Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians makes a pretty incredible statement in chapter 6 verse 12. It is a statement that has many different layers to it if you truly understand the Gospel and our identity as God’s children, but at the same time, it is so simple and direct. There is a …
Layering Vocals
Vocals are – in most respects – the most underestimated and undervalued instruments in your worship arsenal. The fact that many can regurgitate appropriate lyrics (mostly on pitch) with relative ease can lead most leaders and members to rubber-stamp any vocals offered as “good enough” for service. Buckle up; because the truth is far from …
City Worship Culture
American churches are a unique product of Christianity. We have megachurches with giant production; some just as big as the shows on the Vegas strip. We have backwood chapels with hymns and pews. Some with skinny jeans, some with suits and ties, and some that don’t meet in a building whatsoever. I have the unique …
LEVEL UP! – Good Mentorship
There are instructors, coaches, and mentors. Instructors teach the student about the tools needed to improve their skill. Coaches guide the skill toward a task or objective. Mentors reinforce the focus and heart behind developing the skill-set. While both instructors and coaches encourage the student to improve their skill, mentors aim higher – with a …
You Want Me To do What?! // Personal Monitor Training: Understanding the Volunteer
Have you noticed that the currency in our day is not money, but time? When you ask someone how they are, the answer is usually a huge intake of air followed by an exhalation with the word “busy” punctuating it. People are busy. We won’t get into the right or wrongness of that here, but …
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Better Together: Organizing a Community Night of Worship
A few weeks ago I wrote an article about building community with other worship leaders in your region and the impact those relationships can have on you as an individual and on your city or region. One of the ways these relationships have affected the city I live in has been the desire to bring …
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Walking Away
Feeling frustrated? Run down? Dealing with creative differences? Spiritually unsatisfied? The list can go on and on when it comes to walking away from your role in church. Whether you are on staff or a volunteer, serving can be exhausting and full of challenges. It can become so overwhelming that we are left with no …
What’s Your Next Step?
God is always calling us closer to Himself, challenging us to take our next steps towards Him in all the areas of our lives. What is your next step? I want to give you some food for thought to help you submit to the process He’s walking you through to make you ready for what …
Introducing A New Song
Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! – Psalm 96:1 A few things that stand out to me from this verse: From an Ecclesiastes framework I think, ‘There is nothing new under the sun! How would any song be new?’ Or even reading from other psalms, …
The Mathematics of Leadership
The perks of leadership include greater respect, prominent social status, success, and an ability to be a decision-maker. While those benefits may be attractive, effective leadership has little to do with a title or position and everything to do with one’s ability to influence and add value to others. At the core, leaders have the …
Go Beyond: Three Things to Help Plan a Worship Event
When it comes to planning worship events the important things to do can come to mind pretty easily: i.e. the musicians you want to play, the set list you want to build, how you want to transition between songs. You can have meetings, and discuss stage lighting and directions for the congregation and band. All …
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How We Audition
I think one of the most important points I can make in starting this article is this: how we audition, and the audition processes are unique to the organization in which they take place and the people they serve. What may work for me and in my church may not be applicable in yours. So …
My Church Didn’t Like a Song… Now What?
Ouch. We’ve all been there. You and your team were pumped all week about this new music and then…….nothing. It just falls flat. As you get off the stage you wonder, “What in the world happened out there?” You have a couple options in this scenario. You could throw your hands up and decide to never play the …
Why We Audition
In some cases, “Audition” has become a forbidden word in Church world. It is that difficult topic that none of us want to talk about really. We don’t know where different generations stand on it; depending on how you were raised and how you interpret Scripture, you can fall all over the map on this issue. …
Recruiting Musicians
“Hey! Can you play guitar?… Yes?… Well, join the worship team!” If it were only that simple. Unlike recruiting and hiring musicians for most secular groups – where the allure may be a record deal, exposure to large audiences, or a good source of income, recruiting musicians for a Worship team involves many important – …