worship team auditions?

I had someone ask from the previous post how we go about auditioning new potential worship team members. Most of what we do I got passed down to me from the boys in Chicago but we have added some stuff along the way. If you want to see a "official" audition application email me and I will send you one. As we grow as a church and I develop this ministry I'm sure things will change as we learn to do it better. These are just some helpful ideas.

• Ask that a Worship Team Application is filled out
• This form contains a brief background of the persons testimony, their understanding of what worship is, what and how long they have been playing or singing

• Phone call or email asking if they have attended a PWTP
• HBC offers a night called "Party with the Pastors" where we invite new people out who have been coming to Harvest and want to get involved. This night is a way for someone to fast track, hear about our doctrine, history of the church and ask any questions. Its in a home, so its really a great way to get to know someone
  on a more personal level.
• Get them plugged into a small group
• If they are going to be used in a stage ministry at our church it is important that they a.) call HBC their home church and b.) are growing with other believers in a small group. Harvest is a church of small groups not a church with small groups. Because of the rapid growth we have always had a hard time finding small groups for all congregates so a waiting list is usually the case for most people.
  
• Face to Face / Musical Audition
• If they have stuck around long enough to make it to this stage than I am usually excited for the possibilities. Because we don't let just "anyone" who can play or sing use their talent in our worship services it really weeds out who is there to perform and who is there to serve the Lord. What I would do is email a couple of chord charts along with a mp3 asking for a certain guitar hook or beat or arrangement to be learned and then brought to the audition. We would play through a couple of songs and the I usually spring a new song on them and see how well they can adapt to new material. I then give them a chance to play what they have been working on and then another opportunity to play something of their choice.
  
• Letter of response
• Usually after an audition we like to pray about the person and really seek out where the best possible placement is for that person. We have many people audition but a lot of the time they would do better in a different ministry then on our normal weeekend worship team. (i.e. mens bible study, small group leading, children's ministry). Again, this comes down to the person's heart to serve- if they want to be on the weekend stage and no where else then a red flag goes up. After a decision has been made we will send out a letter to inform the auditioned where we feel would be the best place for them to serve is. If we don't feel that they are ready to begin serving (as a singer or musician) we ask that they re-audition in 6 months.
  

• Weekend shadow
  
• Because we run 3 identical services and rehearse on Saturdays its alot of hours and your weekend is pretty much tied up. To help each new member see and feel out how we run our services we ask that new members join us for 2-3 weeks to just stand on the stage and play along (unplugged) to get a feel and sense for what is expected.
  

Top 5 unwritten rules (that are now written) when growing the team:

1. Worship members must love God more than love music("music credentials" mean squat unless you love the Lord- if you're going to lead people in worship you should first know how to get there yourself)
2. Worship music (ie. tomlin, redman) must be something they listen to. (If you want to play worship music but don't like listening to it, you probably wont like playing it)
   
3. Must own and know how to use their instrument and/or gear. (buy all the pedals you want, but then learn how to use them)
   
4. Must be responsible and on time (big in my books, just shows a heart of prep and excellence, the artist "personality" CAN learn to be on time)
   
5. Want to be forgotten at the end of the weekend (After the weekend is done and the stage is clear do you want people to remember the God they worshiped or the band that lead them in the worship?= thats a rhetorical question.