Naptastic

This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong.
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.