After leading worship at a church since 1975 before starting a praise team 12 years ago, I had the advantage of knowing all of the singers in a fairly good sized church (600 members). As a result we never had tryouts. The singers had attended numerous music classes and sang at many events with me over the years. This is probably the exception rather than the rule--It seems very few people stay at one place that long to have such detailed information on the singers.

After leaving that congregation two years ago, the church revamped some of the music ministry and had tryouts. A good thing in my opinion because the church was experiencing an influx of new members and had new leadership. At my new congregation, I am no longer the main worship leader, but sing on the praise team and fill in as leader when needed. There have been no tryouts at the new congregation to the best of my knowledge.

Despite my own personal experience, I believe that tryouts are a good thing. Potential problems include:

1. Hurt feelings (easy enough to understand);
2. Bad tryout day by a very good singer;
3. Untrained judge(s);
4. Choosing the best (?) voices and not the ones that blend well and able to sing in an ensemble;
5. Ill conceived tryout due to bad format, selection of music, etc.

In my opinion, three (3) judges appears to be a good number of judges. They can be a check and balance on each other, and the group is not too large to be unmanageable. Judges should be the best qualified that you can obtain. They should be from outside the congregation and should be personally unfamiliar with the singers. Judges should be formally trained in music and worship leaders or praise team members, if at all possible. A decision should be made as to how to use the findings of the judges. Are they binding, advisory, or some combination of both? This one topic could fill several pages.

I have other thoughts about the format for the tryouts, but will keep it for another time and let someone else weigh in on the subject.

Jim

Nope. They are hand-selected by me. Then are "tried out" in rehearsal for a few weeks, then if it works out, I hand them a mic.

By current policy, we have open rehearsals, so anyone who's interested could show up to rehearsal. That way I don't miss out on people I don't know.

Yes -- we use a hybrid approach. We have a larger group that we consider the "congregational team". This group is open to anyone, no auditions. We consider them part of the praise team, because the help lead worship from the pew -- it's always nice to have people sitting around you who already know that new song. Then we have a smaller group consisting of 4 teams of 4 who sing on mike. This is an auditioned group.

GREAT APPROACH, Gem. If I had my choice this is the way we would do it! Anyone who wants to still gets to sing and then the more gifted actually get the mics. Way to go!

Robin

Gem brings up some aspects about the praise team environment that are often overlooked. I like the concept of having a larger group from which members of the praise teams are picked. This larger group should basically be an open group with minimum requirements as to who can participate. Rehearsals should be open to all members of your congregation. And as Gem points out, the members of this group will know the new songs and can help from their pew in the audience. But as with any group, members will soon grow tired of rehearsals if all they do is practice. The group should be used on occasions for special services or to present songs to the congregation that sound better when sung by a larger group.

If you are starting a new praise team at your congregation, start with a larger group like this. You will find out several things about the singers: who can sing and sing well, who is dedicated enough to be counted upon, and just as importantly who does not fit in for whatever reason. Solicit from the group their recommendations about who they feel should be on the praise teams. Ask individuals to sing their part solo to find out which singers carry their part and which singers tag along. Don’t fail to do this. This will probably be the only tryout you will need. This first phase doesn’t have to last long but a month or two of weekly rehearsals should provide you with the information you need. After you know what singer resources you have, you can made decisions about how many teams can be formed and how many people will make up a team. Have all those you choose to meet together for a couple of rehearsals and form teams that sound good together. The size of the teams may be limited by your sound system and/or money to provide equipment. But if at all possible, don’t settle on one team. Alternate between two or three teams and have backups to the singers in each team and allow each team to manage filling in absent positions. Also, each team should be able to conduct the service without the “music minister” if the occasion arises, which it will.

The large group should meet on a regular basis, weekly if possible. Teach new songs at that time and run through all the songs to be sung that week. Keep your eyes and ears open for possible replacements when the situation occurs. The praise teams should also rehearse an additional time before the service or services in which they participate. If you have more than one service, use the same team for all the services if possible.

We do a couple of choral pieces for our Christmas Eve service, and our praise team is always asked to sing for the sunrise service at our local Walk for Life - we open both of those up to the larger group as well. Most of our larger group, however, are those who would never want to sing on mike. They just like singing and singing well but do not like being singled out. We have gotten some to sing with the mike teams by doubling up a part on one of the mike teams, which builds confidence and eventually those people are much more comfortable on a separate team.

There was a praise team here at Vaughn Park when I got here, so I've never had to hold auditions. When a vacancy comes open I fill it with one of our alternates. And since our alternates come by personal reccomendation of the other singers, it comes easy for me.

Actually, we do hold auditions... they just don't see me do it.

I know since we don't have a praise team this poll is really not for me, but . . . . We have 7 song leaders in our congregation - not all equally capable. When new potential song leaders arrive, we "try them out" on Wednesday and Sunday nights. Our worship ministry leader decides who is capable enough to do Sunday mornings. Those who are good, but not good enough, or just prefer not doing Sunday mornings, rotate at other assembly times. If they are not good at all, they don't get on any rotation. What would we do if we had a praise team? Probably try them out at a rehearsal. I think, in congregations that do not have praise teams, there's really a trial period for everyone. If you can't cut it, you just don't get asked. And so, in that sense, most of us have "tryouts."

Briefly, we do not do formal auditions, although I can see doing that in a larger church/ministry. In our size church we use anyone on the praise team who can 1) sing their part reasonably on key, 2) is willing to put in the rehearsal time, and 3) has a heart for this ministry. Since we use two on a part each week, I try to always match anyone who is new or has a tendency to sing flat with someone who sings "dead on." We then regularly "fix it in the mix" as neded. Generally, I'm just as interested in the heart of the singer as the voice, but there are always a few who have no business holding a live mic.

My belief is people with no talent or marginal talent should not be allowed to sing in a praise team. I would put them in a larger group that supports from the pews so they can still feel part of a ministry. But for your praise team, you do a disservice to your church by putting people up there that are more of a distraction than a help. Leading worship is a serious matter. Those who lead worship affect so many aspects of our assemblies, things like the spirit, mood and edification of the church. Turning those reigns over to the ungifted is, to me, disastrous.

It's not easy telling someone, lovingly, that they are not gifted in a particular area, but in the end I believe it is doing them a favor. So many people have the American Idol syndrome, the feeling in your mind that you are world class singer, but in reality you sing like a horse neighing. Speaking the truth to one another in love might mean you steer them in a direction where they actually have talent and can put it to use effectively.

Or not. :)

One tool my husband has used (he's our praise team director) is to record the person auditioning, and play it back. Often, they can hear the flaws themselves more when listening to a recording. He does this as gently and lovingly as he can -- it is much easier when they can hear it themselves.

I'm kind of new to the praise team idea and have thought a lot about the spiritual aspects of creating one. However so, the one issue that I am having trouble getting past is that between auditions and microphones I can't justify discouraging members who simply want to praise God using their voice. I understand that not all people are talented singers and that the Lord gives us all various talents but singing praises just seems like a natural thing to do. I'm not saying these praise teams are right or wrong but I would enjoy hearing everyones comments.

Our assemblies are meant to edify the Church. I believe through edification of the church, God is ultimately praised, worshiped and honored. His church is the assembly of those who love Him, are truthfully seeking him, and who are letting God mold and teach them.

Therefore all of what we do should be considered with asking "Does this edify the church?" Now the dilemma I see is as follows. 1) Not letting the person sing does not edify that person, a member of the church and 2) letting this person sing does not edify the church if it's painful to listen to.

With having 2 voices per part, I am confident in letting someone sing who isn't the best singer, but has a heart and passion for leading his people, edifying the church and sharing their passion with people. I think these people are great examples for the church, because too often we hold people back and don't let them grow into something. We simply say "you gotta be this good and until you figure out how to be this good you can't be apart." Why don't we say "you've got some things to work on, I'm going to put you with a good singer."

If they are serious about their edification of the church, then they will work on what they need to work on. If not, then there are spiritual things that need to be discussed. Number 1 being spiritual edification of the church is the sole reason for assembling.

Are our praise teams spiritual leaders or just musical leaders?

Hmmm...

On top of what I've said- I don't think our praise teams and worship leaders are truly seeking to be spiritual leaders in our churches. Churches of Christ may be seeing growth in "worship ministers," but I think we may be seeing song leaders. We need men & women to be worship leaders and praise team members that want to edify the church, teach the church, who love the assembled, who have a passion for sharing God's truth, God's love and the message of God's wonderful grace and mercy. We need men & women who are transparent and who share in the lives of the people they stand before. We need men & women who pray, study, serve, hug, kiss, love, give, teach, and adore the Kingdom and who are passionately seeking to see where God is working in the world and who are willing to die to be apart of what God is doing.

SPEAKING TO MYSELF HERE, I know I am no where near that image I presented above. I want to be, I want to find a community of believers who believe that's what a worship leader or praise team member or song leader is about. Or a preacher, youth minister or any other staff or pastoral member.

We don't need people who only sit around and plan services, practice with praise teams, we need people described as above and more.

KEITH, maybe next week we could ask the top 10 Spiritual & Physical Talents that a church should look for in a worship leader. And ALSO the top 10 Spiritual & Physical Talents a praise team member should have. I know it won't be exact for everyone, but I think there may be a strong basis of a few for each that we can consider.

The bible tells us to make a joyful noise unto the Lord. Whether there is talent there or not, it shouldn't matter....however....when it comes to leading the congregation, it's much easier to follow someone who is on key and can keep a beat. But even the most talented and gifted singer may not have the right heart to lead singing in a church. So first and foremost; The heart has to be right in order to make a joyful noise, then and only then should the talent be recognized and considered.

tim magill
kansas city, ks

I think there's a difference between encouraging everyone to sing (which edifies them and others) and encouraging everyone to sing on the praise team (which is meant to lead others). Most churches I know don't let "everyone" who believes they have the talent to preach or teach to do so. This is because we all, sometimes, view our talents favorably when others might not. We don't let "everyone" lead prayers or even make announcements. It's not that we're trying to be mean or elitist, we're just trying have the best experiences and to put our best foot forward so that those who visit us will have the best opportunity to be impressed with the Lord.

We have a "modified" tryout for our praise team. We have weekly practices. Anyone is welcome to come to our practices who would like to be considered for praise team participation. They have to sing with us for a month in practices before any consideration is given. As praise team leader, I then interview them and tell them what I and the team think their potential is for the praise team. If they don't have the skills, I try to encourage them to participate in our "specials" we have on occasion (two or three times a year). If they do have the skills, they have to agree to participate in practices and be available for a month's rotation every two to three months. This system has worked well for us so far.

No, we have no formal audition process. A group was in place when I arrived here. We have added to and subtracted from that group since I have been here.

If someone wants to join, they are asked to come to rehearsal regularly. Coming once does not mean they are forever on the team. I want to see a commitment to make sure this person isn’t just in it for the glory of standing in front of everyone. We need to be careful that pride and the “American Idol” attitude stays far away from our leadership teams. I think that’s where we check the heart to make sure it’s right, and that's long before they ever help lead.

Once at rehearsal, I rely on my established singers to let me know how well the newbies are doing. I’ve found they are a pretty good judge.

(In case you’re wondering, the one that has been subtracted chose a bowling league over attending rehearsal, and he was not the type of singer that could sight read or learn the music on his own. It was his own choice. No hard feelings at all.)

The microphones on our praise team exist to amplify the SATB on a song (with an occasional descant). That’s the vocal leadership I’ve talked about here before. If someone isn’t singing one of those parts, I encourage them to sing as loud as they want and with all of their heart, but there is no reason for them to hold a microphone.

Telling someone they will not be holding a microphone does not mean we are telling them they cannot sing, worship, or lead. Some of our best visual leaders are in the pews. I know – I see them every Sunday, and I know the lives they live back it up. If any of those people expressed a desire to lead from the stage with us I would love to have them join us. But that doesn’t mean I would give them a microphone.

By the same token, at some point I may start asking those who hold microphones but lead like statues to stay in the pew rather than on stage when we lead. Lacking in visual leadership is part of the same discussion for us as lacking in vocal leadership. For those whose teams stay in the pews all of the time, this probably isn’t an issue.

There’s no rule that says all up front have to hold a microphone. Nor is there a rule that says how many lead from on stage. Maybe you have 8 singers on mic but only 4 of those on stage. Maybe you have one on stage with a mic, 3 others on stage without, and 4 more in the pews with mics. Do what’s best for your situation, and don’t be afraid to be creative.

The church as a whole, our aim is to glorify God in the best possible way we can. We are expected to give our best. We should want to do give our best because God gave His best. With this in mind the Praise Team goals should be to help inspire the church to not only to sing their best but inspire singing from the heart, to help focus on the words of the song. As a song leader I see too many members not concentrating on what they are singing. I see members searching through personal; belongings, making faces at the baby in front and other things that show their mind is elsewhere.

Hello all--

Some further thoughts on judges. These are the result of years of discussions with Worship Leaders from many churches who have held tryouts. Back in 1993 or 94 there was a seminar held by Darrell Bledsoe at the Spring Woodlands Church that involved discussions on how to select praise teams, and I have drawn heavily on my recollections of that seminar. As I remember the title was--"So you want to start a praise team?" Also, one of the best discussions I heard was at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky about six years ago. They were convinced that there was a definite process that should be followed if you use judges to choose your musicians, singers, and leaders.

First, if judges are used, they should be compensated in some way. At the very least, they should be compensated for their travel expenses, and treated to a good meal at a local restaurant and some fellowship with the worship leader and family. Some judges may refuse the offer of pay, but it is appropriate to make the offer.

Judges from outside the church may be crucial to the process. A group of judges bring the collective wisdom, spirituality, experience, and expertise that will only help the leader make the right choices. It also removes the appearance of favoritism, and somewhat insulates the worship leader(s) from bad publicity. If you have led worship for any time at all, you will have your detractors as well as supporters. However, it does a ministry no good to bring on criticism that could be avoided with a little forethought, spreading out the responsibility, and some disclosures up front (sounds like a lawyer doesn't it).

Now that we have either just spent our money, or the church's money, or have called in favors from our buddies in worship leading to bring in some people from outside -- What do we do with the results?

If the recommendations of the judges are only advisory, then what does that say about the judges? Do we really trust them? If we make the findings of the judges advisory only, I believe that honesty with them requires us to let them know how their hard work will be used.

If their recommendations are binding with no other input, the leader may have the difficult job of telling his best soprano who just had a bad tryout that she is going to have to sit it out for a while. Not a pleasant thought.... But if we do not follow through after making the judges' decisions binding, then we are sabotaging the entire process.

Possibly the better approach is to tell the judges and the praise team members that tryout for the judges will carry the most weight in selection of members, but that the selection process will also consider other factors. This doesn't sound very spiritual, but there is as much danger in giving too much detail about the selection process as there is in saying too little about the selection process. And it doesn't make much sense in telling your members, or anyone else for that matter, that YOU AS WORSHIP LEADER can override the judges.

I guess the key concept here is to make the process well planned and appropriately explained beforehand. Good process will let everyone know up front what is about to happen. Start and end the entire process with prayer and with the counsel of godly people who have done it before.

Colossians 2:6-7

Jim

A couple people at my church told me I should join the Praise Team after they heard me sing. I started going to practice on Wednesday nights and our preacher, who is also on the Praise Team and decides which songs we're singing every Sunday, told me that I could start singing up front once he knew I was reliable, punctual, practiced during the week, and blended well with everyone.