Mission Statement

The adult choir is a ministry that functions under the music, worship, and creative arts ministry and therefore has the same mission which is to glorify God, for God to speak to us, and to edify each other.

  • Glorifying God – Worship is accomplished vertically upward, when we are talking to God
  • God speaks to us – Worship is accomplished vertically downward, when God is talking to us
  • Edifying each other – Worship is accomplished horizontal left-to-right, when we are edifying and encouraging each other

Membership

Any individual who wishes to be a member of the adult choir must meet the following general requirements:

  • He/she must accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
  • He/she must be baptized.
  • He/she must be a member of First Shiloh Baptist Church.
  • He/she must be 18 years of age or older.
  • He/she must attend Bible Study, Sunday school, and Prayer Service regularly.
  • He/she must hold credible and exemplified reputation.
  • He/she must constantly demonstrate spiritual growth.
  • He/she must possess a natural ability in music and singing.

Rules and Regulations

Commitment

  1. Members of the adult choir must be committed to their respective role as choir member and/or officer.
  2. Choir members must abide to all the rules and regulations of the choir.
  3. They must commit to living a life of example, as stated in the verses listed above, which will be portrayed in their lifestyle and the way they rehearse, lead, serve, sing, and love others.
  4. Members must commit to the financial obligations of the choir.

Rehearsals, Meetings, & Scheduled Engagements

  1. Members of this ministry are expected to attend ALL scheduled rehearsals, meetings, worship services and special programs regularly and with consistency (It does not make sense to miss rehearsals and then expect to be fully prepared to sing in our worship services.).
  2. If a member is not present for rehearsal without an excused absence, he/she WILL NOT minister in the event(s) that follows.
  3. If you know of a worship service, meeting, rehearsal, or special event that you will be unable to attend, please advise the director or any officer of your absence beforehand.
  4. The first 15 minutes of rehearsal will be devoted to administrative tasks such as taking attendance, making announcements, and preparing future events.
  5. If a member arrives more than 5 minutes late to a rehearsal, he/she will be considered as absent for that day; and more than 3 consecutive absences without an acceptable excuse will result in involuntary resignation. Members are allowed 6 non-consecutive absences for the year; however, they should not have more than 3 non-consecutive absences in a 6 month period.
  6. If you resign from the music ministry voluntarily or involuntarily, you will be subject to a 3-month probation period before returning to your respective ministry.

Procedure

  1. All choir members participating in the Sunday morning worship service MUST meet for prayer at 10:40 AM in the fellowship hall downstairs before going on the pulpit.
  2. If a member who should be on the pulpit is late and arrives after everyone on the pulpit is seated, he/she WILL NOT go on the pulpit and minister.
  3. We ask the members on the pulpit to refrain from getting up, walking back and forth, conversing, and phone usage during worship service. In addition, members must be mindful of their facial expressions and body gestures while sitting/standing on the pulpit.

*Note: If a member plans not to take communion on first Sunday, he/she should consult with his/her leader and the pastor for advisement and should not be on the pulpit singing or ministering in any form or capacity. Taking communion implies you are in agreement/covenant with Jesus Christ. If you do not take communion that means the covenant is broken, and therefore, you are not in good condition to usher other people into the presence of God.

Attire/Wardrobe

  1. All uniforms should meet the dress codes of First Shiloh Baptist Church. Sunday morning attire should be modest, godly, and should not bring the focus of the worshipers to you instead of God.
  2. No sleeveless outfits should be worn and skirts must be knee length or longer. If there is a uniform for the choir, everyone should be in uniform.
  3. No choir member should be taking off their choir robes before the end of the worship service; they should remain on until after benediction is pronounced. We must keep in mind that being on the pulpit is not a stage for fashion show, but a privilege to be able to honor God with your special gifts and lead others into His presence.

Financial Obligation & Dues

Choir members are responsible to pay monthly dues in the amount of $5.00 per month. Dues will go towards expenses such as, songbooks, sheet music, copies, soundtracks, CDs, and any other resources the choir will need.

Ministry Officers, Requirements & Duties

The officers of the choir include: Director, Asst. Director, President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Section Leaders. The ministry officers must meet the requirements listed in these verses: 1Timothy 3; 4:12; 2 Timothy 2:15; Titus 1:6-9; and Ephesians 5:19-20 as part of their key verses to live by. The officers and their duties are listed below:

Director

Duties of the choir director include but are not limited to:

  • Direct, administer, coordinate, and implement musical programming and performances
  • Work in collaboration with their choir committee, the musicians, Worship Directors, accompanists, Music &Worship Committee, and the Pastor
  • Motivate, observe & monitor spiritual growth of choir members while demonstrating personal spiritual growth
  • Provide spiritual leadership, inspiration, and assistance to the choir members
  • Schedule events and meetings
  • Seek and obtain new music
  • Order necessary resources such as songbooks, soundtracks, sheet music, etc.
  • Teach songs and build vocal capability
  • Keep a record of all songs the choir is taught and when they are sung
  • Meet and collaborate with other officers
  • He/she must be knowledgeable of music and vocal techniques

Assistant Director

The assistant director is responsible to carry out the duties of the director in his or her absence.

President

Duties of the president include but are not limited to:

  • Enforce the rules of the choir
  • Encourage the choir members to attend rehearsals, learn music, and keep their commitment(s)
  • Bring order in meetings & rehearsals
  • Develop agenda for choir committee meetings in collaboration with the director
  • Direct and manage the choir committee meetings
  • Handle conflicts that arise among choir members

Secretary

Duties of the secretary include but are not limited to:

  • Maintains all records of rehearsals, attendance, invitations, agendas, minutes and any other documents for the ministry
  • Is responsible for all administrative duties of the choir including writing letters, checking e-mail, making necessary phone calls, etc.
  • He/she must be knowledgeable of Microsoft office, and should report to the director

Treasurer

Duties of the treasurer include but are not limited to:

  • Keeping financial records of the choir including receipts, invoices, checks, etc.
  • Making sure all choir members are consistent in their financial obligations
  • Develop financial reports for choir committee meetings
  • Works in collaboration with the church finance ministry

Section Leaders (One individual from each vocal section)

Duties of the section leaders include but are not limited to:

  • Ensure that their sections have all resources including sheet music, tapes, CDs, etc.
  • Schedule and run rehearsals with their section to ensure they have learned the songs to the best of their ability
  • Work in collaboration with the director to make sure the songs are taught correctly
  • Communicate to their sections about rehearsals, events, special announcements via phone calls, e-mail, text messaging, etc.
  • He/she must be knowledgeable of music and able to teach songs