Problem statement 1. For the Church: Membership has been in decline; member contributions are currently insufficient for the long-term viability of the church. We don't have a plan for reversing that trend. 2. For musicians: Forming a band has become nearly impossible. Even if a band manages to achieve critical success and build a following, TicketMaster and ConcertMaster have turned touring into a losing proposition for everyone involved: bands, fans, and venues. The only people getting paid are capitalists–people who have no connection at all to the music.

The Proposal

• Find or create bands.
• Create an agreement for what the band and the church provide for each other.
  • The church gets promotion, and music we would not otherwise be able to make.
  • The band gets a venue, an audience, access to musical resources, recordings, and fair pay.
• Organize extra worship services weekends when we have a band.
  • Friday night: Worship for the fun and the joy of it
  • Saturday night: Worship with a message and a purpose
  • Sunday morning: Worship that connects us emotionally and spiritually
  • Sunday night: Mindful, peaceful worship

Guidelines and Requirements

• We're still in the sanctuary of the house we built for God. All programming needs to be aligned with that.
• Sunday morning is an especially sacred service, in the sense that it is the most established and has the most tradition around it.
• We cannot compete in the field of contemporary Christian rock or “Praise and Worship” music and we should not try.
• The director needs to be a complete hardass. Musicians that don't show up early don't get called back.
• Four shows in one weekend is a lot of playing. We must take care not to overdo it.
• Use of a drumkit is not a pathway to success. It MIGHT be an indicator of success.
• All parties must follow copyright law. Ownership of any recordings must be negotiated before the church invests musical resources.
• Selection of music is 100% up to the church. We invite and welcome suggestions.
• New compositions specifically for these services must be collaborative. If there is an artistic disagreement, we make two versions of the song: a version reflecting the artistic preferences of the church music program, and another reflecting the band's preferences.

Strengths and Opportunities

• We already have a well-developed audio/visual system, though there are things we need to strengthen.

Weaknesses and Pitfalls

• First and foremost, this is a massive undertaking with many points of potential failure. We absolutely need more volunteers.
• “Fair pay” is likely to become contentious. I recommend a base rate for singers, a higher base rate for instrumentalists, and a percentage of plate offerings for services played. (I can already hear daggers…)
• Our A/V system, while capable, needs some development.
• The amount of preparation we currently put into services will not be adequate.