“Don’t just sing songs . . . create moments!” That’s the advice that I received several years ago while attending a Tom Jackson’s Expressive Worship Conference. I couldn’t agree more. In fact one of our core values here at The Journey has always been to not just ‘execute the service’, but to create moments of […]
Have you been there before? After leading a powerful worship set, you come to the end of the final song. It’s a quiet moment of worship and the congregation fully engaged and focused on God, when . . . . . . the “announcements guy” comes out with a big laugh and smile, and sets […]
Developing a Music Plan is one of your most important roles each week. I’m not just talking about selecting the set list. That’s only part of it. I’m talking about creating a plan for how the music that you have selected is going to fit into the overall flow of the worship order, help create […]
It happens! For some of us more than we care to admit. We don’t mean for it to happen. And it’s nothing personal, but sometimes we just… …Disagree with our pastors! Maybe it’s a decision about the worship service for Sunday, or a project that we just see differently. But disagreements will arise between pastor […]
Every week you have an opportunity to invest in your team and show them you care at your weekly rehearsal. Yet too many times we let the constraint of time and the demands of music override our pastoral position in the rehearsal room. Remember: You are a pastor first and a musician second. And rehearsal […]
2015 is not even 2 weeks old and chances are your ministry calendar is already filling up! Planning Meetings… Rehearsals… Mission Trips… Mid-week [insert your commitments here]. Faster than you realize, ministry “life as we know it” happens! And if your calendar for 2015 isn’t planned, then 2015 will be a year of reacting to […]
It’s the first night of practice for my daughter’s basketball team. Among the nonstop bouncing of basketballs and the laughs of 3rd and 4th grade girls I’m reminded of one of the most important principles for any worship leader, Pastor or musician heading into the start of the New Year. NEVER STOP WORKING ON THE […]
I admit it… I may be the most un-hip worship leader on the planet. This became immediately clear when I stopped by a local high school recently and I saw up-close what pop-culture looks like. If that’s hip, then I’m not! Hip is a hot topic in worship circles these days and must of the […]
Summer can be a dangerous time for spiritual growth! Summer brings with it a tendency to glide, to take it easy and not work too hard at anything. Unfortunately – that can be true for the spiritual growth of our worship team members as well. As worship leaders the spiritual care of our worship teams […]
A worship leader told me once that the summer was the worst time of year for him and his team to grow. He explained that because of this, he took it easy during the summer, didn’t challenge his team (or himself) to grow and just coasted through until fall arrived. He called it the “Summer […]