I recently read an article by Andy Stanley entitled, “Music Matters”. He wrote, “I’m convinced that there’s something inescapable about music. It transforms words into lyrics. It changes walls into bridges. It turns listening ears into listening hearts. As a performer, as a listener, as a visitor who might end up in a most unexpected place on a Sunday morning, music has a transformational power. And it moves people in ways that even the best communicator cannot. Music matters. It’s not just songs. Or musicians. Or lights and equipment. Music is much more than that. Music is a doorway to worship.”

It’s true, music IS a strategic doorway to worship, but let’s not stop there. Music is a powerful tool that helps usher us into God’s presence, but it’s just a small piece of what worship really is and it’s only 1 doorway. Read the rest of this entry »

In worship ministry there never seems to be enough time no matter how well we prioritize and manage the time we do have. I’m always looking for ways to accomplish the administrative tasks I need to do in less time so I can focus more on the things that are more central to my passion and calling, and more directly ministry-related.

There are many resources and worship technologies being developed that can help us accomplish that. In this “Great Tooks for Worship” series of blogs we will review some of these resources and technologies so you can consider implementing them into your ministry.

A great resource I recently learned about is PraiseVocals.com. They offer downloadable vocal harmony part rehearsal tracks of today’s most popular praise and worship songs. We minister in 60 – 70 churches each year (from 30 people to 3000), and one of the greatest challenges every church has is teaching worship vocalists their parts for the Sunday worship set and having that aspect of the worship tight. It’s challenging enough to prepare the band and often most of a worship leader’s time and attention is spent in that area. Read the rest of this entry »

Recently my pastor asked me to come up with the top 3 things that make my day as a music pastor. The 3 top things that, after a worship service, make me look back and say “man, that was awesome”. The really cool thing was, he gave me the chance to share that list with our Sunday morning congregation as a part of his current message series.
So here’s the list:
1. People of God engaged in worship – passionately (Ps 42:1)
2. People of God expressing worship – freely (2Cor 3:16-18)
3. People of God making the worship experience about Him, not about us. (John 4:23-24)
So now it’s your turn, I would love to hear from you.
Tell us your top 3.

Our 1st ever Worship Leader Roundtable Retreat was a huge success.  We spent some great moments around tables discussing common challenges and joys of worship ministry, sharing ideas and building relationships.  We also had an awesome morning of 2 teaching sessions and an open forum Q & A with Jeff Deyo.  About 50 worship leaders attended from the district and from Valley Forge Christian College.  We had really positive feedback from the event and we will be discussing plans for another Worship Leader Roundtable Retreat in 2011 possibly.  Thank you to everyone who helped make this retreat a success!!

Wow, we’re only a few weeks away from our Worship Leader Roundtable Retreat (Sept. 28 & 29) and our EQUIP Church Leadership Training Conference (Sept. 27 & Oct. 3). There’s a lot of excitement about each of these events and I think they’re going to be a great success. Some have inquired why each of these events is scheduled so close to the other and what the thrust of each one will be. Here’s some brief insight:


The ROUNDTABLE is geared toward full-time worship leaders who desire to connect with other worship leaders like themselves in a casual setting to regroup, grow, get ideas for their ministries, share common challenges and find creative solutions and to be mentored by a seasoned worship leader with a great heart. We’ve limited this event to the FIRST 40 WHO REGISTER because we want it to be intimate and personal. Jeff Deyo will have the chance to be transparent with us and will open the floor Q & A in the last session. There will also be a Late-Night Coffee House where songwriters will have a chance to share one of their favorite worship songs with the group and give it a test run.


The EQUIP Training is an opportunity for lay worship and media team members to get some hands-on and practical training. There will be 12 different workshops offered that will hone in on four key areas of worship ministry: 1) vocalists, 2) instrumentalists, 3) audio technicians and 4) visual media personnel. There’s no better way to invest in your worship ministry team than to get them all in a van and experience a great day of team-building, both on the way there and back AND through the classes they will experience.


Drop an email to Kristian@PennDel.org if you have more questions. Also click on the EVENT tab on the homepage of www.PennDelWorshipCompass.org.

Rehearsing the band can be difficult at times.  Sometimes it can feel like you are not getting much accomplished in the 2+ hours you spend working on your songs.  Check out this link to an interesting article with tips on getting the most out of your rehearsal time.  This site is a pretty good resource for worship training.

Copy this link to your browser.

http://www.musicademy.com/2009/08/24/50-tips-rehearsals/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter0909a

This is going to be an awesome getaway with purpose… We’ll be spending time getting to know everyone a little better, having fun, sharing ideas and growing together. Jeff Deyo is going to be sitting around with us and sharing from his heart in a real casual and intimate setting overlooking the Conodoguinet Creek. PLEASE consider setting aside a couple of half days to join us.

Plan to bring your whole team for a great day of training, fellowship and team-building. This event is geared toward training volunteer leadership in the church and will feature 3 breakout workshops (with 4 different tracks) in additional to a General Session for everyone entitled, “What do we do when…”, that will address common challenges faced in a Sunday morning service.


WORSHIP AND MEDIA WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS


GENERAL SESSION (for the whole worship & media team) – Taught by our District Music Team
“What to do when…” Things that go wrong in church & how to respond & address the problems technically


INSTRUMENTALISTS AND VOCALISTS – Amy Foster, Joe Drovich, Paul Boisvert, Dave Longstreth
Workshop 1 – You can’t lead someone where you haven’t gone first. The heart of the worshiper and foundational principles of worship and team-leading.

Worskshop 2 – Team dynamics. How to work well together as a team, the role of the worship leader and team member, utilizing dynamics musically,

Workshop 3 – Using your unique gift in worship. (Vocal & Instrumental separate)
Vocals: Blending, harmonizing, platform etiquette & stage presence, using the mic
Instrumentalists: Using your unique gift in worship and complementing the other members of the band, instrumental technique tips


AUDIO BREAKOUT WORKSHIPS – Steve Giunta, Bill Jenkins & Kristian Walker
Workshop 1 – Soundcheck & rehearsal. How to effectively communicate with the worship leader and team

Worskshop 2 – Got mix? Learning what to listen for and how to attain a good mix

Workshop 3 – Audio 101. Mic placement, Gain Stages, EQ’ing,Signal Path, Troubleshooting


VISUAL MEDIA BREAKOUT WORKSHOPS – Craig Miller, Brady Treat, Chad Zollo
Workshop 1 – Video 101 Basic elements of visual media discussed: Choosing the projector, presentation software, do’s & don’ts

Worskshop 2 – Operating and utilizing video in the live environment. Techniques, ideas, tricks, integrating video clips into the service effectively, etc.

Workshop 3 – Big Media on a Small Budget. Podcasting, streaming video to web, producing video illustrations, using your media effectively with the web.

This has certainly been a difficult week. One of my faithful Worship Team members went home to be with the Lord after a very brief battle with cancer. I have been working with worship teams for nearly 25 years now and this is my first experience with this kind of heartache. Kathy played the violin and was an extremely talented musician and very godly woman. Our first rehearsal without her was very difficult. We had to live what we sing and declare to our congregation every week, to worship in spite of our current situation knowing that God is in control and that He loves us and will always be faithful. The songs we sing every week carry these truths but for some of us that reality and struggle doesn’t always hit that close to home.

The Lord used the song “Unfailing God” to comfort us and bring peace to our hearts. The congregation immediately embraced this song as well and the glory of the Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit quickly filled the auditorium. Leading our congregations in cooperate worship is more about the living and less about the singing.

Years ago, when I first started leading worship, I typically went into each weekend rather unprepared.  I guess my thinking was that flying by the seat of your pants was somehow more spiritual than planning a set list.  I had the misunderstanding that flow in a worship set means no structure.  I have come to learn that my thinking was way off.  I have found that the better prepared and rehearsed we are, the more freedom we have to be creative.  When we feel ready and confident, we simply play better.  Think about it, what is more spiritual, having no set list and waiting until the last minute to hear from God or taking the time to pray ahead of time and hear from God.  God can and will give you wisdom in advance of the weekend service.  My day for putting together a set list is Wednesday.  That gives me the time to think through background graphics, send the set list to the musicians scheduled and make sure they have the sheets in advance of rehearsal.  You also can check with the lead Pastor or whoever is speaking that week to see what songs will help reinforce the message.  The bottom line is that good flow in a worship service doesn’t just happen.  Good flow is a product of being well prepared and well rehearsed.