Pre-Service Rehearsal¶
Owner: Worship Lead + Tech Lead
Purpose¶
Confirm readiness and settle nerves — not rebuild the set.
Pre-service does not replace the prior midweek (group) rehearsal. Teammates who missed the prior rehearsal are not automatically cleared to serve by showing up Sunday morning (see Rehearsal Standards).
Defaults¶
- Shorter than midweek
- Prefer full runs and transitions over microscopic notes
- Protect prayer and pastoral prep time
- Run confidence monitors and house/overhead the way Sunday will run (stands only if already excepted)
The local Sunday clock¶
Copy from Our Congregation — the single source; write values here only on a printed copy:
- Present by: ________
- Ready for run-through by: ________
- Service-ready by: ________
- Doors / service starts: ________
- Freeze: ________ (default: doors)
These are distinct commitments (see Definitions):
- Present — in the building.
- Ready for run-through — at your position, personally prepared, patched, tuned, and able to begin.
- Service-ready — pre-service checks complete; final clothing, equipment, water, and position settled.
- Freeze — experiments stop; called on talkback by the Worship Lead or Tech Lead.
Sample clock (overwrite with yours)¶
| When | What |
|---|---|
| T−40 | Line check / IEMs; house + confidence up |
| T−30 | Confidence readability glance; 1–2 problem spots only |
| T−20 | Opener + one transition-heavy moment; vocal blend pass if needed |
| T−10 | Freeze; platform quiet for doors / countdown per church norm |
| T−5 | Team prayer |
| T | Service |
Before the service: simple readiness guide¶
| Role | Service-ready check |
|---|---|
| Director / Worship Lead | Final plan and cues known; congregation-friendly keys/forms confirmed; fallback calls clear |
| Band | Tuned; patches and charts/backups ready; IEM/monitor settled; instrument safe and quiet |
| Vocals | Mic and IEM checked; water ready; lyrics/parts known; mic muted or placed as directed |
| Tech Lead / Stage | People in position; stage safe; spares and known fallbacks ready |
| FOH / Monitors | Inputs passing; gains and mixes settled; talkback, RF/batteries, click, and tracks verified |
| Media | Final order loaded; house and confidence routed/readable; safe slide and backup ready |
| Lights | Service look/cues loaded; safe static look available |
| Stream | Audio/video/graphics path verified; recording/stream state known; fallback ready |
Suggested flow¶
- Line check / IEMs
- Confidence readability glance from key positions
- Problem spots only (max 1–2)
- Opener + one transition-heavy moment
- Vocal blend pass if needed
- Platform quiet for doors / countdown per church norm
- Team prayer
Freeze¶
After freeze (default: doors, or T−10), no new arrangements, no experimental patches, no console or routing changes unless safety/failure. The Worship Lead or Tech Lead calls it once on talkback. Separately, monitor freeze applies after the final run: no major mix rebuilds unless pain or safety.
https://theonize.github.io/petra/03-rehearsal/pre-service-rehearsal/
