What If? This series looks at real world situations that come up in worship leading. They may not happen often, but they happen often enough to talk about and plan ahead for. This week we’ll talk about complete system failure.
WHAT IS CSF?
Category: leadership
Nobody Gets The Church They Want
Over at the 9Marks blog there’s an interesting post about giving up our preferences in church (read it HERE). While it was primarily written for pastors and church leaders, I felt the lessons for worship leaders was pretty obvious even before he used worship music as an example.
How To Make Your Worship Team Better… Even If You’re Not In Charge
A lot of times we talk about how we can better serve God and our churches in our worship, song and playing. But what if we could better serve the other members of the church band? What if we could be a servant to our worship leader instead of expecting him to march to our drum?
What if by making a few small changes we could better love and serve each other? Wouldn’t that be an act of worship to the Father who would see his children “playing nice” together? Wouldn’t that be an act of service to our church if we played better and gave them a better platform to express praise, awe, love and devotion?
Continue reading “How To Make Your Worship Team Better… Even If You’re Not In Charge”
FALL Q&A
Every so often I like to look over the Google searches that bring people to this blog. It’s interesting what people look for, and what brings them my way. There are a few great questions, and a few ridiculous questions. What questions are people who stumble upon this blog asking? Let’s find out.
TEACHING IN WORSHIP (1 TIMOTHY 1:2-11)
In this series we will study Paul’s 1st letter to Timothy, who was pastoring the church in the city of Ephesus. We will specifically key in on applications and lessons that apply to worship ministry and worship leaders. Today we will look at our calling as worship leaders.
“To Timothy my true son in the faith:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.”
1 Timothy
ARE WE TEACHERS?
Recently a friend of mine asked me if worship songs were supposed to teach people things. Without hesitation I shot back “well, we’re fooling ourselves if we think they aren’t.”
The truth is that most of us don’t remember what was taught in the sermon 3 weeks or 3 years ago, but we remember the songs. Timothy was charged not only to refute false teaching, but to instruct the people with sound teaching. I believe my pastor does this each week from the pulpit, and as worship leader, part of my job is to assist and support that teaching with songs that are based on sound doctrine.
Just Say Thank You
One of the things I had to learn when I started leading worship was how to take a compliment. God is gracious to use us as tools and instruments to bless and minister to his church, the people then in turn will often respond to the ministry and the minister with a thankful heart. How we respond to this makes all the difference in the world, both for us, and for the church we serve.
By The Commandment of God
In this series we will study Paul’s 1st letter to Timothy, who was pastoring the church in the city of Ephesus. We will specifically key in on applications and lessons that apply to worship ministry and worship leaders. Today we will look at our calling as worship leaders.
“PAUL, AN APOSTLE OF CHRIST JESUS ACCORDING TO THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD OUR SAVIOR, AND OF CHRIST JESUS,WHO IS OUR HOPE”
1 Timothy 1:1
Paul was writing to Timothy, who he had sent to pastor and lead the church in Ephesus. What’s interesting in this verse is that recognizes his calling. For him it was being apostle, for us it’s to lead the church in song worship.
Whatever you do, whoever you are, God has specific callings on our lives. Mine is to be primarily a pastor/teacher and worship leader. By the grace of God I am what I am (1 Co 15:10), and I stand in that grace and calling.
Even if you are an “Accidental Worship Leader” or you’re in a season where you feel like you’re on the bench, God has a calling for you.
Just How Joyful Should That Noise Be?
Recently, my beloved Seattle Seahawks beat the San Fransisco 49’ers on Sunday Night Football. But not only did they win the game, but Seattle now holds the official Guiness records for loudest fans in the World. They first set the record early in the game when San Fransisco QB Colin Kaepernick was sacked with a crowd noise registering 133.3 dB’s. Later on their broke their own record by reaching a level of 133.6 dB’s. So the fans in Seattle went home soaking wet (it’s Seattle after all) with a win, a record, and hearing loss. 133.6 dB’s is 48.6 dB’s over the OHSA safe limit.
Dustin Kensrue and Andy Girton over at Mars Hill Church have put together a very intersting piece on volume and safety in the church HERE. But it’s not just rock music, the Oregon Symphony Players Association (bet you didn’t know that existed) has a very informative piece on hearing safty on their website. So it’s not just a crancked amplifier… the oboe and the flute are also clear and present dangers to your hearing.
There is always going to be a contingent of people in your church who will complain that the music is too loud. They will quickly be followed by the contingent of people in your church who complain that the music is too quite. What do you do? How do you handle it? Can we really worship God below 85dB’s?
What If?: Speaking In Tongues
What If? This series looks at real world situations that come up in worship leading. They may not happen often, but they happen often enough to talk about and plan ahead for. This week we’ll talk about speaking in tongues in a church service.
IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU
Someone might have read the above paragraph and said “what’s the big deal?” If you come from certain charismatic traditions you might not find this blog post applicable. In your church this may be a very common occurrence, but for a majority of churches, even churches like mine that believe and embrace the gifts of the Spirit as valid for today, someone speaking in another tongue during a worship service isn’t the norm.
Someone else might have just read the above paragraph and said “not at my church!”. Says who? This is the “what if” series, so play along with me here. Let’s say you lead worship at a baptist or reformed church that holds to a Cessationist viewpoint, and after your third song, a person you’ve never seen before begins to cry out in a language you don’t understand. “We don’t do that at my church” you might say, and sure, that may be the accepted procedure. But let’s say that this person walked into your church not knowing that, and for whatever reason decided to speak out in this way, what do you do?
The Next Worship Leaders
Editor’s Note: This post while written by me, originally appeared over at the Worship Links blog, so check them out.
Eight thoughts on bringing the next generation into your worship community.
1. IT’S NOT AN OPTION
The church has two main callings: 1. To preach the gospel 2. To make disciples. The discipleship process isn’t all spiritual, it’s also practical. Paul, Peter, Barnabas, and other major players in the early church always travelled with young men, letting them learn in a practical, hands on setting how to fulfill the ministry that was given to them (1 Timothy 4:14). The same is true for those of us who minister in music. I’m always looking for my replacement. Who’s the young man or woman that God is raising up in my church? Discipleship is not optional for the christian, neither is making disciples. As worship leaders, music directors, and worship pastors, we need to have our eyes, ears, and hearts open to see who will lead the next generation in praise and worship of our King.
Real World Worship 