Aug
20
2009
From Tony Morgan…
Feel free to keep investing in print communications if your highest priority is keeping your “internal customers” happy. Just thought you should know that other organizations are using the web to reach the same people you’re probably trying to reach in your community.
So what else does your church do to keep “internal customers” happy, but misses reaching out to new people?
no comments | tags: church, print, tony morgan, Web | posted in Culture Watch, Leadership, Technology
Jul
10
2009
14 Signs that worship renewal is needed:
- Passive congregation that lacks enthusiasm/joy
- Guests are not welcome or drawn into the community
- Cerebral worship oriented exclusively toward teaching
- Evangelistic worship oriented exclusively toward conversion
- Weak communication in leading and preaching
- Long sermons that lack application
- Communion is infrequent and tacked on when used, often looking like a funeral
- Classroom formation seating
- Lifeless singing and limited range of music
- Structure of order
- Christian year not followed
- Use of the arts shunned
- People not involved in responses/antiphons/passing the peace
- Senses are not engaged in worship
no comments | tags: church, revival, worship, worship renewal | posted in Leadership, worship, Worship Design
Jun
26
2009
From Church Marketing Sucks:
While advertising, street signs and a full garage on a Sunday are great signs of success for a church, they aren’t necessarily indications of a great impact on your community. As Rizzo points out, a billboard may mean that your community knows the name of your church, but does it mean any more than that?
The ultimate test would be this: if your church closed, would anyone notice? Other than the regulars, who would shed a tear for a moment and then go somewhere else? Would the neighbors, local police, community leaders and schools even notice if you disappeared? Now think, what would change that–another advertisement or visiting the sick and staffing an after school club?
no comments | tags: advertising, church, ministry | posted in Leadership
May
11
2009
From Resurgence…
Understanding the biblical role of a worship leader in the local church is central to the health of a church body. While the task of leading people in worship is outlined in varying ways, the implementation and function of the modern “worship leader” isn’t found anywhere in the New Testament. What we do find is that pastors or elders are mandated with the job of leading the people in worship. For example, 2 Chronicles 7:6 describes priests leading David and Israel in worship. This tells us that the primary function of a worship leader should be pastor, not just artist.
no comments | tags: leader, pastor, qualifications, worship | posted in Leadership
May
7
2009
From Tony Morgan…
Leaders are not normal. They are:
- the strong
- the rebels
- the skeptical
- the intelligent
- the independent
- the positive deviants
Try to control these people, and you’ll never be able to rally their potential. Try to normalize these people, and you’ll never be able to sustain their positive impact.
no comments | tags: leader, Leadership, leading, tony morgan | posted in Leadership
Mar
28
2009
Worship Leader magazine took a poll.
It looks like most worship leaders make between 40-50K/year.
They also looked at things like gender, church size, and years of experience. Read the rest of the results here.
no comments | tags: salary, worship leader | posted in Leadership
Mar
25
2009
OK, if you haven’t figured it out, I heart Twitturgies. If you’re a worship musician and you tweet, you need to follow this. Last week one came through that really got me thinking:
in worship a servant, in service a worshipper.
Those are pretty good lyrics right there, with enough content to fill a book. I think it’s a great summary of what it means to be a worship musician. Through our own acts of worship and devotion, we are able to serve others by leading the way into God’s presence. And as we serve others by way of musical leadership, we transform the musical offering into the spiritual offering of worship. This is moving beyond being a worship leader, or a lead worshipper, to being a worship servant.
I often tell the teams I work with that the worship musician’s role is to be a servant leader. The service we provide should go beyond just the musical offering. The worship musician should be ready and willing to mop the floor, break down the tables, change the diapers, and take out the garbage. It is easy to believe that as worship leaders, we do most of our worship leadership from the stage. But our best times of worship leadership come from serving, and worshiping through service.
no comments | tags: liturgy, twitter, twitturgies | posted in Leadership, Theology, worship
Mar
24
2009
Leadership involves conflict. At some point, you will say/do something that another will think is completely wrong. Or you will think someone else has done something that is completely wrong. It goes both ways.
WorshipTrench shares some advice on dealing with conflict resolution.
S = Situation – Describe the situation to the individual to set context.
B = Behavior – Describe the behavior in question.
I = Impact – Describe the impact it had on you emotionally or otherwise.
no comments | tags: conflict, Leadership, resolution | posted in Leadership
Mar
2
2009
These are some notes from my “Worship Leadership” class that I took in seminary (taught by none other than the great Dr. Bruce Leafblad):
1. Read at a pace that will help the hearer to grasp the message of the passage.
2. Practice the reading aloud until you have eliminated the “stumbling” from your delivery.
3. Make a conscious effort to help the hearer catch the proper emphases in the passage.
4. Learn to use the pause effectively.
5. Be convinced of the importance, relevance, and value of the passage for yourself and for the congregation.
6. Read with sincerity.
7. Make a conscious effort to complement the beauty of the passage by reading with appropriate tonal shading.
8. Reflect the emotion inherent in the passage.
no comments | tags: leafblad, reading, scripture | posted in Leadership, worship