Alexander Green

How to Make Worship More Than a Spectator Sport

Ready for a revelation that will change the way you approach worship planning? Tired of passive, mindless worship experiences? Discover the cure for spectator-style services that leave your congregation uninspired!

Learn the secrets to intentional worship planning that ignites active participation and life-changing encounters with the Holy Spirit. Forget the mundane and embrace a fresh perspective that prioritizes clear objectives, purposeful song selection, and seamless integration of music with the overarching theme.

But that’s not all! You’ll learn how to harness the power of evaluation, gaining invaluable insights from diverse sources to continually refine and elevate your worship experiences. Say goodbye to hollow compliments and hello to transformative truth that propels your services to new heights.

From crafting atmospheres ripe for the Spirit’s movement to strategically choosing songs that speak directly to the hearts of your congregation, this article is a must-read for every worship leader yearning to break free from passive routines.

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A Simple Checklist for Healthy Worship

Embark on a transformative journey that will revitalize the way you approach worship music in your church! This comprehensive guide offers a fresh perspective on curating a spiritually nourishing and personally resonant worship experience.

Like a skilled physician, you’ll learn to conduct an in-depth health check on the songs you bring to your congregation. Discover the art and science behind selecting biblical, accessible, relevant, and beautiful worship anthems that resonate with the diverse needs of your church family.

Learn to craft a well-rounded, soul-stirring worship service with the powerful “C.A.C.T.U.S.” framework. From igniting the flame of adoration to facilitating heartfelt confession and thanksgiving, you’ll gain invaluable insights into fostering an environment where true worship can thrive.

And prepare for a thought-provoking revelation – what if our role as worship leaders is not to be “up front,” but rather to walk alongside our congregations, empowering them to lead the praise? This paradigm shift will challenge your perspective and inspire you to reimagine your approach to worship leadership.

Elevate your worship experience to new heights, captivating hearts and minds with the transformative power of God’s Word woven seamlessly into every aspect of your service. Don’t miss this opportunity to revitalize your church’s worship journey – the path to a deeper, more fulfilling encounter with the Divine awaits!

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Is Your Ministry Leveraging Online Giving Effectively?

Brace yourself for a financial revolution within church walls! In an era where technology reigns supreme, a staggering 49% of churchgoers now prefer to give digitally. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg; this eye-opening article dives deep into the tangible impact of embracing online giving platforms.

Unlock secrets to a 32% increase in overall donations – a game-changer for any ministry’s financial health. From seamless recurring payments to instant receipts, discover how digital giving empowers congregants to take ownership of their stewardship journey like never before.

But it’s not just about numbers; it’s about fostering a culture of genuine generosity that transcends Sunday services. Learn how expressing gratitude and providing pastoral care can deepen connections and participation within your church community.

Is your ministry leveraging the full potential of online giving? Unlock the transformative power of technology and brace yourself for a financial revolution that will shake up the way you think about church finances forever.

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How To (Really) Convince Your Team Members To Practice

Tired of seeing your worship team buried in music stands during services? As a leader, you know there’s more to worship than just going through the motions. But how do you inspire your team to truly prepare and prioritize practice?

Discover the profound “why” behind dedicated practice! Backed by biblical precedents, uncover how preparation is an act of worship, a pathway to skillful musicianship, and a means to create excellence that draws people to the Creator.

But that’s not all! You’ll also learn practical reasons why practice matters, revealing how it unlocks confidence, freedom in worship, and ultimately, a more enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

Reignite your team’s passion and elevate your worship experience!

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Speaker Placement for Churches & What to Buy

Choosing the Right Speakers for Your Church

In a recent interview with Cade Young from Collaborate Worship, audio expert Michael Curtis shared valuable insights on selecting and setting up speakers for church spaces. Curtis emphasized the importance of speaker coverage, ensuring that every person in the audience is within the sound cone and not left in silence.

To visualize how speakers will cover a space, Curtis recommended using software like Ease Focus 3, which creates a “weather map” of sound levels in each seat. This helps determine if more speakers or repositioning is needed for even coverage.

Aiming Speakers for Optimal Sound Distribution

When aiming a single point source speaker at an audience, Curtis advised pointing it at head height of the last row. The center of a speaker’s throw is the loudest, tapering off towards the edges. By aiming the center at the back row, the bottom half of the speaker’s coverage reaches the front row effectively.

To ensure precise aiming, Curtis suggested three methods: eyeballing, using a laser pointer with a helper, or measuring with microphones during system tuning. The goal is to achieve similar sound levels from front to back.

Determining Power Requirements and Speaker Size

Manufacturers publish specs on speaker SPL (sound pressure level) at a distance of one meter. By calculating the drop in decibels over distance and considering the average to peak level difference in a live mix, one can estimate the achievable SPL at a given point in the audience.

When choosing between wider coverage or a larger woofer size, Curtis recommended prioritizing coverage. Selecting the largest driver size (up to 15 inches) that fits the coverage needs is ideal for achieving louder and cleaner sound.

Protecting Speakers and Ensuring Longevity

To protect speakers and extend their lifespan, Curtis suggested aiming for at least 3-6 dB of headroom. While modern speakers have built-in limiters, consistently pushing them to the limit can degrade sound quality and shorten their life.

Higher-end speakers offer benefits such as linearity over SPL (consistent sound at various volumes) and consistent coverage patterns off-axis. Larger speakers in a space won’t hurt performance but may require extra attention to gain structure to avoid noise floor issues.

Recommended SPL Levels and Hearing Safety

For churches, Curtis typically aims for 91-92 dB A-weighted from the middle of the audience. He stressed the importance of using a calibrated measurement microphone to accurately assess SPL at different locations, as perceived loudness can vary based on frequency balance and personal sensitivity.

Prolonged exposure to levels over 100 dB A-weighted can be harmful. Low frequencies can also cause damage, making it crucial to monitor both A-weighted and C-weighted exposure. Curtis emphasized the responsibility of audio engineers to create full, enveloping mixes while prioritizing the audience’s hearing health.

Simplifying Speaker Placement for Small Churches

For those seeking a quick tip on setting up speakers in a small church, Curtis advised dividing the audience in half and placing speaker stands at the midpoint of each half, as high as possible. Aiming the speakers through the middle of each zone ensures maximum coverage, even if the speakers are too wide or narrow.

By following Michael Curtis’ expert advice, churches can optimize their sound systems for ideal coverage, clarity, and safety, enhancing the worship experience for all attendees.

Visit Collaborate Worship

Should Your Praise Set Be Before or After the Sermon?

I recently visited a church who prides themselves in always doing their praise sets after the sermon. In fact, the Sunday I visited, the pastor explained in great detail why they do this (does this explanation happen every Sunday?) – they want to give the congregation the opportunity to “respond” to the message (as in musically – we’re not talking about going forward while singing “Just As I Am.”)

Great! So let’s see how this works out in real life. I sat through a fantastic sermon that really got me thinking – it hit home in a powerful way. Then, the praise set started and the feeling that immediately came over me was one of… annoyance.

I felt literally annoyed to be singing. I did not want to sing. I did not want to learn new songs (I recognized one out of the three songs in their praise set.)

Let Me Marinate On That Message!

What I wanted to do was think about the message.

Now whether you do your music before or after the message is neither right nor wrong. However in this case, the church’s actions (worship after the sermon) completely thwarted their intentions (helping me reflect on the sermon.) Surely I’m not the only person in the congregation to have had this reaction (and in typical megachurch fashion, the more a congregation complains about “X” the more mega leadership digs in their heels.) After over twenty years of church work, I’ve noticed church leaders can sometimes come up with ideas that look absolutely marvelous on paper but don’t work so marvelously in real life. Then, they stubbornly continue on that not-so-marvelous path with absolutely no course correction.

Why Most Churches Do Praise Sets Before the Sermon

There’s a practical reason why most churches I’ve visited and worked in do their praise sets before the sermon:

Worship warms the soul. Sure, music is more than a warm-up to the sermon (although many a pastor really doesn’t believe this) but the time-tested paradigm of music+message just… works. The classic contour of a few upbeat songs that cool down into a worship ballad or two simply arrests, then engages a crowd who mostly arrive in a frenzy after having fought with kids to make it to church on time. Now just how often have you felt that “sweet spirit” in the congregation after an exceptionally touching worship ballad – then the pastor gets up to deliver the sermon and has their undivided attention?

The Power of a Well-Placed Praise Set

I’ve seen it time and time again – a skillfully crafted worship set can soften hearts and prepare minds to receive the Word. It’s like a spiritual appetizer that whets the appetite for the main course. When we rush into the message without allowing people to transition from their hectic lives into a posture of worship, we miss out on a prime opportunity to create an atmosphere conducive to life-change.

Mix It Up, Church!

To this church I’d say: if you want to plan your service this way, fine. But must you follow the same order every single week? Try changing it up on occasion – how about three weeks with music after the sermon and one before? The same churches who would denounce a dead, unchanging liturgy have actually created their own contemporary version.

The Bottom Line on Praise Set Placement

There’s no one-size-fits-all formula for crafting the perfect service. But in my humble (yet experienced) opinion, placing the praise set before the sermon is usually the way to go. It allows for a natural flow and progression, preparing hearts and minds to engage with the message.

That said, I’m all for mixing things up now and then! If you feel called to experiment with post-sermon worship, go for it – but pay attention to how your congregation responds. And please, don’t do it every week without fail. Variety is the spice of life, and it’s the secret sauce of vibrant, engaging worship services too.

10 Top Worship Leading Tips

Worship leaders – we know the struggle is real. Keeping your team engaged, your congregation connected, and your heart centered on God amid the weekly whirlwind.

What if we told you there are battle-tested strategies to revolutionize your ministry? From managing the little things (like actually starting on time!) to the life-giving keys to team dynamics and personal spiritual vitality…

Unpack 10 game-changing principles no worship leader should be without. Equal parts practical wisdom and spiritual depth.

Discover why the newest songs aren’t always best…how to avoid hijacking by trends…and the sanity-saving truth that it’s OK to stop a derailed set.

Whether you’re a veteran on the platform or just starting out, take an honest look at cultivating true worship – from the small habits to the massive heartset shifts.

The Sunday morning grind doesn’t have to leave you depleted. Unleash the power of transformative worship services! The insights await…

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9 Reasons Your Church Might Need a Choir

Choirs in Church: A Relic of the Past or a Missed Opportunity?

Most churches have long abandoned choirs, seen as stale and outdated. But could they actually revitalize worship? This article makes a compelling case for why every church should consider resurrecting the choir.

From fostering multigenerational fellowship to offering avenues for discipleship…from elevating congregational singing to avoiding worship leader celebrity culture – the humble choir may pack more punch than you thought.

Tradition meets innovation as the author argues how choirs can complement modern praise teams. Discover why a spirit-filled, well-led choir might be exactly what’s missing from your church’s worship experience.

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