Daniel Connell from Church On the Move in Tulsa explains how he plans and creates staging concepts. Read more.
10 Inexpensive Staging Ideas
Russell Reid from ChurchLeaders.com offers ideas to spruce up your stage:
One of the most immediately noticeable renovations you can make to your worship center is to the stage area. When people walk into an auditorium, the first thing they see is the platform. Any change to it grabs attention and creates expectation about what might happen next.
The best part is that making those changes doesn’t take a lot of money. Here are my top ten favorite staging resources from the theatrical world that can be used in worship. Continue reading.
Poll: Have You Ever Taken a Sabbatical?
Last week Newspring Megachurch Pastor Perry Noble announced he’s taking a 2 month sabbatical. Have you ever taken one? Would your church fall apart if you did? Take the poll and add your comments below:
Loading ...What’s Next: Virtual Instruments In Worship
What’s Next: An article series to help worship leaders keep current on the latest trends.
Last week I talked about my favorite keyboard for worship: the Roland Fantom. One big plus with the Fantom are the audio inputs. Northpoint Church music director Reid Greven explained to me why.
As it turns out, Reid rarely uses the actual sounds from the Fantom (although he does lie them) – he simply uses the keyboard as a MIDI controller for his laptop which runs virtual instruments. A virtual instrument (also called a VST – Virtual Studio Technology) is software you install and run on your laptop which basically turns it into a glorified synthesizer. In Reid’s setup the audio from his laptop goes into the keyboard, then out to the soundboard via the keyboard’s outputs, so both the laptop’s VSTs and the Fantom’s sounds are routed together. He has the Fantom for a quick backup if the VST crashes.
VSTs come in many shapes, sizes and prices. You can buy piano, strings, orchestration, guitars, drums, organs, choir, sound effects and just about anything you can imagine as a VST. I even bought a dobro VST for one of my HymnCharts arrangements. Some VSTs have a little bit of everything just like any keyboard.
VSTs typically sound vastly superior to any keyboard because the VST software is larger and more complex. For instance, my favorite keyboard piano sound ten years ago was 32 megabytes. One of my VST pianos happens to be 32 GIGabytes – you can imagine how the sound will be so much richer, sharper and realistic because the VST utilizes more and larger samples.
Reid uses a very inexpensive but good all-in-one VST called Mainstage – it’s $29.99 and Mac only.
On Widows I’ve used Dimension Pro for years since it comes with Sonar, but you can purchase the lite version called Dimension LE for $49.99. It’s also an all-in-one VST with a little bit of everything. Reason is another popular all-in-one VST. Mention your favorite VSTs in the comments section below. Many different companies sell VSTs but a good place to learn about them all is KVRaudio.com.
Things to keep in mind:
>VSTs require a level of computer proficiency. They’re probably not for Aunt Bessie, your church pianist.
>Some VSTs can be played in “stand alone” mode, some have to be played through host software like Cakewalk or Logic.
>Drums: I’ve heard of churches using drum pads (like Roland V-Drums) that trigger drum VSTs – favorites are Superior Drummer (which I use on all my recordings) and Addictive Drums. The realism is startling and your soundman has better control of the drums.
>Sound interface: Depending on the power of your laptop’s soundcard you can play VSTs right out of the earphone jack. But for better sound quality and latency (the responsiveness of the VST) you’ll need a dedicated sound interface (MOTU, M-Audio, Prosonus, etc.)
>MIDI: Keep in mind you have both MIDI and audio to worry about with VSTs. You have to get MIDI data from a keyboard into the laptop to play the VST. Some modern keyboards have a USB port – if yours doesn’t you’ll need a MIDI interface. MIDI interfaces are sold separately, but the best all-around solution is an audio interface that also has MIDI (some audio interfaces don’t have MIDI so double check.)
Bottom Line: Be prepared for when your keyboard player shows up to rehearsal with a laptop.
Casting Crowns Nabs Best Artist, Top Album
Multi-platinum band Casting Crowns was named Top Christian Artist, and the group’s Come to the Well (Beach Street Records/Provident Distribution) was honored as the Top Christian Album during the 2012 Billboard Music Awards, held last night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Laura Story’s No. 1 hit Blessings (Fair Trade Services/Provident) was named Top Christian Song. Continue reading.
5 Ways to Overcome Church Boredom
Question: I think I understand why our church isn’t reaching new people or creating any kind of noticeable impact: It’s boring. To be honest, I’m the pastor and even I’m bored. Obviously, the solution is to fix it, but I’m not sure how. Suggestions?
Know this: You’re not alone. This is a huge problem for all pastors and churches over time. Boredom is the natural byproduct of redundancy. And let’s be honest, church ministry is redundant by nature. Without intentional interference, churches will have no new people come on Sunday, and everyone will park in the same place, enter the same way, greet the same people, sit in the same seat, sing the same kind of songs, listen to the same person teach, and then do it all again next Sunday—and again and again. Makes me yawn just writing about it.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Continue reading.
It’s Okay to Be an Uncool Church
Is your church defined more by its reaction to “boring” churches than by its response to a needy world?
You may be too fashionable if:
– You look around at church and notice that everybody is the same age and looks and dresses pretty much like you do.
– You can’t stand singing a worship song that was “in” five years ago — much less singing a hymn from another century.
– You believe social justice is more important than evangelism, or that evangelism is more important than social justice.
Top 10 Reasons for Growth of Evangelicals?
I enjoy reading articles written by people in mainline denominations who are baffled/amazed by contemporary church growth. Here, a retired Methodist minister lists his observations on the reasons behind the growth of Evangelical churches:
1. Music. The first half hour of worship often resembles a rock concert as talented vocalists and bands lead exuberant praise songs. This has a special appeal to many young worshipers.
2. Earnest, innovative pastors. The ministers frequently are the founding pastors. They work hard to expand their congregations, and move ahead boldly and creatively, without limitations that long-established congregations or denominational ties may impose.
3. Welcoming atmosphere. Many Catholic and mainline Protestant churches can seem cold to visitors, seldom true of evangelical congregations. A dozen hands reach out to greet you, and information on guests is solicited for prompt follow-up contact. Success has been achieved in attracting parishioners of diverse racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds.