Definitions¶

Owner: Director

Language shapes culture. We use plain operational words without turning Sunday into a show.

North star: musical leadership exists to encourage the congregation to sing. Petra exists to hold mundane structure so artists are free to do that well — see Mission & Vision and Scope & Authority.

Framing: worship, serve, perform¶

Term	Meaning here
Worship	The aim of the gathering: the church responding to God (song, prayer, word, sacrament, silence). Everything the team does is in service of corporate worship, not a concert.
Congregational singing	Primary success signal for the worship set — the room’s voice, not only the platform’s.
Worship set / musical worship	The planned songs and related moments the team leads so the congregation can sing and respond.
Serve / serving	Preferred operational language for being on the roster that weekend (“Who is serving Sunday?”). Emphasizes ministry and team responsibility.
On platform / scheduled	You are assigned a role for a specific service (or rehearsal). “Platform” means visible or audible leadership space — stage, mics, consoles in the room’s workflow — not celebrity.
Perform / performance	Casual use only: “the Sunday you perform” = the service you are scheduled to serve. Not our theology of the room: we do not “perform at” the congregation. If a doc needs a neutral verb for “execute the musical/technical plan,” prefer serve, lead, or run.
Player / band player	Instrumentalist scheduled on the band (guitar, bass, keys, drums, etc.).
Teammate	Anyone on the worship ministry roster — band, vocals, or tech.

Roles & production¶

Use these names everywhere — charters, plans, chat. (Older notes may use other names for the same seats; the Changelog records the history.)

Term	Meaning here
Pastor / pastoral oversight	The pastor or the pastor’s named delegate. Final say; appoints the Director; owns doctrine.
Director	Owns the congregation’s musical worship under the direction of the pastor; appoints and develops the team leads (Worship Lead, Song Selector, Tech Lead); accountable to the pastor for the worship of the gathered congregation and the health of the team
Worship Lead	Leads the music: keys, forms, charts, rehearsal, musical calls during the service
Song Selector	Chooses songs / draft setlists for congregational singing and pastoral fit; hands off to Worship Lead for musical execution
Tech Lead	Owns FOH/monitor/lights/media standards and tech roster health
Platform lead (hat)	The person scheduled to address the congregation and whom band and media watch during the set — cues entries, holds, endings; speaks or prays between songs; listens to the pastor for deviations. Usually the Worship Lead; may be the Director or a vocalist. Named on the service plan.
Service Planner (hat)	Builds the order of service / liturgy flow beyond the musical set; does not pick titles or keys. Usually the Director or Worship Lead.
Section lead (hat)	Experienced player or tech who coaches a slice of the team (vocals, rhythm, media …); appointed by the Worship Lead or Tech Lead; first stop for questions and the first step of escalation. If none is named, the Worship Lead / Tech Lead is your section lead.
FOH	Front of house — the audio mix the congregation hears (and the engineer who runs it)
Monitors / IEM	What musicians hear on stage (wedges or in-ear monitors)
Media	Lyrics, graphics, countdown, lower-thirds, confidence monitors (aka video monitors / stage video)
Stream / Broadcast	Online mix and video (if applicable)
Section	Vocals, rhythm, keys, guitars, drums, tech, etc.

Time & readiness¶

Term	Meaning here
Present	In the building
Ready (ready to rehearse / ready for run-through)	At your position, personally prepared, patched, tuned, able to begin. Call time is another name for this — it means ready to work, not walking in
Service-ready	Pre-service checks complete; clothing, equipment, water, and position settled
Freeze	The moment experiments stop: no new patches, arrangements, or console changes unless safety or failure. Default: doors (or T−10); called on talkback by the Worship Lead or Tech Lead. Monitor freeze — no major mix changes after the final run — is separate
Downbeat	First musical moment of rehearsal or set
Practice (personal)	Individual preparation at home — learning parts before group time
Rehearsal (group)	Scheduled ensemble time (typically midweek) for the upcoming service(s)
Prior rehearsal	The main group rehearsal tied to the service you are scheduled to serve (see rehearsal attendance policy)
Pre-service rehearsal	Short Sunday/same-day run-through; confirms readiness — does not replace midweek rehearsal
Qualified	Listed for that role on the active roster, or signed off for it by the domain lead (Worship Lead / Tech Lead). The prior-rehearsal rule still applies

Music & staging¶

Term	Meaning here
Chart	Authoritative roadmap (chord chart, lead sheet, or full chart). Section tags: `V1` verse · `PC` pre-chorus · `C` chorus · `B` bridge · `T` tag · `E` ending / `I` intro
Pad / tracks	Backing textures or click/guide used with or without live players
Click	Metronome in the in-ears that keeps band and tracks together; the congregation never hears it
House / overhead lyrics	Words projected for the congregation (and usually stream)
Confidence monitors	Preferred term for the screens musicians and platform leaders face — lyrics, cues, and/or charts so eyes stay up. Also called: video monitors, stage video, confidence screens.
Music stand	Physical stand for paper/tablet charts — exception path, not the default (see stage display standards)
Swap	Trading a scheduled slot with another qualified teammate
Green room rule	Offstage conduct still represents the team — see Platform Etiquette

Church-specific names, clocks, rooms, and tools live in Our Congregation.