14- Maintaining Unity in Your Worship Team

Maintaining Unity of the Worship Team is one of the most important aspects of leading a worship team.

Why is Maintaining Unity So Important?

Unity is commonly attacked by the enemy in every area of Christian ministry. And in a worship team, you probably already know that this is not so easy to maintain. Every time you put talented, strong-willed people together, you will get some differences of opinion. It is how we manage those differences which can result in disunity or unity... the choice is yours! The Bible says in Psalm 133:1-3...

How good and pleasant it is     when God’s people live together in unity!

It is like precious oil poured on the head,     running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard,     down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon     were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing,     even life forevermore.

Unity does not mean that you all agree on everything. How many of you know this pretty much never happens.  But unity is when you can agree to disagree agreeably. If you do not have unity in your team, then your effectiveness in worship leading will be affected.  This is because unity is more than just not having conflict, it is at the very core of your ability to lead worship. This exciting podcast is 12 minutes that you can invest into maintaining unity in your worship team, and it could be one of the most important messages you will hear this year! I am not exaggerating when I say that unity, or lack of unity, is one of the most common flaws in worship team leading. So settle back and listen to this podcast, and find ways you can maintain unity in your worship team...

https://praiseandworshipleader.com/worship-leader-podcast/14-maintaining-unity/

13- How to Resurrect a Great Song

Learning how to resurrect a great song is a skill we should all have in worship leading.

Resurrect a Great Song

As we discussed last week on the pod, so many churches kill off great songs, mainly by flogging them to death. We take a perfectly good song and ruin it, and then throw it on the scrap heap of worship life. There are so many really good songs that we have simply discarded because they were flogged to death by worship leaders.  Songs like Shout to the Lord and Shine Jesus Shine, which were good in their day, have been more or less abandoned. Even if a song was once a great song, many people are just over them today. So is there any hope for these songs? Picture this... we take one of these once loved tunes and we give it a different style, a different feel, perhaps we start it a fresh and new way, or make an acapella version of it. There are loads of ways you can breath new life into a once great song, and that's exactly what the guys discuss in this pod.  They will share new, innovative ideas that will allow you, and your congregation, to rediscover anew the beauty and wonder of songs that were once loved but have fallen into disrepute.   Simple ideas and technique could make all of the difference as you rediscover the awesomeness of some songs you might have thought gone forever! In this podcast, Darin and Erick take 12 minutes to discuss how you can resurrect those seemingly destroyed songs. This is a great podcast to head into Easter with... The theme of resurrection!

https://praiseandworshipleader.com/worship-leader-podcast/13-how-to-resurrect-a-great-song/

12- How to Kill a Great Song

Most worship leaders do not set out to kill a great song...

But sadly, many do kill a great song!  Let's face it, there are loads of wonderful songs in our churches, from the hymns of old right through to the latest hits, but we don't always do them justice when we play and sing them in our worship. We might sing of our crucified Lord, but sometimes we crucify the song in the arrangement and feel that we give it! So, in this slightly tongue in cheek and funny podcast, we are going to look at the top five ways you can kill a perfectly decent song, and we will do it all in just 12 minutes. That's right, we have actually sat down and thought about how we could kill a great song, ways in which we can make this song, however great it is, into the one that makes our congregation roll their eyes when we start it!  And if you do what we suggest, you should be able to take any perfectly good and wonderful song and ruin it for your congregation.  Whether it is overplaying it to death, pitching it too high or some other classic mistake, this is not only a lot of fun but it is a great podcast with practical applications for many of us worship leaders. The hope, of course, is that you will then reverse engineer this and not kill great songs... So we are not advocating actually doing the things we suggest, but rather that you learn how not to do these things... so we can keep great songs as what they are... great songs! And don't forget, you can learn all about how to arrange songs to make them great by joining our Worship Leader Academy.  It includes loads of fun, practical and easy to apply tips that will take your worship leading to a higher level, in just a few short months.  Join the academy, and you will never kill a great song again!

Check Out Our Academy by Clicking Here

https://praiseandworshipleader.com/worship-leader-podcast/12-how-to-kill-a-great-song/

11- What is Your Worship Style?

So, what is your worship style?

Is it something from another generation, or are you trying to emulate some other worship leader?  Is it a style unique to you and your church, or are you trying to sound like your favourite band?  The way you present your worship plays a key part in how comfortable people are entering into a closer and deeper fellowship with the Lord. The style of your worship is often dictated by the style of your congregation.  Imagine leading worship with just an organ at a youth meeting, or on the flip side, imagine leading worship at a senior's meeting with a heavy metal band! The thing is, as the worship leader, you have a unique opportunity to develop your own style of worship, the kind of music that attracts people and opens their hearts to the gospel, and allows them to go deeper with God. However, many worship leaders simply try and transport what some famous worship leader on YouTube is doing into their local church, and this can lead to really discouraging results.  We should not be just trying to imitate someone else, but be seeking the Lord for our own, unique style of worship that not only suits us, but more importantly suits our congregation and church leadership. This podcast asks the big questions about the way you lead your team and your congregation, and it will be invaluable for those seeking a unique and beautiful way of leading worship.  As you listen open your heart and hear from the Lord as to the best way you can establish a style of music and presentation that captures the hearts of your people, and allows a more intimate level of worship in your church. So what is your worship style?  Listen to this week's podcast and discover yours now...

https://praiseandworshipleader.com/worship-leader-podcast/11-what-is-your-worship-style/

10- Ideas to Start a Song Service

This great podcast deals with ideas to start a song service in your church.

Start a Song Service the Right Way...

The start of the song service is always a key time, with people walking into the room, with people still talking and chatting to each other, and with a few ready to worship. Fist choice... do you start on time, or do you wait until there are people in the room?  In my culture, we start on time! This means when you come to kick off the service, the room might be 1/5 full, and the hearts of people are distracted, catching up with friend, still grappling with the fight the had on the way to church, or a hundred other distractions. How can you capture the attention and the hearts of your listeners, and turn them from the cares of the day and life's many distractions towards worshipping the Lord? The answer to this important and extremely practical question is what this podcast is about.  Darin and Erick have come up with 5 different and valid ways of starting a song service (of course there are many others too!), and these are so practical you can try them out starting this week.  From the long, atmospheric introduction to the punchy, high energy approach, these ideas will change the way you start your entire service and set the scene for worship in a way you may have never experienced. Discover more in this exciting 12 minutes for worship leaders podcast...

https://praiseandworshipleader.com/worship-leader-podcast/10-ideas-to-start-a-song-service/

8- Ideas to Start a Song

This is a great 12 minutes that you can take and apply immediately in your worship ministry... great ideas to start a song.

We All Need Ideas to Start a Song

The beginning of the song is such an important part of your worship leading because if you mess this up, you can lose people's confidence even before you start. And let's face it... we spend so much time rehearsing the body of the song, that often we forget to concentrate on the incredibly important start and finish to the number!  We also overlook the fact that the beginning of a song also provides an incredible opportunity to try new and creative things. Just because Hillsong did it a certain way on their last album, does not mean that that is theirs is the only ideas to start a song. In fact, as you launch into a song, you can give every song your own flavour, and surprise people (in a good way, not a "Man, that was horrible" way). There's the slow and atmospheric approach, or the big beat approach, or even the full 4 part harmony vocal idea... all of these are valid, and trust me, creating new and stunning arrangements as the song begins is one of the great joys of leading worship in church. So have a listen and be inspired to make each and every start if a worship songs something special, anointed and attractive to your listeners! So join us for this phenomenal podcast and great some awesome ideas to start a song in just 12 minutes...

https://praiseandworshipleader.com/worship-leader-podcast/8-ideas-to-start-a-song/

6- Ego or Service... You Choice in Worship Ministry

Ego or service, that is the choice all of us make at some time as worship leaders. All of us as musicians and singers grapple with our egos, and if we are honest, most of us want some kind of recognition for our gift.

Ego or Service... Your Choice

So how do you put that desire aside and just serve? I don't mean do what you are told, I am talking about genuine servant-hood. Christ calls us to be servants, but if we take a few moments and look honestly at our hearts, while we want to serve there is always a tension with our egos. While ego, ambition and confidence are not all bad, they are often the polar opposite of service.  And one of the truest tests of ego or service is going to be how you react when someone else has success.  Can you genuinely rejoice with them, can you celebrate their successes, or do you feel resentful or upset when someone else does good? My experience is that, if we concentrate on genuinely serving and not pursuing our ego-driven agenda, that God has a habit of raising up your ministry.  Jesus puts it this way... Matthew 6:33-34 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. And Peter promises, 1 Peter 5:5-6 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, So listen to this podcast and examine your heart, and ask yourself the question about your ministry.. is it about ego or service? Image by 1475341 on Pixabay

https://praiseandworshipleader.com/worship-leader-podcast/6-ego-or-service-you-choice-in-worship-ministry/