BETTERBYSUNDAY
BETTER BY SUNDAY WITH PCO
Besides the Word of God, PCO is the single
CULTIVATE YOUR CULTURE
This approach can work wonders with your
most valuable tool for taking your worship
sound teams as well, which again gets us back
team from good to great! Far more than the At the magazine, we have the privilege of to culture and care. Most sound teams love
administrative vehicle that most churches use serving the local church at the church level, serving the worship team, and communication
it for, PCO is a pastoral tool. which means that we are here to gently – and is usually the missing link that prevents a sound
judiciously push the envelope. My comment team from growing in their capacity. Creating
I first heard about PCO from friends on the about established systems is really rooted in a weekly plan that includes the audio tracks
HIllsong team well over a decade ago and have church and team culture. Regardless of whether for the songs you’ll be doing that weekend
loved using it ever since. I currently serve at it is the senior pastor, worship pastor, or both, allows the sound team to get familiar with the
Exchange Church, a startup located in Walnut not all churches are great at equipping. If this material and start thinking about mix cues. This
Creek, California. While we are less than a year is your church I encourage you to prayerfully is especially helpful if your sound team does not
old, our pastors Mark and Ellie Cotter used to consider how to approach this is a constructive attend rehearsal. Noting that sound teams tend
be the youth pastors at Lakewood Church. way that serves your church, leaders, and what to listen to things technically they don’t always
They are amazing people, and like myself they God is doing in your local church. listen for music in terms of which instrument
is the loudest during a specific section of a
are passionate about serving God, the church
and our teams. Mark and Ellie have graciously PCO is a portal where your church culture song. Adding notes underneath each song
agreed to let me use Exchange as a PCO expresses itself visibly to everyone that serves with references to specific times in the song
guinea pig. While I’m not actually playing on the at your church. While preparedness may be will open up a dialog for helping them do a
team in this season, I am working behind the important to you and your leaders, PCO tends better job. If by chance people don’t rise to the
scenes to get systems in place in preparation to reveal how prepared you really are. opportunity, PCO gives you the ability to identify
this and work with your team to correct it.
for the season to come, which gets us to my
first point.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS TO SOLVE COMMON
PROBLEMS CONCLUSION
While rehearsals and Sunday services tend to As I mentioned, PCO is as much if not more
One of the advantages of being at an share the same songs, they don’t share the a pastoral tool as it is an administrative one.
established church is that there are systems same goals or timeline. Creating a new service I encourage you explore what PCO can do
in place – but – one of the disadvantages of type for rehearsals is a great way to separate for your team. Until next time, thanks for the
being at an established church is that there are these weekly missions with the added benefit of opportunity to serve you and your team!
systems in place. It is easy to get caught up having a place in PCO dedicated to rehearsal. in the doing without revisiting the effectiveness You can also create a template that you can of our systems. At the song level PCO makes use from week to week that includes slots for it easy to roster songs in plenty of time for songs and a space to make notes about what people to learn them, as well as attach and you want to accomplish. We’ve created the transpose audio files and charts to the keys following tutorial to show you how easy this is you’ll be doing them in. Strategically this allows to do!
USING PCO WITH PURPOSE
you to prepare and equip your team with the
necessary resources to learn the material as
DOUG DOPPLER
Worship leader, musical product
specialist + creative director for
print and web. Former guitar
student of Joe Satriani, GIT
graduate, + avid gear collector.
Credits include a disc on Steve
Vai’s Favored Nations label and
session work on Guitar Hero.
it will be played, while demonstrating the care
and consideration to make this process easier.
Like I said, this is a pastoral tool that can do so
much to help teams thrive and grow.
22
May Jun 2017
WorshipMusician.com