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The Time You Have To Lead Worship Is Enough

Apr 22, 2024

For worship leaders lamenting the short time allotted for worship, here’s some encouragement: Even if you only have 2 minutes for a chorus, 5 minutes for a hymn, or 20 minutes for a full set, it can be enough.

Author Dan Wilt has led 3-hour extended worship times, which are beautiful for allowing hearts to become tender and open to the Holy Spirit’s work. However, the heart and passion you bring can shine through in any timeframe.

Wilt recalls a worship leader who powerfully engaged the room with just one familiar chorus because of her passionate, worshipful heart. The key is making the most of each moment by cultivating your own heart before stepping on stage.

You are a servant, not a producer or star. Embrace the time you’re given, whether long or short, by asking God for grace to serve that moment well. When you lead with your whole heart, even one song can be enough to open people’s hearts to Jesus.

The encouragement is to be at peace with the constraints, lead wholeheartedly within them, and trust that your heart postured towards worship can make any amount of time “enough” for connecting people with God.

Read the full article.

Preparation Makes Perfect

By Don Chapman

As I’ve said before, it seems everyone and their brother is starting a contemporary worship service. Unfortunately, I’ve heard that many of these new services are failing. Often the reason is poor planning and execution.

Here are two key points to consider if you’re involved with praise and worship:

1. Plan ahead. I can’t believe it when I hear of churches that meet thirty minutes before the service and throw together a song set.

A well known worship leader states that he never plans his worship song set. Rather, he has a list of all the songs his congregation knows, and he keeps this list on his music stand during worship to jog his memory. Then he lets the Spirit move.

While there’s nothing wrong with this free-flowing method, I’m sure a worship leader of his stature can attract the finest musicians in town. Frankly, you’d need top musicians to pull off a service like this – musicians who know the songs by heart or can sight-read a chart perfectly. Pretty unrealistic for you and me, unless you want to lead worship all by yourself – strumming your guitar or accompanying yourself on the keyboard.

Remember, the more you plan, the more people can be involved. Flying by the seat of your pants (or skirt) can often result in a musical train wreck. Multiple train wrecks tend to make people in the congregation think you don’t know what you’re doing. If the service isn’t worth planning, maybe it isn’t worth attending.

Planning ahead gives you time to work out your praise set like a puzzle, fitting songs together in a perfect flow. It also makes your rehearsals more efficient, which leads me to my next point:

2. Rehearse. I’m also surprised at the number of churches that don’t have a rehearsal! Rehearsals give you time to prepare both musically and spiritually for the coming Sunday.

If you’re doing the praise team thing with 3-6 vocalists, I recommend having a separate vocal and band rehearsal. Each group has their own problems, and I’d rather concentrate on one group at a time. Then, put the whole thing together during your pre-service run-through. If you have just a worship leader and a background vocalist or two, let them rehearse with the band.

Your musicians might balk at rehearsing. Rehearsals are a must if you want to succeed with a quality worship service, so don’t back down. However, people need to know your reasoning if you expect them to give you their valuable time.

Try making a deal with your musicians. First tell them your strategy: that you believe rehearsing will only improve the music and bring about a better worship experience for the congregation. Careless goof-ups distract people from connecting with God, whereas smooth transitions help usher them into His presence. Ask them if they’ll try rehearsing for a month. When they see the positive results – better blend and a tighter band – they’ll be more apt to become committed team members.

Blended worship on a budget. HymnCharts.com is the best sheet music value on the Internet. Download a free contemporary hymn arrangement.

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Senior Pastor: How To Lead Your Disorganized Worship Pastor

Apr 22, 2024

Does your worship leader consistently drop the ball on administrative tasks? Struggle with being on time for meetings and appointments? Get lost for hours obsessing over minute creative details?

If you’re constantly battling the brilliant-but-scattered tendencies of your artistically-gifted worship pastor, you need to read this insightful guide. It dives deep into proven strategies for effectively leading these brilliant-yet-disorganized creatives.

You’ll learn how to:

• Fight the right battles and identify keystones habits for change
• Give clear, direct feedback without crushing their artistic soul
• Establish much-needed boundaries while allowing creative flow
• Instill the power of systems (that they’re likely allergic to)
• Nurture the leader trapped within the artist
• Develop discipline through internal motivation

Plus get tips on killing perfectionism, aligning mismatched visions, and handling their unconventional communication styles.

Leading a talented-but-scattered worship leader requires a deft hand. This detailed playbook equips you with relatable examples and practical strategies to bring out the best in your creative worship pastor – both artistically and administratively.

Intrigued? Then don’t miss out on discovering how to unlock the full potential of your disorganized creative genius!

Read the full article.

How Prepared is “Prepared”?

Apr 22, 2024

Are you tired of showing up to rehearsals with your worship team all on a different page? Some members are still learning the song, others have it memorized, and it’s a struggle to get everyone aligned.

A simple system can fix that – the “Practice By Numbers” approach. This guide lays out clear preparation standards so your whole team knows exactly how ready they need to be each week. No more ambiguity!

Learn the different levels of song mastery, from just beginning to learn it to having it down cold. And you’ll get tips on setting consistent expectations for your team based on these levels.

The article gives you questions to consider when implementing the system, like whether you require full memorization and how to handle new songs vs. ones you’ve played for months. It’s a practical framework for finally getting your team prepped and polished.

Ready for highly organized Sunday services?

Read the full article.

John Michael Talbot on Faith, Music, and the Journey Within

Apr 22, 2024

In a candid interview with David Santistevan, John Michael Talbot, a multi-platinum selling, Grammy and Dove Award-winning Catholic Christian music pioneer, shares his remarkable spiritual journey. Disillusioned with the rock star lifestyle in his early career, Talbot sought answers in various religions before a personal encounter with Jesus led him back to Christianity. His conversion to Catholicism in 1978 marked a turning point, inspiring him to create music that deepened his faith and resonated with audiences, despite initial doubts about its commercial viability.

Talbot emphasizes the importance of solitude and contemplative prayer in his spiritual life, explaining the transformative power of retreating into a hermitage to battle inner demons and find true peace. He encourages Santistevan’s listeners to incorporate daily practices of silence and prayer, such as the Jesus Prayer, to ground themselves amidst life’s distractions.

Reflecting on his near-death experience and its profound impact on his faith, Talbot shares insights from his autobiography, “Late Have I Loved You.” He also discusses the state of contemporary Christian music, expressing concern about the focus on emotionalism and entertainment over genuine worship. Talbot stresses the need for musicians to be deeply prayerful and to create sacred music that transcends worldly influences.

Grammy-winning Christian Singer Mandisa Found Dead at 47, Police Suspect No Foul Play

Apr 22, 2024

Franklin, TN – Mandisa, the beloved Grammy-winning Christian singer and former American Idol contestant, was found dead in her Franklin home on Thursday, April 18, 2024. She was 47 years old. The Franklin Police Department has stated that no foul play is suspected in her sudden death.

Born Mandisa Lynn Hundley in Citrus Heights, California, the singer rose to fame after appearing on the fifth season of American Idol in 2005, where she made it to the top nine contestants. Following her stint on the show, Mandisa launched a successful career in the Christian music industry, releasing six studio albums and earning a Grammy Award for her 2013 album “Overcomer.”

Police spokesperson Max Winitz confirmed that Hundley was identified by a medical examiner and expressed the department’s condolences to her family, friends, and fans. While the cause of death has not been disclosed, Winitz emphasized that there is no indication of suspicious or criminal activity.

Mandisa’s talent agency, The Media Collective, also confirmed her passing on Friday but did not provide any details regarding the cause of her death.

Throughout her career, Mandisa’s music served as an inspiration to many. Fellow artists and celebrities have taken to social media to express their grief and share memories of the late singer. Amy Grant, a well-known Christian artist, described Mandisa’s smile as “like turning on sunshine,” while frequent collaborator TobyMac noted her encouraging and supportive nature towards other artists.

Paula Abdul, who served as a judge during Mandisa’s American Idol season, called her a “true beacon of light” and praised her warmth, kindness, and powerhouse performances. “I’ll always remember her poise, grace and dignity — and how could anyone forget those incomparable vocals!” Abdul told People magazine.

Mandisa’s musical achievements include three No. 1 albums on the Top Christian Albums chart, two chart-topping singles on the Hot Christian Songs chart, and five Grammy nominations. She also received 15 GMA Dove Award nominations, winning one for pop/contemporary album of the year.

As the music community mourns the loss of an irreplaceable voice, fans and friends alike remember Mandisa for her uplifting spirit, undeniable talent, and the indelible mark she left on the Christian music industry. The Franklin Police Department continues to investigate her death, and further details may be released pending the outcome of their investigation.

Dirt-Poor Worship Leaders

Recently I attended a smaller worship conference – the type where you sorta get to know the other people in attendance.

The overall theme I kept hearing time and again was interesting and sad at the same time: everyone was dirt poor. In conversations I’d hear things like “I can barely make ends meet on my church salary.” One worship leader told his tale of woe to the entire class and asked for prayer – he and his wife felt called and accepted his worship leader job at a church under the promise they’d be paid a decent salary over time – and that extra pay never materialized. They’re trying to stay alive with food stamps but can’t quite catch up with their daily living expenses. I’ll never forget the blank stare in his eyes, tears welling up, as he said haltingly “we’re… just… so… tired.”

Throughout the years I’ve heard many similar stories. At a visit to a famous megachurch I was a bit taken aback that every church staff member I met oddly interjected something like “I sure wish I made more money here, I can hardly make it” into routine conversations about tech equipment or song selection (you’d think megachurch salaries would be great but that isn’t necessarily the case, evidently, except for the grossly-overpaid Rock Star Worship Leaders.) Some music director friends I have, even ones at mid-sized ministries, are poor as church mice and wonder how they’re going to put gas in the tank.

Personally I’ve never even had a full-time church job. I had health insurance once for about six months – I’d been working in the music department at a megachurch for two years when they upped my part time pay enough to qualify. However, the conditions were literally so oppressive and hellish I took a $6000 pay cut (with no insurance) to become the part-time music director at a church plant. At this new church I drove around in a car with the door bashed in as I had to use the insurance money from the accident to pay bills.

Despite all this I had the time of my life at this church and both WorshipIdeas.com and HymnCharts.com were born out of the experience (a great lesson, come to think of it – the Lord might lead you into something that doesn’t appear to be ideal but amazing things can come out of it.) I rarely thought about the low pay and my dad always laughed that I was the “happiest poor person” he’d ever known. When you’re called to ministry you know the Lord will take care of you and boy, does He ever have to work overtime to compensate for the lousy salaries.

So Church, how about you start paying your worship leaders enough to live on!

Of course we’re not in ministry to get rich, but it is a bit easier to minister when you’re not constantly worried about how you’re going to pay your rent every month. And in every case I’ve mentioned, I’ve not heard one time any regret over choosing the worship leader life – everyone who’s called loves it – they just want to make a decent living.

And here’s the kicker: from my own anecdotal evidence, people who work in churches could be making a whole lot more if they left. One former youth pastor I know who was so poor he had to rely on Medicare to have his kids is now worth millions thanks to his own business. A former church IT guy now makes over a million every year with his own tech company. I can think of two former worship leaders I know who have been wildly successful in music publishing and production.

Here’s why former church workers often flourish in their new, non-church careers: when you work in a church you learn the skills to do a lot with a little. You learn to manage many different things at once. Think of all the plates you juggle as a worship leader – you coordinate praise team schedules, write chord charts, plan services, manage budgets, rehearse musicians and work odd hours. These are all habits of highly successful entrepreneurs.

If you’re frustrated in your church job I hope this article does not… necessarily… encourage you to quit. But enough might be enough and you’ve got kids to feed. Maybe it’s time, if the Lord leads, to either look for a ministry who values you or to strike out on your own.

My main intention with this article is to remind the Church that she has some very valuable and skilled servants. She might want to start taking better care of them before they leave – to merely make a living.

Fine-Tune Your Worship Team’s Sound Check

Apr 15, 2024

Brace yourself for an eye-opening journey into the heart of worship tech! If you’ve ever found yourself lost in a sea of screechy mics, unbalanced levels, and overall audio chaos, this guide is for you.

Imagine stepping onto the stage, bathed in soft lighting, as a hush falls over the congregation – only to have the moment shattered by technical gremlins. Sound familiar? Say goodbye to those cringe-worthy distractions once and for all.

Unlock the secrets to a finely-tuned sound check – the unsung hero of truly transformative worship experiences. From encouraging open communication between teams to troubleshooting technical tantrums with finesse, these innovative insights will empower your musicians and technicians alike.

Discover the art of achieving perfect audio balance, ensuring every instrument and voice blends in divine harmony. Plus, get insider tips on maintaining a positive attitude, even when the sound gods seem to be working against you.

Whether you’re a seasoned worship leader or a tech team newbie, this comprehensive guide is your ticket to elevating your services to new spiritual heights. Bid farewell to distractions and create an atmosphere of reverence that allows your congregation to connect with their faith like never before!

Read the full article.

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