What I heard that particular day in 2008 would stick with me forever. It would ruminate in my head over and over and still does to this day. I was just out of college. Excited for the future. Big dreams. I had decided early on in my college career that I was going to pursue worship ministry. I had wrestled with the idea of being pastor or being a worship leader. After much deliberation, I settled on worship. I had a leader after I came out of college who said to me these words: David, if you had a better voice. You would be unstoppable.” Pain. Confusion. Dashed dreams. That hurt. And to be honest with you, it’s something that has stuck with me for a lot of years where. I’ve thought a lot about this. I get where this leader was coming from – they were validating my skills as a musician, as a leader, while also telling me that my voice just wasn’t very good. And so I’ve always wrestled with that sort of inadequacy, that insecurity. Maybe if I did just have a better voice, then I would be a better worship leader. God, why didn’t you give me a different voice? That’s a very unproductive question. Because God makes no mistakes when he creates you, when he creates me. Maybe you are in a similar position. You feel your insecurities, your inadequacies. But what if you could use those to your advantage? Maybe you had a parent, teacher, or a leader in some way that made you see and feel those insecurities front and center. Weak voice? Not much talent? Unskilled musician? Introverted? Too young? Too old? Guess what? It doesn’t matter as much as you think. In a worship context you can actually use your weaknesses to an advantage with a shift in your thinking. Is Talent a Problem? I hope you’re not taking me as someone who thinks talented people are divas and inauthentic. Or that talent is somehow a weakness. I know many hundreds of incredibly talented worship leaders. When I hear them sing, they light up a room. But also they’re humble, authentic, love Jesus, and they pursue Him. But I do know that there are thousands upon thousands of worship leaders that are being held back because of what someone has spoken over you or something that you believe about yourself. Remember this: Worship has less to do with what happens on stage and more about what is happening in the room. Your job as a worship leader is to help people sing. It’s not so much about finding your voice as much as it is helping the bride of Christ find hers. The Most Important Question Here’s the most important question that you can ask in preparation for Sunday: Who’s in the room and how do we connect with them? If all your energy is spent you your plans, your singing, your playing, and you, you, you – you’ve missed the point. You need to understand your people. Who are they? How old are they (generally)? What do they know about Jesus? How long have they been in church? What music do they love? What songs connect? The more you know – and the more you take the time to listen – the better worship leader you will be. Is Talent the Most Important Thing? I serve churches with staffing with a great organization called Slingshot. There’s an interesting trend we’ve noticed as we help churches find worship leaders – most churches are looking for the top 5-10% of talent. I get it. You want to hire top talent. And especially when it comes to worship ministry, you want to have a worship leader and a worship team that has the wow factor – gifted, talented, hard working. Talent attracts talent. I totally get that. The problem is that the Church of 500 and the Church of 5,000 are looking for the same person. But the reality is that there are a whole host of worship leaders who are less talented and getting overlooked. But so many of these worship leaders know how to engage a room – and that is the most important skill. Again, worship is less about what happens on stage and more about what happens in the room. My friend Bob Sorge says it like this: “I would rather see a forest fire in the congregation than a bonfire on stage.” There are many of churches who are lighting it up, figuratively and literally. The lights, the haze, the band. The amazing songs, the energy, the stage presence, the passion, the talent, the songwriting, the records. I’m not minimizing or downplaying any of it, but you can have all of those things and have a congregation that is dead and disconnected. The Best in the Room Just because you’re the worship pastor doesn’t mean that you have to be the best in the room. You’re actually more valuable when you can lead people who are better than you. Lead others – empower them, lead them, invest in them. You actually bring more value to your church and to your organization when you are a developer and a disciple-maker than you are just being talented on stage. Lead with sensitivity. Build trust with people. Sing as much as you need and then back off the mic. Get out of the way. Empower your congregation to be the loudest sound in the room. The post Why Worship Leaders With Less Talent Can Still Be Amazing Worship Leaders appeared first on Beyond Sunday Worship.

Topics Covered: Both of our favorite hikes around the world Classical training vs Improv How to become a great jazz musician Mike’s favorite pianos, keyboards, & software instruments The mystery of the Nord How to develop your unique sound Lyric writing vs writing music Diving into the Psalms Resources Mentioned: Show Sponsor: Planning Center Mike Janzen Music Songs from the Canyon by Mike Janzen Spitfire Audio Soft Piano Show Sponsor: Planning Center So let’s talk about Planning Center. For those of you who are old enough, we often refer to worship leading eras as the pre-Planning Center days and the Planning Center days. It’s that game-changing and that important. I talk about Planning Center pretty often on here, and if you’re a worship pastor, you might be wondering what more there is to Planning Center for you beyond worship planning and scheduling. And there is. Did you know that with a subscription to Planning Center Services you also have free access to another incredibly powerful product People? With People, you can do things like create a volunteer pipeline to get new volunteers through their application process and then assigned to a team! In People you can create an online form to get new volunteers, a workflow to help you walk them step-by-step through the training process, and then automatically add them to Services so you can get them scheduled! And that’s just one way you use Planning Center People, so give it a try! Learn more at planningcenter.com/pipeline And remember, if your church is looking for tools to help with things like giving, small group chat, event signups, live-streaming, and custom reporting, Planning Center has tools for that too, so let your church administrator know! The post #305: Mike Janzen on Learning Music, Jazz Techniques, Gear, & All Things Piano [Podcast] appeared first on Beyond Sunday Worship.

Show Sponsor: Planning Center So let’s talk about Planning Center. For those of you who are old enough, we often refer to worship leading eras as the pre-Planning Center days and the Planning Center days. It’s that game-changing and that important. I talk about Planning Center pretty often on here, and if you’re a worship pastor, you might be wondering what more there is to Planning Center for you beyond worship planning and scheduling. And there is. Did you know that with a subscription to Planning Center Services you also have free access to another incredibly powerful product People? With People, you can do things like create a volunteer pipeline to get new volunteers through their application process and then assigned to a team! In People you can create an online form to get new volunteers, a workflow to help you walk them step-by-step through the training process, and then automatically add them to Services so you can get them scheduled! And that’s just one way you use Planning Center People, so give it a try! Learn more at planningcenter.com/pipeline And remember, if your church is looking for tools to help with things like giving, small group chat, event signups, live-streaming, and custom reporting, Planning Center has tools for that too, so let your church administrator know! Topics Covered: Reminiscing the 90s The song of the 90s Chad’s top 5 90s worship records Guitar solos What the 90s taught us about leading worship Lessons from the Brownsville Revival Resources Mentioned: Show Sponsor: Planning Center 90s Worship Night Live from Dayspring Community Church by Nineties Worship Night The post #304: Chad Gentry on 90’s Worship, Influential Worship Albums, & Worship Music History appeared first on Beyond Sunday Worship.

Prefer to watch the interview? You can view the entire conversation here. Show Sponsor: Planning Center So let’s talk about Planning Center. For those of you who are old enough, we often refer to worship leading eras as the pre-Planning Center days and the Planning Center days. It’s that game-changing and that important. I talk about Planning Center pretty often on here, and if you’re a worship pastor, you might be wondering what more there is to Planning Center for you beyond worship planning and scheduling. And there is. Did you know that with a subscription to Planning Center Services you also have free access to another incredibly powerful product People? With People, you can do things like create a volunteer pipeline to get new volunteers through their application process and then assigned to a team! In People you can create an online form to get new volunteers, a workflow to help you walk them step-by-step through the training process, and then automatically add them to Services so you can get them scheduled! And that’s just one way you use Planning Center People, so give it a try! Learn more at planningcenter.com/pipeline And remember, if your church is looking for tools to help with things like giving, small group chat, event signups, live-streaming, and custom reporting, Planning Center has tools for that too, so let your church administrator know! Topics Covered: Songwriting approach Songwriters Pat looks up to Production style The power of live music The practicalities of spontaneous worship Songwriting out of spontaneity Resources Mentioned: Show Sponsor: Planning Center Shelter by Pat Barrett The post #303: Pat Barrett on Spontaneous Worship, Songwriting Methods, & New Music appeared first on Beyond Sunday Worship.

Show Sponsor: Planning Center So let’s talk about Planning Center. For those of you who are old enough, we often refer to worship leading eras as the pre-Planning Center days and the Planning Center days. It’s that game-changing and that important. I talk about Planning Center pretty often on here, and if you’re a worship pastor, you might be wondering what more there is to Planning Center for you beyond worship planning and scheduling. And there is. Did you know that with a subscription to Planning Center Services you also have free access to another incredibly powerful product People? With People, you can do things like create a volunteer pipeline to get new volunteers through their application process and then assigned to a team! In People you can create an online form to get new volunteers, a workflow to help you walk them step-by-step through the training process, and then automatically add them to Services so you can get them scheduled! And that’s just one way you use Planning Center People, so give it a try! Learn more at planningcenter.com/pipeline And remember, if your church is looking for tools to help with things like giving, small group chat, event signups, live-streaming, and custom reporting, Planning Center has tools for that too, so let your church administrator know! Topics: The most expensive coffee in the world Coffee methods How The Afters got started Early influences Advice to young worship leaders Planning out your speaking moments Pastoring your team How to train your replacement The story behind “God is With Us” The importance of a theology of suffering Resources Mentioned: Show Sponsor: Planning Center “God is With Us” by The Afters The post #302: The Afters on A Theology of Suffering, Mentoring Worship Leaders, and New Music [Podcast] appeared first on Beyond Sunday Worship.

Show Sponsor: Planning Center So let’s talk about Planning Center. For those of you who are old enough, we often refer to worship leading eras as the pre-Planning Center days and the Planning Center days. It’s that game-changing and that important. I talk about Planning Center pretty often on here, and if you’re a worship pastor, you might be wondering what more there is to Planning Center for you beyond worship planning and scheduling. And there is. Did you know that with a subscription to Planning Center Services you also have free access to another incredibly powerful product People? With People, you can do things like create a volunteer pipeline to get new volunteers through their application process and then assigned to a team! In People you can create an online form to get new volunteers, a workflow to help you walk them step-by-step through the training process, and then automatically add them to Services so you can get them scheduled! And that’s just one way you use Planning Center People, so give it a try! Learn more at planningcenter.com/pipeline And remember, if your church is looking for tools to help with things like giving, small group chat, event signups, live-streaming, and custom reporting, Planning Center has tools for that too, so let your church administrator know! Resources Mentioned Show Sponsor: Planning Center OnSong Topics Covered: The founding of OnSong How to build a company Why OnSong decided to initially create a paid app What OnSong makes possible for Worship Leaders When the company had to scale and start to hire employees The post #301: Jason Kichline on The Founding of OnSong, Building a Company, & Serving Worship Leaders appeared first on Beyond Sunday Worship.

Show Sponsor: Planning Center So let’s talk about Planning Center. For those of you who are old enough, we often refer to worship leading eras as the pre-Planning Center days and the Planning Center days. It’s that game-changing and that important. I talk about Planning Center pretty often on here, and if you’re a worship pastor, you might be wondering what more there is to Planning Center for you beyond worship planning and scheduling. And there is. Did you know that with a subscription to Planning Center Services you also have free access to another incredibly powerful product People? With People, you can do things like create a volunteer pipeline to get new volunteers through their application process and then assigned to a team! In People you can create an online form to get new volunteers, a workflow to help you walk them step-by-step through the training process, and then automatically add them to Services so you can get them scheduled! And that’s just one way you use Planning Center People, so give it a try! Learn more at planningcenter.com/pipeline And remember, if your church is looking for tools to help with things like giving, small group chat, event signups, live-streaming, and custom reporting, Planning Center has tools for that too, so let your church administrator know! Topics Covered Outdated NFL takes The sad Carolina Panthers season Creative process for starting a song The story behind “O Come to the Altar” Resources Mentioned Show Sponsor: Planning Center Just Like You’ve Always Done by Mack Brock The post #300: Mack Brock on Sports, Songwriting, & Creative Process [Podcast] appeared first on Beyond Sunday Worship.

Show Sponsor: Planning Center So let’s talk about Planning Center. For those of you who are old enough, we often refer to worship leading eras as the pre-Planning Center days and the Planning Center days. It’s that game-changing and that important. I talk about Planning Center pretty often on here, and if you’re a worship pastor, you might be wondering what more there is to Planning Center for you beyond worship planning and scheduling. And there is. Did you know that with a subscription to Planning Center Services you also have free access to another incredibly powerful product People? With People, you can do things like create a volunteer pipeline to get new volunteers through their application process and then assigned to a team! In People you can create an online form to get new volunteers, a workflow to help you walk them step-by-step through the training process, and then automatically add them to Services so you can get them scheduled! And that’s just one way you use Planning Center People, so give it a try! Learn more at planningcenter.com/pipeline And remember, if your church is looking for tools to help with things like giving, small group chat, event signups, live-streaming, and custom reporting, Planning Center has tools for that too, so let your church administrator know! Topics Covered: The world of Crossfit The movie/song that launched Chris’ music career Matt Redman’s influence The challenge of writing upbeat, joyful songs Why worship music is so slow and intense Creative process Honesty in Christian music Resources Mentioned: Show Sponsor: Planning Center Honest by Chris Llewellyn Rend Collective on Spotify Gareth Gilkeson (Rend Collective) Interview Andrew Peterson Interview Graham Kendrick Interview The post #299: Chris Llewellyn on Rend Collective, Worship Songs, & Music for the Outsiders [Podcast] appeared first on Beyond Sunday Worship.

Show Sponsor: Planning Center So let’s talk about Planning Center. For those of you who are old enough, we often refer to worship leading eras as the pre-Planning Center days and the Planning Center days. It’s that game-changing and that important. I talk about Planning Center pretty often on here, and if you’re a worship pastor, you might be wondering what more there is to Planning Center for you beyond worship planning and scheduling. And there is. Did you know that with a subscription to Planning Center Services you also have free access to another incredibly powerful product People? With People, you can do things like create a volunteer pipeline to get new volunteers through their application process and then assigned to a team! In People you can create an online form to get new volunteers, a workflow to help you walk them step-by-step through the training process, and then automatically add them to Services so you can get them scheduled! And that’s just one way you use Planning Center People, so give it a try! Learn more at planningcenter.com/pipeline And remember, if your church is looking for tools to help with things like giving, small group chat, event signups, live-streaming, and custom reporting, Planning Center has tools for that too, so let your church administrator know! Topics Covered: Best practices for multisite worship How RR builds community with their worship leaders each week Defining the kind of worship leaders that are a good fit for your church Sensing and shifting a room How to develop young worship leaders Lessons learned from co-writers Favorite, most “underrated” song on Ascend Resources Mentioned: Show Sponsor: Planning Center Ascend by Red Rocks Worship The post #298: Tyler Roberts on Red Rocks Worship, Discipleship, and Worship Culture [Podcast] appeared first on Beyond Sunday Worship.

Show Sponsor: Planning Center So let’s talk about Planning Center. For those of you who are old enough, we often refer to worship leading eras as the pre-Planning Center days and the Planning Center days. It’s that game-changing and that important. I talk about Planning Center pretty often on here, and if you’re a worship pastor, you might be wondering what more there is to Planning Center for you beyond worship planning and scheduling. And there is. Did you know that with a subscription to Planning Center Services you also have free access to another incredibly powerful product People? With People, you can do things like create a volunteer pipeline to get new volunteers through their application process and then assigned to a team! In People you can create an online form to get new volunteers, a workflow to help you walk them step-by-step through the training process, and then automatically add them to Services so you can get them scheduled! And that’s just one way you use Planning Center People, so give it a try! Learn more at planningcenter.com/pipeline And remember, if your church is looking for tools to help with things like giving, small group chat, event signups, live-streaming, and custom reporting, Planning Center has tools for that too, so let your church administrator know! Topics Covered: How (and why we need to) expand our worship song topics Why theology is important for worship leaders How to reach for great theology and catchy melody A look at the Worth Conference in October 2023 Guiding principles for building setlists The importance of a “key moment” in a setlist Incorporating liturgy and spontaneity Resources Mentioned: Show Sponsor: Planning Center Worth Conference The Father’s Song by Matt Redman Facedown by Matt Redman Podcast: Matt Redman on Visionary Songwriting, Co-Writing, & His New Album Worship: The Missing Jewel of the Evangelical Church by AW Tozer The Knowledge of the Holy by AW Tozer Tozer on Worship & Entertainment compiled by James L Snyder Under The Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness by Eugene Peterson Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ by John Piper The post #297: Matt Redman on The Heart and Mind of Worship [Podcast] appeared first on Beyond Sunday Worship.