How can recording help your praise team? It’s not a top priority, but if your worship ministry is under control and well-managed, recording can speed up the learning curve for your musicians and enhance the worship experience of your church.
Is your ministry managed and under control? By this, I mean: Does everyone know their job and can perform it on autopilot? Do your band, praise and tech teams show up on time for rehearsals and Sunday morning without being pestered? Does your band know the bulk of your worship material so rehearsal doesn’t take too long? Are you in a steady routine of selecting music and planning your services? If your foundation is this solid, then you can try getting fancy.
At one ministry, I was able to do little recording because there simply wasn’t time. In a small church with no support staff, I did everything myself: picking the music, charting, copying, EasyWorship programming, scheduling and leading the music.
When I was at a megachurch, there were many people filling many roles in the worship department and it ran like clockwork—which freed us to take things up a notch by recording. Here are some recording ideas:
Recording band rehearsals. One local megachurch records their band rehearsals and burns a CD for everyone. At Monday night’s rehearsal, they’ll practice a song until they get it perfect, record the song, then move on to the next song. At the end of rehearsal, they’ll burn a CD and give it to each band member so they can listen and practice all week.
Sweeten the mix. What makes a recording sound professional? One big element is the bells and whistles thrown in—called “sweetening”—things like synth pads, leads, drum loops and orchestration.
These elements can also be added to your live worship services, but sweetening like this can only be done if your entire band uses in-ear monitors and a click track. Search for “click tracks” here at WorshipIdeas.com. If you can pull this off, your music will be so good your congregation’s mind will be blown, and you’ll approach professionalism that rivals major touring acts.
Recording original songs and arrangements. Have you written a worship song or created a contemporary hymn arrangement? It’s imperative to get those ideas recorded—if you hope to get your music published, a publisher needs more than a lead sheet. If you want to use your music in your own ministry, your musicians need to hear your song in MP3 format just like any other popular worship song. And once you get your recording process down pat, you might even want to record a CD of your praise team for your congregation to enjoy.
Bottom Line: Use recording techniques to take your ministry to the next level.
