Team Roles and Training Outline - WellspringChurchNC/prod-team GitHub Wiki
How we're organized ...
At the highest level, we currently have the Senior Pastor (Eric), the Worship Leader (Laura), and the Production Director (Rob) from a reporting hierarchy perspective.
- The weekly scheduler (Dustin) will build out the following minimal team (boxes with dotted lines are optional positions that will help the morning setup go more smoothly and quickly) using planning center online.
- For each Sunday, the Producer (Team Lead) will work with the band to handle the roles of Stage/House Lights, LED Lighting Tech, and Stage Hand. The Sound Lead will also work with the Producer and band and may not have a dedicated Sound Assistant.
- We also model that we are one worship team (Band and Production) ... everyone helps with setup and pack up (with the exception that band members need to take the time to insure their gear is ready for sound check by 8:30 am so are free to shift from production setup to their own personal gear setup as needed).
Worship Band Members
- Must be able to play to a click track/metronome
- Midweek rehearsal commitment
- Sunday 7AM arrival when scheduled - “everyone helps” with setup and pack up
- Heartbeat of the band
- Timing, dynamics and flow
- Primarily piano right now
- Memorizing chords and song flow
- Lead is melodic, specific parts in the songs need to be played like the recording
- Rhythm is memorizing chords structures and keeping time with the song
- The groove and rhythm
- Following the pattern of the kick drum and keeping the low end moving
- Keeping the flow of the song moving
- Follows the drums and the song leader the most
- Used during acoustic sets; typically cajon, shaker, tambourine, etc.
- Similar role to a drummer
- Presence and body language must help to lead congregation
- Has to be on key, able to hear chords, harmonize & have breath control
- Able to memorize lyrics
Production Team Members
- Sunday 7AM arrival when scheduled - “everyone helps” with setup and pack up
- Some midweek prep / work in advance of the Sunday service (depends on role)
- Solely focused on the ensuring a smooth setup and facilitating the order of service
- Makes sure everyone is on the same page, that transitions happen smoothly, etc
- Lead is the person in charge of all things “sound” in the theater and running the soundboard on Sunday
- Tech/Assistant helps the Lead troubleshoot issues, sets up all cables, and assists with any other audio needs while the Lead is at the sound board.
- Ensures all colored lighting is set-up properly and working prior to the service
- Sets up & controls faders for the house and spot lights (hard-wired in the theater)
- Sets up all elements required to do on-screen projections (currently 3 screens)
- Runs the visual portion of the Sunday service
- Support role needed to run cables, tape down cables for safety, load/unload gear in the trailers
- Deals with overall setup and teardown of the stage (Production pipe and drape, audio setup, light setup, etc)
- Deals with both design and construction of the stage
- Create a warm atmosphere on stage that is interesting without being distracting
- Great for both creative people and those experienced using tools/power tools
Most team members start out with on stage training (basics of how we set up the stage, placement of key components: set design, lighting, etc). The next step would be LED lighting setup and stage/house light control.
- All team members should learn how to properly wrap cables as a first step. Encourage them to watch an online instructional video and practice at home.
- To cover the basics of lighting refer to the wiki lighting page.
- Training programs for CG and FOH / Sound require considerably more time investment.
For all team members we follow this basic approach ("You"=new team member, "I"=experienced team member / trainer):
- You watch, I do
- You do, I watch
- You do (solo in the role)
In some cases (FOH / Sound), there may be a more formal sign off with many more steps as a Sound Lead typically starts as an assistant and learns those skills, and the progresses to learning the board and mixing.