We’re excited that you’re interested in being a part of The Ridge worship team! It is a fun, challenging, and rewarding ministry. If God has gifted you with musical or technical talent, we want you to be able to use it for His glory! This is a somewhat complex ministry with many moving parts. So for your advantage, and that of the worship ministry as a whole, there is a short process to become a regularly scheduled member of the worship team. 

Worship on a platform is the overflow of a lifestyle of worship and a heart that is well-cultivated throughout the week. Personal spiritual intimacy with Jesus is our first priority. One hour on a Sunday morning is a mere .6% of a week. If the only time you worship is .6% of your week, you may not be cut out for this team. How can we lead people where we haven’t gone ourselves?

Rehearsals are infinitely smoother when everyone has listened to, practiced with and memorized the scheduled music. Being prepared also means having any gear or equipment that you intend to use on Sunday with you for practice (lyric sheets or chord charts are provided on Planning Center Online – more on this later). Unless otherwise posted, you are expected to learn your parts exactly like the MP3, giving special attention to the tonal qualities of each instrument. For teamwork to happen effectively, we rely on you to play your part accordingly.

The Ridge has a very relaxed unofficial “dress code.” However, there are a few basic requirements. Cleavage and the mid-section should be completely covered at all times. Any article of clothing with questionable text or graphics should not be worn. We want everyone’s focus to be on God. Anything that takes focus off of Him is a hindrance to our ultimate goal.

Everyone’s time is valuable. It’s important that everyone be punctual for rehearsals so that we can use our limited time as efficiently as possible. Arriving early is always a great idea. We are very serious about punctuality. Being on time is a respect issue.  Tardiness communicates a lack of respect for your colleagues, for the Ridge, and for the Lord. If an unexpected situation arises and you know you will be late, please communicate as quickly as possible with the director for that weekend.

When ideas or suggestions are presented and received with a good attitude, the results are monumental for effective team building. If there are technical, musical or miscellaneous complications, keep attitudes positive and morale high. Be open to the constructive criticism of the lead worshiper or band leader. They are trying to pull out every bit of greatness in you they can find, so be patient and receptive of constructive feedback.

 The Programming Director or Lead Worshiper always tries to give adequate notice of schedule or setlist changes. While it is not uncommon for these changes to take place, it is only done when necessary. It is recommended that you periodically check back with Planning Center to view any potential changes.

Take a moment to review the schedule. This is the normal weekly schedule and commitment expectations for those leading in worship on Sunday.

Adam Etris
Programming Director
adam.etris@theridge.church

Before you begin serving on the weekend, we ask that you come and hang out with the worship team during a couple of Sunday mornings. There are a few reasons for this

• Being able to shadow will allow you to see first-hand how the services flow.
• When you know what to expect on Sundays, it will allow you to be better prepared when it is your turn.
• It may help you to be more relaxed. Having multiple chances to meet those you will be serving alongside should calm your nerves.

An additional step will be to have the staff set up an account for you on www.planningcenteronline.com. This is an online service planning website where band members, songs and service flow are scheduled and posted. It allows worship team members to access chord charts and lyric sheets as well as mp3’s of songs we will be using in worship.

After your account is set up and you have access to the resources you need, you’re ready to go. The Programming Director is in charge of scheduling vocalists and instrumentalists.