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Bob Kauflin has seen instrumental portions of worship songs actually have an adverse effect: A few years ago I attended the Sunday gathering of a church that primarily sang traditional hymns. The voices carried the songs and there were few, if any, instrumental breaks between verses. The congregation sang robustly…

Mark J Martin lists some small things you can do to improve your ministry to people on Sunday: What can you do today that will make a difference in how the music leads in worship and serves the people? Here are a few last minute ideas to improve the ministry…

David Manner says the foundation of our worship music must not be its style but instead its content: Understanding foundational biblical precedents, historical practices and theological tenets of worship music will curb a random sampling of various styles based solely on their success in other places. Consider asking the following…

Chris Denning says practice and rehearsal are two different things: I hear from friends all the time who are not satisfied with how their band rehearsals go. Some find that they are way too long and don’t actually get anything done, while others feel like it turns into one big…

Zac Hicks wonders why he’s so exhausted on Sunday afternoon: Maybe it sounds a bit cheeky. Perhaps it sounds like overextending an idea’s reach or, worse, a justification for sloth. However, I think there’s a very good theological reason why we worship leaders often find ourselves pillow-side on Sunday afternoons.…

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Jon Nicol dispels the fantasy of worship nirvana: Before you were a worship leader, do you remember what you *thought* it was going to be like? You imagined that each week you would… plan a set list that was spooned-fed by the Holy Spirit himself. rehearse a team that shows…

Molly Broomer says to make sure everyone is very clear on expectations: WHAT TO LOOK FOR Consider the merits to recruiting people personally, face to face, making open calls to your congregation, or just letting people come to you. What will work best for your church? For us, a little…

Mike O’Brien offers a few practical worship tips: After 18 years of leading worship for the same church (14 of those in the same building), I’ve had the privilege of over time adding some helpful tools to our setup that serve the congregation and band in simple ways. Check out…

Karl Vaters visits two churches who couldn’t have worshiped more differently: There is no right format for worship. This week I spoke at a ministers’ conference. In the closing commissioning service, most of the new ministers who came forward were wearing jeans and short-sleeved shirts. Those commissioning them were dressed…

Glenn Packiam explores emotional expressiveness in worship: I. Why do Emotions Matter? Contemporary worship is framed within a paradigm of encounter: we gather to sing and to meet with God. In fact, many scholars have remarked that in charismatic worship, singing is the place of encounter. It ought to be…

Bob Kauflin highlights areas that might be problematic: 1. Pastors, not worship leaders, will give an account to God for the people in their church. (Heb. 13:17) Pastors are ultimately responsible for the teaching and song diet of the church. Pastors should know in advance what songs will be sung, and…

Allen Paul says those of us that love God must have a resource beyond our music alone. And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the…

Hillsong Worship says bringing big creativity to smaller services is always a challenge. Have you ever found yourself saying, “We can’t do that”... …“if only we had more people/resources.” …“we don’t have enough budget.” …”that would never work here.” Bringing big creativity to smaller services is always a challenge. You might…

Chris Gill says one of the most powerful, yet underrated tools on a mixing console is the mute button. One of the most powerful, yet underrated tools on a mixing console is the mute button. While that may sound odd, I’ve had more issues getting volunteers to use it correctly…