articles

Kenny Jahng says Instagram is one of the best social media platforms he uses for his ministry. An interesting transition is happening in the world of social media, Facebook is undoubtedly the king of the hill and Twitter is up there as well but the popular new kid on the…

Karl Vaters says not all small churches are created equal. Not all small churches are created equal. Sure, some are small because the leadership doesn’t have a strong vision for reaching their community. But Karl Vaters believes that the pressure to raise numbers has kept many small churches from becoming…

Clint Taylor says vision is key. How Loud is too loud? This is actually a very reasonable question in todays worship arena, especially when we fill our set lists with songs written for arenas. Before I go much deeper I do want to say that not every worship leader will…

Jeremy Smith challenges churches to join the online video revolution. The question in the title of this article can come off as both shaming and challenging. If you felt those two because your church does not have a YouTube account, then GOOD! You need to be on it, if for…

Michael Brown says all too often outward success has nothing to do with discipleship or spiritual growth. There is a myth of church success in America that says, “The bigger the building, the bigger the budget, the bigger the attendance, the more successful you are.” In the sight of man,…

Cliff Lambert lists things he expects from his volunteers. I remember early on in my journey as a worship leader that I never wanted to expect too much from my team musically or spiritually because I thought if I pushed them too hard, they would quit. I wanted it to…

Rick Muchow offers tips for smaller gatherings. Over the years I have led worship for many small groups. I love it! Almost every small group I have led worship for has been grateful for the music as if they had a deep hunger to worship together in their intimate setting.…

Michelle Weger gives guidelines for a great resume. Recently, I have had several recent college grads and friends contact me as they are looking for new ministry opportunities. I’ve spent time tailoring many of their resumes and candidate packages and thought I would offer some streamlined advice on these things.…

Joe Thorn says celebrity pastors have now become “a thing.” The “celebrity pastor” is now a thing. Maybe it’s always been a thing (1 Cor. 1:10-17), but over the past few years it has become a source of concern and consternation for many. On the one hand I do see…

Gangai Victor’s guide to getting better at using words in worship. Speaking is probably the no. 1 pet peeve people have against worship leaders. More specifically—what we speak, when we speak, how we speak, and above all—how long we speak! Now, this doesn’t mean we should stop speaking all together!…

Phil Cooke explains why it’s a mistake for the congregation to watch the rehearsal. Worship leaders are an incredibly important part of today’s church. But from time to time I take them to task, like in this post on What Katy Perry and Taylor Swift Can Teach Church Worship Leaders.…

Stephen Miller offers tips for helping your band play like a team. Every musician has his or her particular style preferences and bents. It’s what makes us who we are. Funk bassists. Jam Band acoustic guitar players. Gospel drummers. Arena Pop Rock electric guitarists. And yet, in the midst of…

Chelsen Vicari reports Sunday morning worship sets lack depth and reverence. Admitting the problem is the first step towards recovery. So let’s admit it: if we swop the lyrics of a Taylor Swift ballad with some of today’s contemporary Christian worship songs, no one would know the difference. Others have…

Commentary by Tom Krattenmaker: It’s not easy being a celebrity pastor these days with that pesky Internet around. Consider the struggles of Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. Faced with mounting accusations circulating online –plagiarism, misusing church funds to prop book sales, silencing anyone in his church with…