministry — Because we’re visible to all when we’re on stage, we know it’s especially important for us to do our best (on and off the stage) to represent Christ and His church honorably, never losing sight of Whom we are proclaiming. Nobody’s perfect, but faithfulness is crucial in our motives and efforts. This commitment is needed in such matters as having a humble attitude and a cooperative ‘team spirit’; being reliable, on time, and well-prepared; being appropriate in our appearance and conduct; doing our best to demonstrate the living worship of God. A positive, essentially joyful mindset is especially needed in this ministry.

•Whole-life health — Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it [1 Thessalonians 5:22-24]. This scripture about our “spirit, soul (literally, psuche; anglicized,“psyche”), and body” has a direct bearing on our ability to flourish in the Worship/Music ministry. Taking care of ourselves physically is the smart and godly thing to do, because the work of memorizing music, rehearsing with the group and at home, and singing publicly can all be physically draining. It’s even more important to nurture our inner selves. There’s something about being in a public role that tends to expose unresolved spiritual or emotional dysfunction that would prompt someone’s desire to be ‘in the spotlight’ for the wrong reasons. Because God loves and values us even in our struggles, the scripture above says, He who promised is faithful, and He will do it. He faithfully does His divine work (while we faithfully do our part) to make us whole in all the ways that matter. With Him as our companion and His Word as our guide, the Praise Team members are committed to caring for our own and each other’s spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being. We’ll certainly offer encouragement to any potential singer who asks for help to make progress.

Campus Church members may click here to download the application form for a Praise Team audition.