Darling: Confessions of a Former Megachurch Singer

We are wrapping up our mini-series on Finding Your Voice with a culmination of wisdom from previous episodes and listener responses!  After this episode, we pivot to a mini-series on the value of developing your work/ministry culture.  We would love to hear your advice and experience with cultivating culture! www.darlingthepodcast.com Have an idea for a future episode, or a story you wan...

Welcome back friend to Season 2 of Darling, Confessions of a Former Megachurch Singer! Today we are joined by an award winning vocalist and coach, Karen Breidert.  Regardless of the stream you find yourself in, there are gems in this episode that translate to anyone who is interested in honing their coaching voice.  www.darlingthepodcast.com Have an idea for a future episode, or a story...

Welcome back friend to season 2 of Darling, Confessions of a Former Megachurch Singer! Today we are joined by the Creative Arts and Teaching Pastor of The Crossing Church in Westminster, CO, Nathan Sutliff.  There's a ton of gold in this episode and I have no doubt you'll walk away from this episode with a few tools and encouragements to take with on your journey.  www.darlingthepodcast....

Welcome back friend to season 2 of Darling, Confessions of a Former Megachurch Singer! www.darlingthepodcast.com Have an idea for a future episode, or a story you want to share? I'd love to hear from you! Please write to us at darlingthepodcast@gmail.com. Music by Hymns of the People can be found here at  Spotify  or  Apple Music Hosted by Anchor: It’s everything you need to make a...

Welcome back friend to season 2 of Darling, Confessions of a Former MegaChurch Singer! www.darlingthepodcast.com Have an idea for a future episode, or a story you want to share? I'd love to hear from you! Please write to us at darlingthepodcast@gmail.com. Music by Hymns of the People can be found here at  Spotify  or  Apple Music Hosted by Anchor: It’s everything you need to make a...

This episode wraps Season 1 of Darling: Confessions of a Former Megachurch Singer. It has been a journey and I am so grateful you've been on the ride here!  In the next few months, I will be recording, interviewing and setting up for new episodes to launch Season 2.  In the meantime, please don't hesitate to share episodes with those who you think will benefit from them.  I leave yo...

In this episode, we discuss trends we are seeing these days in contemporary worship culture. Join us for a thoughtful conversation on what we are both encouraged by and what might cause us to raise a caution flag. My guest today is Jen Smale, cohost of the Worship Leader Probs podcast and Worship Pastor at 2911 Church in Arizona.  Please join me in welcoming Jen! www.darlingthepodcast.com Hav...

What really is a Communications Ministry and what's the role of a Communications Director? How do ministries best utilize and truly, come alongside our communications leaders to make things better in our contexts? These are some of the topics I tackle today with me guest, Phil Bowdle.  Phil Bowdle is the author of Rethinking Communication: A Playbook to Clarify and Communicate Everything in Y...

Today friends, I bring you a brief reflection, On Resurrection.  May it connect us to the larger story, and help give you peace if you find yourself still in a Friday or a Saturday chapter of life.  Be well! www.darlingthepodcast.com Have an idea for a future episode, or a story you want to share? I'd love to hear from you! Please write to us at darlingthepodcast@gmail.com. Music by Hymn...

This abbreviated episode is my letter to anyone who finds themself in an interim role, helping to bridge the gap and keep the ship moving steady in a forward direction.  May it bless you or someone you know. Be well. www.darlingthepodcast.com Have an idea for a future episode, or a story you want to share? I'd love to hear from you! Please write to us at darlingthepodcast@gmail.com. Music by...

This episode is a bit of a pivot from our normal stream of content, but oh so worth it. I believe it is essential to name and address the false narratives we let define and dictate our lives. In today's episode, I share a conversation with my friend Sarah Boonstra about the labels and messages that we have allowed to tack onto us, and have marked our stories.  I believe there is freedom when...

How can we infuse our worship services with some holy creativity? What if church was more like a gymnasium than a museum, concert hall, or classroom? Thanks for listening! Aaron Niequist is a liturgist, writer, and pastor living in NYC. After leading worship at Mars Hill Church (Grand Rapids, MI) and Willow Creek Church (Barrington, IL), he created A New Liturgy and is passionate about the holy po...

Whether or not we want to admit it, community matters so much!  If we go it alone, what do we do in the moments when we just don't know what to do in a situation?  Or what about the times when we need a little encouragement and uplifting from others?  Fostering friendships with those who know a bit about the complexities of what you face will go a LONG way in sustaining you and your...

It's just me today! I am diving into a topic (or two) that can be fairly polarizing. How do we use certain technologies well in our church contexts?  Because we can use something, does it mean we should? Maybe! Maybe not.  I bring to you my own stories and confessions in working with and alongside these technologies. I offer you and your team a few thoughtful questions to noodle on as yo...

Teams function well when there is an aligned vision for them to fix their eyes on.  After passion wanes, a strong vision can keep us moving forward in unity.  Today my fellow worship leader friend, Jacque Kreutzer and I sit down and share about our own learnings in the benefits of getting quiet with God, listening (actually listening), and bringing forth a vision statement for a team. Yo...

Join my friend, Ronald Greene III and me as we sit down and discuss what it means to intentionally cultivate a multicultural community.  Ronald is the real deal and you are in for a treat! Here are a few resources we discuss in the episode: Multicultural Ministry Books 1. Gracism - Dr. David Anderson 2. Multicultural Ministry Handbook - Dr. David Anderson Worship Books: 1. God Chasers - Tommy...

What do we do in those stressful moments when the soundboard isn't talking to the stagebox? How do we respond when the Pro Presenter computer freezes in the middle of service and the pastor is waiting for you to advance her slides? These are the moments when we discover what we're made of and how resilient a team can be! Join me and Stuart Atkins an Executive Producer and videographer, as we discu...

After Autumn and I recorded our first episode (E7), it was quickly apparent that there was more to dig into and discuss. Episode 8 picks up on the discussion from Episode 7: People As Props and peels back the layers a bit more. As is true of this whole project, we honor the anonymity of people involved, place and time, but we do take a bit more of a microscope into some of the stories we lived thr...

Thanks so much for joining today's conversation!  Hopefully, fingers crossed and prayer-pose, you have never felt like a prop, a tool, a doll, a robot.  Hopefully you've never felt less than human.  But if you have, or if you have accidentally made another person feel this way, today's conversation is for you. We're going to talk about what can unintentionally happen to those on sta...

Today we sit down with a Lead Pastor, Matt Hessel from LifeBridge Christian Church in Longmont, CO.  Matt and I share about all things worship culture but from a Lead Pastor's perspective. I LOVED having this conversation and gleaning from it myself. Join us for this conversation of laughs, ah-ha moments and more! www.darlingthepodcast.com Have an idea for a future episode, or a story you wan...

When is a moment truly God-breathed and Holy Spirit-led?  When is it emotional manipulation?  How does music factor into it all?  How do we best prepare to lead with excellence AND anticipation?  We press into this topic today with our guest, Music Director and Lead Pastor, Tracy Stingley.  Thanks for listening! www.darlingthepodcast.com More info on Tracy's ministry can b...

You're here, yes! Today I am joined by a new friend, Nicole (Nikki) Lucas.  Nikki has years of experience in creative producing, music, and making things happen.  She is also the host of Coffee & Creative Leadership Podcast , a weekly podcast providing 5-10 minutes of weekly leadership content to spur you on in your endeavors. We talk about multi-sites, creative team structures, arti...

Pastors, musicians, and production teams work together week after week to pull off a worship service. Sunday comes every 7 days, and for some, it's Sat/Sun and that timeframe shortens even more. And some of y'all have a Wednesday night service too!  We need each other, but sometimes it's hard to get along and understand one another well.  It is my JOY to share with you a conversation wit...

Leadership is tough and worthy work.  Leading your team through change requires a great deal of self awareness, culture awareness, risk assessment and PRAYER. My fellow worship leader friend, Nic Carver and I sit down and share about our own learnings along the way in how to navigate through change well. Join us for this topic-based conversation and real stories. Thanks for listening! www.dar...

Darling: Confessions of a Former Megachurch Singer is a podcast hosted by Becky Ykema, filled with confessions and conversations around all things church culture, specifically megachurch culture.  Having spent 3 decades serving in a variety of worship services of all styles and sizes, this podcast is dedicated to honest conversations calling darkness into light and church cultures to love and...