What Do You Practice?

I'm really excited about meeting with the praise team/band from "The Big B," Campbellsville Baptist Church tonight. We're going to prepare to lead in worship on Sunday. 

Since some of you are probably curious, here's the set list:
   "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" from Hymns for Praise and Worship
   choir: "Let All That I Am Praise the Lord" by Dan Goeller
   "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" as arranged by Travis Cottrell
   "Hosanna" from Hillsong United
   "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" jazz-gospel arrangement by Benji Harlan
   "O Church Arise" by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

The team I'm meeting with is familiar with most of these tunes. "Hosanna" is fairly new. The choir song is new.

And I expect to spend 2 hours with them.

What in the world will we do?

That's exactly what prompted me to write today.

We will practice getting the notes right, the rhythms accurate and tight, the form in our heads, the words clear, and dynamics crafted in a variety of ways--pp to ff and a variety of instrumentation. 

Because I'm convinced worship leaders are communicators more than musicians, we will also spend time making sure we can effectively and clearly communicate the lyrics of each song.

That much we should be able to do in about 75-90 minutes. You've done the math already, haven't you? What about the other 30-45 minutes?

We'll practice. 

Thought we covered that?

No. We'll practice worshiping. You see I'm thinking of the leadership principle that we can't take others where we've not already gone. Of course that's true with musical accuracy, but far more importantly it is true with our hearts, minds and souls. 

So we'll worship tonight. We may linger for a while in the "Praise the Lord" section of "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty." We may do a little celebrating of God's faithfulness in "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms." We will certainly pray that God will "break my heart for what breaks" His in "Hosanna." 

We'll worship.

If we never practice worshiping, how can we get better at it? And specifically, get better at leading others to do it? 

How about you? Do you make room in your worship prep--whether with choir, orchestra, praise team, or rhythm section--to practice worshiping? Any tips on how you've done that effectively?

Send more kids to funerals?

Is that as bizarre sounding to you as it is to me... sending more kids to funerals?

The Child Development experts will probably disagree with the idea, but hang with me.

Children may balk more at this idea than going to see a mean doctor having a really bad day.

In fact, you may think this is the stupidest idea you've heard since The New Coke.

Here's why I had such a weird idea: I went to a funeral.

It was a guy I kind of knew, but not really. We were "good acquaintances." I wish we'd been good friends. We could've been. I missed out.

It gave me a whole different way to think about the sanctity of a life.

See where I'm going yet?

You see, as I listened to the stories about my friend Tim Best, I heard how much value was packed into his 65 years on this earth. I heard how much he meant to his students in band, choir and drama. I heard how much he meant to his community, as founder of a theater group. I heard how much he meant to his churches, including the pastors with whom he served. I heard how much he meant to this world.

He was priceless.

And that's why I think maybe we should take kids to funerals.

Not seeing it yet?

There is a trend, more prevalent in big cities I imagine, of devaluing life. Senseless murders. Valuing a pair of shoes over the feet that walk in them. It seems to me to stem from a belief that life just doesn't matter much. "My" life may. "Their" life may not.

But if kids went to more funerals they'd hear about the value of life, they'd see how much the person who is being memorialized was cherished by people--real people.

Few thing make us more aware of the value of life than death.

So even if this is an exceedingly stupid idea--sending kids to more funerals--I've decided to cherish the stories of the people around me a little more. I don't want to attend another service for an acquaintance that I wish had been a friend. I want to know people well. I want to love people well.

And I don't want to wait until a funeral.

BIG Assignment

I heard a fantastic sermon by Matt Betts at Woodburn Baptist Church yesterday. It was powerful. Bottom line? Instead of stepping over God to bow at the feet of people and their opinions of us, would should step over our fear of people to bow at the feet of a holy God. He taught that truth from 1 Samuel 15:1-24. Rock on, Matt!

But as Matt read us that passage there was another verse that jumped off the page and into my soul: "Samuel told [Saul], “Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The Lord has anointed you..."

The irony in the passage is that Saul actually thinks too much of himself. It was that incongruity that first caught my attention. How can a king that put his own desires about God--a pretty strong picture of arrogance--"think too little of" himself?

So as I listened to the sermon I was also asking God to clarify for me.

God is so good. Not only did He clarify, He spoke a word I needed to hear.

Saul thought too little of himself because he had lost sight of the fact that his assignment was from God.

I far too often do the same thing. I see the assignments of other folks--friends, colleagues, Facebook friends, and I start to "think too little of myself."

And then I remember, any assignment from God, anything He has appointed and anointed me to do, is a big deal. It's the Assigner of the task, not the task, that makes it important. 

Some of what I've learned from Mother Teresa and Henri Nouwen seems in line with this: to clean toilets because it is the calling of God is better than to lead a large corporation if it is not His calling.

This is hard for me. I imagine it may be hard for a few of you, too.

How about it? Are you thinking too little of yourself these days? 

Then do what God has called, gifted, and anointed you to do. And trust that He knows more than we do about how to get His will done, His kingdom to come.

Thoughts? Please comment below!

Confession Time

I struggle with it. I know I often seem to have great clarity, but honestly...I have a lot of fuzz about several things related to worship ministry in 2013. Here are a few.

1) I miss making great choral music. I really loved working fine points of choral tone, of hearing harmonies that just don't seem at home in a more modern-worship context, and teaching much of the great choral literature I learned in college and seminary. I don't know that it matters--in terms of growing the kingdom of God--but I miss it.

2) I still don't feel like I have a clue what the "graded children's choir" has to do with worship ministry in the modern church. The original concept grew out of a desire to have great adult choirs, those who could read music and sing well. But I struggle with a lack of clarity about how to prepare the next generation to lead worship for their generation.

3) I wish youth choirs could be a big deal again. I know, so old school! But I remember tours. I remember relationships. I remember watching those students excel. And I miss it. I really wish we could find a way for the church of the 21st century to have vibrant youth choirs.

So there are my top 3. What about you? Anything you'd like to "confess" that is a struggle for you when it comes to clarity and ministry? Maybe our online community can come up with some helpful input!

The Next Chapter (from special guest, Dennis Cook)

I’m thankful that Rod has asked me to supply a guest blog post for the Worship Coach blog! I admire Rod and am thankful for his ministry in the local church and my life. Worship Leaders, rely on Rod’s daily post to encourage you as you follow God’s call in ministry!

My last day at Hawesville Baptist Church was Sunday, January 20. I spent over 5 ½ years there ministering through music and discipleship with some great leaders! On Sunday, February 3, I begin a new chapter in my life as Pastor of Worship and Discipleship at First Baptist Leitchfield.

Rod gave me a few ideas for this post and the one I picked is the one I am most unsure about, but I am going to give it my best shot: What am I going to do in the first 3-6 months to create a culture of worship at my new church?

While going to a church in view of a call, you never get a ton of time with those in your ministry – a couple of rehearsals and worship services at most don’t exactly give you all the tools you need to understand who you may be serving with in the future. Above all things, during that weekend, you are most concerned with worshiping God, being yourself and making sure your ears are open to see if God is truly calling you there.

So now that we begin this next chapter, what are some things I will attempt to do to establish a culture of worship?

1) Educate. Over the first 3-6 months, I will be utilizing several tools to educate the congregation on who I am, how the Bible explains true worship and how we will be worshiping as a group of believers. I will use my blog (ChurchMusicToday – shameless plug), Facebook, and the church newsletter to share some basic “talking points” on the direction we will be headed as a staff, congregation and worship team.

1 Chronicles writes about being “skilled” in leading music. That is a huge responsibility for us to make sure we are not merely going through the motions. Most importantly, I will attempt to educate them by teaching them that worship is a direct response of who we are and what Christ has done for us. Moreover, as we are to be the body of Christ, all of our words and actions (in and out of the church building) should be acts of worship – putting our preferences aside and putting His purpose first.

2) Experiment. I’d say you have a certain amount of time during the “honeymoon” phase of ministry to get a good deal of experimentation in. Ya know, the “honeymoon phase” where everyone likes you and you haven’t made anyone upset with changes yet. Some honeymoon phases are longer than others.  I’ve had a month of a honeymoon phase and I’ve also experienced a year of it. During the experimental phase of ministry at FBC, I will choose to experiment with:

a) order of worship. I will attempt to be flexible in the order, move things around a bit, all the while gauging feedback and possible issues for red flags. There is no true order of Biblical worship. We have Biblical mandates as to what to include as an acts of worship, but no true order.

b) style of music. I will experiment with different styles of music for congregation, praise team and praise band. My goal is to be very thematic in what I plan, so the door is open to using any style, as long as the lyrics are Biblical. Variety will be my goal and it will also show me the abilities of the musicians and singers. Are we able to do anything from “O God Our Help in Ages Past” to “White Flag” and anything in between?

After all, Colossians 3 calls us to use “Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” correct? Let’s be sure to follow that Biblical model in all of our corporate worship.

3) Edify. One of the most unifying moments for the praise band at HBC was an idea of fellow blogger, Zach Rice. Zach suggested to me the idea of a praise band book study. I highly recommend this idea – it worked at HBC and I plan on doing it at FBC. We used the book, “Worship Matters” by Bob Kauflin. This is a great resource for you, as a leader, and for your ministry. If you’ve never read it, order it today. Another way to build up the team-like atmosphere within the worship ministry is to have a night where you gather and worship together by singing new songs to be used in worship in the future. Learn the songs together – both musically and lyrically – and spend time in worship. In this process of edification, I will also be able to gauge the abilities of the instrumentalists and singers as well as learn how we can grow in the future.

4) (and finally) Employ. I want to let the people lead the music and worship ministries at FBC. I want to be a better delegator.  I need to be a better delegator. So, with that in mind, I need to work hard on planning and promoting. The more I do in planning, the more I can promote and equip my leaders to do the jobs they are called to do. I want to be able to employ the volunteers I serve with to do the best job possible. We are many members, but one body. So, as ministers, it is our job to equip our people to give God their best.

Secondly, I hope to employ the services of the Worship Coach so that he and I can possibly work together on empowering the strengths and building up the weaker areas of the new ministry God has led me to. I can’t think of a better way to set goals for my new ministry than to have Rod’s assistance on seeing things from a perspective other than my own. Hiring him as the “secret shopper” (coming in as a guest and testing out our greeter ministry, signage, flow of worship, etc.) could be a great blessing in setting or preparing my ministry plan for the months ahead.

Thanks Rod for the opportunity to write for your blog!

“May He become greater, and I become less.” – John 3:30

Dennis Cook

Pastor of Worship and Discipleship

First Baptist Leitchfield (KY)

Your Song Story

I was honored to fill in for my dear friend Andrew Causey and lead worship at Woodburn Baptist Church near Bowling Green, KY. The service was planned before I got there and was sort of a "throw back" service for that congregation. Every song was found in the 1991 Baptist Hymnal. The accompaniment was just piano and organ. There was no praise team. No choir.

And it was great.

It made me so proud of my friends who are leading well in that cross-generational church. The style of music did not determine the expression of the worshipers. Young. Middle. Old. All were engaged.

Two things I'd like to share from that experience that may serve you.

#1 - The power of a cappella singing. One of the things I asked the pianist and organist to do was drop out for the last chorus of Mark Blankenship's Worthy of Worship. As one of the older members commented to me after the service, "It sounded like the roof might come off!" The sound of voices--the only instrument fashioned by God--was powerful. If you haven't recently found a way to sing softly, loudly, or in between--and without instruments--go for it!

#2 - The need to share our song stories. A song Andrew had chosen was one I don't think I've ever picked in 25 years of planning worship services, "Day by Day." (Please don't hate me if you love that song!) What struck me as we sang was how much that song took me back to singing at my grandmother's church on Mother's Days as a kid. And I imagine she, and my mom, could tell me stories about why that song means so much to them. So I encouraged the congregation--younger folks first...
   a) young people, there's a reason those older than you want you to know these songs. It isn't just because we like them, it's because we have encountered God through them. Just like you are meeting with God through newer music, we have stories and memories of God's faithfulness connected to songs we've been singing for decades.
   b) older folks, there's a reason you want those younger than you to know these songs. So TELL US STORIES! This can be a great way to commend the works of God from generation to generation. (Psalm 145:4) So rather than complaining that we don't sing "Victory in Jesus" enough, tell people why that song is a faith marker for you. Share the story. Share your story. Share God's story. And then, whether we sing it often enough or not, our children and grandchildren will know the works of God in your life. And isn't that endlessly more important than what songs we sing anyway?

How do you share your faith story with those younger?

Spiritual Energy

Does that title seem odd to you? It sometimes does to me, almost new-age-ish.

Let me share where I first started using that phrase.

I was the Worship Pastor at First Baptist of Lansdale, PA. We had an early, contemporary service. And people who would visit the early service from their regular late (more traditional) service would comment about how the service just seemed to have more energy. Fewer people attended at 8 am. A lot fewer. There was no 40-voice choir like the later service. No giant pipe organ like we had at 11:00. But more energy.

Yet the energy wasn't emotionalism. We weren't always laughing or crying or any such thing. We just had more of what I could only describe as God-sourced energy.

It was while I was learning to lead worship in that place that I think God awakened in me the desire to lead with passion and energy that reflected the words we were singing. The style of music helped, but as I have increasingly discovered over the last few years, the profound meaning of the text--and engaging it fully--is what has maintained my spiritual energy and passion.

Let me use a song you may not be familiar with to illustrate. I learned it from one of my mentors, Dave Bullock from Elmbrook Church in Wisconsin. Dave used to bring a group of folks to lead worship for a Kentucky Baptist Convention event called Shepherding the Shepherd. And it was there I learned "When I Was Lost," a song by Kate Simmonds:

When I was lost you came and rescued me

Reached down into the pit and lifted me

O Lord, such love: I was as far from you as I could be

You know all the things I've ever done

But Jesus' blood has canceled every one

O Lord, such grace, to qualify me as your own.

Over the last few years, as I've sung the words "I was as far from you as I could be" and remembered the multiple times and ways God has rescued me, has canceled my sin, has qualified me as his own, I can't help but sing with gratitude. No editorial note is required at the beginning of the song. My story intersected God's story and got lost--or better, found--in that Story. 

And so I sing from the deep places of my heart, my mind, my soul. 

When lots of people in the same room do this at the same time there is spiritual energy.

Or as the Psalmist translated it according to the old KJV: "Thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel." (Ps 22:3)

So when people talk with me about the way I lead worship that connects with them, I most often hear something like "I really believe you when you sing." My hope is that this is not only true for all who stand on a platform and leads God's people into God's presence for God's glory, but that it looks like it.


For help developing this part of you as a worship leader, I offer mentoring as part of Worship Coach consulting and I'd be honored to serve you in whatever way I can. Just shoot me a message!

RodEEllis@aol.com
www.worshipcoach.us
502.229.0114