Praise Team ATTENDANCE POLICY!

[jgause2]

As with most choirs/praise teams/groups,  leaders suffer with the "attendance" issue.  Our former PT leader thought of an attendance policy, and I would just like to share it with you.  Any comments, suggestions, etc., would be GREATLY APPRECIATED.  If you could change/add anything, what would you add?






Mt. Hermon Praise Team Vocalists
Attendance Standard

adopted in part from http://www.ibc4life.com/templates/System/details.asp?id=21449&PID=311616&Style=
adopted in part from http://humanresources.about.com/od/attendancepolicy/a/attendance_pol_2.htm


The Praise Team ministry places high value in rehearsal attendance.  In order for the team to succeed and minister at optimum level, rehearsal attendance is a priority.  Without regular attendance, the team suffers.  While it is expected that members may pursue other passions outside of MHBC, it is also expected that members demonstrate a high sense of value in the area of rehearsal attendance.

The scheduled rehearsal time for the Praise Team is every Saturday morning, 10:00am – 11:30am.  In addition, the Praise Team is required to minister during MHBC’s Morning Service, every Sunday at 11am.  If there are five Sundays in one calendar month, the Praise Team is not required minister on the fifth Sunday.  Any change to this schedule will be told to the Praise Team members by the Praise Team Leader. 

In order to participate in any given Sunday service, members must be present for at least three scheduled rehearsals previous to the Sunday in question.  The worship leader reserves the right to waive this policy under certain circumstances.  For example, in the unlikely event that a Mount Hermon sponsored engagement (completely overseen by Mount Hermon, exclusively) coincides with the Praise Team’s requirements, any absence will be excused.  However, special considerations for excused absences MUST be made in advance.  If this is not feasible, it is the duty of the Praise Team Member to speak with the Praise Team Leader as soon as possible regarding their specific situation.     

Each member is permitted one free rehearsal absence per quarter (3 months).  Moreover, unexcused absences may be made-up during the six days prior to, or six days following missed rehearsals, not to exceed two rehearsals per week.  In order to make-up a rehearsal, the Praise Team member is responsible for setting up a time to meet with the Praise Team Leader and/or Lead Praise Team Musician for the full length of a regularly scheduled rehearsal – 1.5 hours.

In the event that a member of the Praise Team is unable to minister for three consecutive Sundays due to an inexcusable attendance record, he/she will be asked to take a six-month sabbatical from the team to fully evaluate their continued participation with the Praise Team.
 








There were debates over what a Mt. Hermon sponsored event is, which led to the following ammendum.



ADDENDUM 4/1/2007
Mt. Hermon Praise Team Vocalists
Attendance Standard Additional Explanations

As a gentle reminder, any and all considerations for excused rehearsals MUST be made in advance.  Also, please bear in mind that although you set up your makeup rehearsals with me, the overseer of the rehearsal may actually be the lead praise team musician. 
 
Let us further clarify and define what this attendance policy considers as an "unlikely event that a Mount Hermon sponsored engagement (completely overseen by Mount Hermon, exclusively) coincides with the Praise Team’s requirement (for reference see: Praise Team Attendance Policy.doc)."  An MHBC ministry outing/event generally is NOT considered as such an engagement.  For example, if the Usher Ministry is holding a bible study for its ushers, or the Kitchen Ministry is sponsoring a fish-fry during praise team rehearsals, or the Puppet Ministry decides to enter into a "battle of the puppets" contest, such events are not considered "Mt. Hermon Sponsored" for this policy's purpose. 
 
Here is where the line is drawn: For the purposes of this policy , Mt Hermon Sponsored Events are events that could essentially merit the cancellation of the Praise Team's rehearsal.  For example, if the church were holding her Christmas Eve Service at 10am on Saturday morning, or if there were a funeral for someone at the church, or if the church is holding her scheduled annual ministry fair, absences from rehearsal (if rehearsal is not canceled) would be excused.   Reoccurring events (i.e. congress meetings, prayer breakfasts, social gatherings) will generally NOT be an excuse for you to not have to make up your rehearsal.   Someone allowed to miss one rehearsal per month AND an additional 4 "freebies" per year, will have only a 69% attendance record.  We need 100%, family. In fact, 92% is what you get when you use your free passes.   We can do better.  1˝ hours is such a small amount of time for such a large responsibility.  Either way, one should not assume what is considered excused and what is considered unexcused.   Always ask.  In addition, 4th Sunday absences due to Children's Church are considered excused.  Children's Church is a component of our main worship service, although it is only geared towards one ministry – the children.  Children's Bible Study or Breakfast at Burger King on Saturday mornings, however, would be the same scenario as the Usher's Bible Study mentioned in the preceding paragraph. 

Let us consider make-up rehearsals as a way to stay on track, not as a way to stay in compliance with a contract or a way to be punished for missing rehearsals...it's not about that...it's about us growing together, as a team. 

For further clarification, please see your Praise Team Leader.





God Bless,
J.

[sjonathan02]

It's always cool to have something in writing. That something, in my opinion, should be a quick read and not a dissertation.

Bullet point what you want from your Praise Team; explain when asked. Feel me?


And, you can always go with the bottom line: No rehearsal, no singing on Sunday. Period.


And, yes, it works.

[LaylaMonroe]

It's always cool to have something in writing. That something, in my opinion, should be a quick read and not a dissertation.

Bullet point what you want from your Praise Team; explain when asked. Feel me?


And, you can always go with the bottom line: No rehearsal, no singing on Sunday. Period.


And, yes, it works.

I couldn't agree more.  I hope you didn't distribute that policy yet.  If not, you should definitely reconsider.  It's way too much.

That is WAY too lengthy for a Praise Team's attendance policy.  To me, and no offense meant, that's just a lot of unnecessary words.  Dude, I've worked for Fortune 500 corporations and the attendance policy wasn't that extensive!!  This is a praise team, dude.

And as a side note, you NEVER tell someone they have a free absence.  NEVER.

And as another side note (lol), I think that if you truly have an "attendance problem" on your praise team, you need to reconsider who is serving in this capacity.  Perhaps they need to be relegated to serving in the choir.  The Praise Team comes with a whole new set of responsibilities, and those who serve in that capacity should be more committed, more dedicated, more responsible, more spiritual, more grounded, more reliable.... and if they're not, it may have been a mistake to put them on the PT.

[Lildrummaboy66]

It's always cool to have something in writing. That something, in my opinion, should be a quick read and not a dissertation. Bullet point what you want from your Praise Team; explain when asked. Feel me?


And, you can always go with the bottom line: No rehearsal, no singing on Sunday. Period.
And, yes, it works.

K.I.S.S.     That's alot of reading, which means there won't be alot of following, which means you'll be coming up with another policy
As sjonathon said, my brutha

[vtguy84]

I agree with most stated.  It was a long read.  Also, you have stricter rules for attendance than my job. 

I understand that you are very passionate about ministry and that's fine.  However, you are dealing with people who have jobs, families, spouses, kids, etc. in which they have to serve.  Things are going to come up, especially if you are practicing on Saturday mornings.  That's a lot of people's day for errands.  I'm also confused about if they miss a rehearsal....are you saying they must have a 'rehearsal' with you by themselves for the allotted timeż  If so, that is a lot of unnecessary time that you have to spend getting these people up to speed.

Yes, there should be some kind of consequence for excessive absenteeism, but I think this way is too drastic.  It may cause disdain towards, you, the church, and ultimately Christ Jesus.  You don't want that.

[Gospelstar21]

Wassup Man,

I agree with you when you say that the praise team members should be in attendance at the rehearsals. I want to say wow, you really put some thought into this letter, I thought I was reading a syllabus!!! That isn't neccessarily a good thing, like everyone else said, keep it simple. I am praise and worship leader at my minister, and the rules as far as attendance is concerned is, attend every rehearsal. If you are going to be late or cannot attend, I need to know 2hrs in advance unless its an emergency type situation. If you come late w/o a phone call, you cannot minister on sunday. I understand that people have a life outside of church, but if its a struggle to get them to come to rehearsal then maybe we need to have some more PT auditions!! Even work shouldn't, be a problem if you already have your rehearsals scheduled then it would seem like they would know to be off that day or work after the rehearsal.

[jgause2]

just a side note......



I personally didn't come up with this, but our former praise team leader created this.  However, she is no longer with us, as of a few months ago.  So with this being the new year, I was just thinking of ways we could improve it, or make it better.  I appreciate all the comments and suggestions, and will definately put them into consideration....


keep 'em comin'.




God Bless,
J.

[jonesl78]

And, you can always go with the bottom line: No rehearsal, no singing on Sunday. Period.


And, yes, it works.

This is basically the policy that I follow. The only problem with this policy that I have encountered is that it usually takes at least 2 rehearsals to learn a song. If people miss practice #1, you will have to re-teach a song from scratch in practice #2. I had to add a few rules that dealt specifically with inconsistent members.   

[LaylaMonroe]

just a side note......



I personally didn't come up with this, but our former praise team leader created this.  However, she is no longer with us, as of a few months ago.  So with this being the new year, I was just thinking of ways we could improve it, or make it better.  I appreciate all the comments and suggestions, and will definately put them into consideration....


keep 'em comin'.




God Bless,
J.

If you want to improve it and make it better, you should start by ripping it up. 

I think the most efficient attendance policy for a Praise Team is this:

-If you miss rehearsal, you don't sing.

-If absenteeism and/or tardiness becomes a problem, you may need to reconsider your decision to minister with the PT.

[momuzik]

... you are dealing with people who have jobs, families, spouses, kids, etc. in which they have to serve.

There are a few things I had to take into consideration about attendance:
1. Everyone is grown, they’re going to do what they want – I can’t make them do.
2. No one on the PT is getting a paycheck for it, so I can’t be but so demanding.
3. All of the PT members have families with small children
I realize just the fact of having kids is enough to miss a rehearsal every now and then. I know - I have 5. e.g. (picking them up from school/ daycare, fixing them dinner, helping with homework, football/ soccer practice/ school events, kids being sick, laying out clothes for the next day, packing diaper bags, running them thru the tub, etc…) … and this is just the kids part of it; not to mention the rest of daily living. I can only imagine what the single mothers go thru.
I understand attendance is very important, but you have to allow for daily life circumstances.
If we do have one the is habitual, I'll give a "motivational" speech as opposed to "dropping the hammer"

[sjonathan02]

There are a few things I had to take into consideration about attendance:
1. Everyone is grown, they’re going to do what they want – I can’t make them do.
2. No one on the PT is getting a paycheck for it, so I can’t be but so demanding.
3. All of the PT members have families with small children
I realize just the fact of having kids is enough to miss a rehearsal every now and then. I know - I have 5. e.g. (picking them up from school/ daycare, fixing them dinner, helping with homework, football/ soccer practice/ school events, kids being sick, laying out clothes for the next day, packing diaper bags, running them thru the tub, etc…) … and this is just the kids part of it; not to mention the rest of daily living. I can only imagine what the single mothers go thru.
I understand attendance is very important, but you have to allow for daily life circumstances.
If we do have one the is habitual, I'll give a "motivational" speech as opposed to "dropping the hammer"

Eveyone's situation will be different; so, if that works for your praise team, then cool.

But, if folks keep tryin' to use (or some form of it) as an excuse, then there's a problem; a heart problem, perhaps.

Serving on a ministry, such as the PT, takes all of those life circumstances into consideration BEFORE one decides to join and it takes all of life circumstances into consideration WHILE one is serving on any ministry.

If one can't make it because of family obligations, then they should have the consideration to bow out until such time as God frees them up. Serving on a ministry shouldn't be entered into lightly.

And, it shouldn't grieve those involved. To whom much is given (or, in this case requested/desired) much is required. BTJM.

[LaylaMonroe]

Serving on a ministry, such as the PT, takes all of those life circumstances into consideration BEFORE one decides to join and it takes all of life circumstances into consideration WHILE one is serving on any ministry.

If one can't make it because of family obligations, then they should have the consideration to bow out until such time as God frees them up. Serving on a ministry shouldn't be entered into lightly.

And that's the bottom line.

Personally, I've never been one to give or accept excuses.  At all.  Emergencies happen.  Responsible adults know the difference between an emergency and a non-emergency.

I'll put it to you like this: when I was active in church, I never, ever, ever missed a service whether it was weekend or weeknight.  I never missed a meeting and I never missed a rehearsal.  It's not because nothing ever came up, but because I honored my commitment and considered ministry among my top priorities.  Whatever problems arose, I was going to church first, and would deal with the problem later.

And there are PLENTY of committed church folks just like me.  But, unfortunately, there are also plenty who don't know what true commitment is.

[pozeenjay]

What do you do when you have one group that come to rehearsal one week, the week before they sing its a totally new group, and then the Sunday morning that they sing it is yet a totally different set of people who were not at either rehearsal and I've taught new songs?

[sjonathan02]

What do you do when you have one group that come to rehearsal one week, the week before they sing its a totally new group, and then the Sunday morning that they sing it is yet a totally different set of people who were not at either rehearsal and I've taught new songs?

You do songs that that particular group of people know. When rehearsal comes, ask why folks are flip-flopping.

If that doesn't work, institute a no rehearsal, no sing on Sunday rule and STICK TO IT.

[B3Wannabe]

Because I generally put the songs out a year in advance, I'm a little flexible with attendance.

[momuzik]

You do songs that that particular group of people know. When rehearsal comes, ask why folks are flip-flopping.

If that doesn't work, institute a no rehearsal, no sing on Sunday rule and STICK TO IT.

This sounds like it would work if you had a choir. How would you work that if you had a praise team with only a few singers (half of which aren't strong singers)?

[sjonathan02]

This sounds like it would work if you had a choir. How would you work that if you had a praise team with only a few singers (half of which aren't strong singers)?

It works the same way, bruh. If you only have two committed members of your praise team, then roll with that.

A standard MUST be set and then held.

[Big T.]

It works the same way, bruh. If you only have two committed members of your praise team, then roll with that.

A standard MUST be set and then held.

Cosign!!!

[chevonee]

Eveyone's situation will be different; so, if that works for your praise team, then cool.

But, if folks keep tryin' to use (or some form of it) as an excuse, then there's a problem; a heart problem, perhaps.

Serving on a ministry, such as the PT, takes all of those life circumstances into consideration BEFORE one decides to join and it takes all of life circumstances into consideration WHILE one is serving on any ministry.

If one can't make it because of family obligations, then they should have the consideration to bow out until such time as God frees them up. Serving on a ministry shouldn't be entered into lightly.

And, it shouldn't grieve those involved. To whom much is given (or, in this case requested/desired) much is required. BTJM.

Nuff said!!