HANDBOOK

Serving in the Technical Production Ministry is a privilege and an honor. Whether you are on the cameras or in the booth, we see you as a leader at Antioch, and we believe you play a special role – not just on your Service Production Team, but also on the greater team of our Technical Production Ministry. Maintaining the heart attitude and mindset of a servant is a crucial part of being a part of this Technical Production Ministry.

Our heart is to see you grow in your craft and in your walk with the Lord. As a leadership team, our job is to support and equip you to do just that. At the same time, being a leader is about ministering to the heart of God and washing the feet of the Church. It’s not primarily about you. We consider it a massive honor to get to do this together, and we always want the privilege of serving with Tech to be centered on Him and them, rather than us.

Being servant-hearted means laying aside personal agendas, rolling up your sleeves and always being willing to serve where needed. It means being open to new possibilities, such as being used in ways you may not have imagined. It’s not about our interests being served, but rather about serving the interests of others (Philippians 2:3-11). If you end up serving somewhere you hadn’t originally imagined, be patient in the process and remember the bigger picture. God is always faithful to get you to where you need to be.

Below are the responsibilities for anyone who serves in any Service Production Team in our Technical Production Ministry. These are the “non-negotiables” for anyone and everyone on our team.

1. Living a Personal Life of Worship

Worship is far more than what happens on stage – it’s our heart attitude at every moment, every day. Our lifestyle outside the church building is equally as important as our worship in the building. We view everyone in our Technical Production Ministry as a worship leader, so as with leaders in all Antioch ministries, it’s crucial that everyone in our Technical Production Ministry is spending time with God daily. You cannot lead others to a place that you are not going yourself.

Antioch leaders practice daily disciplines of reading the bible, praying and worshiping in the secret place. These consistent practices are vital to abiding in Jesus throughout the day, and abiding in Jesus allows us to lead from a place of wholeness and intimacy with God rather than a place of being distant, jaded or disconnected.

If you ever find yourself feeling confined by the disciplines or under a weight of performance rather than desire – please reach out for help! We commit to disciplines because we know that time with Him is truly the door to all that we need to know Him and walk in His ways. Because of this, it is common that our enemy would attack this place with the threat of “religiousness” and tempt us to stray from the secret place. It is our #1 PRIORITY that you are healthy and growing in God. We walk in community so that these burdens can be shared and so that we can be encouraged, equipped, and carried by the body of Christ. Summary: if you feel like you’re failing at “spending time with Jesus”, reach out! Either to a lifegroup leader, friend, your team leader, or anyone on the worship ministry leadership– we're here for you!

2. Being Committed to a Lifegroup

We want everyone in our community to be known and to have healthy accountability. God made us for relationship, and when we are isolated, we’re vulnerable and prone to wander.

Being in community is a life-giving experience, but it also takes commitment. As a church, we believe that our house-to-house gatherings are where life happens and where discipleship is rooted. With that in mind, it is encouraged for anyone leading in any capacity at Antioch to be actively committed to a Lifegroup in our church, and to prioritize attending weekly. If you need help finding a Lifegroup, talk to worship ministry leadership.

3. Pursuing Discipleship

Jesus called us both to follow Him as His disciples and to go and make disciples. In every season, we want you to have someone speaking into your life, and for you to be able to pour into others’ lives. If you are not in a discipleship relationship, we encourage you to actively pursue filling that connection. We would love to help if needed.

4. Commitment to Excellence

Excellence vs. Perfectionism

We should always seek to bring our very best as an offering to the Lord and as a gift to the people we’re serving. However, it is important to note the difference between perfectionism and excellence. Perfectionism is something one strives for but can never ultimately attain, while excellence is a position of the heart. Being excellent does not mean being mistake-free; it simply means being open to input, having the heart of a learner and constantly seeking to grow and improve.

To be who we’re called to be, everyone in our Technical Production Ministry must maintain a learner’s attitude and remain open to input from others. We believe everyone has room to grow, and our desire is to consistently help each other become better craftsman and leaders.

Preparedness

Excellence also means being prepared.
For those running the sound mixing boards, preparing is to prepare with the Worship Team. It is highly recommended that you come set rehearsals, and listen to the music set before the Sunday Service.

More than anything, we value following the leadership of the Holy Spirit. God is not predictable in the way He moves, and throughout the entirety of the set, we want to be prepared to follow what He is doing.

Timeliness

As much as possible, please practice punctuality every time you’re scheduled. Whether you mean to or not, being late communicates that you view others’ time as less valuable than yours. It also hinders the amount of productive rehearsal time the team can have. Timeliness is also a great indicator that you manage your life rather than letting your life run you.

5. Church Attendance and Membership

Since we are all a part of our local church body, we ask that all team members attend church weekly. We love and value the local church, and our heart is not for you merely to attend services, but to view yourself as a vital part of the church – because that’s what you are. As such, we encourage you to invest yourself into the local church. Life can get busy for leaders; even so, we prioritize church attendance. Showing up is important, not only for our community but also for your individual growth.

You are a worship leader off stage just as much as when you’re on stage. Your presence in a room changes the atmosphere, raises the faith level and serves as an example to follow. We invite you to lead by example in the services you attend by authentically expressing passionate worship. Showing up and participating on weeks when you’re not scheduled not only allows you to receive and be refreshed, it also communicates to the people you serve that you’re pursuing the Lord with them, not just pursuing a spot on the stage.

When attending a service, please be present and keep your heart engaged. This means listening intently to the message, even if you’ve heard the content before. The Lord is always speaking, and we always have something to learn. Also, we ask that you avoid being on your phone unless you’re taking notes or reading scripture, so as not to distract others and to communicate respect to the person speaking.

6. Personal Conduct

Though most Service Team members feel simply like “the average Joe”, they are not perceived that way by those who attend services. Anyone who is seen on stage is viewed as a representative of Antioch’s leadership and should therefore conduct themselves accordingly. Leaders are called to be active examples in speech and conduct.

We embrace freedom in our culture, but because we represent Antioch, its leaders and ultimately the Lord, we ask our team to adhere to certain guidelines. These guidelines have nothing to do with masking authenticity and everything to do with realizing that being a leader comes with responsibility and sacrifice (Luke 12:48).

The use of alcohol and tobacco, viewing or using certain types of media, engaging in certain types of dancing and certain types of physical contact, are activities in which it may not be wise for a person in spiritual leadership to participate. Members of the Antioch Worship Ministry are to live above reproach, according to scripture, and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Substances

We do not permit the use of any illegal drugs under any circumstances. This extends to when you are in a state or country that has legalized them.

We do not restrict the use of alcohol for those who are of age. However, underage drinking is not permitted. Please be aware that some ministry areas ask their leaders to refrain from alcohol altogether.

No cigarette smoking is allowed, privately or publicly. Cigarettes are a dangerous, addictive substance and we do not want them to be a part of our team members’ lives in any capacity. This includes vaping and smokeless tobacco (i.e. dip, snuff, etc.).

Social media

Social media is a powerful tool. In joining this team, you are given a unique platform, and we ask that you take responsibility for that privilege. People can be greatly influenced by social media – whether they understand our hearts and where we are coming from or not. Along with personal updates, we encourage you to post about what God is doing in your life, what He is saying, and anything that encourages people.

We want to represent Antioch and our leadership well when we post, so we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines:

- Refrain from posting pictures involving alcohol or drinking.

- When posting pictures of yourself or others, please make sure everyone is appropriately clothed. Since you cannot know who exactly is following you, please post only what you know will bless and uplift other people.

- Please do not post any curse words or crude or sexual comments, even in jest. We believe these things misrepresent our community.

- Use discretion when posting anything that might be seen as politically charged. While in-person conversations about politics are encouraged, on social media these topics often create division. As worship leaders, our calling is to unify people under the name of Jesus. Unfortunately, even a post with the best intentions can be misunderstood, which can put an unnecessary stumbling block in front of people who need an encounter with Jesus.

Social media is a powerful form of communication and influence. Remember that as a part of our team, you are a shepherd. Shepherds must operate in humility, which means being open to evaluation and correction. On our team, we are open to feedback on how we wield our influence. Our goal is to use the influence we have to point people to Jesus and communicate excellently.

Language

Please refrain from using any strong or inappropriate language and be mindful of your speech when in mixed company.

Statement of Purity

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood or adoption. Our full statement about family is available on our church’s website.

Antioch believes that God has specifically and expressly designed sexual intimacy for individuals in the marriage covenant. Scripture teaches that sex is a blessing to be rightly experienced only within heterosexual marriage. Therefore, we will refrain from sex outside of marriage, pornography, living together when not married, and/or homosexuality. (Heb. 13:4, Matt. 15:19, Rom. 13:13, 1 Cor. 6:9-20)

It is expected that if any issues in the area of purity arise in your life that you would be quick to “walk in the light” by bringing trusted people into this place and invite them to speak truth, pray for you, and hold you accountable moving forward. If purity becomes a place of consistent struggle for you and you do not feel like you are walking in freedom from sin, please reach out to your team leader or a worship ministry leader (gender appropriate). Again, our #1 priority is your personal well-being and growth. We want to help you navigate life when needed and don’t want your involvement in the worship team to become a place of fear, shame, or condemnation.

Questions and Concerns

We encourage any of our team members with questions or concerns to bring them to our attention as quickly as possible. We welcome your feedback and hold it in high regard, and we desire to maintain unity and peace as much as possible. Any questions about scheduling process and procedures or any other concerns should be brought to Worship Ministry leadership.

Platform Dress Code

As a part of our team, we ask that you dress intentionally on stage. Dress in a way to blend in, not stand out. Wearing neutral, muted colors is encouraged. Here are things to avoid:

- Anything with a logo (no graphics)

- Anything too tight, short, or revealing

- Shirts that show cleavage

- Anything sheer or see-through

- Anything flesh-toned (from a distance these colors are hard to distinguish from skin)

- Leather (or pleather) pants, skirts or shirts

Pants

Pants should fit conservatively and should not have holes that expose areas of skin larger than a quarter. Also, please wear pants made of denim or thick material not leggings or jeggings.

Dresses

If a woman would prefer to wear a dress, we ask that the dress be full-length, loose fitting, modest in presentation, and capable of remaining modest with movement (such as dancing in worship!)

Shoes

Shoes are required for all services. Men, please wear closed-toe shoes. Women, please wear either closed-toe shoes or dressy sandals. (Please no birks, flops, slides, or crocs)

Hats

Please do not wear hats while leading any service. This is not a doctrinal point for our church, but simply a way for us to eliminate distractions.

For services that are being streamed, be aware that white clothing and clothes with tight striped patterns can be difficult for cameras.

In general, be aware that things that seem fine at home could be distracting while on stage. Jewelry and other kinds of accessories can be a great part of your personal style. However, if an accessory comes across in a distracting way on stage, you may be asked to remove it. The easiest rule of thumb is if you have a question about a certain item, you’re better off wearing something else.

The Path of Serving

Once you’re added to a Service Team, our expectation is that you’ll serve there for one full semester at minimum. Depending on the needs of each service and your personal development (skill, leadership, and anointing), you may be asked to transition to another team, or to serve on an additional team. Otherwise, we will ask you to continue serving on the team you’re currently on.

If there’s a specific service team you’d like to be on, we encourage you to take initiative in talking to Worship Ministry leadership and in auditioning.

Our heart is for every member of the team to progress and excel, but we cannot guarantee that every person will serve on a specific team. These decisions are made at the discretion of Worship Ministry leadership who consider skill, heart status, and life stage. Any questions regarding this process can be brought to Worship Ministry leadership.

There are many needs at Antioch, and we strongly encourage you to find multiple outlets for using and growing in your gifts, especially at Lifegroup.

Planning Center: Protocol

With many worship services every month, keeping schedules coordinated is crucial. Our diligence in using Planning Center ensures that nothing falls through the cracks.

All services are scheduled a month ahead (ex: October will be scheduled the first week of September). If there are any dates that you are not available to play in the coming month, it is your responsibility to block those dates out on Planning Center. Please make block outs a priority. Scheduling is done with everyone in mind, so when someone doesn't block out, it affects every other service. We understand unexpected things come up, we just ask that you do your best to plan ahead as much as possible.

If you serve in a service that has a rehearsal on a different day, we expect you to block out those dates as well. For example, if you have a commitment that would prevent you from attending a Thursday rehearsal for Sunday services, you would need to block it out – even if you are free to play in the service on Sunday.

Once the schedule is made, you will receive requests for the services you are scheduled for. Please accept or decline as soon as you can once you receive a scheduling request. If you decline, please include the reason you are declining.

Declining the week of a service is strongly discouraged. If an emergency arises and you are no longer able to serve that week, please contact your team leader or worship ministry leadership.

Gear Usage and Storage

Tech equipment is valuable, not only because it is expensive, but also because it helps our services run smoothly. Whether computers, monitor packs, cameras, sound board, mics, cables, etc., Antioch’s gear deserves to be taken care of. Stewardship is a kingdom principle, so we are committed to treating all gear with the utmost care.

Moving gear from one venue to another

Each venue should be stocked with any equipment necessary. If you feel the need to use a piece of gear from a different stage, it is your responsibility to put it back where it belongs immediately after you are finished using it. We also ask that you tell us if something is missing, so that we can properly supply your venue with what you found was lacking.

Storing your gear at Antioch

Taking a Break

There are times when people on the team may wish to take a break from playing or leading for various reasons. We are open to this and don't want anyone to get burned out. We ask that if you need to take a break for any reason that you talk with us and bring us into the process. We also ask that you look ahead as much as possible and not decide to take a break during a month that the schedule has been sent out.

If you decide to take a break from being on stage, we would still invite you to continue to be involved with the community.

Discipline

There are rare occasions when struggles in someone’s personal life affect their ability to be a part of our team. Our goal is to come alongside people in an honoring and empowering fashion as they seek the Lord to find freedom from sin.

We do not believe in working on someone’s problem harder than they are willing to work on it themselves. This means that if someone has something that is holding back their development, we leave the ball in their court. This does not mean we won’t help them become healthy, but we won’t force anyone to work on a problem they don’t want to fix.

If we feel it is necessary, we may ask someone to step down for a period of time to work on whatever issue is troubling them. This can also apply to situations where someone is not upholding the basic guidelines outlined in this handbook. If the issue is worked out and we feel things are healthy again, that person may be reinstated. Someone will be completely removed from the team only if they are unwilling to make amends for their mistakes or have larger issues that require outside help.

Leaving the Team

At Antioch, there tends to be a lot of transition into and out of our community. We want to do our best to communicate what we expect of team members who will be moving onto their next season and leaving the team.

It’s our desire to see you succeed in your gifting and in life, and it is an honor to celebrate you should you choose to move on.

We visualize all members of the worship community as an integral asset. Without you and what you bring, our church services wouldn’t function as well as we would intend. This is why we want to know as soon as possible should you choose to move on and depart from serving in the worship ministry for any reason. We want to do our best to honor you for serving with us and by giving us plenty of notice for your departure, we are able to make all elements as smooth a transition as possible.

One month’s notice is desired as schedules are created a month in advance. If something out of your control happens or you feel your situation needs to be an exception, please let us know.