articles

Matt Boswell is concerned that omitting older hymns in our gatherings silences the rich voices of church history. When I mention historic hymns, maybe you cringe as you recall a “worship war” in your local church. Maybe you’re eager to only sing the old hymns. Or maybe you wonder why…

Robb Redman helps worship leaders avoid ministry burnout: Not long ago I attended a workshop taught by a veteran contemporary worship leader, in his current position for twelve years. At one point he mentioned that several other worship leaders began their ministries at about the same time as he did.…

Musings on whether to quit or not to quit: I suppose every person in ministry is strongly tempted to quit from time to time. Not quit as in “send out a resume, start looking for a job” quit, but “walk out today” quit. I’ve got a pastor friend who fought…

Kevin Carr explains why he left corporate worship: Corporate worship, about two years ago I walked away from it. Praise music on Sundays, youth on Wednesdays—after years and years, I said goodbye to it all. I didn’t loose faith, nor did I sin my way into shame, I just burned…

Robert Gifford offers insights for knowing when it’s time to quit your church job: There is never a good time to leave. If things are going good, you feel as if you will be missing out if you leave. If things are going badly, you feel like you are just…

Matt Hann asks: do you care more about the task or do you care more about the individuals in your team? We’re called as pastors and leaders to care about our people, not just our outcomes. Here are a few thoughts I’ve found helpful in focusing on caring for people…

Dwayne Moore says worship teams need to minister: Our goal for church musicians and worship teams should be that they become ministers through music. It isn’t enough to be good musicians or great performers. Worship teams need to minister. Ministers through music have some excellent and unique characteristics. Imagine a…

Building and managing a team is simultaneously the most rewarding and challenging endeavor that a worship leader can undertake. Many leaders who are entrusted with overseeing volunteers find themselves navigating unfamiliar territory, balancing their concerns for the team’s well-being with the practicalities of directing and developing the ministry itself. With…

Brady Boyd lists traits consistent with good leadership: I want to be a leader who is easy to follow, so I’ve been paying attention lately to those who seem to model this really well. We should not have an unhealthy desire to please everyone, but we should make it as…

Rich Birch uses Blockbuster Video as a cautionary tale for leaders within the multisite church movement. Blockbuster video was amazing in its prime. Just 10 years ago, they had 9,000 locations and over 60,000 employees. [ref] It made renting a movie “simple and convenient” because they had so many locations.…

Cliff Lambert help you develop a plan of action. If you’re part of a ministry whose vision is to reach as many people in your city as possible with the Gospel, your leadership has probably had the multi-site discussion.  Church multi-site expansion has exploded in the last ten years. Hundreds…

Ed Gentry says recovering the practice of lament will help us be more authentic, Biblically faithful, and culturally relevant followers of Jesus. Lament And Praise Respond To Reality Songs of lament and songs of praise are both a response to reality. In our songs of praise and adoration, we respond…

Jordan Tracy lists his favorite mics and why: A question many churches face these days is which microphone is best suited for my worship team vocalists? There seems to be an unending array of options to choose from. You also have to ask the question – how can I pick…

Jon Nicol explains a worship team’s dress rehearsal is a run-through. It’s that time we play through a song, or full set, or even the full service just like we’re going to do it in the service. And just like the dress rehearsal, it gives us confidence to know that…

Bob Kauflin suggests worship leaders should study Biblical counseling. In 2008, I suggested in Worship Matters that the title of “worship leader” needed to be defined to be helpful. So I defined it this way: A faithful worship leader magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ through the power…