Praise Bands

The Praise Bands at Double Oak Community Church serve on a rotating scheduled basis so that no person is onstage week in and week out. We believe that it is vital to a person's spiritual health that they have the chance to experience and participate in worship without being an onstage leader. The person that we are looking for in the Band will reflect the following attitudes and actions:

  • They are diligent to practice - The expectation is that each player comes to rehearsal having taken advantage of the listening CD and music provided before each rehearsal. It is important that each player come to rehearsal familiar with the music and having already worked out the tough spots.
  • They are diligent to attend rehearsal - God has blessed Double Oak with very talented players. Even if we had bands composed of only professional players, we would still need to rehearse consistently. Even our best player must attend rehearsal. No one is good enough to miss rehearsal consistently. Since we are a rhythm section, the group must perform as a unit. That cannot happen without consistent rehearsal.
  • They are on time - Since rehearsal time is limited, being on time is very important.
  • They possess a humble heart - A unique feature of all of the Double Oak bands is that each player possesses and displays a humble heart. This humble heart is lived out in several specific ways:
    • The willingness to take suggestions on his or her playing
    • The ability and desire to listen carefully to the ensemble
    • The recognition that we do what we do to help build an environment where people can more easily meet God
    • The willingness to place other band member's feelings above your own
    • The willingness to show patience to less talented players
    • The ability and willingness to know when not to play
  • They are a capable musician - What is meant by 'capable' is not that they must be a 'professional musician'. But their musical skills must bring real value and artistry to the final musical product.
  • Their musical talent needs to compliment the instrumental goal for DOCC - A person might be the best bagpipe player in Alabama, but their talent, no matter how great, is not complimentary to the musical goals of the DOCC worship ministry. This does not mean that he/she will never get to perform, but not as a regular part of the band.
  • They need to be a spiritually motivated player - There are some observable traits that help bring this ideal to light:
    • Would the player be a part of DOCC even if they could not play in the band? A person should not choose a church just because it offers them a chance to play in a band.
    • Each player should be actively involved in a bible study or small group. Being responsible for our own relationship with God is part of being a minister to others.