Worship Ministry Training Podcast (For Worship Leaders)

More and more women are getting hired as worship leaders, and we think that's a good thing! But female leadership in the church can be a tricky thing to navigate, depending on which side of the "conservative" aisle you fall on.  This month we talk with Krissy Nordhoff and Maribeth Dodd (of Brave Worship ) about the unique challenges female worship leaders face, as well as the positive things women...

What is the purpose of production in worship? Why do we have lights, sound, and video in our services, and does the Bible have anything to say to inform us of their intended use? Even the most simple churches have to make decisions about how bright the lights are, and how loud the sound is. In this month's episode, I interview the only man on planet earth with a PhD in the Theology of Production....

Imagine a video team, a worship team, a photography team, a design team, a songwriting team, and a web and social media team all working together as one unit!  Sound like a dream?  It's possible and  Chris Vacher  from  C4 Church  has done it. As worship leaders, we want our churches to be creatively excellent for the glory of God. But how do we get all these teams to work together? What if we don...

Every worship leader wants more engagement and participation from their congregation, but not many worship leaders know how to get it. Often we think if we had more talent, a bigger budget, and more (and louder) gear that it would help our church engage in worship more, but that is simply not the case. In fact, with some simple, prayerful planning you can craft and shape worship services that enga...

Phil Wickham has one of the most unique and beautiful voices of our generation. But four years ago Phil almost lost his voice forever. In this episode, I talk to Phil about what led to his vocal polyp, what he learned through the healing process, how he cares for his voice now, and how you and I can strengthen and develop our own unique singing voice for the glory of God and the good of our church...

Most worship leaders are Bi-Vocational (meaning they hold a second job, or serve strictly as a volunteer). With all that we want to accomplish in our ministries, how can we move the ball forward while balancing ministry, family, health, and a second career? How do we find time to work ON our ministry, not just IN it? This month, I talk with Zach Hodges, about how he (as a bi-vocational worship lea...

Why is Hillsong Worship so good? How do they achieve such high levels of musical excellence? What are they doing behind the scenes that leads to consistently great results in all of their campuses? Inquiring minds want to know. Thankfully, this month I am joined by  Rich Langton , Creative Pastor for  Hillsong Church , and he gives us a peek behind the curtains, helping us understand the systems,...

Starting at a new church can be a daunting and overwhelming task. The first few months in particular are crucial to setting the tone and direction you want to take the ministry. With the right attitude and methods, you can successfully adopt an existing team, win their trust, help them catch your vision, build momentum, and transition the culture and direction of the worship department. In this pr...

All worship leaders have to run rehearsals, but not all worship leaders run rehearsals well. Wasted time, sloppy arrangements, and frustrated band members all stem from a lack of leadership. As worship leaders, we owe it to our teams to make our rehearsal times as fun, efficient and productive as possible. The goal is that everyone leaves rehearsal feeling excited, engaged, energized and expectant...

Difficult conversations are an inevitable part of being a leader. But difficult conversations don't have to be viewed in a negative light. In fact, helping a team member grow is a very positive thing, and is actually commanded in scripture (Ephesians 4). In this month's episode, Brenton Collyer and I share how to reframe your mindset regarding difficult conversations, and give you very practical t...

If you want to accomplish something great for the Kingdom of God, you need a great team of people around you. In today's episode, I talk with  Carl Barnhill  about how to create healthy, happy, thriving, volunteer teams. Carl is truly an expert team builder. I learned SO much from this interview. We discuss recruiting  ("inviting"), onboarding, culture, communication, training, and so much more. T...

Hopefully, you're surrounded by amazing musicians in your worship ministry (every worship leader's dream)! But if you are, you might not know how to lead them, guide them, and give them direction. Maybe you don't know how to "speak their language", or you are intimidated by their skill and experience. In our final Q&A episode of the month, Justin Bell,  Brenton Collyer  and I share how you can lea...

How good is "good enough" in worship ministry? It may seem like a silly question, but all of us have limited time, personnel, and resources. Why chase after excellence, when what we are currently doing serves the church just fine?  And why does worship ministry get all the special attention? Should a church's worship department pull talent and resources from other departments? In our second Q&A ep...

This month we will be doing a three-part Q&A series, answering listeners' questions. This first episode addresses a common problem that many worship leaders face: Inheriting a team member (or multiple team members) who don't have the musical skill to perform the task at hand. How do we as worship leaders help this beloved person understand that music ministry might not be God's calling for their l...

One of the prime objectives of scripture is to be fruitful and multiply. As worship leaders, we can multiply ourselves by investing in the next generation of worship leaders. It is our job to pass the baton to future generations and intentionally train and disciple them. At  Passion City Church , worship leaders like Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, David Crowder have passed the baton to the younger gun...

How does someone get hired as a worship leader? Is there a path a person takes to become a paid worship leader at a church? And what are some tips to help navigate the hiring process for a full-time ministry position? Getting hired at a church can be a daunting and mysterious process, so in today's episode, I try to take some of the mystery out of it and give you practical tips to guide you to the...

Planning Center   is used by over 30,000 churches worldwide, and for good reason: It is the most robust, easy-to-use software available for service planning and church database management. Aaron Stewart, the founder of Planning Center, started it as a frustrated worship leader looking for something to help manage his teams and his song sets. Today, the software can do much more than that and is he...

Our rehearsal nights can be so much more than just playing through a few songs. If used correctly, they become times to shape culture, invest in relationships, do discipleship, train new volunteers, raise up new worship leaders, find better uses of our technology and more. This month, I'm the one being interviewed, by Carl Barnhill of the  Church Media Podcast   (check them out!). In this episode,...

In a world of pervasive "shallowness", deep spirituality can seem an elusive thing to attain. Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and other distractions keep our minds in the shallows. This is the world that our team members live in.  As leaders in God's Church, it is our responsibility to fight for depth, focus, and deeper spirituality in our people, so that there is power in our worship leading. But ho...

We have all had those band members who think that the worship set is their time to shred! The drummer who plays a fill every two bars. The electric guitar player who solos over the vocal. The bassist who won't stop noodling! No more! Put an end to musical busyness with this month's episode. This month, I give you seven principles to help your band beat busyness and embrace musical simplicity. God...

As we come to the close of the year, I asked prolific songwriter and worship leader Matt Redman about the current state of modern worship around the globe. Where are we at as a worship culture, what encouraging trends is he seeing, what concerns him, and what advice does he have for worship leaders as we stewart our calling well? This episode is less of a training and more of an encouragement and...

Your acoustic guitar is an incredibly powerful tool. Its melodic and percussive nature allows you to create lots of energy and dynamic if utilized properly. Unfortunately, many worship leaders are under-utilizing this versatile instrument because they have never been taught a handful of simple techniques that can take your acoustic guitar playing to the next level. Whether you lead alone (just you...

Our worship services have a formative effect on our people's minds and souls. With weeks, bleeding into months, into years, and ultimately decades, the habits we form in our people have a long term cumulative effect. What we do in our services and how we do it matters. In today's episode, I talk with author and Pastor Zac Hics about the ways in which worship is formative and how to best utilize ou...

We were recently forced to change our name. In this episode I explain why and share a few ways you can help. All new content will now be at worshipministrytraining.com Thank you for your support!!!   Share with Your Friends: Tell your friends about us on EMAIL , FACEBOOK , and TWITTER .    Donate To Our Legal Fees: Donate $1 Donate $2 Donate $5 Donate $10 (or more)   - Donate $10 or more and get a...

Culture is one of the most important aspects of your worship ministry. Healthy culture will help your ministry thrive, while unhealthy culture will undermine everything you are trying to accomplish. But healthy culture doesn't appear of thin air. Culture is something that is carefully cultivated through consistent communication of a clear and compelling vision. Aaron Ivey of Austin Stone Worship s...