It is pretty cool what we can do with technology these days. We can put literally $1000s of dollars of outboard gear, computer hardware and network capabilities into these devises we call "smartphones."
Sound techs, now if you go digital you can mix from anywhere in the room with your ipad. Oh, and if you have enough Aux sends to support individual monitors for musicians and singers they can mix their own monitors from stage without even bothering you!!!! Then once you get some basic levels you can switch over to an app that allows you to analyze the sound in the room to get your EQ dialed in. Ever heard of Smarrt??? You can have that in on your iPad for under $100. INSANE!
Visual Techs, there is a world of stuff for you as well. Lighting magazines are filled with new apps and programs to function as a lighting control. And for your screens... here is a fun new projection system that is designed solely to be mobile.
Worship Leaders, there are endless tools for us as well. My favorite are:
Planning Center Online's mobile app for scheduling and live events. Great for those conversations on stage of "am I playing next week" for someone as scatterbrained as me.
Evernote!!!! Love this one as a songwriter. I can type out some lyric ideas, record audio clips and photo/videos to hold on to that melody line or lyric that junps out.
Shazam. This is a first generation app that still holds it's ground because it is so useful. Listening to the radio or something when you are out? Shazam it and share it to your email inbox. Perfect.
Bible App... nuff said.
Metronome - This will help any worship team if you can utilize it well.
Dropbox - free cloud sharing is great for storing large files that you may need to access from anywhere.
There are so many more...
One recommendation if you are using your iphone in a live worship setting... "airplane mode." The other day I heard a call/text (don't know which one) come in when someone was using their phone for click track... not fun.
This post is for any beginner Electric Guitar players and/or worship leaders who feel like they need to brush up on some 'techie'ness or learn about more gear.
I'm always telling electric guitarists to play around with their pedals and find sweet sounds that you can really get inspired by. Most of the time I get blank stares with bewilderment from the beginners as they think to themselves... "I really don't know much, do I?" This is for you, and ME!!
There are a ton of resources online for you! Really the best way to do it is to research what sounds would work for the style you most often play and then track down a few pedals at your local guitar shop to demo them for yourself. But, in order to do that you need to
Take a look at a run down of some of the most basic sounds that Boss put online featuring guitarist Johnny DeMarco. Great simple easy to understand format. Here are a few that I think are useful.
As you learn what there is out there, find out what pedals might sound like paired with other pedals for your style of music! Take a look at some of the interactive stuff on this site: http://www.bossus.com/experience/interactive_demos/
This is not meant to be a "Boss" heavy review but an page to link you to overviews of options. There are so many brands and unique sounds that you can get lost pretty quickly. So, I just gave demos from one company. Here are some more sites that you can find great pedals from:
I've been wanting to highlight a friend and show some new creative elements that are being used in Visual Worship Arts and I got an email from him about a session he is leading at the Song DISCovery Creative Conference in Nashville. So, I figured I would pass it on. Take a look. This is pretty fascinating stuff and really brings a new element of creativity to our worship.
Thanks for all that you are doing Stephen. Take a look at his website: http://worshipvj.com/
The Church used to be known for being the most creative, artistic force on the planet. Centuries ago, the Church commissioned visual artists to paint its ceilings, create stained glass images, and architect the most provocative buildings in history. Of course, many agendas, motivations, politics and power struggles were involved in the creative process (which is the same case today)...but at the end of the day, some of mankind's most stunning art was created...art that tells the Story of God!
But along the way, something happened. And a large portion of the Church threw visual art out the window. Beauty no longer had a place in the world of theology...and the Word of God was limited to text on a page and the academic preaching of a sermon. But things are changing.
The Church is welcoming art and beauty back home into it's mission & worship. And it's very exciting to see it unfold. And it's pretty messy, as well.
Pastors are trying to figure out how to manage and lead artists. Artists are learning to be pastors and visual prophets. Churches are making films. Worship leaders aren't leading with just songs anymore...they're leading with visual media! More eyes are on HD screens these days than they are on the cross, baptistry, or pulpit. And with "environmental projection," you can turn your once blank worship center into an image-filled cathedral of Story!
A generation of visual artists is rising up... and it's full of storytellers, film-makers, painters, media directors, graphic designers, VJs, lighting designers, photographers & more! The artist is the new pastor. And the media director is now the visual worship leader.
More than ever, there must be time & space to have conversations about what is happening... and to receive training and teaching so that we can lead and create in ways that bring glory to The Creator. And it's important to have these conversations in community with our musical worship leaders, songwriters and authors.
So all you visual worshipers out there, this is the summons. Come to the Song DISCovery Creative Conference in Nashville this April, and interact with others who are in the same boat as you. Click here to register today! And use code "VJ25" when you register to receive $25 off registration!
Sincerely, Stephen Proctor
General Session Speaker
Song DISCovery Creative Conference
[Text & Images from: Worship Leader Magazine, Email - Subject: Hone Your Craft as a Visual Artist. Copyright (C) 2012 Worship Leader Magazine All rights reserved. Used by permission.]
So excited to sing this song on Easter morning. "Christ the Lord" is a wonderful new song by Paul Baloche echoing the meaning and essence of the hymn "Christ the Lord is Risen Today".
Here is a video from Paul explaining how to play it. One of the many practical videos that Paul has offered to the worship community displaying his heart for seeing worship leaders equipped for ministry. You can find more at leadworship.com or just search for his videos on Youtube.
The Lyrics are great and give a "sing a new song unto the Lord" feel to this hymn which is seen as foundational to many worshipers. Plus it is fun to play and sing!
Let's do a comparison!
Christ The Lord
VERSE 1
Son of God proved His love
That while we were sinners Jesus died for us
No more shame, no more fear
Our Savior is alive for ever, God is near
CHORUS
Christ the Lord is risen today
The Lamb of God has taken our sins away
Love's redeeming work is done
Raise Your voice! The King has overcome
Hallelu- jah, Hallelu- jah
VERSE 2
By His grace, long ago
Our sins were as scarlet, now they're white as snow
Love was nailed to the cross
His dying and His rising has changed our hearts
CHORUS
BRIDGE
Made like Him, like Him we'll rise
Ours the cross, the grave, the sky
(Repeat)
CHORUS
Christ the Lord is risen today
The Lamb of God has taken our sins away
Love's redeeming work is done
Raise Your voice! The King has overcome, Hallelujah!
Christ the Lord is risen today
The Lamb of God has taken our sins away
Love's redeeming work is done
Raise Your voice! The King has overcome
Hallelu- jah, Hallelu- jah
Oh, Hallelujah!
Here are the lyrics from the original Hymn to compare. The bolded parts are common themes the underlined are direct quotes, and the italics are places where Paul captured the 'overtones' of the meaning:
Christ the Lord is Risen Today
Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!
Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia! Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia! Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!
Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia! Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where's thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia!
Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia! Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia! Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!
[the last two lesser sung stanzas - not in the hymnal at my church]
Hail the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail the Resurrection, thou, Alleluia!
King of glory, soul of bliss, Alleluia! Everlasting life is this, Alleluia! Thee to know, thy power to prove, Alleluia! Thus to sing, and thus to love, Alleluia!
All in all, I feel that Paul did a great job bringing new life to this hymn's legacy with Christ the Lord. For people like me to did not grow up singing these hymns, songs like these are much welcomed because we need to hold on to the great content and truths that have stood the test of time. Yet, we get to do so in a way that is enjoyable to us! With lyrics that bring clarity and not mystery.
Thanks Paul, looking forward to this Easter!
Luke
PS> Another great song this Easter (while we are on the topic of hymns) is Evan Wickham's He's Alive. Take a look at that when you get a chance! Great chorus with addicting melodies to "I Know That My Redeemer Lives".
A worship leader friend of mine posted this video about what makes a great worship leader. There is so much simple, yet widely untold, truth in this video. The practical elements that are shared should be learned by worship leaders allowing them to lead their congregations in more meaningful ways.
Paul Baloche gives a great rundown of things to think about when you are planning/leading worship. I've seen lists similar to this before, but what I love about Paul's list is that it is geared toward being spirit led through planning and intentionally minimizing distraction. There is a ton of practical in this post, but you can't help but see the pastoral aspect of Paul's heart and leading. Great blog. Take notes & enjoy.
I recently missed three Sundays in a row at my local church
because of back-to-back conferences and a ten-day tour through Canada.
This is pretty rare but since we were going to have three different
people leading worship over that time period, I wrote out some
reminders to try and keep things consistent while I was gone. Maybe you
have wondered how other leaders think about conducting their services.
Obviously there is no formula when it comes to leading worship, but
feel free to look over my shoulder and see the guidelines that I asked
my substitutes to keep in mind. Preparation:
Prayerfully plan your set list, considering the spiritual and musical flow.
Try to do mostly familiar songs with a maximum of one new song.
Email set list and lyrics to any new songs ahead of time to Roland, the Tech Guy.
Service:
Begin with a greeting of some kind. Think “conversational”.
“Good morning. I’m………..” (Let them know who you are)
Maybe read a scripture or have the band begin the intro of the
first song as you say something like, “Let’s all stand together and turn
our hearts to the Lord….”
Go through the set, being led by the Spirit. Keep talking in
between songs to a minimum. Talk as much as you need to in order to keep
things flowing but not so much that it distracts or hinders momentum.
Let people know if you’re going to teach a new song. “I’d like to
teach a new song this morning.” (Maybe give a brief “context”, ie.)
“This is a song that focuses on the mercy of God” or “This is a song
inspired by Psalm 96….”. “Let me sing/teach you the chorus.” Go through
the chorus once or twice, and then start the song from the top.
As you are winding down your last song, be sensitive to what the
Spirit is saying or doing. Try to discern the mood or atmosphere and
allow the music to support that.
When it seems appropriate, and while the music is playing lightly,
say something like “as a part of our worship this morning lets prepare
our tithes and offerings”. At that point, continue the song that you
just sang, repeating the chorus a little more softly or instrumentally.
Or sing a familiar chorus that is in the same key to keep things
flowing.
When they are finished praying over the offering, cue the band to end on the final chord.
Please don’t walk immediately into the back room, which is visible
to the congregation. That always feels a little “elite” somehow. I
would prefer that you sit down in the congregation or walk along the
edge of the sanctuary towards the back. Feel free to use the restroom
or get a drink of water or whatever.
Please be alert and prepared to come up at the end of the message.
Remember that the pastor teaches maybe 25-30 minutes maximum. Try to be
discreet and sensitive to “the moment” as you pick up your guitar,
tune, etc. (TIP: I usually re-tune real quick at the end of the
offering or at the beginning of the announcements when it’s less
distracting. I typically duck down to one knee to take the focus off of
me as I tune.) As people are being prayed for, be careful that the
dynamics and volume of the back do not get too loud in order to allow
for prayers and conversation to happen without distraction. We are
there to support the moment, NOT to get people focused on us.
Thank you for serving the Lord by loving His people and helping them to worship Him.
Well there you have it. My list of essentials may be longer or
shorter then yours but it’s important for us to define what kind of
experience we hope will occur on any given Sunday. My goal
is always to try and eliminate as many distractions as possible, and
through the vehicle of music, create an environment that makes it easy
for the congregation to connect with God.
Two roles are at play here. One is our priestly role, where we are simply lifting our own hearts to God in worship. The other is our pastoral
role, where we invite others to join us in this experience by
expressing our praise and thanks to the Lord. We lead primarily by
example. To borrow the familiar phrase, “Lead worship at all times and
if necessary, use words.”
*To see original post visit: http://www.praisecharts.com/sunday-morning-checklist/
It has been a while since my last post on vocals. So this is much overdue. Anyway, these past few months have been busy and our church Bethany Bible Fellowship has been able to go to a few worship conferences in the area. One practical workshop that stood out to one of our vocalists was from the 2011 PURE Worship Conference by one of my worship leader friends, Gia Lucid. She has been singing professionally and leading worship for over 10 years and has been privlidged enough to gain a ton of experience and insight along the way.
The session outlined a few things that vocalists can do to help add dynamic harmonies to the worship service. Some of it is basic but the majority of this is gold if you can learn to implent it correctly. Here are some of the highlights from the sesssion: (this is not the full content or original order, but reorginized for flow) 1. Harmonies
- Don't get freaked out by the word "harmony" think of it as "my melody" or an "alternate melody"
- Be selective with your harmonies and parts. You don't have to sing the whole song and have the freedom to choose to highlight certain parts of the song using selective harmonies. Think about your how to feature sections, phrases, or even words of a song. In other words, you can fill backup vocals in for just a few words to emphasize more effectively.
-Tight vs loose. Tight harmonies (notes closer together) are usualy better and are less distracting from the focal point or melody of the song. Loose harmonies can be good if they are done well but are more difficult.
- Add dynamics with vocals which can help build certain parts of the songs more dramitically.
- You can use harmonies to add choral oohs, ohhs, and aahs which will bring a very corperate/united feel to the song. When done well this can add a lot! 2. Unison/Prime Unison
- Unison is when two people/instruments are singing/playing the same note on the same octave.
- In worship this usually means the guys and girls sing melody together (with the same octave).
- This can be helpful for altos who might be singing with a tenor and can not reach the higher/lower notes professionally. It also might be preferred for some arrangements because of the 'oneness' that it creates in the song if done well.
- You can read more about Unison here. 3. Echoes
- Helps change things up
- Use difference with the verses
- Don't always do this the enire song because it can easily become overwhelming 4. New Songs
- Establish a melody first with a solo or unison
- Listen first, then sing (don't try to sing along before learning a line) 5. Vocal Health
- Hydrate throughout the day. Drink a bottle of water first thing in the morning or try some herbal tea
- Warm-up properly. Ease your voice out (try singing in the shower), massage your face, lip trills (see below), start in your lower register to warm-up before reaching for the high/power notes.
- Try lip trills (humming with lips partly open, blowing air through them) which can help warm up your face muscles and teach you to sing with steady air.
- Exercise voice before rehearsals and sound checks. As soon as you start rehearsal you should be professional and ready to give 100% to the sound crew can set accurate levels.
- Use breath not throat for power 6. Notes/Tips for singing in worship
- Bring a recording device to practice (many phones can do this)
- MP3s can be emailed to others to share parts easily
- Bring a pencil to practice and sound check, take notes, pay attention to the leader
- Keep a folder of music with notes. Over time this will help you to stay consistant and grow vocally
- Natural harmonizers should help others learn the harmonies to the songs (with a humble attitude)
- Worship visibly with your face and body. We comunicate a ton without knowing it. Don't just stand there when you are worshipping, think about the lyrics and what the Holy Spirit is doing and join in the worship! Even when it is 'not your turn to sing'. You can still sing along, but step back from the microphone so that you don't change the intended mix.
- Blend with the worship leader. Follow thier words and melody, or the parts they gave you, follow thier tone, don't compete with some else's vibrato (work to flatten your's)
Also, here is a great video from Worship Team Training for back-up vocalists about Harmonies. Take a look and enjoy.
Here is a great blog that is super practical and helpful to worship leaders. Vicky has written some great songs and has traveled all around the world and led worship in so many types of settings. It is cool to hear some of the practical ways that we can learn from her expertise. And there are a ton of great things to think about here. If you are an experienced performer, it will be a good refresher and reminder, if you are new to worship leading or under 5 years old as a worship leader. This is gold!
____
Some worship gatherings, like weekend church or conferences, are reasonably big. But for many of us worship leaders, much of what we do happens in small settings, like house groups or prayer meetings.
Leading worship WELL in small group settings takes a totally different approach than leading in a big setting.
So here are my tips for making small group worship times go well.
Singing is awkward!
It’s crucial to remember that for the majority of the population,singing is NOT easy or fun, and is actually pretty awkward! There are virtually NO other settings in life, where people whoaren’t musical, get together and sing in a group - other than yelling at a football game!
For us worship leaders, singing is fun, easy and something we feel confident in (for the most part). Imagine something you feel really uncomfortable doing (for me that would be dancing!). Imagine being asked to do that thing in a small group of 10 people. Yup, awkward. Seeing singing through the eyes of non-musicians is the first step to leading well in a small group.
A way to make people feel more comfortable about this, is to break the ice by saying you know that not everyone likes to sing. So give people permission to sing, or not to sing and just listen, depending on how they feel. Yes, it’s ideal for us all to join in, as it’s a corporate expression. But it’s more important that everyone feels valued and comfortable, otherwise they may stop coming to small group altogether. Let people know that it’s ok if it’s only your voice singing. And it’s ok for anyone to sing out, even if their voice isn’t their biggest gift. Make people feel at ease.
Pitch it right!
Choosing the right key for each song is CRUCIAL for small group worship! It’s bad enough in a big church setting to have a song pitched painfully high or low, although sometime it can go un-noticed as a crowd can strain to reach higher notes. But in a room of 10 people, it’s very obvious if people can’t sing along.
I’d advise using lower keys in a small group, than you would at a weekend service. I usually take the songs down one key/tone for small group worship times. Men – when you lead worship us girls can’t usually sing along as the key is too high. Women – when you lead make sure that your keys aren’t too low for men to join in with. It’s worth asking someone of the opposite sex to help you choose keys for songs, by getting them to sing along to the songs when you are planning. See if you can find a key for each song that suits both men and women.
According to Andy Chamberlain, a friend of mine who often plays guitar for me in the UK, “a stereotypical man’s voice centers around Eb, whereas a stereotypical woman’s range centers around Bb. Quite a difference, but look at some of the worship songs written by women, many are in Bb, e.g. Shout To TheLord. So perhaps in that scenario, think of songs that are written in the keys of A, B or C”. Helpful!
Some songs just don’t work
Some worship songs have strong instrumental ‘hooks’, that the song will struggle to exist without. For example, once I tried leading “Don’t Let My Love Grow Cold” in a small group. The “doo doo doo doo doo doooo” guitar line that links the verses to the bridge was so crucial to everyone’s knowledge of the song. Without that guitar hook playing, there was an awkward moment of me strumming and a few people loudly humming the guitar line as it just felt so empty without it! Some songs have just become SO married to their arrangement that they just don’t work in a small setting…avoiding these is smart.
Another genre of songs that don’t work well in small settings, are huge anthems designed for large crowds. For example, I tried leading “Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble” in a small group, right after I’d been at a huge conference where we’d used the song. It didn’t work!
Some songs seem like they were written specifically FOR a large group… a bit like U2′s anthems that are designed to be yelled by a huge crowd. Big anthems often have a very wide range of notes, like Did You Feel, with a low verse and high chorus, that can be hard for a small room of non-singers to sing. They also tend to have big, long, high notes in their choruses and bridges, which can be tricky for less confident singers to belt out in a small setting. Be kind by choosing songs that will be easy to sing!
Older songs
It’s best to use older, very well known songs that are ‘classics’ in your church/denomination, rather than lesser known or new songs. This means everyone is more likely to know them and be able to join in. I do like to use small group settings as an opportunity to ‘test drive’ my new songs sometimes… but overall it seems best to stick to really well known songs in these settings.
Basic Supplies
In a small room, things can be distracting that would go un-noticed in a big room. For example, if someone has a cough and needs a drink of water, or starts to cry and needs a tissue, or needs the bathroom but doesn’t know where it is… So think about all of this when you prepare to lead worship, and provide water and tissues in the room. Make sure everyone knows where the restroom (or “loo” as we call it in England!), is. That way no one needs to ask.
Unexpected Guests…
If you’re meeting in a home, pets can be really distracting (even though they are very cute!). Make sure Fluffy and Rover are shut away in a room away from the gathering, so that a four legged friend doesn’t suddenly bound into the room and break the moment!!! (The parent of a small child just told me, when reading this draft, that this can apply to small children too!)
Musician overload?
Choose the right amount of musicians for the setting. I’ve been to a few small prayer meetings where the number of people playing the music outnumbered the people not playing! If you have 10 people in a small group, one person on an instrument should be enough. Don’t overload the room with a full band!
Volume is also important… make sure it’s loud enough that people aren’t too aware of their own voices, yet not so loud that it’s uncomfortable. If you don’t have a loud voice, get a small amp, as it’s crucial that people can hear your voice above the others in the room, to know where in the song you are, and where you are going to next. A classic scenario in small groups is that the worship leader can’t be heard and the group lose their way. So make sure they can all hear you.
Watch the clock
In a church service setting, it’s easier to stay on track time-wise as there are other things happening in the meeting to cue you. In a small group meeting in a home, often it’s just sung worship and prayer, or a short teaching. There may be no clues as to when you are supposed to stop singing…so have a clock handy and keep an eye on time to make sure you know when to stop.
Don’t make it a ‘dirge’!
Sometimes when we’re leading in small settings, we can tend to choose much slower songs as they are easier to play without rhythm section/drummer. Avoid making the whole set slow though, or people can just get lulled to sleep! I’d start with a few mid-tempo songs, or even a fast song if you feel your strumming or keyboard playing can pull it off.
Tuning is crucial
If you’re leading on guitar, and your instrument is slightly out of tune on stage with a big band, it might go un-noticed. But when all the room can hear is your voice and your 6 strings, they need to be perfectly tuned. Bring a tuner with you, and tune right before you play.
Be aware!
Small groups are even more important than big meetings, to have your EYES OPEN. I’ve had a few embarassing experiences, where I led worship at house group with my eyes locked shut, then finally opened them to see that only one person was in the room…everyone else had sneaked out for a coffee next door!
I’ve also led worship with my eyes closed, for a room full of church staff. I led very passionately with fast songs and lots of energy. When I opened my eyes at the end of the set, no one was standing up – all were seated and looking very disengaged. Awkward! I was so out of touch with where they were at.
Having your eyes open means you can see whether people are (a) still present! (b) engaged. Leading worship is a pastoralactivity…so you need to be aware of how your ‘sheep’ are doing if you are going to be a good ‘shepherd’ of leading them in sung worship.
Lyrics
In small settings, you aren’t likely to have a powerpoint projection system. But people will still need the words, however well they might seem to know the songs. I’d advise that we always print out lyric sheets for each set… This is easier than songbooks, as it avoids people flipping around a book whispering “which song number was it?!”. I do a sheet per small group set, with the lyrics printed in a decently large font (as not everyone has great eyesight if you have a mixed-age demographic).
Restrictions
Another embarassing incident at small group, is when you get noise complaints! Always make sure that the room/house/venue in which you’re meeting is suitable for loud singing and playing instruments! If it’s a person’s home, make sure they’ve asked their neighbours first. If it’s a church venue, make sure that you’re allowed to make noise outside of normal church meeting hours. This seems more relevant to the UK, where we have smaller buildings, in closely built towns and cities. In the States and Canada it seems like the extra space means that most churches and homes are detatched with far less potential for noise problems.
Spare Guitar
Breaking a string when you’re leading with a band can be covered up, as the band can carry you to the end of the song. But when it’s just you on a guitar, with no other musicians, breaking a string is BAD NEWS! Always have a spare guitar right next to you, so you can grab it and keep going.
Post-modernity
There is a growing hunger among most of us for church to be more interactive. We are over the ‘being spoon-fed’ model of church gatherings, and want to contribute and participate in an interactive way. Small groups are a great opportunity for this… so think about ways that people could participate in worship… could people read out ‘spoken word poetry’…or bring a piece of liturgy…or share a piece of artwork? How could it be a group offering, rather than just a worship leader singing songs. Get creative! Small groups are the perfect place to develop this._______ I know that you loved this and were able to take something from it. Vicky is a great leader and has contributed a great amount to our modern worship culture. Make sure to checkout her website/blog that
This is for all of you background vocalists. I feel like bgvs and the sound guys rarely receive the credit they deserve. Anyway, here is another great video from Worship Central. Jono McNeil hits on some key topics that can help background vocalists feel comfortable and useful in our worship services. Everything in this video is 100% truth. Towards the end he really gets into some great harmony ideas and concepts which is really useful for anyone that wants to take the next step and tackle some bgv harmonies.
But, this video speaks for itself. Check it out.
Worship Central is a great place to see what is new from some other worship leaders, as well as, get some training and practical tips to leading (at any level - BGVists are leaders just as much as the "Matt Redmans" but God has given us different roles). Anyway, you can pick up a link to Worship Central from my blog or by going to Worship Central's website directly.
If you can't see the video go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75YV1UDHHZg
Here is a great book that I read on refurbishing the drive of worship through Biblical truths and examples. It is called 'Worship Old and New' and was written by Robert E. Webber. What I find most amazing about his writing is the logical and simple structure he puts it in. This book is meant for seminary level intro to worship classes and I think it is perfect for that role.
It talks about 4 main things:
1. Biblical Foundations of Worship (Very useful in establishing the 'why' of worship)
2. Biblical Theology of Worship (Looks at worship and the gospel message)
3. A Brief History of Worship (Chronologically follows the progression of worship - very interesting)
4. The Practice of Worship (Practical ideas/examples of symbolic & meaningful worship services)
He points out the Biblical foundations of worship, and examples of worship starting with Cain and Able in Gen 4 and continuing into Rev 4-5 with a truly amazing heavenly worship service. Webber says the essence of worship is two way both in God's initiation and the people's response, "What lies at the heart of worship is God's continual movement toward the peoples of the world and the continual response of the people of God in faith and obedience." It starts with God and ends in the glorification of God.
Webber depicts the most inspiring and natural connection of salvation between the Israelites and the Christian church as the "The Exodus Event and the Christ Event." He expounds on this connection and shows how the story of salvation and freedom from the slavery of Egypt are directly connected through various passages in scripture. We have all heard about this connection, because it is the most famous story of salvation, but the simplicity of Webber's telling is refreshing. He claims that this is the core foundation for our worship.
One of the most amazing aspects of this book for me was his study and historical basis for worship. He first tells of the foundations of worship, then the gives a strong theological argument for many aspects of our worship services. Next, he looks at the historical progression of worship through generations and movements and then lays out practical elements that should be seen in our worship services today.
Overall, I think this book is good for anyone who wants to understand worship in the bible. Although, I do not fully agree with every conclusion he makes, I would recommend this to most worship leaders and worshippers because of its holistic view of worship (not just music, but all aspects of the act of worship) and thought provoking ideas on renewing worship. He tends to focus on emphasizing the 'old' meaning the liturgies and rituals of the early/ancient/medieval eras... I take a slightly different approach when I read these truths. I think there is a way to hold the same, or similar, values yet do them in a new way. (I don't want to get into the details of an appropriate example here because I don't want to slide of topic. Webber alluded to a similar method, but in my understanding of his writings, fell back on implementation of traditions 'in a new way'. Meaning, do the exact same things and make them fresh.
Anyway, I really enjoyed reading 'Worship Old and New' and I'm bummed that I was borrowing it. Oneday soon I'll add it to my personal library. It is a great resource for worship leaders to have.
There is a new Worship App for iPhone/iTouch users called Song Suggest. I was able to check it out and it seems pretty cool. You can do a lot with it. It helps you find songs, lyrics/chord charts, and videos for any song that is listed. It draws from a pretty huge database of songs.
This is a great video resource that I found on a site called www.fqworship.com.
This is a great song, I will Rise, played by Chris Tomlin. Jesse is the bass player and arranger for much of the Chris Tomlin stuff and he gives us a play by play of the bass parts for this song. He also gives some great helpful tips about using bass in music/worship and some theory behind it.
Here is a video with Stuart Townend talking about lyrics, creativity, and songwriting. He is a very gifted lyricist and a great modern hymn writer. His knowledge and use of scripture, Biblical doctrine and Theology is refreshing and challenging altogether. Enjoy.
To check out more from Stuart Townend follow this link to his blog. Or to see the original Writing fresh lyrics.
Here is a list of some books on Worship that I think are good. Feel free to check them out and give me feedback or additional suggested books to read. I'm always looking to expand the worship section in my library.
The Bible - the most important textbook for worshippers.
Vicky is a great worship leader and musician. She has a well educated deepness to her lyrics and a clean crisp voice to bring it together perfectly.
Vicky has been leading worship for many years but as a short detour she stopped off at Oxford and was able to dig deeper into the bible and strong theology. She writes,
It turned out that my theology degree at Oxford would be my training ground as songwriter – shaping my mind and taking me deep into God’s word. It’s often said that songwriters are the theologians of our day as people remember songs far more than sermons. Songs literally are the soundtrack of our lives – so getting good theology into songs is vital.
She has some great songs to back it up too. Some that she released already and some new ones that aren't fully out yet. On her blog, (I have a link to the right) she has some chord charts available for free. Check them out... if only to read the lyrics and be hooked into buying her next album.
Check out her blog by clicking here.... or you can find her link on the right of my blog ----->
So here is a great website that I have been using for planning the worship service and scheduling the team. It has been great. I have had nothing but positive reponses from the Worship Team and it has helped clarify and customize the information that the team needs.
This is a screenshot of the website and it shows one thing that makes this program stand out from the rest. The tutorial videos are great. They have videos for everything, but my favorite is for the Volunteers.
There is a video that plays for each of the members as soon as they first sign on and set up thier member account. It is very simple and communicates exactly what the volunteers need to know. It is extremely user friendly and anyone who knows how to use a computer and the internet (even the basics) can figure this out. And anything that they do not know they can easily learn with this video. Watch it below.
Also, another mentionable feature is the transposing of music... not only pdfs and chordcharts... but MP3s. They have a really easy to use system for transposing. It doesn't slow the track down and sounds pretty decent. The music quality is great and vocals are ok. But is is perfect for vocalists or musicians that would like to play along to the tracks in the correct key.
Finally, it interfaces well with CCLI and Songselect. Which makes it easy to get the correct copyright info and better yet, keep track of all the times and ways that you have used songs. I know that some of the other planning programs have this feature as well, but compiled with everything else... it just makes you smile.
I think the best part is that you don't have to pay per time you download, or use, a song. It may sound obvious... but I've looked around and seen that a lot. You are able to keep track of the copyrights so that you don't 'steal' useage, but you don't pay for every little thing. The plans are fairly cheap and easy to get set up.
I highly recommend this to any worship leader to help stay orginized and save a lot of time.
