Streaming and Licensing Worship: Best Practices

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Judge Grants Restraining Order to Allow Easter Service

  • A federal judge in Louisville, Kentucky issued a temporary restraining order allowing On Fire Christian Church to hold a drive-in Easter service, preventing the city from enforcing a ban on such services by the mayor.
  • The church had been holding drive-in services for nearly a month, with attendees remaining in their cars parked 6 feet apart and following CDC guidelines.
  • The religious liberty law group First Liberty Institute, which represented the church, said the judge recognized the mayor’s ban violated the church’s religious freedom.
  • While banning drive-in church services, the mayor allowed drive-through operations like restaurants and liquor stores to continue.
  • Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell praised the ruling as defending Kentuckians’ religious liberty, saying churches could not be singled out with unfair standards compared to other establishments.
  • The judge stated Louisville was violating the Free Exercise Clause by prohibiting drive-in churches while allowing various other drive-in and drive-through venues.

Read the full story.

Easter Service Includes Mariah Carey and Tyler Perry

  • Pastor Joel Osteen’s virtual Easter Sunday service featured special video messages from Tyler Perry and Mariah Carey.
  • Tyler Perry reflected on the coronavirus pandemic as a “reset” that makes people appreciate things they took for granted, and hopes it leads to more love and embracing each other after it ends.
  • He praised the rise in people praying and calling out to God during this tragic time.
  • Mariah Carey performed an emotional rendition of “Hero” from her home as a tribute to first responders and essential workers on the frontlines.
  • The service brought together these major celebrities to spread messages of hope, faith, gratitude and perseverance during the challenging pandemic.
  • Originally Kanye West was planned to perform as well, but ended up not appearing due to social distancing concerns.

Read the full article.

Worship Leader Misery

I know a worship leader who recently “left” his church. They said they wanted the typical megachurch-style worship, produced and professional, and that’s what he gave them.

The congregation seemed to love it and attendance grew but unfortunately, that’s not what they really wanted. When Aunt Bessie’s honkey-tonk Southern Gospel piano riffs don’t fit in with the style of Elevation Worship, spineless leadership caves when she complains about not playing enough and threatens to leave the church.

Non-musical elders, deacons and pastors can’t fathom why there’s a dilemma – they want the bells and whistles (and crowds) of megachurch worship yet don’t understand why Aunt Bessie can’t be a part of it. They don’t really want modern worship as much as they want to keep some people happy and not rock the boat.

I know of another church music director from the old Willow Creek performance school – i.e. top 40 secular hits to open the service with little to no congregational singing. When his pastor wanted the services to be more “churchy” (i.e. actually singing songs about God) the music director quit in frustration – he was a gigging nightclub musician with no understanding or interest in worship music.

So misery sometimes abounds in the church music world – you can be miserable if you want to do contemporary worship and miserable if you don’t!

The problem is you might be in the wrong church. One big thing I wish I had known as a young music director was: does my style match my place of ministry? I’m not against either Aunt Bessie’s Southern Gospel or Elevation – ministries should be stylistically different to reach as many people as possible. But if you’re a Hillsong-type worship leader I’d think twice before accepting a Southern Gospel style church job – even if the leadership wants you and claims to have plans for updating their music.

Take a look at yourself this week – what are your personal goals and strengths in ministry? Do they line up with the direction of your church? If not, and you’re feeling frustrated, it might either be time for a heart to heart talk with your leadership or time to start looking for another job.

Bottom Line: A lot of worship leader misery comes from a ministry mismatch.

7-Step Plan For Easter Guest Follow-up

Calling all churches! Easter Sunday is right around the corner, which means your pews may soon be flooded with unfamiliar faces seeking to connect (or reconnect) with the miraculous story at the heart of Christianity. But are you truly prepared to harness this golden opportunity?

Don’t let these precious guests slip through the cracks! We’ve crafted the ultimate 7-step game plan to ensure your Easter follow-up efforts are an overwhelming success. From capturing attendance intel to extending authentic welcomes, we’ve got you covered on making every visitor feel right at home.

But that’s just the start! Discover creative giveaway ideas that’ll keep your church top-of-mind, automation hacks for personalized ministry outreach, and surefire tips to transform return visitors into engaged members. Heck, we’ll even reveal how to leverage the power of social media to keep the Easter momentum going strong!

So brace yourselves, churches – with our foolproof strategy, you’ll be equipped to spread Christ’s love far beyond the holiday weekend. Get ready to turn those Easter drop-ins into a lasting part of your flock with insights that’ll have you proclaiming “Hallelujah!”

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