SECTION I: Mission, Purpose & Motivation

Mission Statement

The mission of the music, worship, and creative arts ministry shall be to glorify God, for God to speak to us, and to edify each other.

Purpose

The Purpose of the music, worship, and creative arts ministry is to help provide an atmosphere, which is agreeable and comfortable to worship. The members of this ministry must apply their godly discernment in choosing, playing, and singing the right songs, dramatizing the right plays, and using liturgical dance movements at the right time. They must see to it that all the choices of music , songs (lyrics), dance movements, and drama pieces meet the right priority of worship: first, to glorify God; second, for God to speak to us; and third, for us to edify each other. We must make sure that our worship services meet these three prerequisites.

Glorifying God – Worship is accomplished vertically upward, when we are talking to God
God speaks to us – Worship is accomplished vertically downward, when God is talking to us
Edifying each other – Worship is accomplished horizontal left-to-right, when we are edifying and encouraging each other

The main role of the ministry of music, worship, and creative arts is threefold:

1- Music: (Musicians, Choirs, Band)

  • Determines the musicians who will play during each event

  • Assures that the musicians schedule a set time for rehearsals of the songs that will be played

  • Determines the needs for musical instruments (Purchase or rent)

  • Determines which groups, choirs, or soloist(s) that will minister at our events

  • Assures the learning of new songs to all the choirs

  • Assures the active administration of all the choirs (adult, youth, etc.)

  • Creates an atmosphere where the choir and worship team members are encouraged, equipped and eager to sing at all engagements

2- Worship: (Worship Team, Worship Service Director,)

  • Establishes a worship team to help provide an agreeable worship

  • Assures the teaching of new songs to the worship team and congregation

  • Assures proper worship in all services

  • Organizes “blended worship” services searches for old (Traditional) and new songs (Contemporary) for the services

  • Prepares and chooses all the songs for the service according to the needs of the sermon, or the objective or the character of the service in order to promote an organized worship

3- Creative Arts: (Praise Dancers, Drama Team)

  • Establishes a praise dance team who worship through the use of mime, sign language, and liturgical dance movements to create visual enhancement and spiritual reinforcement to the worshippers and to those who may be deaf in our services or events

  • Establishes a drama team to help edify the congregation by bringing applications of the sermons or themes of the circumstance through plays and skits

Motivation

The motivation for establishing the music, worship, and creative arts ministry is to:

  • Help create a worship environment in all the events of the church

  • Help create a worship atmosphere during all group rehearsals

  • Help create a mindset for all the members to become worshipers

  • Help promote professionalism in the arts of music, dance, and drama in the church

  • Help promote proper training of the musicians

  • Help promote the proper sounds that encourage worship

  • Help promote the proper audio visual materials during the worship events

SECTION II: Membership Requirements & Organizational Structure

Membership

Any individual who wishes to be a member of any ministry under music, worship, or creative arts must meet the following general requirements:

  1. He/she must accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.(Excluding children)

  2. He/she must hold credible and exemplified reputation.

  3. He/she must demonstrate spiritual growth.

  4. He/she must possess a natural ability in music, worship, and/or creative arts.

Organizational Structure

The organizational structure of the music, worship, and creative arts ministry will be broken into sub-ministries that will include the Children’s Choir, the Youth & Single Adults Choir, the Adult Choir, Worship Team/Worship Leaders, Musicians, Drama/Creative Arts, & Praise Dancers. Each sub-ministry has the following specific membership requirements:

 

MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS

I
CHILDREN CHOIR

II
YOUTH CHOIR  

III
ADULT CHOIR

IV
WORSHIP TEAM & LEADERS  

V
DRAMA/ CREATIVE ARTS  

VI
MUSICIANS & ORCHESTRA  

1. Accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior

2. Baptism

3. Shiloh Church member

4. Age requirement 5-13, 14-17, 18 & up

5. Abide by church dress codes

6. Bible Study attendance

7. Sunday School attendance

8. Prayer service attendance (At least once a month)  

SECTION III: Leadership & Administrative Functions

Leadership

The leadership of the music, worship, & creative arts ministry must meet the descriptions that are stated in these verses: 1Timothy 3; 4:12; 2 Timothy 2:15; Titus 1:6-9; and Ephesians 5:19-20 as part of their key verses to live by. The music, worship, & creative arts ministry must operate in close collaboration with the senior pastor of the church. The committee that runs this ministry is composed of at least 10 members: Leader (Minister of Music), Assistant Leader (Asst. Minister of Music), Choir Directors, Musicians, Worship Team Members, Worship Service Directors, Drama team Leader, Praise dance leader, and so forth.

Leader (Minister of Music):
The Leader must live his/her life in a way to exemplify a godly person. He/she:

  • Must lead the group in a godly fashion; he/she must learn how to manage conflicts among the other members

  • Is responsible to uphold all the functions of the music, worship, and creative arts department

  • Is responsible for the success and failure of the department

  • Has to call the meetings, direct or manage them, and make sure that they are appropriate

  • Is responsible to decide on and invite the guest ministries or speakers

  • Has the final word in cooperation with the pastor to decide on any internal ministry’s participation in outside events

  • Has to work in close collaboration with the Audio-visual committee • Has to show personal spiritual growth and watch over the spiritual growth of the other members.

Assistant Leader (Asst Minister of Music):
The assistant leader is a collaborator who helps carry out all the responsibilities of the leader; he/she is responsible to live an exemplified life just like the leader; he/she is responsible to replace the leader at his/her absence and fulfill all the functions of the leader; in case of resignation (voluntary or involuntary) or in case of death, he/she automatically becomes the leader.

As a Choir Director:
Choir Directors are responsible to direct, administer, coordinate, and implement musical programming and performances for children, teens, adults and work in collaboration with their choir committee, the musicians, Worship Directors, accompanists, Music &Worship Committee, and other groups as needed to accomplish these tasks. They should enjoy working with people; provide spiritual leadership, inspiration, and assistance to the choir members, congregation, volunteers, and families.

As a Musician:
In music ministry, the role of the church musician is to set the atmosphere of worship service and assist the congregation in lifting their voices in song. They must:

  • Remember that being a church musician is a high calling; all eyes are on you and people look up to you to be an example or a Christian role model

  • Be willing to seek the Lord daily in your personal devotions and “pray before you play”

  • Always try to be in tune with the congregation they are serving by participating in the other activities of the church, such as: bible study, Sunday school, prayer service, and so forth

  • Not rehearse at a service, but they should play on cues given by the music leader(s)

  • Be willing to participate in the rehearsals or practice sessions of the band, orchestra, worship team, and choirs if necessary

As a Worship Team Member:
The Worship Team Members are vocalists or instrumentalists who are responsible to lead the congregation in contemporary praise, worship and scripture songs, hymns or traditional songs that will help the congregation in accomplishing their Mission and Vision in providing “blended worship services”. The Worship Team member(s):

  • Work in collaboration with the worship directors, worship team leader, and Worship & Music Committee

  • Must be spiritually fit and equipped; must be active members of the church in good standing; must participate in bible study, Sunday school, and prayer services

  • Must understand their role as spiritual leaders, facilitators of worship just as a priest bringing the people’s sacrifice of worship to God.

  • Must participate in the rehearsals or practice sessions of the worship team

As a Worship Service Director:
As a worship service director, you must possess a God-given ability to lead people into a spirit of worship and praise. He/she:

  • Must set the spiritual example of encouraging the freedom of worship styles and music while being biblically based

  • Must be creative and innovative

  • Must be humble and not using his/her musical gifts and abilities for self gratification and recognition but unto the Lord

  • Must be in complete harmony with adopted church mission, vision, goals, policies, schedules, and Statement of Faith

  • Must participate in the rehearsal or practice sessions of the worship team, and be willing to prepare the plans and choose the songs for the service at least two weeks in advance.

As a Praise Dance Leader:
The praise dance leader is responsible to lead the praise dance ministry in various liturgical dance movements as they relate to the songs of the worship service and/or songs that the choir will minister. He/she:

  • Must be creative and innovative

  • Must set the spiritual example of using dance as a form of worship and not in a way to bring attention to the body

  • Must work in collaboration with the worship service director, worship team members, choir director, and musicians

  • Is in charge of calling and running rehearsals

  • Must participate in the practice sessions of the worship team

  • Must be sure that all wardrobes meet the dress codes standards, whether in rehearsal or at a performance

  • Is encouraged to research and attend praise dance ministry retreats, forums, workshops, or any other resources that will help to build formal training and professionalism among the praise dance ministry

As a Drama Team Leader:
The drama team leader is responsible for developing and directing skits or plays as they relate to the theme of the circumstance or the theme of the sermon. He/she:

  • Must work closely with the pastor, worship service director, and all other ministry leaders who would like the drama team to participate in an event

  • Must be creative and innovative

  • Is in charge of calling and running rehearsals and making sure that all props and other resources needed are supplied

  • Is encouraged to research and attend actors’ workshops, forums, retreats, etc. to help bring formal training and professionalism to the members of the drama ministry

SECTION IV: Ministry Principles

The music, worship, and creative arts ministry will be based on the principles of accountability, consistency, and encouragement.

Accountability
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6: 1-2 (NIV)

We must be a ministry with a high degree of accountability because we are the face of First Shiloh Baptist Church. We usher the people of God into worship so our lives must be examples they can follow. Without accountability we can become unaware of blind spots in our lives and/or the ministry.

Consistency
…Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)

We must be a ministry that is consistent in everything we do: In our lifestyles, in our commitment to service, in the quality of presentations we produce, in the worship we lead, and in the roles we play in this ministry. Consistency will ensure that every aspect of our worship services are carried out effectively.

Encouragement
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up… 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

We must constantly encourage one another. As we minister together, there will be times that individuals will need encouragement to be better leaders, to remain consistent, to be patient with members of the ministry, and more. There are many ways we can encourage each other: read scripture together, greet each other, and pray for each other are a few examples. The objective of encouragement is to “build each other up” not bring one another down.

SECTION V: Rules & Regulations

Commitment

  1. Members of this ministry must be committed to their respective role as leader, worship team member, praise dancer, actor, musician, choir member, etc.

  2. They must abide to all the rules and regulations of the music, worship, and creative arts ministry in general as well as their specific sub- ministry.

  3. They must commit to living a life of example, as stated in the verses found in section three of this document, which will be portrayed in their lifestyle and the way they rehearse, lead, serve, and love others.

  4. Members must commit to the respective financial obligations of their specific sub-ministry.

Rehearsals, Meetings, & Scheduled Engagements

  1. Members of this ministry are expected to attend ALL scheduled rehearsals, meetings, worship services and special programs regularly and with consistency (It does not make sense to miss rehearsals and then expect to be fully prepared to lead, play, sing, act, or dance in our worship services.).

  2. If a member is not present for rehearsal without an excused absence, he/she WILL NOT minister in the event(s) that follows.

  3. If you know of a worship service, meeting, rehearsal, or special event that you will be unable to attend, please advise your ministry leader of your absence beforehand.

  4. The first 15 minutes of rehearsal will be devoted to administrative tasks such as taking attendance, making announcements, and preparing future events.

  5. If a member arrives more than 5 minutes late to a rehearsal, he/she will be considered as absent for that day; and more than 3 consecutive absences without an acceptable excuse will result in involuntary resignation. Members are allowed 6 non consecutive absences for the year; however, they should not have more than 3 non consecutive absences in a 6 month period.

  6. If you resign from the music ministry voluntarily or involuntarily, you will be subject to a 3- month probation period before returning to your respective ministry.

Procedure

  1. All members of the ministry participating in the Sunday morning worship service MUST meet for prayer at 10:30AM in the fellowship hall downstairs before going on the pulpit. This includes all choir members, worship leaders, worship team members, pastors, and anyone else scheduled to be on the program.

  2. If a member who should be on the pulpit is late and arrives after everyone on the pulpit is seated, he/she WILL NOT go on the pulpit and minister.

  3. We ask the members on the pulpit to refrain from getting up, walking back and forth, conversing, and phone usage during worship service. In addition, members must be mindful of their facial expressions and body gestures while sitting/standing on the pulpit.

*Note: If a member plans not to take communion on first Sunday, he/she should consult with his/her leader and the pastor for advisement and should not be on the pulpit singing or ministering in any form or capacity. Taking communion implies you are in agreement/covenant with Jesus Christ. If you do not take communion that means the covenant is broken, and therefore, you are not in good condition to usher other people into the presence of God.

Attire/Wardrobe

  1. All uniforms should meet the dress codes of First Shiloh Baptist Church. Sunday morning attire should be modest, godly, and should not bring the focus of the worshippers to you instead of God.

  2. No sleeveless outfits should be worn and skirts must be knee length or longer. If there is a uniform for the ministry, everyone in that ministry should be in uniform.

  3. No choir member should be taking off their choir robes before the end of the worship service; they should remain on until after benediction is pronounced. We must keep in mind that being on the pulpit is not a stage for a fashion show, but a privilege to be able to honor God with your special gifts and lead others into His presence.