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3 Worship Ministry Fundamentals You Can’t Afford to Ignore

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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 FUNDAMENTALS
Do you remember when you first learned your instrument?

My guitar teacher spent time those first weeks teaching me how to hold a pick, how to count, how to take care of my instrument and more.

Like me, you probably learned scales. You practiced and practiced and practiced. It was exciting because it was new.

But the longer we play, sing, Pastor, and lead worship the more we tend to think, “I got this.” And the more we think that we don’t need to keep returning to the fundamentals of ministry that we learned so long ago.

The key to becoming a better worship leader tomorrow is working on the fundamentals today.

As we approach Christmas and the start of a New Year, here are three fundamentals worth reviewing in your ministry:

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Why your church doesn’t sing… and what you can do to fix it (Part 4)

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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 new music coming out for churches reflects it. Worship Leaders are wrestling with the question of whether certain styles of music for congregational worship are just keeping with the times, or creating a culture of congregational onlookers and worship team performers?

Recently I kicked off this new series about what has become one of the major issues facing worship leaders and churches today: the decline of congregational singing.

Let’s face it… more and more congregations are singing “less and less”.

This new series is about identifying what’s keep YOUR congregation from singing and helping you remove the roadblocks to genuine worship engagement in your services. We’ve already talked about music being to high and too hard. And today we’re going to look at the third reason your congregation isn’t singing…

LAST CHANCE: ENDS OCTOBER 31

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. I’ve put the complete details in the PS below, so keep reading to learn more!

REASON #3: THE MUSIC IS TOO HIP I grew up in the 80’s, so that puts me on the back side of thirty-something. I’m married with two kids who roll their eyes at my jokes. I have a full-time job, a yard to mow and a shaven head by necessity rather than stylistic choice.

And while I am a musician, and desperately trying to hold on to some of the “cool” I think I once had, I find more and more that I’ve become… normal. And guess what… so are most of the people in my congregation. I would venture to say that’s the case for most worship leaders. There’s nothing wrong with being hip… I wish I was more hip.
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What would you do with an extra hour this week?

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What would you do with an extra hour today?  

That’s a question that should captivate every pastor and worship leader.  

If you could wave a magic wand and get all of the items on your list done giving you an extra hour to invest however you like… what would you do with it?

OK – back to reality and let’s be honest… most pastors and worship leaders find their lives and their ministries stretched with more than can possibly be accomplished in a week (much less a day).  With the demands of work during the day, and then rehearsals, meetings and your kid’s basketball practice at night, we face our everyday lives with very little margin.  (And if something new gets added or goes wrong… well, we know where that lands us.)

But “what if…?”  What if you could get everything done in less time and discover you have an extra hour in your day? Read more

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Who’s in YOUR Circle? (3 Actions of Growing Worship Leaders, Part 2)

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Welcome to this special “Thursday edition” of our weekly training newsletter!  Today we continue the 3-part series we began last week with a question:

Who’s in your circle?

I’m not talking about your Google+ account. This question cuts a little deeper than that 🙂

I’m talking about the 5 or so people that are the most influential people in your life. They are the people that are currently speaking into your life (good or bad) and are, in many ways, helping to shape who you are today.

Why does this matter?

Well let me rewind quickly to lay the foundation. . . Read more
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Your 2014 personal growth plan?

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When is the last time you read the story of Samuel anointing David as the future King of Israel (see 1 Samuel 16)?

It’s one of the great stories of the Old Testament, and even now as 2014 begins it has powerful meaning for you and I as worship leaders… 3,000 years later!

Let me explain . . . Read more
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3 Things You Should Do TODAY to Prepare for Christmas

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Merry Christmas!

That’s what the over-sized Snowman in Home Depot said two weeks ago when I walked in.

My family and I just laughed. The Christmas trees, snowmen and blow-up lawn Santas were right there beside the ghosts, witches and Halloween candy.

I bet you’ve seen the same thing, too!

And while it may seem strange to see Christmas decorations out SO early, it’s NOT too early to start planning your Christmas services. Read more

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Two Secrets to Finishing Strong in 2013

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It turned Fall last week . . . not here in South Florida where it’s still blazing hot, but nonetheless Fall began for almost everyone else in the Northern Hemisphere.

It’s hard to believe, but the changing of the season from Summer to Fall reminds us that this year is 75% done.

Seems like just yesterday I was ringing in the New Year and asking God to do more in me and through me this year than ever before. Now here we are with just a few months left in 2013.
This is the time of year when you and I need to do TWO VERY IMPORTANT THINGS:  Read more

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The Top 3 Things Worship Leaders Need from their Pastor

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Last week we started a quick 2-week series on the Pastor / Worship Leader Relationship by talking about what every Pastor needs from their Worship Leader.

This week we turn the tables and I want to talk to Pastors about what your Worship Leader needs from you. And if you’re a worship leader, feel free to print this out and “accidentally” leave a copy on your Pastor’s desk :-).

As I have always said, the most important relationship inside the church is the relationship between the Pastor and Worship Leader. But it’s also a relationship that can hold a lot of tension. That tension MOST LIKELY comes from one specific thing: Read more

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The Top 3 Things Your Pastor Needs from You

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As you have probably heard me say before, the most important relationship inside the church is the relationship between the Pastor and Worship Pastor.
There’s good reason for this . . . the pastor and worship pastor have the most influence on the worship service, you are the two most visible leaders in the church, and you both provide leadership to key people in the church.So the health of the Pastor / Worship Pastor relationship really speaks to the health of the worship service (and the church) itself.
That’s why, as a Worship Pastor, it’s important to diligently work on the relationship between you and your pastor. Beyond just “getting along” to “working together as a great team”.
In over a decade of ministry at The Journey Church, I’ve discovered that there are specific things that my pastor needs from me every week. And the same is true for you! Read more
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The Most Important Words You’ll Say this Sunday

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It’s 30 seconds to service start time.  The pre-service music is playing. You and your worship team take the stage. You’ve worked hard to prepare for this moment… selecting and memorizing music, leading rehearsal, arranging the slides in ProPresenter, and even one last time through the music at sound check this morning.

A final check to make sure you’re instrument is tuned. You give a thumbs up to your team to let them know you’re ready for a great opening worship song.  The lights come up and…

As a worship leader you pour your heart into preparing the music, but do you take time to think about what you will say before the music even begins? Read more