I will start by saying there is never a concrete rule when it comes to being a worship leader. The minute you decide you have a formula that makes it all work perfectly, God tends to come in and shake things up a bit. Don't look at this post as a concrete rule.

1. Repetition builds confidence.
Most congregations like hearing new songs. But, they will only stand and listen to the great new song, unless they have been given an opportunity to learn it over a few weeks/months. Only then will they be confident enough to clap, sing , and shout.

2. Repetition builds trust.
Playing a song in the same structure (something like V1 C V2 C B C C) each time you lead it helps a congregation greatly. No one wants to be the guy who shouts out the bridge at the top of his lungs, while the band has gone back to Verse 1 unexpectedly and reverently. The congregation learns to trust that a worship leader won't set them up for embarrassment.

3. Repetition makes a band play better.
Think of how many times U2 or Dave Matthews has to play the same tunes over and over again. This makes the band passionate, accurate, and tight. Why wouldn't you want your worship band to feel the same way? Don't throw so much new music at them that they can't play with excellence.

4. Repetition makes you lead better
New songs are intimidating for everyone. Doing a song you have led within the last 2 months is good for every worship leader. It makes you sing and play with passion and excitement rather than fear and trembling, because you have a good idea how the congregation will react to different parts of the song.

5. Repetition is necessary for recognition
A congregation will never be able to grasp the theology behind a song before they know the song. Typically a worship leader will have listened to a song 20-25 times before they lead it. This means they have a good grasp on how the song ties into the Pastor's message that day, or why it thematically should follow the previous song. However a congregation will not be able to follow your reasoning as a worship leader for how you prepared a set list, until they know and recognize a song and its lyrics.

Obviously new songs in worship are a must. However, don't get caught putting out so much new stuff that your congregation can't keep up. They are your focus. They are who you are leading into worship. Don't leave them behind. Don't be the leader who forges on ahead only to turn around and realize there isn't anyone behind you anymore...

As a worship leader, one of the hardest things for me to do is to pick only 2-3 songs. Typically I plan to have 6 songs a week during the service, so honing it in to 1/2 that is hard for me. There are thousands of great hymns and praise songs, like there are thousands of great verses in scripture. How can 2-3 songs encompass everything you want to say? Well, they can't. No more than 2-3 verses can encompass the entire Bible.

So, I have to think about worship planning like a pastor preaching a 5 minute sermon. A 5 minute sermon does not allow for a long sermon outline covering an entire book. A 5 minute sermon must be direct and to the point, with life application that can be easily remembered at lunch an hour later. So the question I have to keep in mind, is: what is the one thing I want people to take away from their time of worship.

As many of you know from reading our story over at thewilsonheart.com , our beautiful son Josiah passed away at 8 months old of a rare congenital heart defect. In planning his memorial service, I felt very strongly that I needed to lead the music for the service. Why? We really wanted a time of worship and celebration that would have a lasting impact, rather than just a few good songs to move the memorial service along. I felt this would be difficult for anyone to do without having personally known Josiah. So, I needed to pick 2-3 songs.

After a ton of wrestling back and forth, the 3 songs I landed on were.

It Is Well - Horatio Spafford
Never Let Go - Matt Redman
Everything Glorious - Crowder

Can you see the 1 sermon application point I wanted to leave people with?

It Is Well
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Never Let Go
And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We'll live to know You here on the earth

Everything Glorious
The day is brighter here with You
The night is lighter than its hue
Would lead me to believe
Which leads me to believe
You make everything glorious

So, here is the one point I wanted to share in honor of Josiah, if I can put it together for you.

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well,
And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
You make everything glorious

In all that we have been through, God has taught us to hold on to him, and He will be glorified.

Worship Leaders: Take the time to reduce your worship set to 1 statement. Pastors who are making a lasting impact do it all the time. Worship leader, what if YOU did it all the time? What if your 1 statement is the same as the 1 statement your pastor is making?

I have just finished picking our music for our Christmas Eve service. In our setting, this year will be very simple and acoustic, but sometimes simple requires a ton of work. In my planning, I use Halloween every year as a drop dead date for Christmas planning. Our service occurs on Dec 24. Many of you have earlier performances in Dec. If that is the case, Halloween may be too late. The point is, be ready early. This way, your people make their Holiday plans around you, rather than the opposite scenario. Here are a few things to think about when planning Christmas services.

1. Have music selections settled on by Halloween

2. Set rehearsal dates for Nov and Dec set by Halloween

3. Know your musician's Christmas travel plans by Halloween

4. Know your Pastor's Christmas sermon title/outline by Halloween.

5. Know your stage layout, costumes needed if necessary, and location set if necessary - by Halloween.

6. Have listening CD's handed out, there are many versions of Christmas music. You want your people to know your version, and beginning to listen to it by Halloween.

7. Make sure that your personal family Christmas plans are set before Halloween, so that you can plan the church's event around your own - not leave your family to grab the leftovers.

8. Consider what you might perform for the following Christmas while you are looking at the material. Church budget's need to be completed this time of year (around Halloween), so budgeting for the next fiscal year is helpful.

9. Don't expect to re-create what took professionals months in a studio to get what you hear on a CD in your spare time between Halloween and Christmas.

10. Enjoy every Christmas song you hear between Halloween and Christmas. There will be a ton!

Why are worship wars still waging? I have spent much of the last 3 weeks away from home and my normal routine. However, there was a minister in the waiting room yesterday that I had the opportunity to talk with some about worship styles.

He attends a church that is struggling through the process of hosting a contemporary worship service at 9:30 and a traditional service at 11:00. The minister of music resigned recently, which now hhas the church looking for a new minister of music who can fill both the choir directing role, and the worship leading role.

Finding an individual who is capable to do both roles is proving to be very difficult. Why? Very few universities offer both formal musical training, worship training.

The result? Formally educated music ministers who have no idea how to run a band rehearsal. Great worship leaders who can't sing very well, let alone direct a choir to sing in harmony.

As long as our universities neglect training the worship arena the war will rage on...

I am struggling through the process of writing music again. I say again, because I have not made a serious effort at putting anything out since before I went to college.

I guess for some people that college experience is a time where all the creative juices come out. Some of you were able to sit around the dorms, and put some cool music together with guys from the house. This was not the case for me.

I was a commuter, with a family, and a very busy church position. Any writing I have done was with Jeremy and JP while we were in the Marine Corps.

All that said, I have an itch to be writing but I don't know where to start. I believe my strengths are in arranging more than original works, but look for more posts on the subject while I fight through the process over the next few months.

I was invited a few weeks back by Mark Powers with the South Carolina Baptist Convention to come to a round table discussion with contemporary worship leaders from around the state. They were looking particularly for involvement from worship leaders who are in churches that don't have a traditional or blended worship service. I didn't really finalize our decision to go until early in the afternoon yesterday - then, we got tied up with a few things here at the office, so we left for Columbia 30 minutes later than we should have. Fortunately, we arrived 35 minutes late, and walked in the doors with a nice young couple we found out to be Keith and Kristyn Getty. If youaren't familiar with them, they write some really cool modern hymns, like "How Deep the Father's Love," "In Christ Alone," and "Jesus Draw Me Ever Nearer."

Here are a few points I took away from a really cool and intimate (there were 8 of us) evening.

1. Our contemporary worship songs are only dealing with 20% of the character of God.
2. The purpose of singing is to express the community we have as the body of Christ.
3. A song that tells a story will be remembered the longest.
4. A worship leader should stay as close to the basic melody as possible. A congreagation appreciates this simplicity, and will sing out more.
5. A worship leader should do their best to keep eye contact with the congregation, rather than losing themselves in worship and thus excluding the people from the experience.
6. Theology taught through music will be remembered long after a pastor's sermon on the same subject is forgotton.
7. Stravinski, Gershwin, and the Beatles all looked for a folk music melody in its simplest form. Simplicity in music makes it accessible and memorable.
8. A seeker sensitive church can be guilty of having people uninvolved, bored, and shuffling their feet... as much or more than an old, lifeless, ultra traditional church - if they do not plan music that a congregation to sing easily.
9. In any style of worship, it is the relationship between the pastor and the worship leader that will decide whether or not the people are involved in the worship experience. People pay very close attention to how those two interact with one another.
10. Worship music should help reinforce teach the faith taught from the pulpit.

What an incredible opportunity! Thank you Mark for the invite!

I love to learn new music. I love to play it, listen to it, and absorb it. However, I have learned this summer through having a busy schedule of mission trips, sports camps, and youth retreats that playing music everyone knows has a very healthy impact. If you take a moment to look over the set lists used over the last three months, you will see a number of repeated songs. Our people have begun to sing out, and loud!

When I lead at a camp, I like to do nearly all new stuff. It makes the experience unique and new. This summer, at the 2 sports camps I decided to only use 5 total songs for an entire week to try out my new theory. To me it felt like I was overusing the music, but I noticed without a doubt that they needed the repetition. They wanted to do songs over and over again.

At Ridgeview I have typically introduced a new song for 3 weeks before I have considered it "learned" by the congregation. These may not be consecutive weeks, but they are 3 weeks within a 4-6 week period. I am going to be more intentional about playing a new song 5 or even 6 weeks out of a 7-9 week period. The people appreciate the extra face-time, and can worship better because of it.

Anyone want to challenge my "research?"

One of my greatest challenges is putting together worship services each Sunday. The actual selection of songs I mean. There is the putting together of a song itself, in how the drums will enter, how the guitar solo will finish, or if the horns will be used this week or not. These are all secondary to the first question. What songs should we play?

The following questions need to be answered.

Does the worship set flow musically (key signatures - G to Em)
Does the set flow emotionally (tempo - 2 songs back to back at 120bpm)
Does the set flow visually (too many moving parts can be a huge distraction)
Does the set fit in with the message? (what is the one thing everyone should leave with at the end of the service? - prayer works, God heals, friends love)
Does the set flow theologically (do all the songs talk about the same character trait of God - should they?) What do the words say?

Worship leaders - The only thing that separates our music from everyone else is the lyrics. Songs can have funky beats, kicking guitar riffs, or heavy organ chords - but all of that can be found elsewhere in the music world. If you are choosing song sets based on Fast, Fast, Slow or Major, Major, Minor - You are not doing your job.

Don't be a lazy leader. Do your homework. Agonize over a 2 song set. Can these two songs flow in many of the above ways? Think of the people in the seats. They need time to learn new songs. They need songs in keys easy to sing. They want to worship too. Fight the urge of doing what you have always done. Fight the urge to do something new every week. Struggle.

I have been running into more and more trouble over the lst 6 months in getting through rehearsals. I find us running for almost 2 hrs on our weeknight schedule, and nearly an hour and a half on Sundays. What is the deal? How can we be more productive with our time. Here are a few things to consider, things I plan to be very aware of in the next few weeks

Start on Time
It is real easy to talk about nothing for the first 10 or 15 min, but real difficult to get people to stay 10 - 15 min at the end.

Run your easy stuff first
As much as it helps to run songs in the order they will be played on Sunday, new songs can take up the entire rehearsal

Don't plan all new stuff
This is my own worst mistake. I am continually listening to music that I want to implement, but my tendancy is to add all of it all at once. For every new song, plan for a goldie oldie - this helps with rehearsal time. (And I'm learning that the people on Sunday morning want to sing stuff they already know - the whole service should not feel like a new music concert.)

Plan your services at least 2 weeks in advance
This allows you to keep your mind on the big picture. Think about they music over a month, or over a series rather than just the upcoming Sunday. By having the service planned I mean have lead sheets/music printed out, and audio CDs/MP3s available to everyone. I use a great resource called Planning Center that has made this incredibly easy.

Press your musicians to come to rehearsal prepared
If you have given out music a week in advance to your musicians (more than that is almost wasted effort - they won't look at it anway) pressuring them to come to rehearsal with music ready is not too much to ask. However, if you send them an email link on Tuesday, expect your rehearsal Wed night to be slow and sloppy. Again, Planning Center allows you to see when your musicians are downloading their music - and you will know who printed it off and threw it in the gig bag on the way to rehearsal.

Have a clock in view during rehearsal
This will be a new one for me. I expect my musicians to keep me honest if I say "give me 10 minutes on this song"


What do you have for me? Remember, this is not a list of "How to plan a worship set" that gets into all that Religious Christianny stuff. I'll save that for another post. This is pureley about rehearsal techinques.

A number of worship leaders use praise and worship archive to obtain and share chords and lyrics for worship songs. Due to copyright restrictions, the site is removing all the lyrics, but leaving the chord changes there. Although it can be figured out, this is not very helpful to you. A friend of mine showed me a trick that I have found very helpful.
















If you use Google as your search engine, (which everyone does) you will have the option to select "cached" as a link to the same site you are looking for. Click on it.






















When you select this, Google reverts back to an older version of the same webpage, that in most cases does have the lyrics posted. From there, you can copy and paste what you need into a program like planning center which will then be able to change the song into an appropriate key for your voice.






This has been a great help for me, I hope you find this as helpful as I did

Hey worship leaders, have you ever been off? I mean had an off day like you never believe? That is the kind of day I had on Sunday. I have a bad temper. Did you know that? If not, you probably have not been able to get to know me outside of church, or college. My praise team knows it though. I got worked up this Sunday about some of the dumbest things, and then when I had gotten myself back under control, I broke the strings on my guitar 2 minutes before the service. My mind went haywire! I switched instruments over, and played the keys instead of the guitar, but by this time I had lost complete focus on what we were here to do: worship. I apologize to any of you who were there this week, because my heart was not in the right place. I was focused to much on me, and not enough on Him. From listening to the service recordings, musically we were reasonable (considering all the last minute changes) but emotionally we were out to lunch as a band. We were not engaged in the music/worship at all. This falls solely on me as the leader. I have heard of guys who admit that they have “gone through the motions” for months at a time, but man that must be a terrible way to make a living. I say make a living, because that is all you are doing if you were in the place I was on Sunday, because my heart was not in it, and I tell you it was a very lonely place to be. You see, I had gotten all hyped up about our set list, which I post in just a moment – because I really love these songs. However, my attention was placed entirely on how I was going to do this, or play that, or make people laugh here. I had basically told God – OK I got this one – and he let me have it all alone. I have never felt so alone in the middle of chaos. Sure, I have felt alone before – but this was different, almost eerie. Seconds ticked by slowly, while all I wanted them to do is fly by. In the midst of screaming guitars, loud in ear monitor mixes, and my poor vocals - all seemed quiet - I was all alone.

Here is what I had to live out in front of our church Sunday.
Prov 16:19 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.

Ambience a word I never paid much attention to until I started noticing “it” while Christmas shopping last December. I suddenly became keenly aware of how each department store had decided to market their own Christmas flavor. Some chose to portray a feeling where the family unit is huddled around the fireplace with stockings in a row. Others made you feel like you were entering the town square for the community tree lighting, complete with street lanterns, banners and store fronts.

The location of these stores within the mall remained exactly the same, yet they were able to transport shoppers into a different world upon entering their doors. I read a blog recently called simplemindedpreacher (who I stole the title from as well) that talked about the ambience in a restaurant.

Ambience has to do with the “mood” that you are trying to create to facilitate a particular type of environment. The lighting and decor can really affect how people feel about a place when they come in. For instance, you wouldn’t expect to go to a fine dining restaurant and have really bright lights and loud music. The ambiance wouldn’t fit the menu. You’d expect it to have low lighting, soft music, a somewhat elegant feel, if that’s what they’re trying to convey.

We need to be aware of the ambience of our church each Sunday as we come to worship. Some of this effect is created by our use of lighting, the music playing, or the banners on the wall. However, the most convincing element of any store or restaurant is the first person you see when you come in. If this person is warm and inviting, the room feels the same way. Similarly, when the hostess or store greeter is nonchalant or apathetic that you came their place of business, their store seems cold and uninviting as well.

Here is another thought posted in the blog:
Since God made us to be perceptive via our senses why wouldn’t we take that into consideration while approaching the topic of worship? This is something I have heard Mark Driscoll bring up and I thought it was a great point. Media can help convey to the eyes what the heart is behind the song. Lighting can express if this an exciting moment of worship or a intimate, contemplative song. Some peripherals could be the decor… are there candles, banners, or other things you may want to include to create a certain “mood” or ambiance for your time of worship?

I love to sit down with my wife for a nice romantic dinner under “bright fluorescents”.
That puts us both in the mood for……………………. a WAR!!!!

While you may notice some physical changes in the future for the aesthetic look at Ridgeview to be warmer and more inviting, please understand that this has very little impact if Ridgeview’ers are not warm and inviting as well. Be intentional. Help Ridgeview set the ambience for worship this coming Sunday.

Musicians are constantly encouraged to write new music, and create new ideas in every musical genre. It doesn’t matter if it is for a symphony, a rock band, or an R&B label. But is this actually possible? Think about how many movies in the last 5 years have been remakes of classic films. Here is a short list: Gone in 60 Seconds, Planet of the Apes, King Kong, The Borne Identity, and Ocean’s 11. It doesn’t take long to have 6 versions of a new top 40 release either. How many versions of The Wind Beneath My Wings are there? Just for curiosity sake I checked: According to Napster this week there are 72 different recordings of the song.

So what is my point? New music is written every day, new books every month, and new movies are released every weekend. As a worship leader, everything I desire to be aware of changing music trends while digging down to the roots of Christian music heritage at the same time. For me, what makes new worship songs exiting is the way they can say the “same old thing” again and again in a new way.

We have been singing a new song by Tim Hughes called Almighty God. Listen to his story behind the song, and see if you don’t think of it every time we sing this song in the future.

There is a song that goes on all around us. The wind rushing through the trees, the waves lapping against the shore, the birds filling the air with melody. Creation is alive in song, responding to its Creator. A couple of years ago my wife and I spent an extended break, staying in a beautiful house, just outside Sydney, Australia. We were blown away by the glory of creation. Everyday we would marvel at the sights, sounds and smells all around us.

Our hearts were stirred to worship. I wanted to write a song on this theme, creation responding to the greatness of God. I spent a long time on the lyrics, describing creation’s praise. “The rising sun that fills the sky. The starry hosts that lights the night. Reflecting Your glory.”

The song climaxes through the chorus into the bridge, “Creation joins as one to sing, Glorious God.” When we worship as gathered church, we join not only with millions of fellow believers throughout the world; we also join with creations praise, lifting up the Almighty God, who is beyond understanding.

I like the picture he paints of he universal church joining hands together to worship the Almighty God. To take it a step further, think of joining hands together with people of past generations in worship. Imagine how great it will be to take Martin Luther King Jr.’s hand and sing, or grab Abraham Lincoln’s big gangly palm and shout out in worship, or dance before God with Mother Teresa. What a day that will be!

I ask this, because I see a big difference between someone who is honest with me, and someone who loves me for who I am. My wife is honest with me. I have been fortunate to be home away from the office over the last week, because of our new baby, and spend some time with her.

Ask someone who loves you who you are: "how do you think our worship time went last week?" This person responds by saying: "I can tell you really tried to put a lot of effort into that song/worship set." My wife however will say: "Don't you think you could have put more effort into that song/worship set?"

The evaluation is basically the same, but the implications for future weeks is much different altogether. Find someone who will be honest with you - it will change the way you look at your own ministry.

I had lunch with a friend recently, and he and I talked about the sometimes painful process of critiquing our worship services. A point that he made that stuck with me is this: I am most aware of the smallest issues in worship services, when I have brought someone very important to me to that worship service. This individual might be a co-worker I have invited for months to attend, and they finally show up, or a family member from out of town. In either case, I want everything to go perfectly.

Why is it, that we do not give this kind of attention each worship service that we plan? After this conversation I went back and looked at my musical selection over the last year, and I can almost pinpoint precisely when I was planning for a friend to be in town, or for the number of 1st time guests to be higher. But I see the challenge as this: every Sunday, there is someone in our service for the first time, or particularly special to someone who brought them even if it is not their first time. We need to be planning for this person.

Take it a step further, and think about what our actions show when we "allow" an off-week. Truly, it reflects that we are not intentionally bringing our best before God. The process is difficult, and painful at times, but having a team who will critique and evaluate the quality of a worship service with honesty will absolutely transform the way the next service is planned.

At Ridgeview we have a group who meets each Sunday night and talks through the morning service step by step. Fortunately there are some "good" weeks that do not require much attention, yet there are those "off-weeks" that concern and push this team to evaluate with brutal honesty. As a Pastor/Worship Leader/ Staff member, you need to hear this, because whether you realize it or not, it has already been said by your congregation wherever they ate lunch together.

Some of you may have noticed over the past few weeks at Ridgeview, that our song selection is widening, and not everything in our worship services can be found on Christian Radio. There are people out there, (of course none that attend Ridgeview, we ran them off when we popped popcorn for the God on Film series) who don’t think that this is a good idea at all.

I went to a worship conference recently that opened the afternoon with a song by Chris Doughtry, and another by Matchbox 20. To tell you the truth, I was quite surprised. Why would anyone do this? Then again, why not? Chad Hall, in an article for CoolChurches (where I obtained much of my information for this article) says: “It is good, right, and effective to use secular music as a means of worshipping a sacred God.”

Now I know that there are arguments against this thought and practice. The main argument I've encountered is that a clear distinction exists between the sacred and the secular. Proponents of this position believe that rather than allow the secular and sacred realms to merge, the church ought to draw the boundaries very plainly. The argument is that only by demarcating the difference can people know the difference and thus be made more Jesus-like. This is not a bad concept. It rightly understands that there is a difference between God and the fallen world, and that the goal of the church is to make fallen people more like the former.

Unfortunately, the philosophy behind this attitude has led the church to disengage from the world to a faulty extreme. Take, for example the “dress code” for church: people put on their “church clothes” and go to church, where they are supposed to encounter God; once they get home, they take off these clothes and put on their “regular clothes.”

Music works the same way. People who love hymns Sunday mornings are not likely to have choir anthems in their CD players Sunday afternoons. People who love Chris Tomlin may be pumping Van Halen through the speakers Friday night before the game. The reason why secular music is needed in worship is that it bridges two worlds that should not be separated in the first place. By letting the secular seep into the sanctuary, we also allow the sacred to spill out of the church - out of the 10:30 hour, beyond the walls, into relationships and situations other than those we experience at church.

Can the Holy Spirit of God not redeem a secular song and use it for God's own purpose? I love the idea that He can! Ultimately, if worship time on Sunday can give a secular song a new “meaning” with spiritual implications, we have succeeded. From that moment on, every time Rascal Flatt’s “Life is a Highway” is played, our minds flash to the sermon “What Drives My Life.” Love songs about some girl/guy are transformed to adoration anthems to a loving God. That – is what worship is all about.

I had the pleasure being asked to sing in a formal concert with the North Greenville University choir at the Peace Center downtown. I had a really enjoyable time, and the musical quality was excellent. Yet, when leaving I heard one of the people from the audience say "wow this was such a great outreach to our community." Was it really? I mean - really? To my knowledge, there was no one who happened to "be in the area" of the Peace center, and happened to be dressed appropriately, and happened to have $13 to get in. Who are we kidding?Let's take this scenario to our churches: Do a Christmas/Easter Cantata with all the bells and whistles, and work your tail off to make it happen. (As a music minister, I am very familiar with this situation) Yet, who comes to the performa... I mean presentation of the Gospel... during the weekend? Perhaps, if you are really efficient in marketing, you will have people bussed in in church vans from all over the county, and/or state. But do we reach the unsaved? No way! - they never even considered coming to it. That stuff is for church people. The longer I am in church, particularly in ministry, the more afraid I am of majoring on the minor issues. I want to be effective in my community. This determines what events we will do, what locations we choose, and what people we cater to. I don't want to be too Christian for people to find us...