Joel Auge Interview with All About Worship
September 8, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under All About Worship, Integrity Music, Joe Brookhouse, Joel Auge, articles, insights, interview, worship leader, worship leading
Here’s a special interview our very own Joe Brookhouse did with Integrity Music artist Joel Auge.
A: The whole album explores the idea of the power, presence and potential of invisible things. Faith is invisible, but undeniable… especially when you’ve spent a long time trusting someone. There’s no need to question them after they’ve been there for you over and over again. You can just believe in them. Hope is invisible, but drives us to persevere when we’ve lost it all. Love is invisible, but nobody would deny it’s existence. And although many people question God’s existence, these three things help us perceive His interest in us. He is passionate about us – and shows us by using many very real invisible things. The universe is personal – and Jesus is the person behind it all. That’s what I wanted to convey.
Q: Your style of art-rock isn’t commonly found in today’s worship music. How do you see it fitting in with corporate worship? Which songs from “Invisible Things” have had the most impact on your congregation at The Meeting House?
A: This last year has been a time of deep transition for the music at the Meetinghouse. Sadly, I haven’t been able to use any of my songs there yet… but plan to in the not-so-distant future, once we’ve nailed down how to best navigate our new musical waters 
Q: The production on “Invisible Things” is striking. In particular, the middle third of the album is reminiscent (at least to this listener) of Fleetwood Mac circa “Tusk”, produced by Lindsay Buckingham. Tell us about your production team.How did you select them for this project? How much influence did they have on the “feel” of the album?
A: I was in the middle of selecting a big L.A. Producer (who I love, and shall remain nameless) for this project when I stumbled upon a new artist/producer ”Alexander Fairchild” and his first project. I have to use quotes because “Alexander Fairchild” is Nathan Finochio’s pseudonym. Nathan, and David Kuwabara our engineering producer, have been toiling away in their own little studio at Koinonia Christian Fellowship, in Bloomingdale Ontario for several years together. They’ve been honing their craft every night in secret. Upon hearing Nathan’s record, I immediately fell in love with the raw style and musicality of their stuff. They also allowed for a lot of noise to stay on the project. I love noise. I love hearing the room and the air between the instruments and the microphones. It turned out, they were local and this was smack dab at the end of Michelle’s pregnancy. I’m first a husband and this was our first baby – so I wanted to stick around for that. I’m sure everyone understands As it turns out, God was giving me a special gift by building this amazing relationship with Nathan and David right near my home. I went into the studio and immediately knew we could do something amazing together. We approached the project with this vision: “If we couldn’t record the instrument in one whole pass for the whole song, it shouldn’t be there. We want performances, not necessarily perfection.” We didn’t use any auto-tune on the lead-vocals and I forced myself to sing whole passes of the songs and then pick the pass we liked the most. The whole thing has this organic feel. I’m really quite happy with the outcome. Here’s another reason it was amazing: Nathan is a killer multi-instrumentalist. If you open the album credits you’ll see that his skills are ALL OVER this record, and David is always recording-ready. It made the demoing process incredibly quick. Nathan knows what he just played on the drums when he picks up the bass, and then the guitar, and then the piano… so it’s like there’s a whole band in his head – and he knows all of their parts perfectly when he’s playing… because he IS the whole band. He’s a stunning talent. But stunning talent is only as good as the way it’s captured… and that’s where Dave comes in. A true audiophile, Dave is committed to capturing audio in its purest form. In fact, we recorded nearly everything in the console room – where all the instruments are setup. No vocal booth, or drum room. Just… one room… with everything in it. It was awesome. There was no conscious effort to have “a sound”… although I appreciate the Fleetwood Mac comparison… I grew up listening to FM with my brothers and sisters.
Q: Much as with secular music, Canadian artists frequently take a backseat to their American counterparts. Do you find there is a challenge in reaching across the borders and getting the attention of American worship leaders?
A: I try not to pay attention to divides. Although I guess a border is a real, yet invisible thing. (Ha! – Stupid joke… sorry). Not to be contrarian, but I have to disagree. If you look at the spectrum of Canadian artists who are superstars in the U.S., there’s a deep history of Canadian success in the U.S. music (and broader entertainment) industry. (To clarify, I’m not interested in being a superstar – believe me). Canada has 1/10 the population of our friends to the south, but Canada as a whole produces a ton of great artists. In the realm of worship music it’s no different. Brian Doerksen, David Ruis, Starfield, Paul Baloche (who is born of Canadian parents – he just HAPPENED to be in the U.S. when it happened 
, Chris Tomlin (okay… Chris isn’t even remotely close to being Canadian, but the thousands of people who follow articles on Chris will read this article just to find out why he was mentioned, and then they’ll learn that he’s not Canadian at all – useful info to be certain). There is no backseat. I like to think we’re both drivers in a race to have people experience God… The American car is just bigger. Isn’t it always?
Q: What Canadian artists have been influential to you? What other Canadian artists should we be aware of including other worship leaders? Who’s flying under the radar?
A: Nathan, for one, is coming out with a worship record written and performed with his brother. They’re both amazing. Look out for it.
Q: Many worship leaders have other full-time commitments and lead worship as volunteers. You are managing fatherhood, running a software company, leading worship, writing music, and promoting a new album. How do you do it and what advice would you give those volunteer worship leaders in terms of balancing priorities?
A: God is gracious… and I have a patient wife. If I’m honest – it’s not easy. I find it hard to balance them all. I try to live one day at a time. I commit to doing what I’m currently doing at the very highest capacity possible. I surround myself with amazing people who are better at what they do than I am at what I do. People who are good at what they do are usually highly productive.
Q: A question we ask at the end of every interview…share with us your most embarrassing moment while leading worship.
A: This could be any number of different situations…. but if I had to pick one… I’d say it was a time, early on when I was leading worship with Capstone (my first worship band after becoming a Christ-follower), where I was jumping around the stage – quite actively – and giving it my all – when under the full force of one of my bellows, the button of my pants popped off! The crazy thing was… I noticed quite quickly (before my pants fell off) and somehow finished the song while holding onto my pants with the bottom of my guitar. After the song I transitioned to a song where Brad would play an instrumental piano piece while I figured things out. A shoe-string later and I was up and running again. Improvising is key.
Don’t Forget About the People! (Article & Giveaway)
September 7, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under Barry Westman, articles, worship, worship band, worship leader, worship leading, worship team
There are many challenges that a worship leader faces on a weekly basis, from choosing music to arranging songs, planning the service, rehearsing the team, and the list goes on. With the focus so much on the music and planning, you have to be careful not to forget about the people. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of seeing your singers, band members and tech crew as just that – singers, band members and the tech crew, instead of real people with real lives and real hurts and needs. The danger is to value your volunteers for what they can do for you and the ministry, instead of valuing them as people. When that happens, it only leads to resentment, frustration and a disconnect on the part of the volunteers.
I believe that all of us as worship leaders should be equally concerned with what’s going on in the lives of our singers and band members as we are with what songs we’re doing this week. Whether your official title is Worship Pastor, Worship Leader, or Director of Worship, we are all still called to serve the people in our ministry as well as lead the congregation. We have to move beyond just seeing those on our team as tools at our disposal, to actually building relationships with them.
Building these relationships with the musicians and artists on your team will have so many positive results. When someone on the team is going through a rough time (illness, job loss, relationship issues, etc…), hopefully they feel they can come to you with what’s going on, and you will be truly concerned for them and the situation, not just concerned with whether they are still able to play/sing that week. We all are familiar with Galatians 6:2, which says to “Share each other’s burdens” (NLT); but we also need to remember Galatians 6:3 “If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself.” (NLT) We don’t get a pass on being the one to care for those God has placed under us. Also, when the artists on your team really know that you care about them, they will be much more apt to stick around and invest themselves in the ministry.
So, what does this look like on a weekly basis? What are some things you can incorporate in your worship ministry to foster relationships? Please leave a comment below, and share some ideas and things that you have done at your church! But, I’ll just list a few quick ideas. Rehearsal nights are huge in this area! Make sure to be prepared for your rehearsal well in advance so you can use those precious minutes before the rehearsal as people are coming in to just ask them how they’re doing, or get to know them, rather than run around doing last minute details. Make sure to include a prayer time in your rehearsal. Sharing prayer requests and praying for one another is a great way to build bridges.
Also, make sure to spend time with your team outside of rehearsal nights and Sundays. Take someone out to lunch, just to invest time with them, and to let them know you’re praying for them. Also, make sure to plan some events throughout the year for everyone in your ministry to get together just for fun! At our church, we have monthly worship ministry gatherings, where one month we’ll focus on fellowship, and the next month our focus is training. On the fellowship nights, we’ll invite everyone to come with their families for a night of food, games and fun! We’ll provide the drinks, plates, etc, and each family brings a dish to share. We’ve had Wii tournaments, table games, CD giveaways, and more. It’s great to see some of our seniors who serve on our Traditional worship team interact with the young kids on those nights! On the training nights, we’ll usually invite just those on the team, and ask them to bring a snack to share. We’ll start with worship, and then spend time focusing on both the heart and the art of worship. We’ve used different DVDs and books that focus on the heart of worship, as well as DVDs that focus on the practical training on vocals, style, or certain instruments. If you’re looking for resources of this kind, I’d check out the “RE:VERB// Conversations on Biblical Worship” DVD by Ross Parsley and Glenn Packiam; or any of the DVDs in Paul Baloche’s Modern Worship Series. We also have a more in-depth prayer time for one another on these nights.
We’ve had several difficult situations here at our church the last few months, and I’ve been reminded of the importance of relationships in the worship ministry. I’ve been honored to have some of the team really open up and share their concerns, hurts and joys with me. It has to be about more than just the music – we’re a family!
Barry Westman
All About Worship
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Here’s the giveaway…Re:Verb (Conversations on Biblical Worship) Vol. 1 DVD. Leave a comment (of at least two sentences) on this post to be entered.
Deadline: 9pm CST, Monday, September 13th. You must be at least 18 years old to qualify. We ask that the winner donate $3 to help cover shipping & handling.
Joel Auge – Invisible Things CD Review
September 5, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under Joel Auge, Reviews, music, worship
From the very beginning Joel Auge’s Invisible Things is novel, without treading into garish or contrived. It strikes a unique blend of artistry and approachability. Auge’s vocals evoke bits of Band of Horses, Sufjan Stevens and–to my particular liking–Bon Iver (primarily in the song “You and Your Things”, which incidentally, I could listen to on repeat for approximately 5 years before I began to tire of it).
“Be Lifted”, the opening track, is lyrically quite simple, but delivers foundational theology (“You came to rescue and redeem / We rejoice because You came to save our lives / Be lifted”), and in my opinion is a perfect congregational song to begin a worship service.
The song entitled “OK” could well have been called “Brilliant”. It has a whimsical tenor to it that isn’t often explored in the worship genre (making use of harps, bells, and what sounds like drum sticks on a counter-top!). Auge displays his vocal prowess on this track by keeping predominantly in falsetto.
“Show Your Love”. This one is interesting to me. It sounds like Jason Mraz and Ringo Starr ran full-speed at one another and this song was the result. Perfect pop melody with what I believe to be a tuba playing in the background. But again, pulling no theological punches.
And I think Thom Yorke, Philip Selway and Jonny Greenwood snuck in a track by the name of “Reach Out”. I’m not complaining though. I’d be thrilled to see more of that in Joel’s future releases.
Congregational Songs: “”Be Lifted”, You Found Me”, “Here To Love” & “Save Me”.
Check out the album on iTunes.
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Review by Dan Cogan
Worship Leading Lesson #1: It’s Not Your Ministry
September 2, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under Ben Abu Saada, Worship Leading Lessons, worship leading
Some of the best lessons I’ve learned in life are through trying, failing, trying, failing, failing, trying and succeeding every once in awhile. I’m not foolish enough to think I’ve got it all figured out, but I do have some things that I hope can be an encouragement to anyone willing to read. These are a few random worship leading lessons God continues to teach me.
Dumping of Gear = Dumping of Pride
In January, 1993 I received Christ as my savior at the age of 18 years old. Leading up to that moment I found myself getting steeped in music. I had begun playing in bars surrounding myself with influences that would ultimately lead to a lifestyle that could be harmful to my health. Thankfully, God interceded and completely changed my heart.
It didn’t happen overnight. The salvation happened instantly…but the transformation of someone desiring to be a “rock star”, center of attention….to one who knew he was a child of God didn’t happen instantly. It came over time.
Soon after I became a Christian, I realized my desires were shifting from pursuing music, to pursuing a relationship with God. I was convicted about where my affections were being drawn to and decided a radical change needed to happen. I donated all of my electric guitar gear to my local church for a missions cause. I believe in my walk with God, this was a huge moment of growth.
What I began to learn was nothing I did mattered if I didn’t give it all to the Lord. That meant my money, my talents, my abilities, my desires….everything. After a year of not being involved with music, I was invited to be a part of the worship ministry in my College and Career Class I was a part of at the time. This is where I began cutting my teeth on what it meant to do music for a completely different cause.
It’s Not YOUR Ministry
I love being a part of ministry, especially being able to use the talent God has blessed me with. Every once in a while I need to be reminded that the ministry I’m a part of is not MINE…it’s God’s. When I hear musicians use the term “my ministry”, it makes me cringe. It’s an indicator for me that communicates the heart of someone who is in it to bring their talent/skill to the team and may not give much care to the other team members or the church-wide vision. Essentially every Christ follower needs to answer this one question:
Are you willing to give up what you love the most in order to let God make you a true worshiper?
In Psalm 51 we read the story of a repentant David who realizes it makes no difference what sacrifice he brings to the Lord, but that God is simply concerned with a broken heart. For worship leaders and team members, you may feel that you’re bringing the very best of what you have in your skill to the Lord, but if you don’t have the heart of a true worshiper of God…it doesn’t matter.
Many times we wrap our identities up in the things we do. Whether a job, a ministry we’re a part of, a ministry we lead. Eventually we begin to place our hope in our skills and in these roles we play. When those roles or that job is gone, we then become hopeless. God wants our hope and strength to rest completely and solely on Jesus Christ.
So here’s a challenge to you worship leaders and team members. Redirect your focus. It’s not about YOUR skill, it’s not about YOUR talent. Are you truly worshiping Christ with your talent? Or are you deceiving yourself thinking your sacrifice has been acceptable to the Lord when all along, you’ve been carrying bitterness and a heart that is tainted by an attitude that this is YOUR ministry not God’s?
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
Psalm 51:16-17 (NKJV)
-Ben Abu Saada
Jeremy Camp – We Cry Out (Review & Giveaway)
August 30, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under Barry Westman, Giveaway, Jeremy Camp, Reviews, free music, worship
(A review by Barry Westman)
Grammy-nominated and Grammy-winning artist Jeremy Camp recently released his second worship project, entitled We Cry Out: The Worship Project. This is a solid worship album, with a nice mix of several original worship songs penned by Jeremy, other new songs co-written with some of today’s finest worship artists, as well as five familiar worship songs done in Jeremy’s contemporary rock style.
We Cry Out kicks off with a driving version of Tim Hughes’ “Jesus Saves”, followed by the first collaboration of the project, “Not Ashamed”, co-written with Jon Egan. Jeremy also uses one of Jon Egan’s other songs on this project, “Overcome”. Even with the slightly different approach to the rhythm of the lyrics on the chorus, which threw me off at first, the arrangement of “Overcome” with the full choir is very inspiring, and one of my favorite tracks on the whole CD! “The Way” is another driving, anthemic song, co-written with his brother –in-law Brad Peens.
The other cover songs on the album, including Hillsong’s “Mighty To Save”, Brenton Brown’s “Everlasting God” and Matt Redman’s “You Never Let Go”, all are very solid arrangements, each taking on a slightly different feel with Jeremy’s contemporary rock sound. He also co-wrote the title song “We Cry Out” with Brenton Brown. The other collaboration on the project, “You Are the Lord” co-written with Matt Maher, is a powerful worship anthem that I’m sure churches will begin to incorporate.
Jeremy closes the album out with two originals “Unrestrained” and “King Jesus”, both highlights of the project. The lyrically powerful “Unrestrained” (“So take this selfish heart of mine / I want to give it all / I’ve wasted too much time / I want to know you more / completely unrestrained”) has a very characteristic Jeremy Camp sound, with a memorable hook heard in the intro and all the way through. “King Jesus” is a great way to end this worship project, as it talks about the hope and confidence we can have in our King Jesus, the victorious Conqueror of death!
Jeremy’s heart for worship and for the Lord comes shining through in this project. I would highly recommend this well rounded worship project to worship leaders and worshippers alike! I know I’ve enjoyed listening to it over and over again these past few days. You can pick the album up at iTunes, where you can also find the Deluxe Edition which comes with four additional songs and two behind the scenes videos.
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Leave a comment (at least two sentences) on this post by Friday, Sept. 3rd @ 9pm CST for your chance to win a free copy of We Cry Out. We will pick two random winners. You must be at least 18 years old to be eligible.
Episode 50: Interview with Matt Papa
August 27, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under All About Worship Retreat, Ben Abu Saada, Matt Papa, Podcast Show Notes, Wisdom Moon, WorshipPlanning.com
We’ve reached 50 episodes!!! This week we hear an interview Wisdom did with songwriter/worship leader – Matt Papa. During the recent National Worship Leader Conference here in Kansas, Matt was gracious enough to sit down and talk over dinner. And, Matt’s most embarrassing moment leading worship…it’s a doozy. We’ll also get to your calls and another giveaway! Oh…and accents…
Listener Messages
- We received a voicemail from a longtime listener, Matt Neff. His question is for all of you “How do you start your worship services? Do you use a countdown clock? Prayer? Announcement?” We’d love to hear your answer. Just drop a comment below or give us a call at 913.735.4229.
Quick Links
- WorshipPlanning.com – Once again, be sure to check out this fantastic tool for worship
leaders. Awesome for assigning volunteers, planning music, planning services and communicating with worship ministry volunteers. - Podbean.com – This week’s toolbox item. Check out the podcasting tool we use to make this podcast available.
- Factor7Agency.com – If you need help with podcasting, social media and other web tools, check out how Wisdom can help your local church.
- MattPapa.com – Visit Matt’s website.
- Your Kingdom Come – Get Matt’s latest album on iTunes. One of Ben’s faves of the year.
- Matt on Twitter – Follow Matt @Matt_Papa
- Open Hands – Get the song we shared on iTunes.
- Matt’s Facebook Page – Check out Matt’s Facebook page.
- WorshipRetreat.org – Check out our next retreat in May.
Giveaway
- Free Music – Don’t forget to watch the AAW blog for our CD giveaways during the months of August and September! Lots of music goodies you won’t want to miss out on. So…subscribe to the blog and leave comments on posts with giveaways for your chance to win! You can enter once a week!
- Episode 50 giveaway! – FREE registration to our retreat coming up in May 19 – 21. Learn more about the retreat at www.WorshipRetreat.org. All you have to do is head over to the website and leave a comment on the giveaway post.
Contact Us
- Twitter – Follow AAW on Twitter. You can also follow Wisdom and Ben.
- Facebook – Join us on Facebook.
- 913.735.4229 – Leave us your own voice message.
Listen
Check us out on iTunes. Feedburner. Or stop by our Archive page and listen in.
Thanks
A special thanks to Matt for stopping by the show! Big thanks WorshipPlanning.com for loving the worship leader by sponsoring the show. Give ‘em love friends!
And of course…THANK YOU for listening!!!!
And as promised….Matt Papa is….Napoleon Dynamite:
Worship Star by Shekelback – a light-hearted look at the Worship Music Industry
August 23, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under videos, worship leader, worship leading, youtube
A word from the creator of this video:
This cheeky comedy version of a well known secular rock track is intended to make you smile, rather than get on your soap box! If you know the original song, it is a cartoon parody of the ‘rock star’ lifestyle through the eyes of a wannabe -- this is takes that idea and applies it to the worship industry i.e. it doesn’t tell it like it is, it is a cartoon parody of how many wannabes perceive their life will be if they become a famous worship leader. It’s about the wannabes NOT about worship leaders or famous Christian bands. Just want to make that clear before I get a barrage of complaints from worship leaders!! Here’s the story behind the song…
I wrote the lyrics after meeting some kids after a show by my rock band in Bristol, UK. They said they were in a band. I asked them -- So are you a rock band like us, or do you do praise and worship? Their reply took me by surprise. They said -- Oh definitely worship; our youth leader told us that if we want to be famous and make a lot of money, we need to be a worship band.
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What do you think about this music video?
Aaron Keyes, Not Guilty Anymore – CD Review (and Giveaways)
August 21, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under Giveaway, Mandy Thompson, Reviews, free music, music, worship leader
A review by Mandy Thompson
Aaron is a worship leader at heart. He brings to the church songs that are singable, inspiring, and truth-filled. His lyrics are accessible, clear and simple. No need to for interpretation, we know exactly what his songs are about. We know the message and how we are to respond to the words.
He asks important questions like: “Who will cry out, unashamed, ‘He is glorious?’” “When will our faith be a burden no more? When will I not have to hope anymore?” And beautifully brings God’s words to us: ” Doesn’t matter where you’ve been, Hear me tell you I forgive.” “Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul.” This album carries both a modern hymn, and a pop-rock praise song. With beautiful ballads and worshipful melodies in between.
Forever Worthy: Pretty, but with passion and power. Singable and accessible for the local church.
Psalm 62: Sung like a modern hymn, poetic, lyrical, beautiful. With an elegant and inspiring rise in the Chorus.
Blessing and Honour: I’ve always appreciated Aaron’s studied approach to worship leading. His knowledge is evident in this song, as it recounts the various names of God found in scripture, holding the heart behind these names in the chorus: blessing and honor, glory and power, be unto your name oh Lord.
I Am Yours: This song is a challenge to the Body of Christ – a challenge for us to stand up and declare that we are His. It’s a call to devotion. To speak up on God’s behalf in our lives.
Like Jesus: I can hear this song filling youth bands across the country. Rocking, fast, with power chords and steady beats, and a simple catchy message.
Not Guilty Anymore: This song soothes the weary soul. It brings a refreshing element of grace and love, through poetic lyrics and a solid melody.
Nothing Less Than Beautiful: “Even in tears, You’re always good to us.” Wow. What a song. Simple. Clear. This is a song of faith that runs deep. Much deeper than we realize. The lyrics are short, repeated, and will quickly be written on the heart of the hearer.
Help Me Lord: The tonal makeup of this song is unique. The instruments used to create the accompaniment feel reflective and pensive. There’s a waiting for God to come – to help us to trust Him.
Where Are You Now: This song offers a beautiful melody in the midst of pain, offering worshipers a moment to ask questions that we don’t often ask in worship songs. I’ve wanted a song like this in church – and I know others will be relieved that we finally have one.
Not What My Hands: Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful. I’m not sure what it is that draws me into the melody of this song, but I love it. And the message of the song is that we can’t fix ourselves. “Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul.”
You Never Cease to Amaze Me: We don’t sing songs like this – that sound like this – mysterious and rocking, all at the same time. I love how this song has been pulled together – the verse and chorus work together in a fantastic pop-rock way, but it’s still singable and catchy. Congregations will love this, and bands will have a blast playing it.
CLICK HERE to check out Aaron’s music on iTunes. The album release date is Aug. 24.
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Here’s the giveaway…Re:Verb (Conversations on Biblical Worship) Vol. 1 DVD and Saint Lewis’ “Songs From The Hope Farm” CD. Leave a comment (of at least two sentences) on this post to be entered.
Deadline: 9pm CST, August 24th. You must be at least 18 years old to qualify. Winner will need to donate $4 to help cover shipping & handling.
Choosing Worship Songs: Determine the Message
August 19, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under Ben Abu Saada, Choosing Worship Songs, worship leading
Previously during this little “mini-series” of posts, I’ve talked about the direction of the song and whether it’s horizontal or veritical. We’ve also looked at the whole issue of musical styles in worship. Another HUGELY important aspect of selecting worship songs, is considering the direction of the message your pastor is assembling.
What’s the Message?
Each Sunday I try and make sure to listen to the message, if I can’t focus on it each week due to other duties during the service, I try and download the audio file from our church website. Take time to talk with your pastor about the state of the flock and listen closely to what the needs are for him and for your church. The things you hear will help determine what message the church needs to sing about each week. As you serve as worship leader, you begin to learn that the role of a worship leader is to serve the church by supporting the vision God has given the Sr. Pastor.
When I assemble the “worship set” on Sunday, I usually set the list of music before me, pray, then begin searching for the appropriate songs for the message that week. Some Sunday’s require more songs about God’s grace, while other weeks may be a time to praise God for his faithfulness. Is this Sunday a week needed for music that directly addresses the Lord? Or is it a week to dwell and meditate on the truth of God and His nature?
So this is just another step in choosing worship songs. Praying about the needs of your church and pastor are key in determining what songs need to be sung to support the message. My next step is determine the flow of the service. Gets a little more technical. Hopefully this is not too boring. I know it’s not thrilling, but hey, it’s just a snapshot of the whole worship assembly process. If you have any ideas or thoughts, I’d love to hear them!
Originally posted on August 4, 2005 on Ben’s blog at BabuLife.blogs.com
How Many Singers Does It Take…?
August 18, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under Barry Westman, articles, vocals, worship conference, worship leader, worship leading, worship team
Before you get angry and think that this post is going to somehow include a demeaning joke about singers – WAIT! That was just the teaser used to get you to read this, and I guess it worked! There will be no making fun of singers here today!!
There’s actually been a question rumbling around in my mind the past few months, and it has to do with how many worship team vocalists to include on the team. From observing several different worship teams over the past few months, I’ve noticed that there are a variety of ways to do it, ranging from just 1 other singer besides the worship leader, 3-4 singers, and all the way to a whole choir. I would love to hear your comments on how many singers you include with your team, and why.
We typically have 3-4 worship team vocalists on stage, along with myself leading from the keyboard. We also have a couple of singers, usually, in the band singing from guitars. We also have a worship choir of about 20-30 people that sings once a month along with the band and worship team singers.
But, lately, as I’ve watched services online and at various conferences, I’ve noticed that frequently there’s the worship leader plus one other singer on harmony. If the worship leader is male, there’s often 1 female singer on harmony and that’s it. Is this done to give it a more contemporary sound? It does sound a lot like what you hear on the radio today. But, is the concert and radio stage different than the church platform?
How is this worked out in the church? We have so many singers on our rotation, that people would not get as much opportunity to sing on the team with only a few singers each week. Also, what about the tenor part? I’d miss the 3 pt. harmony that we’ve developed. Do you typically use 2 part harmony on your teams; 3 part? How many people do you have on each part? Do you have some kind of a choir that you use in contemporary worship? Does the size of the church make a difference? Does the style of music you do influence how many singers you use?
Let’s use this forum to share ideas and learn from each other. I would love to hear your comments on this topic, and learn what you are doing in your church.
Barry Westman
All About Worship
Worship Leader Highlight – Gary Durbin (and Giveaway!)
August 15, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under articles, interview, songwriting, worship leader, worship leader highlight
(Leave a comment on this post by Tuesday, August 17th, 9pm CST, to be entered into our giveaway. This week we are giving away: Lincoln Brewster’s “Today is The Day” Deluxe Edition [CD+DVD] AND ALM UK’s “Name Above All Names” Digital Songbook. You must be at least 18 years old to qualify.)
1.When and how did you know you were called to ministry?
My Dad has been a Music Minister in the local church all my life. I started singing in church when I was 6 yrs old, and I felt God’s call when I was 9-10 years old. As a kid, I felt God calling me to the music ministry of the local church. At the time, I wasn’t aware of the term “worship” or “worship leader”, but it definitely was a spiritual thing, even though I rarely heard about the Holy Spirit in church. I ran from that calling after high school for a while, and then in December of 2001, I surrendered to it finally. In May of 2002, I started leading worship full-time for the local church.
2.What do you do to keep yourself fresh as a worship leader and/or songwriter?
The basics. Read and study my Bible daily, and I try to devote more and more prayer time everyday. For accountability in that, I post “Word Wednesday” on my blog every Wednesday. My theory is that if you read your Bible everyday, God will give you at least one fresh Word every week. The most exciting times of writing and leading worship publicly has come from God speaking to me privately in a fresh way. Right now, my heart is really in discipleship. I just started discipling a couple of guys, and God is really teaching me and inspiring me through that. I’ve found that my quiet time and my personal relationship with God is the main way to avoid staleness in my ministry and in my life in general.
3. What are five worship songs you are really connecting with currently?
I haven’t done all of these songs in church, but in my personal listening…
“How He Loves” by John Mark McMillan – just introduced that to my church, and it caught immediately
“Jesus Saves” by Tim Hughes
“Come as You Are” by Pocket Full of Rocks
“Deliverer” by Vicky Beeching
“With Everything” by Hillsong United
4. What is the most important thing you would share with an up-and-coming artist or worship leader?
Invest in the local church. If God uses you or your music outside those walls…great, but let Him do that. Even if you do acquire some fame or notoriety, that will eventually fade. Your investment in lives in your local church is an eternal investment. Distinguish between your goals and your dreams. Go after and invest in your goals. Leave your dreams in God’s hands. Personally, my dreams are like a lot of artists. I would love to see one of my songs being sung in churches all over the world, but that’s not my goal. My goal is to impact my local church and ministry. Also, make sure to support your pastor or whoever is in authority over you in the church. Loyalty amongst the leadership of the church is a very healthy thing, and that unity will be a strength and encouragement to the church. I’ve learned that I don’t have to agree with my pastor all the time, but I must support him. If I have a problem with him or a decision, I make sure to talk with him, and not anyone else. It’s the right thing to do.
5. Could you share one of your most embarrassing moments while leading worship?
Probably the worst was about 5 years ago. I was leading worship with a brand new acoustic guitar that my Dad bought for me and my whole family happened to be there that Sunday. Right in the middle of a serious, calm, quiet moment of the worship set, my strap came unhooked from the guitar, and my brand new guitar came pounding down on the stage. It stopped everything, and I just laughed with everyone, tuned my guitar, and went on to the next song. My brother hasn’t let me forget about that one. Needless to say, I check my strap religiously now. J
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Gary is the worship pastor at Bethany Ministries in Melbourne, Florida. He has been leading worship in the local church since 2002. In 2005, he released his first album, “Everything”, and in 2008, he released his second called, “Far Away From Me”. His latest album is Kingdom EP released in 2010. He has had his songs recognized by Myrrh Records, WorshipSource.com, the Saddleback Worship Conference, and the National Worship Leader Conference. He and his wife, Jennifer, have been married since 1999 and have two young children. Gary’s passion is leading people in corporate worship and connecting them to the true God.
Check out Gary’s latest EP, “Kingdom”, on iTunes.
(Leave a comment on this post by Tuesday, August 17th, 9pm CST, to be entered into our giveaway. This week we are giving away: Lincoln Brewster’s “Today is The Day” Deluxe Edition [CD+DVD] AND ALM UK’s “Name Above All Names” Digital Songbook. You must be at least 18 years old to qualify. Winner will be asked to donate $4 to cover shipping & handling.)
Episode 49: Interview with John Mark McMillan
August 13, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under All About Worship Podcast, Ben Abu Saada, John Mark McMillan, Mandy Thompson, Podcast Show Notes, Wisdom Moon
This week on the All About Worship Podcast, Ben and Wisdom talk about their recent 
experience at the National Worship Leader Conference, hear your feedback and talk with our field reporter, Mandy Thompson. You also hear Wisdom’s retaliation for Ben’s “ID10T” comment on the previous show. It’s true…one of Ben’s many dreams was to one day become a rapper. And on this episode, we quickly find out why that dream never came true.
Quick Links
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MandyThompson.com -- Visit Mandy’s website.
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TheJohnMark.com -- John Mark’s official website.
The Medicine -- Get the John Mark’s new album on iTunes.
How He Loves Us -- Link to the single on iTunes.
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Giveaways
We are doing two big giveaways!
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Just leave a comment on the shownotes for “Episode 48: Darrell Evans Q&A” to be entered to win. Deadline is Aug 18th.
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Thanks
We want to say a BIG thanks to WorshipPlanning.com for sponsoring this episode. Start your 30 day free trial today. Be sure and follow them on Twitter at @worshipsense right here or find them on Facebook.
Thank you to Integrity Music for letting us play a clip of “How He Loves”! And HUGE thanks to John Mark for sharing his heart and time with us on the show!
And as always….THANK YOU for listening!!!!
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All About Worship Live: “Sr. Pastor and Worship Leader Relationship” Roundtable
August 10, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under All About Worship LIVE, Ben Abu Saada, Fred McKinnon, Podcast, Round Table, Tim Howey, Troy Kennedy, Wisdom Moon, worship leading
On Monday, August 16, Ben and Wisdom will be recording a “Roundtable” session for an upcoming podcast episode. This is our second roundtable since our initial “Manly Worship” back in October, 2009. The topic this time around…”Sr. Pastor and Worship Leader Relationship”.
How many of you worship leaders have struggled with your relationship with a “controlling” Sr. Pastor? How many Sr. Pastor’s have struggled with your “free spirited” worship leader? The Sr. Pastor/Worship Pastor relationship is extremely important in leading a local church week in and week out. Join us live on Talkshoe as we discuss how we can work together as a team with some experienced leaders in the local church and worship leading community. Meet our roundtable guests:
Tim Howey. Sr Pastor of Grace Church in Overland Park, KS. Tim and Ben have been working in ministry together for ten years. Visit www.TimHowey.com to learn more about Tim. He will be joining us live from the palatial All About Worship studio. If you’re going to talk about a Sr. Pastor and Worship Leader relationship….why not ask a Sr. Pastor to join us? Tim also facilitated a breakout session at the All About Worship Retreat in 2010.
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Troy Kennedy. Songwriter/Worship Pastor from Kansas City will be joining us. Troy has taught classes on worship leading ministry in conferences around the nation including the recent National Worship Leader Conference 2009 & 2010 and also at the All About Worship Retreat 2010. Log on to www.NewWorship.com to learn more about Troy.
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Fred McKinnon. Songwriter/Worship Leader from St. Simmons Island, GA will be joining the roundtable discussion. With the “Sunday Setlists” and TheWorshipCommunity, Fred has become an influential member of the online worship community. Visit www.FredMcKinnon.com and www.TheWorshipCommunity.com to learn more about Fred.
If you have any thoughts or questions that you would like to see discussed regarding this topic, please drop a comment and we’ll try and get to your questions. You can also join us live on Monday on Talkshoe at the link below and discuss with other listeners in the Talkshoe chatroom. The fun begins Monday, August 16 at 10 p.m. EST/ 9p.m. CST. Hope you can join us!
“Love God. Love People.” by Israel Houghton – A Review (and giveaway)
August 9, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under All About Worship, Barry Westman, Integrity Music, Israel Houghton, Reviews, articles, music, worship
by @bkwestman
I had the privilege of listening to “Love God. Love People.”, the new release by Israel Houghton set to release on August 31st. I have been anxiously awaiting his next release, following “The Power of One”, which was hugely successful, garnering a Grammy for the Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel album earlier this year. This new album was such a joy to listen to! It did not disappoint in any way!
As the title indicates, this new project “is a return to a simple, foundational Gospel command: Love the Lord with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself,” says Israel. The album was recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London, and features Israel and New Breed along with a group of outstanding guest artists, including Kirk Franklin’s vocals on “Mercies”, Fred Hammond on the bass guitar and smooth vocals in “Surprises”, and half of the Take 6 group on the beautiful “Hosanna (Be Lifted Higher)”, one of my favorite tracks on the whole album!
It’s hard to describe the style of this new album, with much of it having the all-familiar Israel Houghton gospel style, which is so wonderful! But, there is also a mix of rock, funk, pop, reggae, and a few more surprises thrown in, including The London Session Orchestra, and Israel’s version of the recent Passion song “Our God”.
From the first few seconds of the opening title track, I knew this album would be a lot of fun to listen to! I put on my headphones, turned up the volume, sat back and enjoyed a captivating musical journey filled with exciting moments of upbeat gospel praise, excellent tight vocal harmonies, outstanding musicians, and plenty of surprises along the way. I had to take off my “worship-leader-looking-for-new-songs” hat that I usually wear when listening to new albums, because although there are a couple of songs I can see introducing to our church (“You Hold My World” and “Hosanna (Be Lifted Higher)”), I thoroughly enjoyed just listening to this album, appreciating all of the outstanding, excellent musicians using their amazing talents to praise God!
Some of the stand-out tracks for me I’ve already mentioned, including “You Hold My World”, a great song that could easily be adapted for churches; “You Won’t Let Go”, which fuses Reggae, Rock and that huge horn section into a contagious mix of sounds that I just had to play over and over again; and “Hosanna (Be Lifted Higher)”, mixing the beautiful string sounds of the London Session Orchestra, a pure sound of a boys choir, the tight vocal harmonies of Take 6, and Israel and New Breed’s vocals into a powerful worship song that builds and builds to an amazing climax of worship. The perfect way to close out this powerful project!
You will definitely want to pick this CD up when it comes out the end of August. You will not want to miss it!!
Barry Westman
All About Worship
Leave a comment on this post for your chance to win BOTH Glenn Packiam’s “Rumors and Revelations” CD AND Jared Anderson’s “Live From My Church” CD and Digital Songbook. Deadline: 9pm CST, Wednesday, August 11, 2011. (You must be at least 18 years old to qualify.)
PLEASE NOTE: The winner will need to donate $4 to help cover shipping costs.
Choosing Worship Songs: Style
August 5, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under All About Worship, Ben Abu Saada, training, worship leading
All right, now here’s a topic that can get many a worship leader in trouble with their congregation. Choosing a style to present the music is a hot topic in and of itself. Rock, Reggae, Classical, R&B, Gospel, Country or traditional. These are just a few of the styles one can choose from when leading their church in worship. In this post, I’m going to share how I approach this issue.
Style
I have found that as a worship leader, it’s necessary to know that I am in this role to serve the church, not just entertain them. Once I learned and applied this principal, I discovered that I must not simply choose song styles based on my preferences. This is a difficult thing, because simply put, there are some styles that I enjoy more than others and there are some styles that the praise team can tackle better than others.
When people mention a cool worship song they’ve heard and say they’d love to hear our team do it, I quickly run through my mind the style and whether our team can play it at the level of excellence necessary. There are just some songs that we can pull off well and some that just don’t quite work. And that’s ok. Challenge your team to play things that they aren’t used to playing. You may just discover that you can play a little gospel along with your rock.
Now back to the people in the church. You must be willing to take risks in leadership. Serving the people does not mean catering to everyone’s opinion of what worship music should sound like. Refer to my post on “10 Things on Worship Leading“. Sometimes the church body is best served by the worship leader who challenges them to open their ears, eyes and hearts to styles that are relevant in today’s world. There’s a can that I won’t open here labeled “Music styles and instruments that are Biblical” that many folks like to pull out and open from time to time. I typically like to stay away from that since it usually gets you nowhere. Just ask them if they’d prefer you play a Sackbut.
So find the style that best fits your community and from time to time, mix it up. It might even revive a bored worship team.
Giveaway
Drop a comment sharing your thoughts on this topic and we’ll enter your name into a drawing to win TWO CD’s. You can win Vicky Beeching’s latest CD: Eternity Invades and our good friend Dan Cogan’s latest CD: Giver of Life. (The winner will need to donate $4 via Paypal to help cover shipping costs.) Deadline to enter: Monday, August 9th, 11:59pm.
Ben Abu Saada
Originally posted on Ben’s blog on July 25, 2005 at BabuLife.blogs.com
Find Your Own Voice and Sing a New Song
August 3, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under National Worship Leader Conference, worship, worship conference, worship leading
It’s been over a week now, since we returned from the National Worship Leader Conference in Kansas City. What a great week it was! As I’ve had time to ponder some of the themes that we encountered during the week, there seemed to be a recurring message that popped up in several places, and I’ve even encountered it in new places since the retreat. The theme is this – find your own voice and sing a new song!
The theme of the conference was “Sing a New Song”, based on Psalm 96:1. The week was filled with amazing new songs, sung by some of today’s newest artists such as Jonathan Lee, Matt Papa, Starfield, andTenth Avenue North; as well as new songs by some of our favorite worship leaders – Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Israel Houghton and others. I left with enough new songs to last me until next year (or at least until Christmas….)!
But, that wasn’t the only kind of new song that we heard about at the conference. From Steve Berger, we heard about our new song that’s birthed through pain and suffering. Using Psalm 40:1-3 as his text, Steve described his recent time in the pit after the tragic death of his son. It’s easy to lose hope and give up on the thought of ever having a song of praise when you are going through a time in the pit, as David was describing in this Psalm. But, Steve taught us that while we’re in the pit, we need to wait patiently, and realize that God has us there for a reason. God is still good, and He just has us there so He can conform us to be more like Him.
We just need to continue to lift our prayers and praises to him, not look to anyone or anything else for our salvation, and realize that we will not stay in the pit forever. You will not be there one second longer than you need to be. Our hallelujah in the pit will lead to a new song of praise! Many will “see” our new song, as Psalm 40 says. Our new song is meant to be seen, not just heard. Our lifestyle may lead others to fear and put their trust in Him more than our songs. Our life should be a new song of praise!
We also heard about finding our own voice and singing a new song from Marcos Witt. Marcos is one of my favorite speakers, and this time was no exception! Using the story of the woman at the well from John 4, Marcos taught us what it means to be a proskuneoworshipper, willing to bow at the throne and be who we are. Jesus said the Father is seeking true worshippers, and the word there for “worship” is proskuneo, or “to bow”, to lower your body, your attitude, humbling yourself in awe of the Lord.
We need to keep God on the throne in our lives, and let Him call the shots. Marcos said when He’s on the throne, cool stuff can happen, and keeping His commands is no big deal. He told some amazing stories of things God has asked him to lay down, or give up. Just like the elders in Revelation 4, we need to be willing to lay our crowns, or accomplishments, skill, down at the feet of Jesus.
The how of worship, this mountain or that mountain, isn’t so important. We try to copy the models of worship we hear and see. We try to be just like Chris Tomlin as we lead worship, or sound just like Matt Redman on his songs. We can’t just instantly become as good as Lincoln Brewster is on the guitar via a one-time information download. It takes practice and skill to develop our own voice. We need to find our voice and stop trying to imitate others, and the only way we can do that is to be a proskuneo worshipper, willing to bow at the throne, to be who we are and sing a new song with our own voice.
There were so many other great speakers and ways to sing a new song; too many to describe here! But, the great part is that you can watch all of the main session speakers on your own online! The folks at Worship Leader magazine have provided video from the WorshipCast live streaming that was done during the conference. Just go to video on-demand section for the NWLC ’10 General Sessions to view all of these great speakers!!
You have to hear Louie Giglio tell his story of the “dead grandpa”, and hear Lisa Harper talk about her first experience twirling a banner! But, above all, find your own voice, and Sing A New Song!!
Barry Westman
All About Worship
Training: Dealing with Attitude Problems – Dwayne Moore
August 1, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under Dwayne Moore, training, training videos, worship leading
Dwayne Moore, author of Pure Praise (A Heart-Focused Bible Study on Worship), shares with the All About Worship Community some thoughts on dealing with attitude problems on the worship team.
If this video was helpful to you, please take a moment and leave us a comment. Your feedback helps us know that the time and effort we put into providing resources like this is beneficial to our community of worship leaders.
Episode 48: Darrell Evans Q&A
On this edition of the show, Wisdom and Ben catch up with Darrell Evans. We hear your questions submitted to us before the recording and live over Talkshoe.
Quick Links
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Darrell on Twitter – Follow Darrell on Twitter to see what’s going on in his life.
Nothing Less Than Everything on iTunes – Check out Darrell’s latest album on iTunes and leave him a review!
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Giveaway
We are doing three big giveaways!
1. A FREE Registration to the Forge Conference. Sept 30 – Oct 2, 2010 in Ocean Grove, NJ.
2. A FREE Registration to National Worship Leader Conference East. Oct 5 – 7, 2010 in Lancaster, PA.
Just leave a comment on this post to be entered to win. Deadline is Aug 18th. We’ll announce the winner here!
3. Free music! Beginning August, visit the AllAboutWorship blog once a week you’ll have a chance to win free CD’s!
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Thanks
We want to say a BIG thanks to WorshipPlanning.com for sponsoring this episode. Start your 30 day free trial today. Be sure and follow them on Twitter at @worshipsense right here or find them on Facebook.
Thanks to Darrell for spending time with us on the show. And as always….THANK YOU for listening!!!!
Check out this new song “You Could Never Be Praised Enough” from Darrell that we discussed on the show:
Resources abound at the National Worship Leader Conference!
July 27, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under All About Worship, Barry Westman, Ben Abu Saada, National Worship Leader Conference, Wisdom Moon
We had a wonderful time at the National Worship Leader Conference in Kansas City this past week! The All About Worship Team was there throughout the week, both as attendees and workshop leaders. If you missed it, I’ll try to give you a quick recap and plenty of links to some great resources made available at the conference.
Conference attendees not only had the the chance to worship, learn, and build relationships, but also participate. Songwriters could bring in original songs and have a panel of experts give them feedback on their songs at the Song DISCovery Listening Panels. Singing in the conference choir was another great way to participate. There were about 80 people in the choir, under the direction of Stan Endicott. I had the privilege to sing in the choir this year, along with 10 others from our church. Stan has such wonderful insights about worship, music and life. On Monday night, we sang with Keith and Kristyn Getty, and on Thursday evening we sang two of the Odes. Stay tuned to the All About Worship Podcast for an upcoming interview with the Gettys!
On Monday morning, before the actual conference began, I attended a pre-conference seminar on being a “Steward of Technology in the Service of Worship”. You can read more about that in an earlier blog post here. It was a topic that I believe will become increasingly relevant as the use of technology in worship is skyrocketing! Ben Abu Saada did a great job as part of a panel discussion on this topic, as well!
One of the pre-conference leaders was D.J. Chaung, the network developer for Worship Leader Magazine. D.J. has put together an excellent website on this topic. TechSteward.net is an excellent resource for worship leaders who are interested in learning more about technology stewardship. All About Worship co-hosts Wisdom Moon and Ben Abu Saada did an excellent job leading their workshop called “Leading Your Team Through Technology”. It was filled with great tips and resources.
Besides the great workshops on a variety of topics, dealing both with the heart and the art, some of my best memories were the times of corporate worship and the speakers who challenged us from God’s Word. To be led in worship by Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Israel Houghton, Phil Wickham, Tenth Avenue North, Starfield, Pocket Full of Rocks, the list goes on… was truly an experience I will not forget. Also, to hear 3,000 worship leaders singing at the top of their lungs (in tune!) was a sound that will not be forgotten. All of the speakers did an excellent job, but I especially enjoyed hearing from from Louie Giglio, Marcos Witt, and Lisa Harper.
Michael Farren, from Pocket Full of Rocks, was one of the worship leaders. I actually was privileged to have a surprise lunch with Michael and Meredith Andrews during the conference! Twitter paid off once again, and 4 of the team from our church, along with a few others won a contest and were treated to lunch. Here are a few pics:
If you weren’t able to be at the conference, or if you would just like to relive some of the main sessions, you can using the video on-demand feature of the Worship Stream site. The people at Worship Stream were busy all week live streaming the main sessions, but you can now go back and watch them again. Just go to the NWLC Worship Stream site to view all the speakers and even the worship set with Jonathan Lee!
Another really cool part of the conference was connecting with other worship leaders from around the country! I met so many people face-to-face who I had previously only known through Twitter. There were several All About Worship listeners there this week, and it was great to meet some of you face to face!
If you attended the conference, why don’t you share some of your best memories, or some of the things you learned here in the comment section. We’d love to hear and learn from you!
Barry Westman
All About Worship
A Steward of Technology #nwlc10
July 20, 2010 by AllAboutWorship
Filed under Barry Westman, Ben Abu Saada, National Worship Leader Conference, Worship Leading Tools, articles, worship leading
This week I’m privileged to be a part of the National Worship Leader Conference in Kansas City, KS, put on by Worship Leader Magazine. The week kicked off with a pre-conference seminar on the topic of “Stewards of Technology in the Service of Worship”. It really was a very interesting 4 hours, filled not just with a boatload of practical tips, resources and ideas, but also a challenge to really think about the whys in what we do with technology.
The seminar was led by Chuck Fromm, Publisher of Worship Leader magazine, DJ Chaung, Network Developer at WL Magazine and other guests, including Dr. Mark D. Roberts and our very own Ben Abu Saada, co-host of the All About Worship Podcast.
There were so many great thoughts that came out of this, but I thought I would just share a few. Dr. Roberts asked the question “How do I exercise my stewardship of technology in a worshiping community”. He really challenged us to focus on three main areas of our job as a tech steward. We are to think critically, biblically, and spiritually about each new technology we would like to add. Technology is both good and bad, Roberts said. We’re also to ask questions, such as why are we doing this, what are the benefits, and other theological and psychological questions in regards to how we should be involved. Finally, we’re to pray about how God would want us to use technology in worship. It was a good reminder that just because we can, doesn’t mean we should, in every circumstance.
Both Dr. Roberts and Chuck Fromm did a great job of helping us look critically at the use of technology in worship. It’s so easy to just add this new feature, or add this new avenue of communication, just because it’s out there, and the latest thing. While it may be a good thing, is it really helping us do a better job of being the Body of Christ, or is it just cool?
DJ Chaung is the network developer at Worship Leader Magazine, and he gave us some very practical ideas on how we can use technology in a worship setting. He gave a great presentation, and wanted everyone to make sure to know that his presentation is available at the website for this event, which is www.techsteward.net. You can actually find the slides and presentations for all the speakers from this morning’s event at this site. You should definitely check it out!!
DJ explained how he defines a tech steward, and after hearing his explanation, I think a lot of us might identify ourselves as one! A Tech Steward is involved in four different areas in the church: researching, selecting which social media tool to use for your church, coordinating and training. Researching involves knowing your community, knowing technology, and knowing the Bible. He said that we need to research and know our own community because every community has a way of communicating that will work best with them. We can’t assume that just because Facebook works with one church, it will work in every church. He also said a tech steward should be resourceful, trustworthy, optimistic and open to new concepts.
Following that, the morning ended with a panel discussion with all the speakers. Ben Abu Saada joined the panel and fielded some questions from the audience (even ones sent in via text message or Twitter during the workshop, of course…) Ben did a great job, and explained what tools his church uses to reach his community.
I would really encourage you to check out the Tech Steward website for all the notes from today’s workshop. I’d also love to hear your comments on this topic. Let’s share ideas of how you use technology in your churches!
Barry Westman
All About Worship
