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Why Your Church Doesn’t Sing… and What You Can Do To Fix It (Part 1)

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You’ve prayed. You’re prepared. The band is fine-tuned. The sound is dialed in. You’re ready to lead your congregation to lift up their voices and sing praise to God.

There’s just one problem. They won’t sing!

Every worship leader has been there, and according to recent trends, most of us find ourselves there almost every week in our churches.  People just don’t sing like they used to.

There are plenty of reasons for this:

    •    The loss of music programs in schools
    •    The loss of singing in public (outside of the 7th inning stretch that is)
    •    The loss of singing at home (before TV and Facebook this is what families did)

In general, people just don’t sing much in public anymore. Unfortunately there’s probably not much you can do about those three.  But there are some things that we CAN and MUST do to help our congregations engage in congregational singing…

 

Recently in the Worship Leader Gold Network Monthly Leadership and Strategy Call I talked about this topic of congregational singing and taught 7 important lessons from John Wesley for how to encourage your congregation to sing.

Gain access to that Leadership Session and instantly receive $813.20 in FREE Bonus resources when you join Worship Leader Gold TODAY!  Plus, receive additional coaching sessions, dozens of Ministry and Leadership Book summaries, and much, much more in your personalized Worship Leader Gold Hub. Click here to learn more and sign up today.

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Make This Sunday Another Easter (here’s how…)

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What an exciting week! God showed up in a BIG way at The Journey on Easter weekend and I hope the same is true for you.

And though Easter Sunday may have passed, I’ve been thinking this week . . . that doesn’t mean that this Sunday can’t be “Easter” all over again.

Let me explain.  Read more

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How is your Worship Team “Really” Doing?

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When is the last time you got on the balcony?

No – not the balcony at your church building or even the hotel from your last vacation. 

Getting on the balcony simply means taking time on a regular basis to rise above the hectic pace of your everyday work to see how your worship ministry is really doing.

It’s impossible to know how things are really going in your worship ministry when you’re in the daily grind. It’s like being on the floor during a packed-out concert. You can look around and see some things, but you don’t have a good perspective on the whole arena.

So, when you “get on the balcony” in your worship ministry, you are leaving the busyness of the floor seats for a little while to get a bird’s eye perspective on your ministry. And here’s what you find… Read more

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Where’s the Slack in your Worship Team?

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Do you remember the old Wendy’s television commercial from the 1980’s where the lady asks, “Where’s the beef?”
Jason Hatley
It was on of my favorites as a kid and a hugely successful advertising campaign because the question was so pointed (and true!).

As you approach your worship ministry in this New Year, you should ask some pointed questions as well.  Not, “Where’s the beef?, but rather, “Where’s the slack?”

Where is there slack in your worship ministry?

What areas have you let slip over the last few months? Where is there slack in your volunteer recruitment, in your worship planning, or in your personal growth?

Here’s why this question is so important…

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Three Goals Every Worship Leader Should Have in 2016

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Have you started writing your goals for 2016 yet?

I believe that God is honored when we take time to set goals for ourselves, our families and our ministries. Clear, God-honoring goals will help you and I both make a greater Kingdom impact in 2016.

In fact, I believe that the pastors and worship leaders who are making the greatest impact are the ones who are clear about what God has called them to, and are continuing to dream new dreams for Him.

I’m sure you’ve heard the story of the Harvard Business School graduating class of 1979. They were asked if they had clear written goals upon graduation. 3% had clear, written goals. 13% had some goals, just not clearly written, and a full 84% had no goals at all. Ten years later, the researchers interviewed those same students from that graduating class and what they found was astounding…

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Planning Your Fall Worship Team Auditions

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A two-hour school supply shopping trip to Walmart last weekend was all the reminder that I needed that school is starting back, the Fall ministry season is upon us and NOW is the time to plan for your Fall Worship Team auditions!

Growing your worship team is one of the most important responsibilities you have in ministry, but too many times worship teams DON’T grow, not because the worship leader is lazy or short on vision, but because they just haven’t been trained how to do it effectively.So, today I’m kicking off a four week push to help you plan your auditions and grow your Worship Team this fall. The fall is the PERFECT time to grow your worship team and I want to help you do just that!  Why?

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Heart or Talent . . . A surprising answer to what matters most

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“What do you look for in a Worship Team member . . . great talent or a great heart?”

That’s a question I’ve gotten hundreds of times in regard to our audition system here at The Journey.

My answer is simple: BOTH!

I want incredibly talented people who have a heart for God and our church. Yet for many of us, we find ourselves in a place where we feel we have to choose between the two. Read more

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When I Disagree with My Pastor

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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 and worship pastor. So how do you handle it?

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Three Ways to Show You Care at Rehearsal this Week

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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 can be an important time of encouraging and ministering to your team members… of reminding them that we care more about them than what they can do for us.

Rehearsal is a “built-in” opportunity for you to invest in your team members every week… IF you know how to make the most of the opportunity.

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Three “Must Do’s” for Your 2015 Ministry Calendar

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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 the demands of the day and playing catch up. Not the place to be if you want to make a difference for God’s Kingdom this year.

So, to help you plan your year before your year plans you, let me encourage you to break out your calendar and plan your entire ministry year (and personal life) for 2015.

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