Platform Team
WHAT'S A PLATFORM TEAM?
You will hear us use the language of “Platform Team” instead of “Worship Team.” Our purpose is, in part, to clarify that everyone serving at a weekend service contributes to helping others connect with and give honor to The Lord. From sound techs to singers, we all play a part in creating an environment where anyone can come to praise Christ freely. All serving in the Worship Arts ministry are part of the “Worship Team,” we just happen to offer our contribution from the platform.
Additionally, it might seem like a trivial splitting of hairs between the words “platform” and “stage.” We don’t believe that “stage” is a bad word, but it can carry a connotation of performance. You might think of phrases like “take the stage.” We believe that a platform, by contrast, carries the connotation of something that is given, and given with expectation. We expect that worshippers on our team will use the platform they've been given to praise The King and point people to him rather than glorify themselves.
In Matthew 15, Jesus tells his disciples they are the light of the world and that they should not hide that light out of sight. He tells them to put that light on display so others will see their good deeds and glorify their Father in heaven. The truth, however, is that even Jesus’ disciples weren’t a light source on their own and neither are we. We are all like the moon, unable to provide light by our works, but fully able to reflect the light from the Source as we remain in position to do so. Our purpose in putting people on the platform is to do simply that...to provide an opportunity to reflect and point others to the true source of light, Jesus Christ.
Who Are We Looking For?
Quite simply, people in the top-right quadrant. We see both as necessary to accomplish what God is calling us to. Going back to the days of the temple, we see that not just anyone was given the honor and responsibility of serving as a musician. The musicians who were chosen and appointed were almost always referenced with the adjective “skilled” included in their title (
see 1 Chronicles 25 & Psalm 33 for example). We also believe that Godly character is a
non-negotiable and something that should be consistently observable in the life of anyone serving on the platform. As Paul says in his letter to Timothy “While bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” In our hearts and minds, both dimensions matter a lot, but this is foremost. We acknowledge that…
- Someone who is low in character and competency is not currently ready to serve in this ministry.
- Someone who is high in character, but low in competency is limited in what God can do through them.
- Someone who is high in competency, but low in character is unlimited in the harm he/she can do operating in the flesh.
- Someone who is high in character and competency is ready for the good work that God will accomplish through them.
We are all a work in progress, and none of us (staff included) are above coaching/feedback. We place a high value on being humble when accepting feedback. Furthermore, we want to be those who proactively seek out constructive coaching. By living this out, we can continue striving to be those high in character and competency.
It's important to note that when feedback is given, we expect everyone to listen attentively, without making excuses, and to strive to understand and grow. We should be mindful of how our feedback might be received by others, while also managing our own emotions. Active listening and making necessary adjustments for the benefit of the whole are key in this process.
Lastly, when we give feedback, it is always out of a desire to see others win. We want to celebrate the good and highlight blind spot areas with room for improvement by presenting alternative solutions. We will be kind, but clear. If we take offense by something said, we will commit to being a team that works it out Biblically so that we don't leave room for the enemy to muddle in and confuse our communication. We will always assume the best and trust that we have each other's back as a team. We want to strive to excel individually and collectively so that the church is edified and built up in the manner described in the Scriptures (
see 1 Corinthians 12-14).
If you are still in a place of developing your musical competency, please don’t view this as a ministry you could never serve in. We often point our developing musicians to our Production Team as a place to start serving on the larger Worship Arts T
eam right away as they continue to grow in craft. If that is of interest to you, click this link.
We also have implemented an intentional training process called Real Life Worship Development to equip the saints for the work of the ministry (
see Ephesians 4:11-12) within the Worship Arts ministry. If this is of interest to you, please keep reading!
WORSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Worship Development is a musician development process for Real Life Worship. It exists to prepare vocalists and instrumentalists for active service on one of our various platforms across the different areas of recurring ministry (Young Adults, High School, Middle School, Recovery, Men’s / Women’s, Weekend Worship Services, etc.).
Our goal with this environment is to create a development culture within our Worship Arts Ministry where individuals receive consistent coaching. Additionally, we desire that every believer in our church with a calling to serve in Worship Arts would have access to a proper preparation process before beginning to serve regularly. When a participant meets the minimum expectations and development benchmarks for a particular ministry environment, they will be invited to serve in a context fitting their current skill level.
Over 8 weeks, worship development covers the following topics:
- What are the roles and goals of a worship team?
- Music as a gift from the Lord.
- What is excellence?
- Thinking like an arranger in the context of a worship team.
- Instrument-specific training & the importance of practice.
- Embracing musical simplicity.
What are the expected competencies in this ministry?
Here is what we expect from each role commonly represented on the platform. These competency standards also reflect what we look for when evaluating new team members looking to on-board onto one of our platform teams.
All instrumentalists must own or have access to an instrument & any applicable gear in good working order, and be able to:
- Read chord charts written in different keys or demonstrate a good working knowledge of the Nashville Number System
- Properly tune their instruments
- Comfortably & consistently hold steady time playing with a metronome
- Comfortably play various rhythmic patterns in common time signatures (4/4, 6/8, 3/4)
- Demonstrate a solid understanding of basic rhythmic subdivisions (such as quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, triplets)
- Demonstrate a basic understanding of rhythmic accents
- Learn instrument-specific parts independently (even by ear if needed)
- Control dynamics while maintaining a
consistent tempo
- Follow the musical direction of the Platform Team Coach and/or Music Director, including being asked to not play during a song (or part of a song) if requested
In addition to the general expectations for all musicians on the platform, here are some specific expectations for the typical roles represented on the platform: