BETTER BY SUNDAY
[ PREVENTING WORSHIP & TECH TEAM FAILS ]
THE REPERTOIRE PROBLEM | Doug Doppler
The [WM] team just got back from the NAMM along as you worship together). When I was of practical appeal. Most of us are volunteers
show, where I had the privilege of hosting a serving as a worship and creative arts director, and lead busy lives and that includes the sound
trio of ‘TEC Track’ panels with friends from I found that this approach worked really well and tech teams.
Yamaha, CCLI, and OnSong. The night before in terms of keeping the congregation singing the panels, I spent the better part of two hours and the worship team excited about the songs. THE TRICKLEDOWN EFFECT
discussing song and set lists with OnSong Another key benefit was the fact that this One of the things I’ve tried to address in this
founder Jason Kichline. Fueled by a previous number allowed me to banish iPads from being column is the fact that the sound and tech
conversation I had with Jeffrey B. Scott on the platform during service. My personal teams are impacted by the choices we make,
regarding his guitar column in this issue, this belief is that you can’t take the congregation and we owe it to them to think about how our
month we’ll be covering the impact that the somewhere in worship where you haven’t been decisions impact them. If you want your sound
number of ‘active’ songs can have on your yourself, and I feel this is especially the case team to master arrangement driven mixing, the
worship and tech teams. when it comes to worship leaders. smaller the number of active songs, the greater
Let me once again say that the heart and soul of THE ONSONG EFFECT the service. Noting the number of husband and
this column is to help teams find healthy ways to It should come as no surprise that Jason is a wife teams I’ve seen on sound and projection
solve global problems. Many of the musicians I core part of his worship team and does not respectively, if you really want to frustrate your
know are ‘in process’ when it comes to being share the bias I have for iPads on the platform tech peeps, loading on a bunch of new songs
selfless servants in the house who keep a sweet during service. That said, he and I are both at the last minute is a great way to demonstrate
spirit when the same mistakes seem to happen in agreement that this technology should not that they are not part of your planning process.
over and over. At the core of this conversation become a crutch. As Jason and I chatted about is the reality that the stuff that drives me nuts all of this, one of my big takeaways is that the ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL
may not bother you at all. By learning to honor number of songs in active rotation is not “one As I’ve gotten older, one of the most important
our differences, I firmly believe we can find that size fits all’. At Jason’s church they never do things I’ve learned is that there is more than
healthy middle ground – together! a mid-week rehearsal, and never have a setlist one way to skin the proverbial cat. I was really
before Sunday morning. Noting how much I taken by the freedom Jason’s team has to
ACTIVE SONGS love to rehearse a team so that Sunday reflects play a song that they’ve never done. I firmly
I believe that by keeping the number of active where we have already gone during rehearsal, believe that the heart of the matter is to find
songs in your roster somewhere between I have to admit that I love the fact that Jason’s what is going to work best to serve everyone
sixteen and twenty will result in a tighter team is free to pull up any song they’ve ever at your church. I am believing that this month’s
worship team on the platform, better sound played – even mid-service! installment will fall on fertile ground, and thank
the probability they’ll mix the songs, not just
from the front of house and a better worship
you for the privilege of being able to serve you
experience for members of the congregation MAKING THE CASE
(who are dependent on your tech team to get Noting that most of us serve in small churches,
the lyrics on the screen too, so they can sing having sixteen to twenty active songs has a lot
32
February 2018
and your team. God Bless!
Doug Doppler
Doug is the Editorial Director for Worship Musician
and Gear Tech + Recording magazines.
WorshipMusician.com
WorshipMusician.com