Tag Archives | worship-leader

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Seven Myths of Contextualization

A wise missionary knows that preaching the gospel to a different culture requires contextualizing your message. The words we use don’t automatically translate to a new culture that lacks the associations and experiences we’re familiar with. We need to find new ways of communicating the old, old story, ways that can be understood, ways that “speak the language” of those we’re ministering to. But even on a local scale, we have to deal with contextualization. That’s because music and liturgy are a language. They can mean different things to different people. In the past few years, much has been written, advocated, and modeled to help us understand …

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A Call for Musically Gifted Pastors

In 2008, I suggested in Worship Matters that the title of “worship leader” needed to be defined to be helpful. So I defined it this way: A faithful worship leader magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit by skillfully combining God’s Word with music, thereby motivating the gathered church to proclaim the gospel, to cherish God’s presence, and to live for God’s glory. I still like that definition, but I’m less sure the term “worship leader” is serving us. It’s taken on a life of its own and continues to be associated with stardom, predominance, the spotlight, good looks, hipster-ness, and in some cases, …

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Dave Gobbett on Sovereign Grace Music & WorshipGod UK

I first met Dave Gobbett in 2000 when he was in the states. His love for the Savior and the church were almost palpable. He was bursting with enthusiasm for God’s gospel, God’s people, and God’s work. He also had an appreciation for Sovereign Grace Music that he shared freely once he got back to the UK (as you’ll see below). He played a key role in my leading the music at Word Alive in 2011. Dave now serves as the Lead Minister at Highfields Church, Cardiff, and is a trustee of Word Alive. I’m grateful that Dave will be teaching a seminar at WorshipGod UK this year called “Secure in Christ.” Recently, he answered a few questions …

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Simon Brading Reflects on WorshipGod UK

I’ve known Simon Brading for a number of years now and been encouraged by his thoughtfulness, his passion for the gospel, and his heart to see music used in the church for the glory of Jesus Christ. Last year at WorshipGod UK he sang a couple songs  and I was struck by his desire to pastor the people he was leading. At this year’s conference, I’ve asked him to lead the music for a main session and participate in a seminar called Planning for Sundays. Simon kindly took some time to answer a few questions about himself and WorshipGod UK, coming to Bath 7th-9th May. 1. What is your history of leading in the church, musically and …

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The Gathering: Coming to Knoxville this Weekend

In 2011, Sovereign Grace Music recorded The Gathering, a collection of 15 songs that walk through the flow of the gospel and our response to it. Among others, the album included Greater Than We Can Imagine, Shine Into Our Night, Show Us Christ, and All I Have is Christ. The idea for the project had its origins in Bryan Chapell’s excellent book, Christ-Centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape Our Practice. Chapell makes the case from Scripture, history, and our personal need that, “Corporate worship is nothing more, and nothing less, than a re-presentation of the gospel in the presence of God and his people for his glory and their good.” While …

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WorshipGod 2015: TRIUNE Registration Now Open!

In July 2014 we held our first WorshipGod conference on the Trinity in Santa Ana, CA. It was such a rich time we decided to repeat that theme for WorshipGod 2015: TRIUNE. The dates are July 29-Aug 1, and we’re excited to be coming back to Highview Baptist East in Louisville, KY. Christians can sometimes think of the Trinity like an appendix. We know it’s there but we’re not quite sure what its purpose is. And if it was removed, it wouldn’t change much. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Trinity is at the heart of our faith and at the heart of our worship. But how much do you know about the Trinity? More importantly, how well …

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Tim Chester Reflects on WorshipGod UK

I first met Tim Chester a few years ago at the Word Alive conference in Wales. Since then he’s become a good friend, and I’ve even written a song with him. Tim is one of the humblest, kindest, most prolific authors I know. He was with us for WorshipGodUK last year and I’m thrilled he’ll be joining us in Bath for WorshipGod UK, 7-9 May, 2015, to speak in a breakout session on “Cultivating a Fruitful Life in the Word.” He took some time to answer a few questions about his life and his involvement in the conference. 1. What is your history of leading in the church, musically or pastorally? I’m one of the pastors of The Crowded House with …

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Interview with Matt Searles

I met Matt Searles via email a few years ago after hearing his album, Now and Not Yet, acoustic renditions of various Psalms. It was biblical, singable, and moving. Since then he’s also recorded From the River to the Ends of the Earth, another collection of Psalms, only this time with a full band. I was delighted to meet Matt in person at WorshipGod UK last year, and since then have hosted him in my home in Louisville, KY. He’ll be joining us again for WorshipGod UK, 7th-9th May, in Bath. Matt will be teaching a seminar at the conference entitled Shaped by the Psalms. He graciously took time to answer a few questions for us. 1. …

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Songs from WorshipGod14: TRIUNE

We just wrapped up the last session of WorshipGod14: TRIUNE, where we spent 3 days exploring the depths, joys, and significance of worship the God who has revealed himself to us as Father, Son, and Spirit. I’m so grateful for the folks who made it all possible as well as the people who made sacrifices to attend. We all know God better than we did three days ago. I’ll be posting a summary of the conference in the coming weeks, but here’s the list of the songs we sang. Not surprisingly, a lot of them specifically reference the Trinity in some way. Click on the title to access charts and/or original sources. Wednesday PM – Bob Kauflin …

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Ten Reasons Why You Should Come to WorshipGod: TRIUNE

Last year we held our first WorshipGod conference in California, Called to Be Faithful, co-hosted with Eric Turbedsky and Sovereign Grace Church of Orange. Lots of learning, lots of giveaways, lots of fellowship, lots of laughter, lots of equipping, and lots of time to encounter God together. Due to the number of requests to come back we’ll be hosting WorshipGod: TRIUNE, July 16-19, again at Calvary Church in Santa Ana, CA. Here’s a video recap of last year’s conference. Because there are so many conferences you could attend, I wanted to give you 10 reasons why you should consider joining us for WorshipGod:TRIUNE this year. 1. …

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Will the Sunday After Easter be a Letdown?

Many pastors, music leaders, and production personnel are breathing a deep sigh of relief after this past weekend. After all the planning, strategizing, prayer, preparation, and practice, the Easter weekend service(s) finally happened. Everything (for the most part) came together and people were well served. The music was moving, the preaching powerful, and the effect exhilarating. And throughout the world, thousands of people were baptized and saved for the glory of God. But you may be starting to wonder what you’re going to do next Sunday. Maybe you’re even asking yourself, “How do I keep this coming Sunday from being a major letdown?” …

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WorshipGod 2014: TRIUNE – Registration Now Open!

We’re getting ready to head over to WorshipGod UK in Bath next week, but planning is in full swing for another event, WorshipGod West 2014: TRIUNE , July 16-19. The location will be the same as last year, Calvary Church in Santa Ana, CA. The folks at Calvary were stellar and we’re thrilled to be holding the conference there again. Why WorshipGod: Triune? Many Christians think of the Trinity as something like an appendix. We know it’s there but we’re not quite sure what it’s purpose is. And if we had it removed, nothing much would change. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Trinity is at the heart of our faith and at the heart of …

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I Worship God by Singing. You Should, Too.

Last week Donald Miller, probably best known as the author of Blue Like Jazz, wrote a blog post called, “I Don’t Worship God by Singing. I Connect With Him Elsewhere.” It came as I was  working on a chapter for my book, True Worshipers. A chapter called “True Worshipers Sing.” I was surprised by the categorical nature of Don’s title and even more concerned after reading the post. Don seemed more committed to being honest (brutally honest at one point) and telling us about his learning style than helping us see more clearly what God might think about our singing. I’ve read some thoughtful responses to Don’s post from Mike Cosper, Denny Burk …

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Oh, Oh, Ooh, Ooh, La, La, Whoa

  I’ve been thinking about the use of generic syllables in congregational singing for a while now. It’s not a new phenomenon. I remember singing, “Lai lai lai lai lai, lai lai lai lai lai lai,” as the last verse of the song in the 70s that was called “Then shall the virgin break forth into dance.” I think it was supposed to be the dance section. We sing, “Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la” and don’t think twice about it. And the Beatles did just fine with “ob-la-di, ob-la-da” and the epic ending to Hey Jude (Na Na Na Na na na Naaaaaaa). But recently an increasing number of modern worship songs feature …

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Seven Reasons I’m Looking Forward to WorshipGod UK, 5-8 March

WorshipGod UK is two months away and I can’t wait. The conference will be held at the Bath Forum in Bath, UK, 5-8 March. We’ll start Wednesday evening and go through Saturday noon. In a previous post, I highlighted how the conference came to be, largely as a result of conversations with my good friend, Nathan Smith, pastor of Grace Church Bristol. Here are reasons why I’m personally looking forward to the conference. 1. Encouraging and spending extended time with those serving in corporate worship in the UK. I’ve had many opportunities to chat with folks in the UK about how music in the church is going. As in many countries, there are highs …

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