City On A Hill

I recently attended a conference in Seattle and listened to a two-hour talk on how to build "Missional Worship Bands," given by Tim Smith, who is the worship pastor at Mars Hill Church. This was a new concept for me and seems like it would fit perfectly with the overall vision and mission of City on a Hill. Missional Worship Bands allow for concrete musical grounding at City on a Hill and would lend itself extension into a broader range of styles and genres. In a nutshell - "Missional Worship Bands" eliminates the "Worship Team" model.

Here are some distinctions that Tim mentioned:
- A consistent lineup (band members) vs. rotating musicians/vocalists
- More worship band leaders vs. a collection of individuals around one leader
- Distinctive in style vs. a diluted sound of many styles
- Write & record together
- Missional contextualization (name, identity, style, branding)
- Collaborative
- Fits the overall vision and culture of City on a Hill
- Theological Integrity
- Excellent music not just excellent "praise &worship music"
- Humble service

In my 8 years of leading experience I have found the most fruitful experiences are when I am working with a consistent band with the least amount or no rotation. The most frustrating and lack luster worship experiences are when musicians are being rotated in and out of various positions. There tends to be a lack of trust, familiarity, confidence and unity.

I am in the process of talking to individuals who might be interested in fleshing out this concept. If you are interested in starting a Missional Worship Band please let me know.