By Emily Hamilton, worship leader, vocalist, guitarist and songwriter with For All Seasons We had just finished a concert on the 5th night of a ten day run, when a young girl approached me at the merch table. She began to tell me how encouraged she had felt during our set that night. On top …
The Heart of a Worship Leader
Healthy Submission
I have a confession to make. I bought the lie of the culture. I willingly believed that I would pull myself up by my own bootstraps, that I alone would be responsible for my success. No one had the right to tell me what to do. I had convinced myself that no matter what, I …
I’m New Here… Now What?
Psalm 46:10 says “Be still, and know that I am God”. This is a comforting verse, usually referenced in times of stress and chaos. People who’ve been in the same church for a long time, or who’ve come to a new church to fill a public position like worship pastor can forget what it’s like …
I’m Not Just The Music Guy…
Ministry…what does that word even mean? Many of us associate that with serving or volunteering, while others may associate that word with their vocation. Missions and outreach may also come to mind. But in reality, it’s all ministry. The word ‘ministry’ has always meant something to me, and recently, it took on a new meaning. In …
Finding A New Church Home
I was asked to write a piece on what to do when you’re the new at a church and want to serve in the worship ministry. But I found that I kept making references to the process of finding a new church home, and my article was useless without this one as a starting point. There was a …
I Missed Christmas!
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 I don’t know about you, but It’s been a staggeringly busy season for me. I have the best intentions every year as we move into the holiday season but, …
I Pushed a Guy off a Cliff!
When I was in middle school, my family took a week-long trip out west. I remember being so surprised when I actually saw the Grand Canyon with my own eyes. I’d seen it in pictures and movies, but it’s a completely different thing to see it in real life. There’s this little spot there where all the tourists …
Mind Your Language
A couple of weeks ago I attended a conference in London. I love the heart and mission of the organisation who were hosting the event and I also rate highly some of the worship leaders who were on the platform. The whole conference was spirit-filled and inspirational and there were even free giant Danish pastries …
Admitting You’re Wrong is Easy… It’s the Realizing That’s Hard
Be sure to also check out Chris on the podcast. Admitting you’re wrong is easy. Well, not easy if you’re a pride monkey like me. But… saying “I am/was wrong” is actually pretty easy to do, once you’ve realized you’re actually wrong. Now… realizing you’re wrong is WAY harder. Figuring out all the ways you …
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Response to A Worship Service
Daniel outlines what causes genuine response in our worship gatherings.
Worship Leader Stage Presence
You might think it odd that I’m addressing stage presence in a worship leading context, but all too often I see worship leaders struggling to maintain a leading presence for their congregations. It might be a confidence issue, or they worry about getting in the way of God and “humble” themselves too much, trying to …
What’s on Your Mind?
If I’m totally honest with myself, a million things can be going through my mind when I’m in front of people singing songs and praising God—thoughts like: – is the click track loud enough in the ears? – is the backing track too strong in the house? – is the way I’m standing distracting people? …
Masks and Makeup
As Christian leaders it is vitally important that we live the lives we preach. I am starting a blog series where together we will look at, explore and discuss the importance and role of integrity and authenticity in the life of a Worship Leader. The more thought I have given to this topic the more …
Worship after the Earthquake in Napa, CA
Last Sunday Morning (August 24th) at 3:20 AM I woke up to one of the scariest moments of my life. As we all now know, the South Napa Quake was a 6.1 on the Richter Scale. My family faired far better than just about everyone else we know. Where we only lost one jar, others …
4 Keys to Release the Potential of Your Worship Team
Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to not to miss a new post! As we all know, church ministry gets busy and can be overwhelming, especially as a volunteer and/or bi-vocational worship leader or pastor. It can be easy to fall into the rut of putting out the schedule each month, going through …
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