2012 has been a very interesting and challenging year to date. As a result of differing expectations from various worship team members and a convincing majority vote, we have decided to allow the formation of the first ever Worship Musicians Union at our church! A number of our musicians have been discontented with the current set up at NMBC, including scheduling issues, lead guitar players not getting the desired solos, bass players asking for less notes to play, keyboardists unhappy with having to play and sing at the same time, and vocalists not having preferred spot-lighting. The only team members not be included in the union contract are the worship leaders (management) and drummers because they’re not considered to be musicians.
Although all of the above said issues are legitimate and of deep concern, the most contentious grievance by our musicians has been the lack of a green room, fruit tray and/or other refreshments before and after each morning service. They have also requested that the final song be eliminated in each service so as not to interfere with their coffee time on the lobby. We are confident these issues will be properly addressed in the next round of contract negotiations with senior management.
We realize that we are breaking new ground in the church world, however, we believe that the old model is broken and needs to be brought into the 21st century. We would appreciate any insights and comments you may have on this matter!
Disclaimer: The Worship Musician Union (WMU) is not connected is any way to the Worship Musicians Association. Opinions expressed in this post are not sanctioned by New Minas Baptist Church, its affiliates, friends, or future associations.
