We are not just singers in a band ... not just worshipers on a stage. We are worship leaders.

Singing on a worship team is more than a vocal performance, but it's also more than simply worshiping on a stage. At many churches, worship music feels like it's either a polished show, devoid of authentic adoration, or an honest outpouring of passion, devoid of musical skill. When we look to the Bible as our guide, we see both are important (1 Chronicles 25; Psalm 33:1-3; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16), so in our worship ministry, we try our best not to value either one at the expense of the other.

Practically, during a worship set, a singer may move in and out of singing harmony and singing lead. As team players, we are always willing and capable of doing both. When singing harmony, we blend our voices into the lead rather than having our own style.

When leading songs, we lead by example — with authentic, passionate worship. First and foremost, we personally give God something that is costly and honest. Second, we lead with discernment: We follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and we pay attention to how people in the room are responding. No matter what we do, we exhort and encourage often to invite everyone in the room to come with us to bring their worship to Jesus.

COMPETENCIES WE’RE LOOKING FOR IN VOCALISTS:

• Ability to sing lead and harmony
• Ability to control vibrato to blend (if needed)
• Good stage presence (i.e., the ability to simply be yourself on stage)
• Confident leadership when leading songs or parts of a worship set

Drums are the most powerful instrument on stage.

At Antioch, we are power drummers. Our style is more simple than complicated and more authoritative than impressive. We play by the 80/20 rule — 80% of sound on drums, 20% of sound on cymbals. Our fills are simple and infrequent.

What we play complements the other instruments in the band. We are aware of where the song is going so we can lead into each section of the song. We build simply and slowly — the bigger we get, the simpler and more open we get.

COMPETENCIES WE’RE LOOKING FOR IN DRUMMERS:

• Listens well to other band members
• Plays to a click/metronome
• Ability to play a song simply and part-for-part
• Can play 80% on drums and 20% on cymbals
• Controls volume on cymbals by using good cymbal technique (hitting back and forth across the cymbal instead of up and down through the cymbal)
• Simple fills
• A powerful attack on the drums

GEAR RECOMMENDATIONS:

We recommend, at minimum, having your own sticks. Other common gear includes snare drum, cymbals, shakers, mallets, brushes and hot rods.

Bass is the foundation that our music is built upon.

As bass players, our job is to lay a foundation for the song. We are not flashy players. We can play fills or substitutions when needed, but we know how and where to place them. We match to the drummer, ensuring the groove is locked in.

As the foundation, our tone should be full but not muddy, present but not in the way. We add intensity primarily by intentionally voicing our notes on different strings in different octaves. Secondarily, we add intensity by using effects like distortion and sub-octavers and by using picks. Generally, we don't add intensity by playing complicated riffs.

COMPETENCIES WE’RE LOOKING FOR IN BASSISTS:

• Listens well to other band members
• Ability to play to a click
• Ability to play a song simply and part-for-part
• Ability to rhythmically sync with a drummer
• Ability to play with both a pick AND fingers
• A basic understanding of the Nashville Number System

GEAR RECOMMENDATIONS:

We recommend, at minimum, having a tuner. Other common pedals include overdrive/distortion and sub octave generator.

Electric Guitar provides melody, rhythm and atmosphere in a tasteful, non-distracting way.

Tone is king in playing electric guitar. We use overdrive tastefully, delay in an understated way and reverb that’s not too heavy, and we always start with a clear and full, clean tone. We can play lead lines but can also create atmosphere or play simple chords when we aren’t the lead. We understand how and when to use different effects.

We can improvise when needed, but do so tastefully and sparingly. We don't play constantly; we know when to stop. We are always aware of what the keys players are playing so we can complement each other rather than step on one another.

COMPETENCIES WE’RE LOOKING FOR IN ELECTRIC GUITARISTS:

• Listens well to other band members
• Can play to a click
• Can play a song part-for-part
• A basic understanding of the Nashville Number System
• Knowledge of basic chord shapes and how to move them up and down the neck
• Ability to utilize overdrive, delay, reverb and other effects to create a full sound
• Ability to stop playing during quiet moments when not needed

GEAR RECOMMENDATIONS:

We recommend, at minimum, having tuner, reverb, delay, overdrive and volume pedals. Other common pedals include compressor, pitch shifter (octaver) and tremolo.

Keys create atmosphere, fill sonic space and make transitions happen throughout a set and service.

We are keys players, not merely pianists. We play simply as opposed to busy or cluttered. We lean toward playing in the lowest register possible to make room for vocals and guitars, and we do so with tasteful chord voicings that sound full. We generally have a mellow pad layered beneath what we play to create atmosphere and texture.

With several octaves at our disposal, we are the most prone to stepping on band members' toes, so we must be the best at listening. We are always aware of what the electric guitar is playing so we can complement each other rather than step on one another.

It is our responsibility to anticipate and ensure transitions happen smoothly. Whether moving between songs or shifting from the sermon to ministry time, we are the bridge that connects the two parts.

COMPETENCIES WE’RE LOOKING FOR IN KEYS PLAYERS:

• Listens well to other band members
• Can play to a click
• Ability to play a song part-for-part
• A basic understanding of the Nashville Number System
• Can play chord inversions
• Willingness to learn how to use synth pads (and other synths)
• Make smooth transitions between songs and other service segments
• Good ear for timbre/tone of an instrument

Acoustic guitars add rhythm and intimacy to worship music.

Unless we're playing in a very small band, our guitars are rarely the featured instrument. We play simply — realizing when it’s important to drive a song rhythmically and when to hold back and let other instruments be the driving force.

We can play various strum patterns, but we recognize that the music often calls for us to simply “down strum.” Unlike playing in a Lifegroup or other small group setting, we don’t necessarily play an entire song. We use the rhythm and tone of our instrument to help create the groove and feel of our music.

COMPETENCIES WE’RE LOOKING FOR IN ACOUSTIC GUITARISTS:

• Listens well to other band members
• Ability to play to a click
• Ability to play a song lick for lick
• A basic understanding of the Nashville Number System
• Ability to play different strum patterns
• Ability to play with a capo and transpose

RECOMMENDED GEAR

• Tuner pedal
• Capo