Volume 24 | No. 5

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worshipleader PURSUING THE MISSION OF GOD IN WORSHIP

LEADERSHIP

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IN REVIEW PRODUCTION

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MISSIONAL

THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE ROAD TO EMMAUS

MUSIC

in this issue LEONARD SWEET

P. 12

TIM HUGHES

P. 22

WORSHIP, MISSION, AND THE VILLAGE OF SMALL FISH KELLY MINTER

P. 30

WHEN WE WORSHIP WITHOUT INTEGRITY HEIN VAN WYK

P. 74

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WORSHIP LEADER | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 | VOL 24 NO 5

CONTENTS 8

INTEGRATING WORSHIP INTO LIFE | Gareth Goossen

12

THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE ROAD TO EMMAUS| Leonard Sweet

18

SONG DISCOVERY SONGWRITER SHOWCASE | Volume #124

20

HOW DO I GET TO THE NEXT LEVEL? | Rory Noland

22

POCKETFUL OF FAITH | Tim Hughes

24

REIMAGINE THE ROLE OF A WORSHIP LEADER | Neil Ahlsten

26

WHY HAVE WE STOPPED SINGING? | Andy Chamberlain

28

TAKE TO THE WORLD | Reggie Kidd

30

WORSHIP, MISSION, AND THE VILLAGE OF SMALL FISH | Kelly Minter

34

THE MULTICULTURAL MYTH | Vaughn Thompson

72

A STORY TO TELL | Brian Smith

74

WHEN WE WORSHIP WITHOUT INTEGRITY | Hein van Wyk

76

AVL WITH A GLOBAL REACH | Kent Morris

78

WHAT’S NEW | Andy Toy

80

GEAR REVIEWS | Andy Toy

6

4

CELEBRATING GOD’S JUSTICE IN OUR WORSHIP | Mark D. Roberts

10

RIGHT WHERE WE NEED TO BE | Jeremy Armstrong

36

WORSHIP LEADER’S HIGHER LEARNING GUIDE 2015 | Special Advertising

98

LEARNING TO PRAY | Chuck Fromm

82

Rend Collective | Featured Review

84

Music for Leading

94

Personal Playlist

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The Lighthouse | Caitlin Ambery Material: Acrylic on canvas Size: 36˝x48˝ Inspiration: Two scriptures spoke to me about this painting.

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2 (ESV) After finishing The Lighthouse painting, I noticed that the rays of light emanating out of the lighthouse brought form to the amorphous sea. They cut through expansive darkness with clear light much like in Genesis when God brought his Spirit into the world.

The second Scripture which spoke to me was Matthew 5:14: You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

As Christians and participants in the renewal of the earth, I believe that by the intimate power of the Holy Spirit living inside each of us, we are a light in the world. We, “the Church,” stand high up on a hill as a reminder of the love-filled authority we carry to bring truth and light into a complex and often confused world.

Website: caitlinambery.com Facebook: caitlinamberyart

MARCH.6.2016

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Right Where We Need to Be A few years ago I started recording all the English Premier soccer games on my DVR. Every single one. I wanted to start watching soccer, and I chose the English league as my kick-off point. It wasn’t long before I realized if you are going to truly become a sports fan—be fully invested—you have to have a team in the game. So the search began.

Eventually, I became drawn to a particular soccer club (Tottenham Hotspur if you are wondering). My draw was somewhat intangible, but little by little, I found myself more engaged when they played. I found myself happier when they came out on top, usually by the skin of their teeth; likewise I felt down when a team like Manchester City routed them. It wasn’t long before I began to root for this team and identify with them. Eventually, I became a supporter.

And that was when I began to look like them.

I wore their jersey on game day, sported their flag in my living room, and I followed them on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

But it also went deeper than my appearance.

I watched religiously on the weekends even when the games started at 4:30 am PST; I learned the history of the team; I hated our rivals. The wins lifted my weekends and the

losses were taken deeply and sorrowfully. My commitment to my team impacted the actions of my life. … Still does. When you admire something, you begin to look like it. If those actions were missing, my support would be suspect.

When we switch over from sports to faith, this idea is deeper and more mysterious. In Simply Christian, theologian N.T. Wright says, You become like what you worship. When you gaze in awe, admiration, and wonder at something or someone, you begin to take on something of the character of the object of your worship.

This idea, if we believe it, informs us as worshipers and as leaders of worship. It is the topic of this issue—one focused on worship integrity, or more simply: looking like the object of our affection. Does it mean we should all go out and buy Jesus jerseys? I’m not against that, per se, but worship integrity carries a deeper reality.

Through the resurrected Jesus Christ, God has reoriented the order of the world. Oriented it back to its original design. In the mysterious now and not yet, followers of Christ live to worship the Creator and unveil the existing signs showing that the current world has indeed been redeemed. The good news is these

BY JEREMY ARMSTRONG

two ideas are inextricably linked. So we don’t have to force ourselves to be nice to the jerk that cut us off on the freeway. We don’t force ourselves because when worship is authentic devotion and support for God’s truth as revealed in the Scripture—when we actually enjoy and love God for his holy attributes—we naturally forgive that jerk. Our very character is changed. It far supersedes support of a soccer team because the Holy Spirit is at work shaping us to the image of the Father. We begin to look like him. And when we look like him, we become signposts of his concrete and vibrant kingdom on earth—here, now, today.

The blind receive sight, the sick are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor!

Are our congregations taking on the character of Jesus Christ? Are we being formed into his likeness as we engage God as his gathered body? If we are, then we are in alignment with God’s redemption of all things. And that is right where we need to be. W – Jeremy Armstrong, managing editor

worshipleader FOUNDER/CEO/PUBLISHER Chuck Fromm, PhD EDITORIAL BOARD Warren Anderson, Paul Baloche, Brenton Brown, J. Robert Clinton, Maggi Dawn, Craig Detweiler, Jeff Deyo, Carlton Dillard, Stan Endicott, Susan Fontaine Godwin, Shaun Groves, Tony Guerrero, Debby Kerner Rettino, Reggie Kidd, Roberta King, Greg Laurie, Hughes Oliphant Old, Andy Park, Matt Redman, Robb Redman, Jason Ritchie, Mark Roberts, Lin Sexton, Martin Smith, Brian Steckler, Laura Story, Rick Warren.

SUBMISSIONS See our submission guidelines at worshipleader.com. For all other feedback or inquiries, contact editor@wlmag.com.

PERMISSIONS We grant duplication permission for up to 100 copies of any original article for use in a local church. For any other quantity or use, email editor@wlmag.com.

MANAGING EDITOR Jeremy Armstrong GRAPHIC ARTIST Michelle Mifflin DIRECTOR, TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT Suzie Stablein DIRECTOR, SALES & BRAND PARTNERSHIPS Alissa Smith SALES ASSOCIATE Brian Summers VP, OPERATIONS Nicole Fromm ACCOUNTS MANAGER Judi Coffin ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Kristina Pedrosa

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LEADERSHIP

BY DR. MARK D. ROBERTS

C E L E B R AT I N G GOD’S JUSTICE IN OUR WORSHIP

SURELY, if GOd’S iNSPiREd PSALMS Of PRAiSE ANd WORShiP iNCLUdE SO MUCh Of hiS JUSTiCE, SO ShOULd OUR SONGS

A

s I was reflecting on the theme of this issue—Worship and Social Justice—I thought I’d do an experiment. I read through all of the lyrics of the top 50 worship songs in CCLI, looking to see how these songs celebrated God’s justice.

As I surveyed the lyrics, I found a disturbing answer: they don’t. God’s justice is almost completely absent from our most loved and frequently-used worship songs.

The word “justice” appears in three songs.

Only one song, “Build Your Kingdom Here,” develops the theme of social justice (though without using the word “justice,” which is fine). The song includes these lines: To see the captives’ hearts released The hurt, the sick, the poor at peace We lay down our lives for heaven’s cause Build your kingdom here Let the darkness fear Show your mighty hand Heal our streets and land Otherwise, the CCLI top 50 doesn’t have much to say about God’s justice. Even themes that could point readily to social justice, such as God’s kingdom, are almost always individualized—God is “my King,” not the King who rules the world with justice.

JUSTiCE fiLLS ThE BiBLE Why is this absence of justice a problem?

There are several reasons. First, if you do a similar experiment with the first 50 8

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psalms, or any random 50, for that matter, you find a striking contrast to the CCLI top 50. Psalm 7:6 asks God to wake up and “decree justice.” Psalm 9:16 proclaims that “The LORD is known by his acts of justice.” Psalm 11:7 exclaims, “For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice.” Psalm 33:5 adds, “The LORD loves righteousness and justice.” And so it goes throughout the psalms. Surely, if God’s inspired psalms of praise and worship include so much of his justice, so should our songs.

WORShiP fOUNdEd ON JUSTiCE Second, through the prophet Isaiah, God makes it clear that he delights in our expressions of worship if they are founded on works of justice.

Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen, to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe them . . . (Isa 58:6-7).

If God’s concern for justice is absent from our worship services, how will we become people who honor God through acting justly (Mic 6:8)?

ShEEP OR GOATS? Third, in Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus looks ahead to the day when he, as the divine Son of Man, will sit on his throne to judge the nations. He will reward those who have done acts of justice, explaining:

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

(25:35-36) Jesus receives acts of justice and compassion offered to his people as if they were offered to him. How will we learn to worship Jesus in this way if the content of our worship ignores this?

CELEBRATE GOd’S JUSTiCE One of the best ways to nurture the kind of worship that God prefers and that Jesus receives with gladness is through intentional and regular inclusion of songs and prayers that celebrate God’s justice and that encourage us to worship God, not only in our singing and praying, but also in our loosing, untying, freeing, and breaking, in our feeding, welcoming, clothing, caring, and visiting. If we let the Psalms serve as our model for songs we use in worship and songs we write for worship, we will discover the fullness of biblical worship, worship that is both deeply intimate and deeply engaged with a world desperate for God’s justice. W dR. MARk d. ROBERTS is a writer, pastor, and consultant. He blogs at patheos.com///blogs/markdroberts/.

MINISTRY

2015

REPLENISH

WORSHIP

gATewAy ChurCh REFUEL

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LEADERSHIP

BY GARETH J. GOOSSEN

W

orship changes who we are as we pursue who God is.

Music has always been a powerful medium to carry to the masses the truth of who God is. It has always been a rich and profound tool to engage the gathered church in expressing corporate praise and worship to God. Music, by its nature, has the ability to engage our hearts—our emotions along with our intellect—in expressing the truth of the relationship between God and humanity, and, thereby, has found a clear and concise place in our understanding of what it means to gather together to worship God. And yet worship is so much more than song or place or program.

WhERE TO PRAY When Jesus conversed with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4, he revealed something simple yet profound about the kind of worship the Father desires. The Samaritan woman wanted to hear, from the Jewish prophet himself, where the “right” place of worship was.

Jesus’ response is revelatory. It’s not about the place! God the Father, it seems, isn’t much concerned with those who show up at a particular place and time.

Instead, he longs to meet with those who worship in spirit and in truth. The simplicity of those two characteristics of a true worshiper is often lost on us.

Instead, we try to explain what a true worshiper looks like in the context of the corporate worship gathering—which, I’m afraid, misses Jesus’ point completely.

ANYWhERE, ANYTiME Jesus reminded the woman that God is Spirit. Twice he reminds her that God is 10

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looking for those who worship in spirit and in truth (vv. 23, 24), which hints of its importance. She was worried about showing up at the right place, right time, right day, right mountain. Jesus reminded her that God is Spirit. God cannot be contained or limited. Those who are true worshipers—the ones God looks for— never limit or segment their worship of God to a time, place, location, format, and so on.

And on this side of Pentecost, Jesus has also given us his Holy Spirit, so we would be in constant communion with him. True worshipers understand that and make every effort to engage with Jesus at all times, anywhere and everywhere.

a cake, we mix the liquids into the flour and other dry ingredients until they have all become completely intermingled and inseparable from each other.

The worshipers the Father seeks— worship walkers—are those who integrate the reality of his Spirit being accessible at all times into the fabric of their existence so that, over time, the threads of his presence intertwine and permeate the whole mosaic of their lives—as an inseparable part of their whole lives—each moment of every day.

AS WE ARE

ThE EffECT

Jesus also told the Samaritan woman that truth is the second characteristic of the kind of worshiper God seeks. Worshiping in truth has two aspects to it. First, we worship God with an open, honest heart.

We don’t worship with a mask on but with the reality of our condition—not pretending or putting on a happy face when we are grieving, not weeping when we are overwhelmed with joy. We worship God as we are—the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Second, truth has to do with integrity.

The words integrity and truth have a similar root origin. We often see them as mostly identical, but the concept of integrity gives us a broader picture of what I believe Jesus is getting at in this passage.

To integrate something is to make it an integral part of the whole. When we bake

Those are the true worshipers the Father seeks, and when we have learned this and walk it out daily, the impact he has on all aspects of our lives will be transformational—personally, corporately, and globally. As we walk out our worship, allowing it to intersect all aspects of our lives and relationships, we begin to see with his eyes, hear with his ears, and respond with his heart of compassion to the world of need around us. W GARETh J. GOOSSEN Gareth J Goossen is pastor, worship & arts at WMB Church in Waterloo, ON, Canada, and the author of Worship Walk: Where Worship and Life Intersect—2013 Worship Leader magazine Editor’s Pick.

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Tedd T. Nashville-based Tedd T. (Mutemath, Newsboys, David Crowder Band) is not the type of producer who’s content to sit behind the console all day. He prefers collaborating with and inspiring artists with new approaches and fresh perspectives to music making. Tedd tells us about his process and what it’s like working on the road with For King & Country:

What is it like to record, literally, on the road?

The great thing about recording on the bus is that every day you wake up in a different city. Plus, you also have access to whatever rooms and venues you find. On the bus, I record with an Apollo DUO and a laptop with a solid-state drive. Mainly, what you’re trying to do is to capture inspiration. The DUO is so compact and does such a great job; it’s fantastic. We’d sit out there on the bus and use a little Akai controller keyboard. And, even confined to two octaves on the keyboard, it’s actually cool because it makes you work really hard on what it is that you’re playing. Plus, when you’re on the road, you’re more in the mindset of creating something great, with less of the pressure you might feel when you go to a big, fancy studio and you know you have to “nail it.”

Today, we’re setting up in a church to record. They have a fantastic old upright and an old M3/Leslie. I wondered if it would work, and sure enough, we got it fired up.

Even with a broken key, it sounded great. The church has a soundproofed room for newborns, so we’re setting up in there. That’s a nice surprise. We moved the upright and the M3 in there, and the church has some nice mics they’ve been gracious enough to let us use. So much of the adventure happens when you walk into a new scenario where there are things that inspire art.

Do you have a “go-to” mic you’re currently using?

The main one is the SM7B. It’s very focused. We also used a Peluso tube mic.

Tell us about the software you use.

I record everything in Logic. I use a lot of soft synths in Logic. I start with the presets and do a lot of modifying to get the sounds we’re looking for. I’ve got a lot of Logic-based sounds that we used for the record. I use Absynth a lot; I think it sounds really interesting. It’s great for creating textures and backgrounds. I also use Native Instruments Ultimate, and I love the iZotope stuff.

And I think Auto-Tune 7 is fantastic.

for

KING

&

H o n e s t y, F a i t h , a n d F a m i l y The name is also the mission statement: “It’s an old English battle cry, as they went to fight for what they believed and to stand for something greater than themselves,” says For King & Country’s Joel Smallbone.

“For us, doing music for people and for God is one of the main underlying themes of the band.” And the Nashville-based group, fronted by Joel and his brother Luke, takes their mission statement seriously. By turns exultant, introspective, atmospheric, and immediate, For King & Country’s uplifting music is also incredibly honest and authentic. The brothers spent their youth in Australia and cut their musical teeth in the U.S., eventually backing up their sister, Rebecca St. James, on tour. By 2007, they were making musical waves of their own, and by 2013, they had released two well-received albums and received a Dove Award. The band has played hundreds of shows since then — and they’re not slowing down. Their latest, Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong., features their strongest material yet. During a stop on the band’s fall 2014 tour, Joel spoke with us about the importance of family, respect in relationships, recording on the bus, and the always-present role of faith in the band’s music.

How did you and Luke get interested in music?

Music chose us, I think, more than we chose music. We grew up in a very musical family. Our dad, who is our manager now, was a concert promoter in Australia.

He brought over a lot of artists in the ’80s, including Amy Grant. One of my earliest memories in Sydney was looking at vinyl records by my favorite bands or going to shows and plugging my ears. I was a t-shirt model at four years old, standing onstage with the shirt draping all the way to the floor. I remember there were always bands and musicians coming through the house. It was also on one of those tours that things didn’t go as well as projected, and my dad lost a quarter of a million dollars — which ultimately led to us having to sell the house to pay the debt. For years, he’d felt a prompting to move to the U.S., and he found some work over here in the music industry in Nashville.

Your move to the States was tumultuous.

It was after we got there that he actually lost his job.

So, it was to that point about a month in, and we were

stuck living in a furniture-less house without a car. And he was just trying to find any kind of semblance of work he could. We really knit together during that time. As a family, we raked leaves, we mowed lawns, cleaned houses along with our oldest sister, Rebecca. We really worked as a team.

I remember well: we’d sit in a circle in the living room, and we would just pray. We had nowhere to turn other than upward. We saw pretty miraculous things happen.

The first Thanksgiving we were here, we found out about a family who invited pretty much anyone who wanted to join to Thanksgiving dinner. At the end of the night, the father of the house walked up to my mum and said, “I feel like God is prompting me to give you the keys to our minivan.” Also, someone anonymously paid for our little sister to be born in a hospital. The list goes on — just amazing examples of people giving and serving.

Do you recall particular musical influences?

For Luke, growing up, bands like Switchfoot were very influential. Classic U2 was a big influence on me. I went to a few U2 shows during their 360 tour, and they segued from “Amazing Grace” into “Where the Streets Have No Name.” I was just sitting there flabbergasted at how much of a worship service it felt like, you know? There are other layers of influences too; Luke is a pretty avid reader, and we’ve both been major C. S. Lewis fans since we were kids, so hopefully some of that has rubbed off lyrically. I also love theatrical and cinematic scores.

When did you and Luke begin playing live?

Our oldest sister began traveling as a musician. Dad needed cheap labor, so he put us brothers to work as the crew: lighting, sound, background vocals. That was when Luke and I really began to see the impact of music. It was toward the end of Rebecca’s career that we started kind of leaning in on our own. We ended up writing over a hundred songs and began doing showcases for labels — and got shut down more times than I want to count.

Then, fast-forward to 2009, a gentleman by the name of Mark Bright, who’s primarily a country producer and runs a publishing company, took over our label.

COUNTRY Mark produced Carrie Underwood and Reba McEntire and a lot of country icons. He was a real champion for us and signed us, and we recorded some material under his leadership.

How do you approach instrumentation?

Neither of us is classically trained. Luke grew up very rhythmic, and I’d say I grew up more melodic. I’d have a laptop and a little keyboard for the demos we’d cook up. I’d like to say I could “play” everything without playing anything. And now, live, Luke and I don’t do any of the heavy lifting, instrumentally. Luke may play some percussion, and I might play a bit on the harmonium or on a few various drums or tubular bells onstage. But it’s all a very ancillary thing that lets us focus on the vocals and the melodies and the message.

Tell us about your recording process.

We actually have a producer [Tedd T.] out on the road with us right now. We worked with him very closely on several songs on our last album. It’s very collaborative — in sort of a “cyber” way. He and I have a studio setup in the back of the tour bus, with a laptop MIDI controller and a microphone. We’ll build a very rough skeleton of the song and send an MP3 out to the band. Then, they will, respectively, set up their own laptops and will kind of layer in other sounds. Sometimes, we’ll even go into the venue prior to the show and mic up an instrument to get a track.

So, you’re assembling both demos and the final product at the same time?

Yes. In our opinion, your ears don’t lie. Technical perfection does not match the beauty of a really heartfelt piece. I think basically all the vocals on “Run Wild” were sung on the bus. It’s not a pristine, clean kind of thing, but what we went for was “heart over art.” If it feels right, go. Being so busy and being on tour allowed us to discover this recording process.

What about the centrality of faith in your songwriting?

I find that it’s hard to separate the song — regardless of its theme — from our faith. We might be writing about someone who is going through a hard time. In fact, Luke was very ill last year. We wrote a couple of songs walking through, almost in journal form, his illness. Inside the song, you can see the spiritual ramifications.

And on a song like “Shoulders” from the new album, it’s almost a prayer. Almost a psalm, if you will. Or on “Fix My Eyes,” the lead single, that song was very much built around wanting to be

a good human being and contributing to society, but above all of those things, we want to fix our eyes on Heaven and maintain that focus. Because keeping that focus holds us in good stead — in not making it about ourselves.

Family is such a strong element of the band.

I honestly feel that, without my wife and Luke’s wife, Courtney and their son [and they very recently had a second son], the strength of the group would be dramatically decreased. You get a balance and a purpose.

The heartbeat of For King & Country is family. I’ve mentioned that our dad manages us. Daniel, my oldest brother, does a lot of the lighting and design. Brother Ben does any video work that we do.

Mom is out on the road with us right now as well. But even beyond the blood family, the guys onstage with us and the label... there’s a big sense of family.

You’ve mentioned the importance of respect and honor in relationships.

Our parents have been married for almost 40 years, and we’re a really strongly knit family. And borne out of that was the idea of saying to young ladies — and also to men, but especially to girls — don’t let anyone disrespect you in a relationship. Don’t ever settle for second best. Know what you’re worth; know that you matter. We say to guys that, hey, it’s time to step up. Chivalry is alive and well. You might think that we’d get people who scoff, but the response has been one of overwhelming positivity.

Your producers (Tedd T., Seth Mosley, and Matt Hales) are very collaborative with you in the recording process.

I can’t speak more highly of them. One of the things in the creative process that I find most stifling is a “we can’t” attitude — versus a “we can” or a “let’s try.” And these guys are so willing to think outside the box... I hesitate to say even that, because I almost think they don’t acknowledge the box. Their approach is music is music; let’s have fun and be creative.

CALL UR FOR YO

For King & Country’s latest album, Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong., is available now.

To find out more, go to forKingandCountry.com!

FRSUEEE! IS

What is next for you and the band?

After this tour, we’ll do something we’ve never done as a band, which is to take off about a month. Then, we’ll be on an arena tour early in 2015. We will be contributing a song to an upcoming television series, and there’s talk about working on music for a film that’s shooting this year. We’re also thinking about a Christmas EP, and there will be another tour in the fall of 2015.

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Given this approach to recording, how do you manage to get such a cohesive sound?

I attribute a lot of that to the guys knowing what they want the music to become. They have a lot of musical input on the parts, and they know what they like. They’re very aware of what’s “them,” and they’re mindful of what’s going on track-wise and arrangement-wise.

Essential Guides for You and Your Volunteers In-depth, down-to-earth articles help volunteers, pastors, and worship leaders understand the ins and outs of the latest in worship sound technology.

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LEADERSHIP

The Untold Story of the Road to Emmaus

BY DR. LEONARD SWEET

This year at the National Worship Leader Conference in Virginia, Dr. Leonard Sweet captivated and inspired us with his forthright and powerful explication of modern culture and the story of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance on the road to Emmaus. To open this issue on worship and its relationship to the world around us, here is an adaptation of his general session address.

O

ne of the saddest things you can say about someone is that they stood in the presence of greatness and they missed it. Greatness passed by, and they did not see it. One of the great regrets of my life is a time when I missed a moment of greatness that passed right before my eyes. At 32 years of age, I became the president of a seminary. It was in Dayton, Ohio, founded by the father of Orville and Wilbur Wright. He was a bishop in the United Brethren church, and in 1871 he started a seminary.

I couldn’t figure out why the school would pick someone aged 32 to be president, but I was game for it. When I got there, I realized that everyone else had been smart enough to say, “No” to the position. The seminary was deeply in debt and looked like it had no future.

After some time learning this and pouring all my attention into the survival of the seminary, I began to realize that as a 32-year-old academic, I was no longer an academe; I was a fundraiser. I had to save the seminary, but I knew I couldn’t save it alone.

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A ChANCE iN ThE WiNd The seminary had a program in rural ministry. I had been aware of a particular prominent person who was known for his support for farmers (primarily through his work with Farm Aid), and this person had a grandmother who was raised a Methodist. It was Willie Nelson. Since it was a Methodist seminary, I thought maybe Willie would be open to partnering and help me raise money for the school.

So, I was actually able to arrange a meeting with Willie. When I got in front of him and had his attention I leveled a question that was tough to dismiss, “Have you ever done anything for your grandma?” He replied with, “My Grandma was the one who raised me, I love her so much.” I asked, “But you’ve never done anything to honor her?” This, of course, hit him where it matters and got him to start thinking that he should do something for the woman who raised him. That’s when I said, “You know … I have a wonderful way for you to honor your grandma.”

MOMENT GONE Willie and I became partners for a few years. He actually joined the board where he raised money and helped us save the school.

PRiVATE CONCERT It was not easy having a board member like Willie Nelson. He was in the news just about every day for something. Bill Clinton can say that he smoked but never inhaled, I have to say that I’ve never smoked, but I have inhaled because I’ve been in Willie Nelson’s bus. Whenever I met with Willie, we usually had about five minutes before a concert. Most times he would tell me, “Just come back after the show and we can meet then.” Which was fine, but I always had to wait in line after the concerts because he

After 15 or 20 minutes went by, I began to fume. I had waited all this time. I was basically the last one in line to meet with Willie that night, and suddenly this person came in and trumped me. Finally after what felt like forever to me, they stopped jamming and hugged, and the old guy left.

Willie came back and said, “That was fun.” And I said, “Who was that, Willie?”

And he said, “Oh, you don’t know? That was Les Paul.”

Suddenly it hit me. This could have been one of the magic moments of my life. But I missed it. I missed the moment of these two legends greeting one another in the only way true like-minded geniuses greet—speaking their own musical language. I was so caught up in my own

“iT WAS NOT EASY hAViNG A BOARd MEMBER LikE WiLLiE NELSON. hE WAS iN ThE NEWS JUST ABOUT EVERY dAY fOR SOMEThiNG.” said that to a lot of people.

I’ll never forget one time in particular.

It was pouring rain. I believe we were in Texas. I had taken a long flight; I waited through the concert and stayed in line afterward while he talked to a lot of different people. But finally, at around two in the morning, his road manager said, “Len, come on in. He’ll be ready for you in a little bit.” So finally in the bus, I began to prepare my agenda, get my talking points together, get ready to ask if he could do another fund-raising concert soon. And then I waited. And waited. And waited.

Finally around 3:30, I was told that it was my turn. I got all my paperwork together, and Willie came walking out to say, “Hi.” But at almost the exact same moment, from another door, this guy, who I had never seen before, came walking in.

To me, he was just an old codger with a guitar. But when Willie saw him, I might as well have not existed. Willie walked right by me, grabbed his guitar, and they sat down and started jamming. They didn’t even talk to one another; they just played music—a jam session right in the middle of my scheduled fundraising meeting in a bus. This went on for a while, and of course, I just got madder and madder.

stuff—my own list, my own agenda—I missed my moment.

Because your importance to the church is so acute, I don’t want you to miss your moment. God has given you an incredible moment. Let’s be clear what this moment is.

OUR TiME This culture does not communicate in words anymore. What has become clear is that the vernacular of the world in which we live, one that is increasingly becoming a global world, is story and soundtrack.

Anybody who is communicating or selling is no longer selling a product or convincing you they are right. They are telling a story; they are selling a story … with a soundtrack. Which changes everything.

ROOTS Of REViVAL Every awakening/revival in history has taken place when three things are present: •A return to the Scriptures.

•The Scriptures are read and God is worshiped in the vernacular—the language of the culture they are in.

•Jesus is rediscovered.

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If we are going to lead worship in the vernacular, that means we have to rethink a few things. We have to read the Bible in a whole new way—a shift from the way we’ve been used to reading it. We have to read it as story, not as chapter-verse. We have to read it as one narrative, from Genesis to the maps. It’s one story. Then, just as significantly, we have to ask, “Can we provide the soundtrack of that story for our people?”

Fanny Crosby had it right, “This is my story; this is my song.” Most churches today don’t take this story/song understanding to heart. In a worship practicing sense, we’ve rewritten Crosby to, “These are my words; these are my words.” Biblically speaking, it is not, “The Word (logos) became more words (rhema).” It is “The Word became flesh.” In fact, one of the worst translations of logos is “word.” In the same way, the story has to become song.

BECOMiNG SONG I’ll never forget the time both of my kids came home from school telling me that they had studied birds. They were both excited about their separate experiences and wanted to tell me all about it. First my daughter explained how she had studied with a biologist who came from the University of Washington. He came and spent

note: You know you can’t dissect anything without killing it, right?

This is, of course, a great way to get to the objective truth about birds. We modern humans like objective things. True things. We all want to be objective, in fact, we have made objective a very good word.

But let me ask you this, do you want to be treated like an object? When you treat something like an object, you control it.

You bring it under your authority.

TREE TiME Let’s get back to my son and his time spent

“GOd did NOT SENd US A POiNT TO MAkE; hE SENT US A PERSON TO kNOW. GOd didN’T SENd US A STATEMENT; GOd SENT US A SAViOR. A LiViNG LORd.” the whole day with them and told them everything there was to know about birds.

Then it was my son’s turn. He told me that his class had a conservationist from the Audubon Society. Of course, immediately I assumed my daughter got the better deal. I mean she had a scientist who gave her class a whole day of education.

But I began to slowly change my mind as the two of them filled me in on their birding experiences. Simply put, do you know what kinds of birds my daughter studied? Dead birds. And where were those dead birds? In a laboratory. And where in a laboratory? In a pan. And what did they spend the day doing with the dead bird in a pan? Taking it apart—dissecting it. Side 14

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with the naturalist. What kind of bird do you think his class studied? That’s right, they studied a live bird. But in order to do that, they had to go to where it lived and stand under it. In other words, they treated the bird like a subject. And if you treat something like a subject, there is no understanding without standing-under it.

In order to get to a place where they could stand under the bird, they had to get on a bus and travel to where the bird was residing—they were the ones who had to be moved, they were the ones who had to be changed in order to take part in the transaction. They let the bird, the subject, dictate the terms by which they ap-

proached it. They got on a bus and spent the day submitting themselves to the bird’s authority. They stood under it.

LiViNG SUBJECT That’s what it means to treat something like a subject … but we don’t like subjective. We like objective. And most times, that is how we treat the Scriptures—objective words we can understand if we simply dissect them correctly. I am thankful for the way we have learned to do higher critical work on the Bible—the bird in a pan if you will. But it’s time we learned to do bird in a bush because there is no burning bush without the bird in the bush. We have to see the life in the story and provide the soundtrack for it. Of course in order to do this, we have to know the story. We have to know it in a way that it is living and moving and not dependent on us—it has to be a bird in the bush, not just a bird in a pan. Because again, when you dissect something, you have to kill it.

Now, it’s not our job to make the Scriptures come alive because the Scriptures are alive. This is the living story. What we do is see the life and bring people awake so that they can come in contact with that which is living.

This is a whole different way of reading the Bible. This is a whole new way of standing under it. As opposed to taking things apart, we are connecting dots.

When the Bible was written, the authors were not writing in chapter-verse format.

We did that so we could make points out of it. But God did not send us a point to

make; he sent us a person to know. God didn’t send us a statement; God sent us a savior. A living Lord. Let me give you an example.

WhERE TO fiNd hiM There are a few passages in the Bible called the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus.

The two most famous ones are road stories. One is the Damascus road, and the other is the Emmaus road story.

How well do you know the Emmaus road story? I know you know it “bird in the pan.” Let me reiterate, I am all for dead-birdin-pan studies. But we have done that for 300 years. I am simply advocating that we also begin to treat the Bible as a living story—that we stand under it so that we might understand it.

ThE STORY Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.

He asked them, ”What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

“What things?” he asked. (Lk 24:13-19)

Who are these two people called the Emmaus disciples? We know one of them is named Cleopas (v. 18). In most of the Renaissance art portraying this scene, these disciples are two males. Isn’t that interesting? No one ever thought they could be a male and a female. And yet when they get to Emmaus, which is about seven miles from Jerusalem (or seventeen, depending on what ancient manuscript you’re looking at), these two disciples invite Jesus to stay in their home. In ancient Middle Eastern terms, this would actually suggest that these two are married. So we probably have a married couple that Jesus approaches, post-resurrection. Along with this information, there is also actually somewhere else Cleopas appears in the Bible. It was at the cross.

LET’S CONNECT ThESE dOTS: At the cross there were three Marys.

1. Mary mother of Jesus 2. Mary Magdalene 3. Mary, sister of Mary the mother of Jesus and wife of … Clopas (Clopas is likely a nickname for Cleopas) Wait a minute! I can’t be 100 percent sure here (so I’m 90 percent sure), but these are most likely the same people. And what’s more, this Mary, wife of Cleopas, is the sister of Jesus’ mother. Probably Joseph’s sister since it would be strange to have two Marys in the same immediate family. But to put it simply, the disciples on the road

to Emmaus are Jesus’ family. They are his aunt and uncle … and they don’t recognize him. Once again, Jesus’ own family don’t recognize who he is.

MiSSEd MOMENT In every single story of Jesus’ post-resurrection sightings, people don’t recognize him. Each time, the disciples are devastatingly close to missing the most important moment in their lives, the most important moment in the history of the world, in fact, because they don’t recognize Jesus.

And here, even his relatives fail to see him for who he is.

By the way, this is still a problem today, we have trouble recognizing Jesus. Jesus is alive. We serve a risen savior. He is in the world today, and our collective mission is to recognize him and what he’s doing, so we can join him in his work of the redemption of all things. And our collective malfunction is the same as these Emmaus road disciples.

So here we have a story where even his own relatives don’t recognize Jesus. And then they start talking. It’s all about conversation for Jesus. Most of the time we translate the Greek word laleó as “spoke” but it actually means, “had a conversation with.”

So Jesus is walking with them, talking with them, and they ask him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” In other words, “What rock have you been hiding under?”

Freedom’s Calling Featuring the song “No One Like You God” with guest artist Bekah Wagner

Visit us on YouTube, Facebook, or our website for information and videos.

HUNDREDFOL DWORSHIP.COM

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LEADERSHIP

And I love Jesus’ playful response. The most important event in the history of humanity has occurred the past weekend and Jesus asks, “What things?”

JESUS PLAYS The first lesson here, if worship becomes a work zone, a construction site of plans and graphs, we have missed something.

Worship is a playground of the Spirit. So here we have Jesus playing with them, and they walk and talk together like God did in the garden with Adam and Eve. As they are walking he explains the story to them.

He starts at Genesis and goes all the way to the maps. He shares about how the whole story fits together. He’s not doing the bird in the pan; he’s doing the bird in the bush.

When they finally get to Emmaus, Cleopas and Mary are so excited and enthralled with this mystery man that they ask him to stay at their house. But Jesus says, “No.” Let’s put this in context.

When you say to someone on the street, “Hey, how you doing?” You don’t really mean it.

They may say, “I’m fine.”

That’s it. It’s a social norm. But if you follow it up with, “No I really mean it; how are you doing?”

If you say it twice, you just got serious. In Middle Eastern hospitality, one might say, “Please stay with us for dinner.” It’s another cultural norm; you would say that even if you had nothing in the kitchen and no room in the house. But in the same way, if you refuse and then a person repeats the request, “No we really mean it; please stay with us. We don’t want this to end.” Then they are being serious. This is what transpires in this situation in Emmaus.

It’s during dinner that something really incredible happens.

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. (v 30)

JESUS ShOCkS If you are in a Jesus story, and you are not being startled, shocked, or scandalized, you are not in the right story. And right here, anyone in the first century would be shocked, scandalized, and startled. They are sitting at Cleopas’ table. Tradition dictates that he is the head of the table, the one who breaks the bread. It is the symbol of his hospitality. It would be the height of Jewish emasculation to allow someone else to break the bread and take the seat of hospitality at your table. Nonetheless, Jesus breaks the bread and hands it to them.

Then ... something happened.

Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him …. (v 31) So the question is, what caused the “then”?

“Then … they recognized him.” Why “then”?

to them. With his hands outstretched. His wrists were exposed. He spread his arms to his family. Then they recognized their Lord. Why then? What did they see?

His wounds.

They didn’t see scars; scars are healed wounds. Jesus took the wounds of the Cross with him into eternity. As long as there is one person not seated at the table of Christ, his wounds are not healed.

They are not scars; they are bleeding open wounds. When they saw the wounds, then they recognized him, “It’s the Lord.” They didn’t miss their moment.

OUR MOMENT It is our mission to recognize Jesus in our world. It is our moment to miss or our moment to discover. It is the most important moment in our lives, and still the most important moment in the history of humanity. Are you missing your moment, are you missing Jesus in the world?

Do you want to see Jesus in the world? Look for his wounds.

Go to where the wounds are.

Find wounded people, hurting people, suffering people, and you will find Jesus. Jesus is in our midst. Do you want to recognize Jesus? Look for his wounds. And the metaphor of wounds resonates powerfully with this culture. Because we are all wounded people. And the Church ought to be the place where the wounded people gather. That’s the untold story of the road to Emmaus. W

“… if WORShiP BECOMES A WORk zONE, A CONSTRUCTiON SiTE Of PLANS ANd GRAPhS, WE hAVE MiSSEd SOMEThiNG. WORShiP iS A PLAYGROUNd Of ThE SPiRiT.”

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His aunt and uncle didn’t recognize Jesus when they first saw him; they didn’t recognize him the entire trip to Emmaus as they were walking for seven miles; they didn’t recognize him when he came into the house; they didn’t recognize him when he sat down at the table. So what happened when Jesus took the head of the table? He took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them … then they recognized him! Why then?

WhY ThEN? The key to communication in our 21stcentury culture is that we have to turn stories into movies with a soundtrack. We have to see what we are reading in cinematic form—a motion picture in our minds.

It’s time to use our imaginations. Picture it in your mind. He took the bread with his hands. He broke it. And, slowly he gave it

DR. LEONARD SWEET Leonard Sweet is a unique communicator—easily one of contemporary culture’s most prolific and influential authors of books, blogs, articles, and sermons. Iconoclast and visionary, Leonard Sweet is a regular faculty member of the National Worship Leader Conference. His microblogs on Twitter and Facebook are rated as two of the more influential social media sites in the world. He holds the E. Stanley Jones Chair of Evangelism at the Theological School of Drew University and is a Visiting Distinguished Professor at George Fox University.

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ARTiSTS fEATUREd ON SONG diSCOVERY SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER VOL. 124

SONGWRiTER ShOWCASE

The silVer pAges

sTephen miller

BACKGROUND:

BACKGROUND:

We want to join in with the great tradition of writing worship songs that have been going on for thousands of years. Most of our songs have been inspired by or directly taken from some of our favorite old theologians and songwriters like King David, St Augustine, Martin Luther, The Puritans, and many others.

In high school, God got hold of my life and called me into ministry, but I never really knew what that would look like. I never thought it would be music ministry. I loved music and spent every waking moment singing, but wasn’t impressed with church music. I remember the first time I saw a “real band” lead worship with music I actually enjoyed; I thought, I wanna do that! Every high school kid wants to be in a band, so I really didn’t trust the desire initially. I started asking God to let me pastor and teach with songs, and a couple months later my student pastor approached me to start leading. God kept opening doors for me to lead in the local church and all over the world, and now, 16 years later, I love that he has kept me, by his grace, serving the Church in this way.

Song Discovery: Vol. 124, # 9, “He Shouted Love” Portico Church, Charlottesville, VA | thesilverpagesmusic.com

ABOUT THE SONG:

I was listening to a sermon at my church (Portico Church), and Pastor Chris said something about how God didn’t whisper his love for us from up in heaven. I loved that idea and thought it would make a great song. We wrote the chorus in about five minutes. I then spent about three months writing about six different bridge ideas until I finally found the right idea.

Song Discovery: Vol. 124, # 3, “Our Father” Real Life, Austin, TX | stephen-miller.com

ABOUT THE SONG:

FAVORITE SONGS:

“Fix You,” Coldplay “Pathetique,” Beethoven “Human,” The Killers

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he told them to come to God as their Father. All true worship begins with our adoption, coming to God as his children. That’s amazing. There’s this perfect intersection of imminence and transcendence, infinity and intimacy, where God in heaven chooses to relate to us as his kids, not because we’re great, but because he is. That truth gives us both humility and boldness in his presence. As I think about what I want the Church singing—what I want my own heart singing—I want us to never get past the wonder of this. I hope God uses “Our Father” to help us stand in awe of who he is, what he’s done, and who we are in light of that.

FAVORITE SONGS:

“Hallelujah,” Leonard Cohen (Jeff Buckley version) “What a Wonderful World,” Bob Thiele and George David Weiss (Louis Armstrong version) “Beat It,” Michael Jackson

Songwriters: Have a song you want to share with the Church?

Submit your song at worshipleader.com/submit-a-song 18

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PRESENTS

SEptember/October 2015

Note: Thi s

job will

ite bac

VOLUME 124

1. TRUST iT ALL

have a wh

kgroun d

PROCES WHITE S COLOR BACKGR OUND

8. ALL CONSUMiNG fiRE

BRETT STANFILL As heard on: North Point InsideOut: Hear (Live). Words & Music: Heath Balltzglier/ Steve Fee/ Brandon Coker.

Visit: northpointmusic.org

CHRIS MCCLARNEY As heard on: Everything and Nothing Less (Live).

Words & Music: Chris McClarney/ Chris Sayburn.

Visit: chrismcclarney.com

9. hE ShOUTEd LOVE

2. kiNG fOREVER

THE SILVER PAGES As heard on: Part II - EP. Words & Music: Paul Zach/ Philip Zach/ Chris Atwell. Visit: facebook.com/thesilverpagesmusic

FOR ALL SEASONS As heard on: For All Seasons.

Words & Music: Emily Hamilton/ Josh Farro/ Sam Tinnesz. Visit: forallseasonsmusic.com

MAGAZINES

10. OUR GOd & OUR kiNG

3. OUR fAThER

NLC WORSHIP As heard on: Our God & Our King (Deluxe Edition).

Words & Music: Seth Flood.

Visit: NLCWorship.com

STEPHEN MILLER As heard on: Liberating King.

Words & Music: Stephen Miller.

Visit: stephen-miller.com

11. i WiLL WAiT

4. UNShAkABLE (YOU NEVER LET GO)

RYAN KONDO As heard on: Onething Live: Shout Your Name.

Words & Music: Ryan Kondo.

Visit: ihopkc.org/music

ROCK OF ROSEVILLE As heard on: You Never Let Go: Live at The Rock of Roseville. Words & Music: Ben Woodward/ Tracy Lundquist.

Visit: rockofroseville.com

CHORD CHARTS & LEAD SHEETS IN 3 KEYS Our God is stronger Our God is greater Our God is higher than any other

BONUS TRACkS

5. hiGhER RESLIFE WORSHIP As heard on: HIGHER. Words & Music: Ken Reynolds. Visit: reslife.com

6. RULES ANd REiGNS THE NEVERCLAIM As heard on: The Joy. Words & Music: Jeremiah Carlson/ Ian Eskelin.

Visit: theneverclaim.com

7. WE ARE ONE THE CITY HARMONIC As heard on: We Are One - Single. Words & Music: Elias Dummer/ Eric Fusilier/ Josh Vanderlaan/ Aaron Powell.

Visit: thecityharmonic.com

12.WhERE WOULd i BE NCC WORSHIP As heard on: You Alone. Words & Music: Carolina Soto/ Chris Douglas/ Daniel Rivera/ Kurtis Parks.

Visit: nccworship.net

LYRICS FOR POWERPOINT

13. BROkEN BREAd (COMMUNiON SONG) ZAREPHATH WORSHIP As heard on: Zarephath Worship.

Words & Music: Raphael Giglio.

Visit: zarephath.org

LITETRACKS FROM MULTITRACKS.COM

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LEADERSHIP

how do i Get to the Next Level?

BY RORY NOLAND

Q:

I’m what you might call a “seasoned veteran,” but I know I haven’t “arrived” yet. I want to be as good a worship leader as I can be. What can someone like me do to get to that “next level?”

A:

I appreciate your desire to grow as a worship leader even though you’ve been at it awhile. It says a lot about your character. The great worship leaders I know would never refer to themselves as “elite” even though you and I regard them as such. They may be confi dent about their abilities, but they’re still humble people. In addition, I identify seven characteristics they all commonly share. The first three traits deal with the worship leader as a person, the other four with actually leading worship.

1. ThEY’VE dEALT WiTh ThEiR “STUff.” The best worship leaders are self-aware; they’re emotionally and spiritually mature. At peace with who they are, they’re comfortable in their own skin, but they’ve also faced the sobering truth about their fatal flaws. Instead of living in denial, they’re attentive to their besetting sins, “blind spots,” and dysfunctional tendencies.

2. ThEY hAVE SPiRiTUAL dEPTh. The accomplished worship leaders have vibrant spiritual lives nurtured by regular Bible reading, prayer, and other spiritual practices. In other words, spiritually speaking, they’re the “real deal.”

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3. ThEY’VE hONEd ThEiR MUSiCAL CRAfT. Whether it’s singing, playing, or songwriting, those elite worship leaders have put in time and effort to master at least one musical discipline.

4. ThEY’RE PREPAREd. The best worship leaders don’t “fly by the seat of their pants.” They come ready to lead—musically and spiritually. They know the music, memorized the words, practiced all transitions, and have their gear set up, ready to go. They’re not only familiar with the worship set but most likely prayed through it as well.

5. ThEY dON’T MiNCE WORdS. Transitional comments between songs are brief, cogent, and meaningful. They don’t ramble when they pray. In other words, they’ve thought through what they’re going to say, perhaps even scripted out their verbal comments.

6. ThEY hELP fACiLiTATE ENCOUNTERS WiTh GOd.

MEANiNGfUL

Because the goal of top-level worship leaders is to point people to Christ, they always try to bring some spiritual nugget—a fresh thought or idea—to worship. For example, they might call attention to a word or phrase in a lyric, share a Scripture, or invite the congregation to ponder a thought or question. They may comment on the meaning of a song.

They’re always looking for ways to help the congregation connect—heart, soul, and mind—with the lyrics and message of the music.

7. ThEY kNOW hOW TO “REAd ThE ROOM.” I call this “graduate-level worship leading.” It’s the ability to go beyond the music, get outside yourself, and be present in the moment; it’s an awareness of what is (or isn’t) happening “out there” in the congregation and knowing how to respond. For example, it happens when a worship leader senses that people are connecting deeply with a song and repeats the chorus, extending the moment.

Sensitive worship leaders can tell when the congregation isn’t engaged. Instead of aggressively prodding, like an overbearing cheerleader, they lovingly invite their flock into God’s presence. Sometimes when the Holy Spirit is moving mightily, shifting abruptly to the next element of the service (like the announcements) violates the moment. At that point, a skilled worship leader might spontaneously add a simple chorus everyone already knows, have the people sing a cappella, pray, or share Scripture to bring appropriate closure. W

RORY NOLAND (heartoftheartist.org) directs Heart of the Artist Ministries and is the author of Worship on Earth as It Is in Heaven.

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MUSIC

BY TIM HUGHES

poCKeTFul oF FAiTh T

he last few months have been amongst the most surreal and unsettling of my life. Having spent 10 years living in London, being the worship pastor of the most amazing church, HTB, I find myself and my family living in Birmingham, the second largest city in the UK. We’re on an adventure, a journey of faith, stepping out of the familiar, into the unknown of leading and planting a city centre church.

We are the current owners of a massive building, located centrally, that used to generate gas to light up the street lamps throughout Birmingham. Now, we hope and believe this building, and more importantly this community, will carry a light—an everlasting light that will bring life, hope, and healing to many.

with the disappointment of a setback.

I’ve never felt more alive and yet more vulnerable and exposed.

This whole adventure has got me thinking a lot about faith, obedience, and calling. In Luke 17:6 Jesus says, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to the mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”

What’s in your pocket? In mine you’ll find a scrunched up receipt, a couple of coins and a guitar pick—it’s not going to change the world. Like a mustard seed, it feels so insignificant. Yet Jesus says if we have faith, even a tiny amount of faith, we can see miracles, breakthroughs, and extraordinary things happen.

equipped; he equips the called. Fear will say, “You don’t have what it takes.” Faith will say, “The same power that raised Jesus from the grave lives in me!”

I feel totally out of my depths in this new venture, and yet I’ve never felt more confident in the power of God’s saving love. It’s so easy to settle in life and to carve out a comfortable existence. But, as a friend once challenged me, “We can either exist in security or live in adventure.” The challenge I’ve had to confront on this journey of the last 18 months has been, ultimately, “Do I trust God, and am I willing to obey?” Am I trying to build a great career for myself, or when I feel God call and lead, am I willing to let go of my plans and take hold of his? It’s uncomfortable and unsettling, but I don’t want to miss out on all that God has for me. A recent song I wrote captures my heart and prayer:

fEAR VS. fAiTh

Take this pocketful of faith, It’s all I have today.

I’m giving it all, I’m giving it all.

“fAiTh WiLL REMiNd YOU ThAT GOd dOESN’T CALL ThE EQUiPPEd; hE EQUiPS ThE CALLEd.”

ALiVE ANd ExPOSEd So many hopes; so many fears. Every day seems to embrace the emotional four seasons. The excitement and anticipation of what could be, mixed with the uncertainty of stepping into something way beyond my gifts and strengths. The delight of a small breakthrough colliding

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What are the dreams God has placed in your heart? Is there anything holding you back from fully throwing yourself head first into God’s purposes for your life? What governs your decision making: fear or faith? Fear will tell you that you’re inadequate and ill-equipped. Faith will remind you that God doesn’t call the

TiM hUGhES WORShiP CENTRAL Writer of songs such as “Here I Am to Worship,” “Happy Day,” and “The Cross Stands.” He co-founded and leads Worship Central, an international worship training and resource center (worshipcentral.com).

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MUSIC

BY NEIL AHLSTEN

REIMAGINE

the role of a Worship Leader

ARE YOU WiNNiNG OR LOSiNG THE EARS OF YOUR CONGREGATION?

T

oday we have on-demand access to just about any content on the planet.

Songs, videos, and images are served to us in personalized suggestions on YouTube and Spotify and hundreds of other platforms. That’s crazy, and it is radically changing how you and your church discover and listen to music. If you are on your game, it will give you an amazing opportunity to influence and learn about the content of your audience 24/7, whether they are at home or at work and on the go. And if you’re not on your game, other music genres will win more hours of listening from your congregation.

LEAViNG GOOGLE ON A PRAYER Last year I made the totally irrational and God-led decision to leave Google with some friends and build a platform that would serve personalized prayers and music to anyone in the world for free. The effort evolved into the Abide prayer app, which is the first Christian prayer and meditation platform. We hit #1 status on the App store and now host prayers from Rick Warren’s Daily Hope to Jesuit priests doing some cool 15-minute examinations and meditations. The secret for us is learning from our audience every day. I want to share some thoughts that may apply to worship leaders as well.

STREAMiNG AUdiO ChANGES EVERYThiNG The beauty of streaming digital music is that musicians and music curators can meet their audiences anywhere, anytime.

It has also democratized music, so labels don’t dominate as they once did. Inde24

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pendent production and distribution is a fraction of what it used to cost, which makes it easy to promote what you want to audiences that know you. And beyond that, music discovery is becoming more and more social, which makes it easier for your audience to share. Twitter was originally a messaging app for music. Think about that! Social sharing as a source of discovery is still growing through platforms like Spotify.

NOW YOU CAN CURATE MUSiC fOR YOUR ChURCh SEVEN dAYS A WEEk Live worship is the mainstay of a worship leader, but it’s very easy to go way beyond that. You can create and share your upcoming worship sets as playlists on Spotify and share them out through social media. Encourage people to chat about the songs by offering up questions and asking for testimonies about how the music is touching their lives. The Village Church in Dallas is using this by posting suggested worship sets before each service, so worshipers can prepare their hearts beforehand and go back to them after service.

It’s way easier to post a playlist than it is to record and edit and distribute sermons, and if you do it at even a basic level, your church is way more likely to stream your worship set than they are to stream to the sermon (just don’t tell your teaching pastor this).

There’s a recent trend in many churches to have a Design Director because the brand and marketing of a church are so important inside and outside of its walls.

The same is true for music. Today’s wor-

ship leaders should think of themselves as lead culture makers in the church, setting an exciting and relevant culture 24/7. Part of creating culture is understanding it, and that leads to another cool opportunity through new media.

kNOW WhAT RESONATES WiTh YOUR AUdiENCE When I worked at Google, we thrived on tracking user data and feedback. They ran 5,000 experiments on Google Search every day, and this was central to every effort that improved and shaped globally transforming products. How do you learn what your audience likes and dislikes? How do you know when it changes? Do you check out their reaction the fortieth time that you play “10,000 Reasons”? Whose face are you watching? The teaching pastor’s?

The awesome thing about streaming digital playlists is that they track real engagement by real people, and this can give you a simple but powerful source of data for understanding what your church audience actually wants. Try creating playlists for a whole bunch of circumstances that people in your church may face. They probably have personal needs like dealing with stress or finding purpose in their work or fighting temptation. Think about issues that people in your church wrestle with on a daily basis and can worship through during commute time or at work or in the evening at home. Then check out which songs on your playlists are getting the most likes and engagement by others, and which are tanking. Drop the ones that aren’t doing well and add in new ones.

Check engagement and repeat.

MUSIC

You can also learn about the musical tastes of your congregation by friending them and checking out their playlists too.

Then see if you can find worship songs from genres or artists that are similar to their playlists and share it with them and ask them for feedback. You can get tons of feedback before ever playing a new song on the stage. This is a great way to keep your worship sets fresh and target the next generation of believers. I was just chatting with the leadership of the massively successful LifeChurch network, and they said that they are attracting the next generation by continually evolving the worship to fit the tastes of the next generation. How can you do this and know you’re getting it right? One way is by sharing songs with them and getting their honest feedback.

Here’s a key point. There are two big types of honest feedback in digital tracking. The first is whether or not the song is listened to. That is a good start. The second one— and the gold standard—is if they’re sharing it with friends. If people are willing to share content, it means they not only

like it, but they want to identify with it in their social circles. That is powerful.

Which leads us to the next point.

GET PEOPLE TO PROMOTE YOUR STREAMiNG PLAYLiSTS For most people, sharing music is much easier than sharing about Jesus. Billions of songs are shared through Spotify and other streaming services. Sharing music is easy. It’s low risk. It tells others what you are feeling and what resonates with you in the beautiful words and melodies of professional musicians.

If people won’t share your worship playlists, that’s usually a good indication that there’s an issue with them. Go find out why. Do they not like the songs? Why? Are they worried about being labeled as a Christian? How so? Is there a disconnect with the brand of your church or its worship music? What is it?

hOW WiLL YOU REiMAGiNE YOUR ROLE? We live in a culture where the main constant seems to be change. Musical tastes

and listening habits are changing faster than ever before. That gives you a great opportunity to help people get turned on to worship faster, and it also means you can lose them quicker to other types of content. If you’re not asking how to help your audience worship more often and more meaningfully, your church leadership probably won’t be either. The important thing is that the tools are there for all of us to stay ahead of the curve. The harder part is making sure we use them. W NEiL AhLSTEN has a passion for innovation that serves the gospel. Neil is Co-Founder/CEO of Carpenters Code, which has built Abide, an iPhone app for praying together. Neil is on leave from Google, where he spent six years managing business development for vertical ads, launching access and mobile projects in Africa, and a variety of other roles. Before Google, Neil was the Darfur/ Chad refugee program manager for the U.S. Department of State and served in hotspots across Africa for Food for the Hungry and the World Bank.

MUSIC

BY ANDY CHAMBERLAIN

why hAVe we

ED sTOPPsinging?

R

ecently I’ve heard reflection amongst worship leaders about why people don’t sing in church like they used to.

Some put it down to style or range or key or even congregational lethargy, but I think there’s one simple reason that gets overlooked. So I’d like to unpack it using three stories or modern-day “parables” if you will.

ThE fAVES A few years ago I watched Bruce Springsteen headline the UK Glastonbury music festival, and the crowd excitement was palpable. But by mid set, loads of people had disappeared. Why? Because Bruce was in the middle of a new album tour, and he forgot the festival crowd wasn’t his own.

After nearly two hours of “and here’s another one from the new record” he finally played “Born to Run,” and the crowd suddenly lit up, the sing-along volume went up by 500 percent. And you know what?

It was wonderful.

More recently I attended a traditional Church of England wedding. Most of the guests weren’t from church backgrounds.

Of the three hymns we sang, “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” pretty much had me doing a solo. “Amazing Grace” was better for the first three verses, but by the time we got to verse six (yes really!) they’d lost everyone, and I was back in reluctant busker mode. And then my heart sank when I heard the title of my least favourite children’s hymn ever “All Things Bright and Beautiful.” But amazingly the congregation lit up because they all remembered singing it at school! Everyone joined in, the volume went up by 26

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500 percent. And you know what? It was wonderful.

TURNiNG UP ThE VOLUME Last year I was at a church with multiple young worship leaders who typically selected songs all from the latest worship album releases. But there wasn’t much song choice cohesion between them from week to week, so the congregation didn’t sing very much or very loudly. Then one morning the projector broke down just as we were singing two old songs, “Holy and Anointed One” and “All Heaven Declares,” and you know what? Even without lyrics on screen the volume went up by 500 percent.

I’ve heard people who run church services blame the congregation’s lack of singing enthusiasm on the congregation’s own spiritual apathy, consumerist Christianity, or even assumptions of personal sin. But in reality, most of the time people don’t sing songs simply because they don’t know them. Period.

LOOkiNG fOR iMPACT It’s often to do with repertoire. If your church uses more than 75 songs annually, it’s unlikely that your congregation will know them very well. Last week I looked at a recent CCLI report, and I noticed an interesting phenomenon. By and large, the top 100 songs hadn’t changed too much in the last year, but there were huge changes for songs placed 100-150, with much faster movements in and out of that range than I’ve ever seen before. This tells me that churches are introducing more new

songs but quickly dropping them if they don’t have an immediate impact. They possibly aren’t taught thoroughly enough or not used regularly enough after being introduced or simply aren’t great songs to start with, but either way, the maximum most churches can realistically cope with is one new song per month.

So as worship leaders we have to step back and ask ourselves who we are really choosing songs for? Is it the congregation, or is their engagement secondary to us playing our new favorites?

PASTORAL ViEW Now I’m not suggesting that we only sing old songs or don’t introduce new songs, far from it! But I am suggesting churches take a more pastoral overview about the number of new songs introduced, how they are taught, and how many times they sing them to properly embed them into the congregation’s memory.

Interestingly there many great worship songs from the last four decades that are firmly lodged in people’s memory banks that, with a bit of dusting down and a fresh arrangement, could bring real life.

There are, of course, plenty of awful songs, too, so do pick quality over quantity. But get a good one, and you could find real connection and meaning with a song that’s already familiar. W ANdY ChAMBERLAiN is cofounder of Musicademy. com and Worshipbackingband. com that produce instructional DVDs for musicians involved in worship and multitrack backing tracks and software for churches with missing musicians.

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Take to the World Go in peace to love and to serve.

And let your ears ring long with what you have heard.

And may the bread on your tongue leave a trail of crumbs to lead the hungry back to the place you are from.

Take to the world this love, this hope and faith.

And take to the world this rare, relentless grace.

And like the Three in One, know you must become what you want to save ’cause that’s still the way He takes to the world.

Aaron Tate’s “Take to the World” is a profound post-communion song.

It resonates with some of the best theological instincts of the ancient church. John of Damascus (8th century Syria) said that the Incarnation means that the Author of matter has taken on matter to redeem matter, the whole of the creation, beginning with us. Thus, worship involves bread and wine—not just words and songs. The 4th-century Cappadocian theologians stressed that “what has not been assumed cannot be saved”—another way of saying “you must become what you want to save.” Praise be. That’s what God did for us in Christ.

Justin Martyr (2nd century, Rome) said, “Through the deacons (the bread and the wine) are sent to those who are absent.”

Second, when celebrating Communion they took up offerings specifically designated for “the orphans and widows, and those who are in want because of sickness or for some other reason, and those who are in bonds, and the sojourning strangers.” Third, they taught believers to worship with their whole lives, including their wealth. Thus, John Chrysostom, the 4th-5th century preacher to the Emperor’s

BY REGGIE KIDD

communities; when our corporate prayer includes all the needs of the world, especially the homeless, the lonely, the persecuted, those caught in slave trafficking; when worship leaders are first in line to volunteer for ministry projects outside the narrow confines of what we normally think of as worship; when worship teams do other ministry tasks together, from serving in homeless ministries to taking up hammers for Habitat for Humanity to participating in evangelism projects.

“ … OURS iS A ThEOLOGY TRULY WORTh SiNGiNG BECAUSE iT fLOWS fROM ThE LifE Of GOd ANd fOLdS US iNTO ThE LifE Of GOd.”

ThE hOW-TO In practice what the early Church did to reinforce its incarnational theology was three things: first, they took the Table to those who couldn’t make it to the Table. As

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court in Constantinople, reminded believers that the very same Jesus who said, “This is my body,” also said, “You saw me hungry and did not feed me,” and “In so far as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me.”

BiBLiCAL WORShiP We only worship well when we keep the biblical view of the ancient Church in mind—when we do take the Table to brothers and sisters who are sick, incapacitated, incarcerated; when we work with church leadership to have “second offerings” (some churches call them “deacon offerings,” usually post-communion) to provide focused help for the poor in our

“Take to the World” reminds us that ours is a theology truly worth singing because it flows from the life of God and folds us into the life of God. “Take to the World” sums up what we celebrate in the Lord’s Supper and launches us into a sharing of God’s mission to bring the world to God’s Great Feast.

REGGiE kidd wrote the book With One Voice and teaches at Reformed Theological Seminary and the Robert. E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies.

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Mission,

Worship AND AND THE THE

Village of Small Fish iN

my early years of worship leading, I didn’t give much thought to the connection between worship and mission. For me, worship was about worship music and worship music was about how the band was melding, if I’d be able to pull off the daunting key change, or if I’d chosen songs and arrangements that were singable and would give wings to the praise of God’s people. I thought of worship solely in terms of congregational singing or whatever song I was praising along to in my kitchen or in the car.

Worship was a singing, praising, musical

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expression that didn’t venture too far into the rest of my life. Until the Lord sent me to the Amazon jungle, that is. He’s so creative that way—I think narrow, he says, “Amazon.”

MORE ThAN A SONG John Paculabo was the man who’d invited me, the former president of Kingsway (now Integrity UK), publisher of momentous songs such as, “In Christ Alone,” “10,000 Reasons,” “Blessed Be Your Name,” and “Here I Am to Worship.”

John had published worship songs that

traveled the globe, and he worked with some of the most gifted worship leaders of our day. He’d been in the Christian music industry for over two decades. If anyone knew worship, he was the guy.

But John’s road to more fully understanding worship would prove circuitous. On a business trip in Brazil, he unexpectedly found himself in a sweltering school on a remote bank in an unheard-of village along the Amazon. There in a dilapidated shelter that resembled a steam bath more than a schoolroom God would equally slay and broaden John’s understanding of worship. To draw from Matt Redman, it was about more than a song.

The heat was stifling, the teacher was without a salary, and several of the children were forced to walk or canoe over an hour each way, or not go at all.

The kids were packed into that sweltering room tighter than an American tourist’s suitcase. Sweat glistened across

God as his bondservant. Up to that point, my friend John had known the worship of musical adoration, but the Lord was about to teach him the worship of active service. `Abad is used numerous times in the Exodus story revealing the unmistakable principle that Christian freedom is for worship and worship is about serving God. And serving God will always include serving others. While worship most certainly encompasses music, singing, corporate praising, and individual adoration, it also inhabits sacrifice and service, handing over our resources and gifts for his use, taking care of the poor and inviting the overlooked to our table.

MAkiNG SENSE In full disclosure when John invited me to the Amazon I wanted to go because I love missions and travel and wanted to see a monkey, but I also wanted to go because this trip was good for me

corrugated metal scraps. Neighbors and dogs and chickens trickled out to greet us as our team shook hands and jostled babies who looked as miserable in the heat as we were. I climbed the stairs that led inside the home and entered through its humble doorway. A faded red hammock stretched across the middle of the room nearly brushing the floor. In it lay a 34-year-old woman with a severe case of cerebral palsy. She was the “child” our mission director had asked me to sing for.

iN PLAiN SiGhT Clarinia shyly draped her wrist over her eyes, her hand gnarled in a fixed position, smiling and blushing. Her mother stood watch in a modest blue and purple V-neck dress and her hair pulled back in a bright clip. Her feminine attire and the dirt lodged in the creases of her neck showed she was both mother and warrior. When Clarinia smiled she revealed

“WORSHIP MEANS LOVING WHAT GOD LOVES, CARING FOR THE THINGS HE CARES FOR, LAYING YOUR LIFE DOWN SO THAT OTHERS MIGHT KNOW THE LOVE OF JESUS AND BE FREE TO WORSHIP HIM IN RESPONSE.” John’s balding head when he heard the Lord speak to his heart, “It’s time to release worship to the poor.” He figured this didn’t mean passing out CDs door to door in the villages, nor did it mean fundraising for generators so boom boxes could be plugged in. Rather worship means loving what God loves, caring for the things he cares for, laying your life down so that others might know the love of Jesus and be free to worship him in response. God’s message to John continued, “I want you to build a school here.”

Without having any idea how he would do it or what it would cost, John committed to building a school in that village and a ministry was born.

ThE WORShiP PURPOSE In the grand story of the Exodus, God led the Israelites to freedom for a distinct reason: “so that they may worship me.”

The Hebrew word worship here is `abad and it means to serve, work, labor for

as a worship leader. I’d just released a worship record with Kingsway, and while traveling to the Amazon with the president tugged on my heart for ministry, it also made good business sense.

As God would have it, I’ve since traveled to the region 10 times and now work closely with Justice and Mercy Amazon (justiceandmercy.org), the organization John helped found. Also, as God would have it, my ministry in the Amazon has had nothing to do with record sales or publishing deals or world-renowned stages. On the contrary, one of the most profound worship experiences of my life took place there in a village by the name of Small Fish. (Don’t ever assume humor or irony are lost on God.) I was there in Jaraqui-Zium (Small Fish) with John and several others to meet a child with special needs. The hut she lived in was a simple structure constructed of wide planks with window cutouts, the roof patched together with

a mouthful of rotting and twisted teeth.

Her thin and bent body hung in the wool hammock curled in a position I’m not sure it had been out of in years. I didn’t know what to do or say or think about someone almost exactly my age, female, and single, who had spent her life growing up in a hammock. The blatant similarities we shared in spite of our vastly different worlds and circumstances were too plain to ignore.

SACREd AUdiENCE I stood clutching the neck of my guitar feeling a little foolish, not quite a fraud, but certainly unworthy to offer Clarinia encouragement. What did I understand about being confined to a hammock for three decades, barely able to glimpse the tops of trees or a slice of the sky through the high window, the sounds of life eluding her on the other side of those walls? What did I know of chronic heat, poverty, and disability? At the same S E P T E M B E R /OC T OB E R 2 0 1 5

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time, I was rarely so grateful to be able to sing something, to play something.

To do something. For so many years I’d pined for big stages and bright lights, and even reached a few, but none seemed as notable as the unfinished wood I was standing upon, no audience as sacred as the woman before me.

As a songwriter, I’d just finished a lyric based on a passage from the book of Lamentations. I’d drawn ink from the prophet Jeremiah’s pen as he wailed underneath the piercing arrows that, strangely enough, didn’t fly from the bows of his enemies but from God himself. Why would the mysterious Archer make Jeremiah the target of his darting arrows? Why would the prophet be the laughing stock of his own people, trampled into the dust, drained of splendor, denied peace? With no seemingly sufficient answers, Jeremiah hoists his soul from the depths and proclaims to himself, “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam 3:21-23).

selfishness and pettiness and demanding nature were as convicting as a crushing boulder. I sang because only a song could have expressed my ache for Clarinia’s bodily confinement, her existence that seemed so unjustly meager. I praised on the promise that one day her body will be made new and she will soar like a ballerina. I played my guitar even though I don’t understand how God and suffering coexist, but faith propels us to play melodies even in our bewilderment. I kept worshiping because at the deepest place of my soul I grasped a thread of what Jeremiah deemed true: That the Lord’s great love is not powerless or false or rendered void in the midst of suffering. I glimpsed

I knelt by Clarinia and strummed my guitar hoping that life would reverberate from those simple chords. Like David’s anointed harp, I prayed that just the sound of music, the cure of notes, the balm of ringing strings would minister healing to Clarinia’s body and soul. But something inside me broke. I crumbled to tears that indiscriminately tore from my being. Only bits of breaths and words came out as I tried to sing. I persisted, but my sobs became uncontrollable. The dam had split, and it felt as if every pent-up grief or doubt I’d ever had came rushing forth uninhibited. And the self-centeredness. Oh, my self-centeredness. All those years of thinking my life was over because I’d lost a record deal, or wallowing in how unfair things were because I wasn’t chosen for this vitally important something or other. Life suddenly flew under the magnifying glass of perspective as God’s kindness led me to repentance and repentance led me to worship.

I worshiped because my too frequent W O R S HIP L EAD ER

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A LEGACY A few years later I worshiped in a way I couldn’t have imagined the day I sang over Clarinia in the nagging heat. I was gathered with friends in John’s living room on a winter’s evening off the southern coast of England. He was dying. John had called the meeting, and it wasn’t to discuss his legacy in the music business, although it is deep and enduring. We were there because, according to John, when God showed him the need in the Amazon God wrecked his retirement plans. As a result, John had poured the last decade of his life into the Amazon people, a ministry he wanted to make certain would remain for years to come. For those of us in the room, this would require a different kind of worship. Yes, we would still sing and write songs and play music because we must. But helping carry on the work in the jungle would also mean worship by serving.

The next evening John worshiped the Lord face to face. I’ll never forget him for taking me to meet the people of the Amazon. For teaching me not only what great musical worship looks like but also what it means to `abad. Mostly, for introducing me to one of the grandest stages in the world—who knew it would be in a village called Small Fish. W

“IF WE’RE CRAVING FAME, NOTORIETY, AND SUCCESS BY THIS WORLD’S STANDARDS WE AREN’T FREE TO SERVE IN HUMILITY.”

LEAdiNG TO WORShiP

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our neighbor, discipling those coming up behind us, ministering to the least of these with joy. Because that’s what `abad is.

the higher truth that Jeremiah wrote of, that just by virtue of having not been flatout consumed—still living, breathing, thinking, communing, tasting—testifies of God’s love and is evidence of his great compassion. In that place of worship, I grasped the bigger reality that if health, possessions, people, success, and a limber body are our portion, then every single one of us will be left disappointed and wanting at some point, but if God is our portion we will be filled indeed. Sniffles and strumming and buzzing and singing filled the room while Clarinia swung back and forth like a metronome keeping time in this sacred hour.

fREEdOM REQUiREd I frequently return to that experience as a personal plumb line of worship, because you can only `abad to the degree you are free. Just as the Israelites were set free to worship, so must we be freed. If we’re craving fame, notoriety, and success by this world’s standards we aren’t free to serve in humility. When we chase our own renown we do so in bondage to the harsh demands and empty promises of carnal reward. But when the Lord sets us free from the sandbags of selfish ambition we naturally find ourselves blessing

kELLY MiNTER Kelly Minter’s latest release, Hymns & Hallelujahs, is an acoustic collection of songs available exclusively at LifeWay Stores and LifeWay. com. Kelly is also a Bible study teacher and author of several Bible studies such as, What Love Is: The Letters of 1, 2 & 3 John and Nehemiah: A Heart That Can Break. Excerpts from this article were taken from her book Wherever the River Runs: How A Forgotten People Renewed My Hope in the Gospel. Kelly partners closely with Justice and Mercy International (justiceandmercy.org). For more information about Kelly, visit her website at

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BY VAUGHN THOMPSON

T H E M U LT I C U LT U R A L M Y T H What Is God Actually Asking?

PETER’S CONfESSiON Of ChRiST: When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked.

“Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.”

(Mt 16:13-17) This is one of my favorite passages on worship. At first glance it seems to have nothing to do with “worship” as we would commonly think of it today in terms of contemporary worship with the arts, much less the more specific topic of multicultural worship. However, I believe on deeper consideration it has everything to do with worship and, therefore, means everything to multicultural worship as well.

In this passage, the disciples are asked, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” And their responses are, “Some say John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” But Jesus doesn’t let them go. He corners them and asks, “But who do you say that I am?” He demands they respond for themselves. This is what I believe to be at the heart of all true Christ-centered worship. A personal response and acknowledgment of who Jesus is. Worship is not about a recitation or a replication, but a revelation. Not a revelation by man, but by the Father in heaven.

YOUR OWN WORdS When it comes to worship, I believe it to be very important that we approach the context with this question in mind: Who is Jesus? It’s convenient and easy to rest on the lyrics of David in the psalms or even Chris Tomlin, Israel Houghton, or even what our mothers told us about Jesus.

While these people may inform and support our worship, what is of utmost importance is “Who do you say that I am?”

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God wants to hear what you have to say. Not what you heard others saying. It’s important for leaders and churches to be true to this principle. I feel so many are trying to be something that they are not.

Feeling they need “to be all things to all people.” Trying to encompass the sound of the world in their local church or their worship services. Trying to throw all these languages and cultural instruments into a big pot. No one is responsible to carry all that weight. It’s the job of all creation to create that sound. It’s our job to play our part in that collective sound. It’s not our job to be multicultural worship. It’s our job to be a part of it.

TRUE PURPOSE I’m concerned that we focus too much on the mechanics of what makes up worship and specifically, multicultural worship. I feel that we view it as a product for the consumer or worse yet a bait to make our churches inviting, cutting edge, and captivating to the visitor. Our focus is on our creative effort and his creative presence.

Our focus should be on his presence and not our presentation of him.

Multicultural worship is a hot topic in ministry today. Churches are asking about the multicultural sound. Musicians are trying to formulate what that is.

People are referring to it as some sect of worship itself. As if there is “worship” but over there in the corner is another optional thing called “multicultural worship.”

In fact, I really do not like the label of multicultural worship at all. By defining it, we unintentionally separated it from the pure concept of what it means to worship God. No matter what musical genre, what generation, what language, what nationality or what part of the globe a worship expression comes from it, is all part of the collective posture of the Church before God. It is not a “kind” of worship; it is worship!

MAkiNG NOiSE I know for some this may seem idealistic and not very helpful in a practical sense.

There are a lot of great resources out there to utilize the myriad musical and cultural expressions that invite and include people of all backgrounds to the worship of our God. The use of medleys, languages, cultural instruments, and technology can be very powerful and useful. But taking that too far, there is a danger that we might become mechanical and methodical about the art of worship. In doing so, we can begin to worship “our worship” as they say. It is very important that we allow the true spirit-led revelatory response to the person of Christ inform and drive every experience. Without that we are just making noise.

Worship is multicultural by nature.

It is not a novelty. It is not a fad. It is not other. It is intrinsic and deeply woven into the fabric of the heart of God. It’s not going anywhere. It was here from the very beginning: “For God so loved the World.”

i’LL ASk ThE QUESTiONS Worship is a response. Which means it doesn’t start with our creativity. It’s starts with God’s question. When we allow the greatness and the goodness of God inspire and invoke the response, it will naturally be what it needs to be. So the focus of the multicultural worship discussion shouldn’t be “how do we do it?” It should be, “What is God asking?” So as the leaders and servants of many churches and ministries around the globe, who do you say that he is? W VAUGhN ThOMPSON Vaughn Thompson Jr. is the worship pastor of Cathedral of Faith, which is an extremely diverse 8,000 member church in the heart of San Jose, CA. He has a Bachelors in Pastoral Ministry from Lee University and a Masters in Theology from Fuller Seminary.

He and his wife, Irene Marin Thompson, have also formed a diverse worship ministry that incorporates music and artistic expression from many cultures called Third Culture Worship.

MISSIONAL

Who Are You?

Here are some things that are helpful in finding a congregation’s voice in worship.

Y

Try to assess the season your church is in.

How Jesus is being revealed can vary from season to season. Sometimes there are seasons of him being a healer, redeemer, savior, more than able, etc. This is very important to a church moving in God’s purposes for a season. Songs should reinforce these aspects of God and who he is to us. As we proclaim in unity a belief in God’s attributes, we help mobilize and position ourselves to see God work in those areas. Most major moves of God in Scripture and church history were either started or sealed with the power of song to identify and remember.

OUR SEASON

O

Try to assess “who is our community?”

The church sound should resound with ethnic and cultural presence indigenous to that community and church. Don’t impose a sound

UR COMMUNiTY

on a people that don’t respond to that sound. Be who you are. If God has called you there as a church or a minister in that church, I believe it is partly to serve that sound.

U

We must have dedication to the spirit

NWAVERiNG of worship, not enslaved to the worship dEdiCATiON trends, gimmicks, and bait-and-switch mentalities. The early church believed that corporate worship was the central activity of the church. Everything else we do is an overfl ow of the revelation and worth of God. Worship is not a “tool” for church growth. It is the heart of the church. It is sacred. It is who we are. While you search for ways to evolve musically and artistically, never forget that it is about meeting God and not about our artistic genius.

GUIDE 2015

SPECIAL ADVERTISING

HIGHER LEARNING

if

you have attended one of the National Worship Leader Conferences in the past few years, you have been witness to the growing field of worship amongst colleges, universities, and training ministries. The NWLC has become a gathering place for worship leaders looking to form the strongest possible foundation for their craft. The options are numerous, so what follows is a listing of some of the best programs focusing on worship and worship leadership.

37 Biola University

50 Judson University

60 The King’s University

38 Baylor University

52 North Park University

62 Trevecca Nazarene University

40 Calvin College

53 Palm Beach Atlantic

64 Trinity School for Ministry

La Mirada, California Waco, Texas

Grand Rapids, Michigan

41 Cedarville University Cedarville, Ohio

42 Christ For The Nations Institute

Dallas, Texas

43 Liberty University Lynchburg, Virginia

44 Dallas Baptist University Dallas, Texas

Elgin, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

University

West Palm Beach, Florida

54 Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies (IWS) Orange Park, Florida

48 Grace Bible College Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Nashville, Tennessee

Pittsburgh area, Pennsylvania

65 University of Northwestern St. Paul Minnesota

66 University of Valley Forge Phoenixville, Pennsylvania

& Wonders School 56 Sounds of Worship 67 WorshipU Florence, Alabama

58 Southeastern Baptist

Theological Seminary Wake Forest, North Carolina

46 Fuller Theological Seminary 59 Southern Baptist Pasadena, California

Southlake, TX (main campus)

Theological Seminary Louisville, Kentucky

Redding, California and online

68 Visible Music College

Memphis, TN | Lansing, IL | Dallas, TX

Wesley Seminary at Indiana 70 Wesleyan University Marion, Indiana

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BiOLA UNiVERSiTY LA MiRAdA, CA ABOUT The Biola University Conservatory of Music is full of musicians at the top of their fields in technique and artistry. More than that, it’s a community committed to honoring Jesus Christ. The Bachelor of Science degree in Music in Worship emphasizes musicianship, spiritual formation, and biblical training. Besides countless performance opportunities and rigorous courses in music theory, history, and literature, students take Bible classes from today’s top theologians and live near the thriving cultural center of Los Angeles.

fACULTY Recognized as outstanding worship leaders, conductors, performers, recording artists, and composers, Biola music professors provide students with highly challenging and relevant instruction.

Despite their busy teaching and ministry schedules, they take time to invest in students’ mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

OThER OPPORTUNiTiES Well-known worship leaders and musicindustry professionals offer weekly seminars covering many topics of interest to worship majors. On-campus worship bands, touring, and recording opportunities are all available to worship majors as a result of Biola’s vast network of partnerships and highly experienced faculty. A generous number of elective hours allow students to pursue interests such as technology, performance, church ministries, or a host of other options. In addition, a wide range of internships is available in a variety of settings, giving students realworld experience before graduation.

BIOLA UNIVERSITY CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC

PROGRAMS: Undergrad STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 16:1 dENOMiNATiON: Non-denominational NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: Feb. 1, 2016 SChOOL SizE: 6,323 MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM SizE: The Conservatory of Music has 166 majors and 25 minors; within that, the Music in Worship program has 54 majors and 8 minors.

AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 562.903.4892 WEBSiTE: biola.edu/musicinworship TUiTiON: Annual tuition, 12-18 units: $34,498 Cost per unit, 1-11 or 19+ units: $1,438

MUSIC IN WORSHIP PROGRAM

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

B.S. Degree in Music in Worship

FEBRUARY 1

Music in Worship Minor

Refine your craft.

Strengthen your character.

Invest in your community.

Listen to our latest release King of All on Spotify, iTunes, Google play and CD Baby

La Mirada, CA | 562-903-4892 S E P T E M B E R /OC T OB E R music@biola.edu | www.biola.edu/music

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BAYLOR UNiVERSiTY WACO, Tx PROGRAMS: Undergrad, masters, doctoral STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 15:1 dENOMiNATiON: Baptist NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: Early Action (non-binding): Nov. 1 Regular Admission: Feb. 1 SChOOL SizE: 16,263 MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM SizE: Approx 400 music majors, over 60 church music and worship students AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 254.710.7681 WEBSiTE: baylor.edu/ccms TUiTiON: Estimated $36,360. These costs are reduced by automatic scholarships and financial aid.

(Church Music track), Minor in Church Music, Master of Music in Church Music, Master of Divinity/Master of Music in Church Music (in conjunction with George W. Truett Theological Seminary students receive two separate master’s degrees), Doctor of Philosophy in Church Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts in Church Music.

PROGRAM PERSPECTiVES ABOUT Nowhere but Baylor can you study church music and worship within a nationally ranked school of music, root for NCAA Division I national champions, and interact with a student population of over 16,000. Baylor graduates anchor worship ministries in some of the world’s most significant congregations. They also garner Dove Awards, write some of the Church’s most lauded songs, and perform with some of the world’s most prestigious symphonies and on the most esteemed opera stages. Yet, at Baylor you will receive personal attention from over 60 full-time music faculty members including a teacher for every instrument and voice part, as well as from celebrated church music practitioners and scholars.

With a church music and worship studies community of more than 60, students regularly lead worship and use their skills as leaders in local congregations.

Students at Baylor choose from the following worship and church music degree options: Bachelor of Music in Church Music, Bachelor of Arts in Music 38

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At Baylor, through the Hearn Innovator Series, students interact with leading church musicians who are thinking creatively and blazing new trails in the field. Prominent scholars of church music are brought to the campus each spring through the Northcutt Lecture.

Through the annual Alleluia Conference and Worship Lab, students engage with worship leaders from around the country in an environment designed to equip and inspire church musicians in all areas of music ministry through choral music reading sessions, praise band clinics, specialized break-out sessions, worship, and fellowship. In addition to these programs, students will learn from Baylor’s three full-time church music faculty who are widely published and seasoned practitioners.

While deeply rooted in tradition, Baylor offers an atmosphere of innovation and imagination. Valuing what you bring to the table, Baylor provides stimulus for growth, motivation for reflection and formation, and opportunities for interaction with all the world’s people.

Intentionally not a cookie-cutter environment, Baylor launches you to discover the

minister that God is calling you to be. At Baylor you can develop world-class skills and a God-sized heart.

BECOMiNG iNVOLVEd At Baylor, you can choose from over 270 student organizations, as well as several study-abroad opportunities and mission trips. Specifically, building on long-term relationships in Kenya, El Salvador, and Malaysia, each year Baylor sends a music and missions team to a different part of the world to share music, lead in worship, and teach in cross-cultural settings.

In addition to the student organizations, students can choose participation from Baylor’s seven choirs, three wind ensembles, a jazz ensemble, the Golden Wave Marching Band, two orchestras, an early music ensemble, and a handbell ensemble, among others.

Music Merit Scholarships are awarded through your audition for the School of Music. Outstanding students will be selected to receive music scholarships on the basis of their performance ability and the programmatic needs of the School of Music. Qualifying students are also awarded automatic academic scholarships based on ACT scores, SAT scores, and class rank. If you are interested in financial aid, visit baylor.edu/admissions/ finaid to learn more about how to apply.

The estimated annual tuition cost for a full-time undergraduate student for the 2015-2016 academic year is $36,360.

These costs are reduced by automatic scholarships and financial aid.

BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

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BUILD I N G B RI DG E S, N U R T UR IN G T H E SO U L

For more information on our undergraduate, master and doctoral church music degrees, visit

www.baylor.edu/ccms S E P T E M B E R /OC T OB E R 2 0 1 5

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CALViN COLLEGE GRANd RAPidS, Mi PROGRAMS: Undergraduate Graduate

STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 13:1 ChURCh AffiLiATiON: C hristian Reformed SChOOL SizE: 3,800 MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM : Calvin College offers degrees in music and a minor in ministry leadership with seven emphases including music and worship.

AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 800.688.0122 WEBSiTE: calvin.edu TUiTiON: Yearly tuition of about $30,000

ABOUT A Calvin education, marked by scholarly engagement with enduring questions and emerging concerns, prepares students to answer God’s call to live and serve in God’s world as agents of renewal.

fACULTY Eighty-two percent of Calvin faculty have the highest degree in their area of scholarship.

OThER OPPORTUNiTiES Competitive, application-based programs in chapel leadership (Worship Apprentice

Program), pastoral leadership (Jubilee Fellows Program), and community leadership (John M. Perkins Leadership Fellows Program). Opportunities to sing in several choirs and participate in other musical groups as well the opportunity to participate in chapel leadership. Participation in the annual Calvin Symposium on Worship, which is an international worship conference attended by students, scholars, pastors, worship leaders, musicians, artists, and other interested worshipers with over 1,500 participants each year.

Serving congregations, parishes, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and other worshiping communities in North America Grant applications are invited for year-long projects that foster vital worship by: • studying and theologically reflecting on liturgy and the practice of worship • nourishing intergenerational and intercultural relationships and gifts in worship • exploring how public worship expresses and informs pastoral care, faith formation, and Christian discipleship • exploring the many facets of worship: Bible reading, preaching, public prayer, baptism, the Lord’s Supper/Eucharist, music, arts, architecture, and more

2016

Vital Worship Grants Program apply by january 10, 2016 40

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Calvin institute of Christian Worship worship.calvin.edu

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CEdARViLLE UNiVERSiTY CEdARViLLE, Oh ABOUT

fACULTY

Cedarville University is a Christ-centered learning community equipping students for lifelong leadership and service through an education marked by excellence and grounded in biblical truth. We are known for: •Unwavering commitment to the inerrancy and authority of Scripture •Creationist approach to scientifi c research and study •Required Bible minor is a part of all academic programs •Daily chapels with relevant biblical teaching and authentic praise •Discipleship groups that provide opportunities for Bible study, mentoring, accountability, prayer, and open discussion •Missions and study abroad opportunities that reach nearly every corner of the world

We have two full-time faculty, seven adjunct faculty, and others who teach supporting classes.

OThER OPPORTUNiTiES •Hundreds of ways to get involved: social and service organizations, student government, intramural sports, music ensembles, ministry teams, and more •Over 60 ministry teams serving in area churches, schools, social agencies, inner-city outreaches, and community programs •Heartsong, Resonance, and Rekindle teams that minister in churches, schools, and camps across the nation •Chapel bands, worship department bands, and musical ensembles (choirs, symphonic band, and orchestra)

PROGRAMS: Undergrad

STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 16:1 dENOMiNATiON: Baptist NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: Rolling SChOOL SizE: 3,400 MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM SizE: 62 in worship/85 in music

AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 800.233.2784 WEBSiTE: cedarville.edu/worship TUiTiON: We have block tuition from 12-17 hours at $27,006

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ChRiST fOR ThE NATiONS iNSTiTUTE dALLAS, Tx PROGRAMS: Undergrad STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 14:1 in Worship Major

dENOMiNATiON: Non-denominational NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: Jan. 15, 2016 SChOOL SizE: 1,200 MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM SizE: 85 AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 1.800.477.2364 WEBSiTE: cfni.org TUiTiON: $11,000

Use coupon code CFNI4U, and we will waive your application fee ($50 value).

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ABOUT CFNI has been on the frontlines of worship for over 40 years, training students and releasing live recordings for over a generation. The Worship Major is a place of Presence-driven instruction. Every morning begins with a worship-focused chapel for the entire student body, led by students predominantly from the Worship Major. Then, students are taught in both practical and spiritual classes by seasoned faculty who are passionate about raising up world-changing worshipers.

If you have a calling as a worship leader, songwriter, musician, or artist, the Worship Major will challenge you to move beyond the status quo and develop a deeper understanding of worship.

But this program is not only designed for musicians. It is also for anyone who desires to be a carrier of God’s Presence.

The Worship Major will equip you to be a complete leader who stands before the

Lord, ministers to him, and ministers to his people.

fACULTY The Worship Major has a variety of staff instructors with years of experience in leading worship. In addition, CFNI has invited Ana Paula Valadão, a worship leader from Brazil, to teach this year as well as a variety of guest speakers. Past guest speakers include Kari Jobe, Tommy Walker, Rick Pino, and Klaus Kuehn.

OThER OPPORTUNiTiES Opportunities abound at CFNI, from the daily worship chapel led by students to the annual live album recording that includes student worship leaders to the touring opportunities with CFNI recruitment. There is also an opportunity to impact the world as CFNI students take mission trips to 13 countries every summer.

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LiBERTY UNiVERSiTY LYNChBURG, VA PROGRAMS: •Undergrad •Graduate (Resident and Online) •Doctor of Worship Studies (DWS) •Certificate

ABOUT Liberty University School of Music is the seventh-largest music school in America.

Organized in 2002, Liberty’s Center for Music and Worship is recognized as one of the most dynamic, vibrant, innovative, and creative influences in the discipline.

Scores of graduates from the various worship degrees are today serving in strategic ministry and industry positions around the globe. Today, Liberty University has a new Center for Music and the Worship Arts building (see photo below) which boasts 50 Wenger® practice rooms, large piano, songwriting, and mac labs.

fACULTY There are 43 full-time and 28 part-time faculty. Faculty have specialized training in worship with application in cinematic

arts, artist development, songwriting, film score composition and production, biblical foundations in worship, music technology, and business community leadership.

OThER OPPORTUNiTiES Twenty NCAA division 1 sports teams and 35 club sports; 120 resident and over 200 online degrees; comprehensive university with undergraduate, graduate, and post graduate programs; scores of missionary outreach opportunities every semester; every student participates in weekly Christian Service groups; worship students serve in meaningful internships at some of America’s largest and most prestigious churches, para-church ministries, music publishing groups, and worship industry organizations.

STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 28:1 dENOMiNATiON: Southern Baptist NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: Applications

are open. Applications for online are accepted year round. Deadlines for acceptance into the fall enrollment is June 30 and spring enrollment is October 31.

SChOOL SizE: University resident enrollment is 14,200 and Online enrollment is 85,000.

MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM SizE: The

worship degree has approximately 650 undergraduate and 320 graduate worship students.

WEBSiTE: liberty.edu/worship

TUiTiON: $580 per semester hour, Undergraduate $650 per semester hour, Graduate

LiBERTY UNiVERSiTY CENTER fOR MUSiC ANd ThE WORShiP ARTS TO OPEN fALL 2015

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dALLAS BAPTiST UNiVERSiTY dALLAS, Tx PROGRAMS:

• Undergrad • Graduate • PhD • Online Programs • Certificate STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 13:1 dENOMiNATiON: Baptist General Convention of Texas NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: Rolling SChOOL SizE: 5,445 MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM SizE: 133 (43 graduate students; 90 undergraduate students) AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 1.800.460.1328 WEBSiTE: dbu.edu TUiTiON: Undergraduate tuition = $813/ credit hour Graduate tuition = $823/credit hour Fees = $250 per semester

Russ Berger of Russ Berger Design Group.

DBU’s comprehensive approach to worship leadership education and firstrate facilities provide what Berger deems a “working knowledge of the entire music-making process from concept to creation to delivery.”

OThER OPPORTUNiTiES ABOUT Dallas Baptist University (DBU) offers Christ-centered worship leadership programs that engage undergraduate and graduate students in a holistic study of Christian worship and prepare them for lifelong servant leadership. These unique programs ground students in the truths of Christian worship not only by providing a sound theological foundation but also by teaching the practical and artistic skills needed to effectively lead today’s church in corporate and personal worship.

The Graduate School of Ministry at Dallas Baptist University offers master’s degree programs in worship leadership with flexible scheduling and online, hybrid, and/or evening classes for all students, especially working professionals. Some degrees are also available completely online.

All DBU worship-leadership students have access to world-class performing and recording venues, including a stateof-the-art media studio suite designed by world-renowned acoustic designer, 44

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Worship students at DBU have the opportunity to participate in planning and leading worship during University Chapel; traveling as part of worship teams to local churches for youth, mission, and other ministry events; performing at on-campus concerts such as the “Music Business Showcase”; and

filling worship ministry positions at local churches through internships, practicums, and staff positions. DBU students also have a select opportunity to experience the “real world” of the music industry through our “Grammy University Network” organization.

This organization, sponsored by The Recording Academy—the organization that presents the Grammy Awards— allows students to meet and learn from influential people in the music industry, from local professionals all the way up to some of today’s most famous musical performers and songwriters. The DBU chapter of Grammy University Network is the largest in the state of Texas.

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fULLER ThEOLOGiCAL SEMiNARY PASAdENA, CA PROGRAMS: •Graduate •PhD •Online Programs •Certificate fACULTY: 108 faculty from 20 countries dENOMiNATiON: Multidenominational SChOOL SizE: 4,000 students from 80 countries and 110 denominations

ALUMNi: More than 40,000 alumni serving in 130 countries OThER: 20 centers and institutes, including the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts

AdMiSSiONS: 1-800-A-FULLER WEBSiTE: Fuller.edu

ABOUT Fuller Seminary is one of the world’s most influential evangelical institutions and a leading voice for faith, civility, and justice in the global church and wider culture. With deep roots in orthodoxy and branches in innovation, we are committed to forming Christian women and men to be faithful, courageous, innovative, collaborative, and fruitful leaders who will make an exponential impact for Jesus in any context.

A NEW EMPhASiS ON hOLiSTiC fORMATiON Fuller now offers students a broader, more integrated formation: spiritual, personal, and global as well as academic. All of our theology and intercultural studies master’s programs have been redesigned to help students integrate discipleship practices with their study, including a popular new Touchstone Course that guides them in vocational discernment.

Other new forms of support include formational small groups, one-on-one mentoring for all students, and expanded apprenticeships.

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COMMENTS fROM OUR STUdENTS

The Touchstone course in Fuller’s new curriculum, with its goals of spiritual and character formation and theological reflection, has been a clear answer to my frequently uttered prayer: “God, teach and mold my heart alongside my head.”

Lindsay Beck, MDiv Student

Four programs are offered fully in the Korean language and three in Spanish.

Through our renowned Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts, students can pursue a degree emphasis in worship and music ministry, theology and the arts, and other options.

Fuller’s MDiv, MA in Intercultural Studies, MA in Theology and Ministry, and MA in Global Ministry are all available in primarily online formats, enabling students to complete these programs without leaving their contexts and without sacrificing academic rigor.

fACULTY

NExT STEP

Students often say they come to Fuller to learn from “the ones who wrote the books.” Our outstanding faculty are leaders in their fields and among the world’s most published, quoted, and influential scholars. They also stay actively involved in varying forms of ministry and outreach—keeping in touch with the needs of the Church locally and across the globe.

Fuller’s cadre of more than 100 resident faculty is supplemented each year by a number of highly qualified visiting and adjunct faculty, who enrich the curriculum of our three schools in Pasadena and at our seven regional campuses.

Visit fuller.edu/prospective-students today.

The readings, reflections, teachings, and small group experiences in Fuller’s redesigned MDiv program are all things I’ve been immediately integrating into my current ministry position.

The case studies we do have helped me practice and cultivate new instincts for ministry. So thankful!

Joseph Kim, MDiv Student

OUR dEGREES Fuller offers 18 degree programs to meet a range of needs: preparation for ministry or further education, personal or spiritual enrichment, and everything in between.

THE FULLER MDIV NEW ONLINE OPTION Now you can earn Fuller Seminary’s Master of Divinity online, with just a few short campus visits. Combined with increased scholarship support, that means it’s easier than ever to access the distinguished theological formation Fuller offers—and sharpen your leadership for any calling or context.

Learn more: FULLER.EDU/MDivOnline

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GRACE BiBLE COLLEGE GRANd RAPidS, Mi PROGRAMS: Undergrad STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 13:1 dENOMiNATiON: Non-denominational NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: Rolling SChOOL SizE: 340 MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM SizE: 60 AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 800.968.1887 WEBSiTE: gbcol.edu TUiTiON: $595 per credit hour

ABOUT Grace Bible College seeks to develop passionate servants of Jesus Christ by personally educating students in a program that emphasizes the integration of biblical truth, ministry experience, and character transformation. These emphases pervade the entire campus as the College strives to cultivate a caring, learning community where Jesus Christ is exalted and students are equipped for serving the needs of Church and society. Each degree program at Grace Bible College consists of three major components: general education courses, biblical and theological studies, and a vocational major.

We embrace the idea that our instructors are “the living curriculum.” As such, these men and women are committed to the following core beliefs: •We will serve as personal role models to students and others of a growing example of our learning outcomes.

•We will creatively engage the minds, hearts and lives of students in active learning and the appropriate application of this learning to life, work, and service.

•We will demonstrate as a team of master teachers a commitment to excellence in instruction and practice.

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fACULTY Dr. Jason Werkema Professor of Music Dr. Jason Werkema is professor and chair of worship arts. With expertise in acoustic, classical, bass, and jazz guitar, he is distinguished in Michigan as a leading guitar instructor. He has participated in guitar master classes and/or private study with renowned guitarists including David Russell, Sharon Isbin, Alice Artzt, Chris Buzzelli, John Holmquist, Brian Morris, and Paul Vondiziano. He currently maintains jasonwerkema.com, a website that provides learning resources and video instruction for guitarists. Above all, he celebrates his identity in Christ and passionately looks for ways to share God’s grace with others.

Kayleen Bobbitt Assistant Professor Music During her career, she has held a variety of musical positions and responsibilities including director of music at Berean Bible Church (now Rush Creek Bible Church); director of music for Sola Scriptura (an evangelical ministry now based in Orlando, Florida); and concert pianist with Keys 2 Transport. As an employee of Sola Scriptura, she performed annually for a Scripture conference in Herefordshire, England. Kayleen has composed commissioned works for Grand Rapids Men and Boys’ Choir and Sola Scriptura.

She has also self-published a book of piano hymn arrangements entitled Rhapsodies of Piano Praise, and a 14-book series on sacred piano improvisation entitled, Hymnprovise.

Adam Wolf Worship Arts Facilitator Adam Wolf is the worship arts facilitator

at Grace Bible College. He has experience working full-time as a worship pastor at a local church and has lead several worship teams/bands in several different venues across the state. With a passion for leading worship and a deep love for music, Adam’s vision for the worship at Grace Bible College is to “serve the campus by leading and creating an atmosphere of authentic and unforgettable worship.”

God has certainly gifted Adam with the ability to engage people in worship.

Couple that with his heart and passion to help people see Jesus, and you will find he loves what he does.

OThER OPPORTUNiTiES Ministry Trips 5 Ensemble opportunities Worship Arts career options in: • Worship leader • Director of worship arts • Director of worship media and technology • Professional touring Musician • Studio recording artist • Professional singer/songwriter • Minister of music • Music and worship evangelist • Worship pastor • Private lesson instructor • Music and worship leader on the mission field • Director of worship and drama • Director of worship for women’s conferences • Teaching pastor of worship • Worship support personnel (in large church worship ministry) • Associate director of worship programming • Worship arts facilitator • Further graduate study in music and/or worship

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LEARN, CREATE, THRIVE. Whether your calling is to travel with a band or lead at a local church, Grace Bible College’s Worship Arts degree will help you achieve your goals, as both a musician and worship leader.

Watch the video at GBCWorship.com Write worship songs Lead a band Record in the studio Produce an album Lead congregations Tour opportunities Run rehearsals Prepare song sets Master presentations Gain practical experience

Smaller, personal campus Personal mentoring Worship theology Music theory Ear training Arranging Video production iMac MIDI lab Affordable Scholarships available

800.968.1887 | GBCWORSHIP.COM

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JUdSON UNiVERSiTY ELGiN, iL PROGRAMS:

•Undergrad •Graduate •PhD •Online Programs •Certifi cate

STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 10:1 PROGRAM SizE: 70 majors in the CWPA dENOMiNATiON: American Baptist NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: Rolling SChOOL SizE: 1,250 students AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 847.628.2510 WEBSiTE: JudsonU.edu TUiTiON: $27,900

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fACULTY ABOUT Students in Judson University’s Center for Worship in the Performing Arts (CWPA) are encouraged in their curricular and co-curricular endeavors to view their musical and theatrical pursuits as acts worship (Rom 12:1), a focus that revolutionizes their learning. All CWPA students, those in both Music and Worship Arts, have access to Dark Room Studios, Judson’s on-campus suite of recording studios for which Ben Calhoun, lead singer of Citizen Way, serves as Studio Producer. Calhoun facilitates guest visits

by Christian-music industry insiders to help students get real-world and handson experience. All students, freshmen through seniors, can contribute to the CWPA’s annual compilation of songs written, arranged, recorded, produced, and engineered by Judson students.

Judson’s faculty are both teachers and doers who apply what they teach during the week in local churches as worship pastors, music directors, and theatre directors on the weekends, so CWPA students get the benefit of those who still practice what they teach. All Judson’s primary Music and Worship Arts professors have earned doctorates.

OThER OPPORTUNiTiES All Judson Center for Worship in the Performing Arts students take part in internships throughout the Chicago area that help prepare them for their efforts post-graduation. The Judson Choir, a worship-leading ensemble, has opened for or shared the stage with the likes of Sanctus Real, Michael Card, and The Brilliance in recent years. Also, students can participate in many campus leadership, chapel, and mission trip opportunities throughout their time at Judson.

CHANGING

LIVES THROUGH

SHAPE YOUR LIFE TO SHAPE THE WORLD

WORSHIP

At Judson University, we’re preparing students to shape the world, living out their gifts, talents and passion for God’s glory and in service to others. With more than 60 academic programs, students go on to become graphic designers, architects, marketers, entrepreneurs, worship leaders, artists, musicians, pastors, counselors, educators, and so much more!

Visit Judson and discover academic excellence, real-world learning and an ideal setting located only 40 miles from Chicago.

VISIT US ON PREVIEW DAY September 7 October 11-12 November 13

CITIZEN WAY band members, Ben and Josh Calhoun and Ben and David Blascoe, formed and first performed at Judson in 2004.

Ben Calhoun serves as the director of the Dark Room Studios, a music recording studio located on campus. As a Judson alum, Ben serves as a music ambassador, partnering with the Worship Arts and Music programs to help create a community of artists.

Judson is ranked in the Top Tier, Midwest Best Colleges, U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges Survey LEARN MORE.

1151 N. State Street | Elgin, IL 60123 Call. 847.628.2510 Visit. JudsonU.edu

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NORTh PARk UNiVERSiTY ChiCAGO, iL PROGRAMS: Undergrad, graduate STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 13:1 dENOMiNATiON: Evangelical Covenant Church NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: April 1 for first year, June 1 for international students, and July 1 for transfer students SChOOL SizE: 3,000 MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM SizE: 125 AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 773.244.5623 WEBSiTE: northpark.edu/music TUiTiON: $25,740/year for 2015-16 and additional financial aid is available

ABOUT Find Your Future Here. Share Your Gifts.

North Park University’s Bachelor of Music in Music in Worship degree program is designed to provide students with the skills to be music ministry leaders in today’s church. The curriculum is practical and broad—offering both core and specialized music courses, opportunities to develop performance skills on a variety of instruments and in voice, training in biblical and theological studies, and experiences with a variety of worship music styles. Performance opportunities include a wide range of ensembles, Worship Teams, and the Gospel Choir Touring Ensemble, which performs locally, nationally, and abroad. Students gain practical experience leading worship for University chapel services and in church internships.

Find Your Future Here

Faculty are professional musicians who are passionate about their teaching and also serve as worship directors in churches in the Chicago area. With a student to faculty ratio of 13:1, North Park serves approximately 3,000 students in traditional degree offerings as well as certificate programs. The School of Music supports approximately 125 majors and offers a spectrum of degree programs.

The recommended application deadline is April 1 for first year, June 1 for international students, and July 1 for transfer students. Music scholarships for both music and non-music majors are available by audition. Tuition is $25,740/year for 2015-16 and additional financial aid is available.

For more information visit northpark. edu/music or contact Rebecca Ryan, music recruiter, at 773.244.5623 or rryan@ northpark.edu.

In the classroom, in the sanctuary, and throughout the city of Chicago, North Park students benefit from our program’s urban location, expert faculty, and hands-on approach to musical direction in a variety of worship settings.

Undergraduate Auditions: February 20 and March 5, 2016 For more information, contact: Dr. Rebecca Ryan, Music Recruiter (773) 244-5623 rryan@northpark.edu www.northpark.edu/music

North Park University is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music.

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PALM BEACh ATLANTiC UNiVERSiTY WEST PALM BEACh, fL PROGRAMS: Bachelor of Arts in Popular Music— Worship Leadership or the Bachelor of Arts in Ministry—Worship Track.

ABOUT

fACULTY

Students can study and live on a 29-acre campus in the heart of West Palm Beach, directly across the Intracoastal Waterway.

They will gain the confidence and skills to succeed in their profession and in life.

We offer two programs: a Bachelor of Arts in Popular Music with a worship leadership track through the School of Music and Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry with a worship track in the School of Ministry. Each degree offers a minor in the other track. Students with appropriate musical preparation audition to be in the worship leadership track.

Students without prior academic musical preparation usually find their niche in the Ministry worship track.

Many faculty serve as church musicians in the area. Roget Pontbriand has had a career in church music ministry and been a trumpeter with some of the best worship artists in the country. See his faculty biography on our website: www.pba.edu/music

OThER OPPORTUNiTiES There are myriad opportunities, paid and volunteer, for church music ministry in the area; students are encouraged to form worship bands and teams with like-minded students. Qualified students may apply for Frederick M. Supper Honors program.

STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 13:1 dENOMiNATiON: Interdenominational NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: Rolling SChOOL SizE: 3,865 MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM SizE: Approximately 100 music majors, about 15 worship leadership majors

AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 888.468.6722 WEBSiTE: pba.edu TUiTiON: $26,750

Let your music make an impact!

B.A. in Popular Music – Worship Leadership Auditions required

B.A. in Worship Studies in Ministry Non-audition track

Degrees in Popular Music Industry Track and Traditional Music Studies Learn the industry from our Grammy-nominated faculty

Audition Dates: November 14, 2015 February 13, 2016 April 2, 2016 For additional audition dates and information: www.pba.edu/music 888 GO TO PBA (468-6722)

State-of-the-art facilities Internships available

West Palm Beach, Florida

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ROBERT E. WEBBER iNSTiTUTE fOR WORShiP STUdiES JACkSONViLLE, fL PROGRAMS: Graduate: Masters and Doctorate

STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 10:1 dENOMiNATiON: Non-denominational NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: Rolling — class cohorts start twice each year in the first week of January or second week of June.

SChOOL SizE: 180 students AVERAGE CLASS SizE: 15 AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 800.282.2977 EMAiL: admissions@iws.edu WEBSiTE: iws.edu TUiTiON: MWS: $360 per credit hour; DWS: $395 per credit hour.

ABOUT A primary key to reading the entire Biblical narrative is this: God is calling his creation to right worship. Right worship leads to the rightly ordered life, family, Church, and community. Right worship stands at the very core of the Christian faith.

IWS is the only accredited school dedicated to graduate education in the biblical foundations, theological reflections, historical development, and cultural analysis of Christian worship. Church leaders from multiple denominations take academically grounded, highly applicable courses rooted in the biblical narrative, drawing on the rich treasures of Christian history, and committed to glorifying God in multiple cultural contexts. IWS has a decidedly Christ-centered ancientfuture posture with the conviction that “the road to the future runs through the past.”

IWS offers two award-winning graduate degree programs: Master of Worship Studies (MWS) and Doctor of Worship 54

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Studies (DWS). The IWS education is designed to fit the student’s schedule and budget, combining distance education with on-campus classes focused on building an intentional learning community. This approach incorporates a student-directed, highly relational instructional philosophy. The result is an applicable and stimulating education that prepares Christians intellectually and spiritually to participate in the worldwide renewal of the Church through Godhonoring worship.

countries. Students, alumni, and faculty impact well over a half million people around the globe each week in Christian worship renewal.

Financial aid programs are available. GI Bill and Tuition Assistance benefits are available for qualified military personnel.

Contact admissions@iws.edu for more information.

Being a low-residency graduate program, IWS students apply their education in their own ministry contexts. The MWS program has a 300-hour internship as its capstone course, and the DWS program has an applied thesis/dissertation as its capstone course. Students must have a context (e.g., church, educational institution, mission organization, nonprofit, etc.) for applying their IWS education.

The IWS GROW (Global Renewal of Worship) Center provides short-term opportunities for international ministry and study.

fACULTY ANd STUdENTS IWS has a superior faculty of distinguished worship scholars who hold full-time positions in colleges, seminaries and/or churches. Students, alumni, and faculty come from over 60 denominations and fellowships, from almost every state, six continents, and 25 foreign

IWS Professor Dr. Reggie Kidd states, “IWS has provided me a community which gathers for rigorous theological study, hands-on training, and personal reflection. We get changed, and I think it’s part of how God intends to change the Church.”

OThER OPPORTUNiTiES

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SOUNdS ANd WONdERS SChOOL Of WORShiP fLORENCE, AL PROGRAMS: Certificate STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 1:33 maximum dENOMiNATiON: Non-denominational NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: Jan. 31, 2016 SChOOL SizE: 1-100 MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM SizE: The whole school is devoted to an educational track of worship AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 256.577.3888

WEBSiTE:

acceptance, and encouragement. SWSW is committed to cultivating a culture that celebrates originality and individual expression in worship without judgment of others or ourselves.

soundsandwondersschoolofworship.com TUiTiON: $1,299

fACULTY Ray Hughes For 40 years Ray Hughes has been pioneering and releasing revelation on worship and the Tabernacle of David. Today his teachings are used as curriculum for worship schools around the world and he is personally “fathering” and overseeing many worship schools in the U.S. and Europe.

ABOUT The Sounds and Wonders School of Worship is a three-month program. The focus is the exploration and implementation of Tabernacle of David worship principles taught by Ray Hughes. Moving beyond the typical classroom format where students are planted behind desks, SWSW believes strongly in the “teach and release” approach. Students will be required to practically engage in the culture of worship surrounding SWSW as we strive to provide safe and viable outlets for immediate application of the revelation being taught. Activation and Impartation are paramount to the SWSW process and experiential learning is vital to the growth of our students. Our goal is that no one will go home wondering how to apply what they’ve learned.

We want worshipers to understand how to walk in their anointing and how to operate under the anointing using a “hands-on” approach. The goal is to create a place where comparison, competition, and criticism are rendered powerless by an atmosphere of grace, 56

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Brian and Ramey Whalen Brian and Ramey Whalen’s worship leading style is a breath of fresh air that follows after the movements of the Holy Spirit. Their ministry often includes powerful experiential times of a “teach and release” style of worship. Brian and Ramey minister with prophetic and spontaneous song, sound, movement, and art, often with hands on release and

impartation. Their heart is to minister to the Lord and give space for the Lord to minister back to his people through healing, deliverance, miracles, and salvations.

Each student will also have scheduled one-on-one times with Brian and Ramey for personal mentoring, songwriting, and discipleship. Note that Brian and Ramey will always be available to students in need.

OThER OPPORTUNiTiES Students will be equipped and expected to minister in some or all of the following places: ·Prayer Room ·SSMA Ministry School ·Wed. Night Services at The Ark ·Youth Services at The Ark ·Special events ·Local a nd re gional travel d ates with Brian, Ramey, Ray, and others ·Local street events ·Local secular venues ·Missions opportunities

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SOUThEASTERN BAPTiST ThEOLOGiCAL SEMiNARY WAkE fOREST, NC PROGRAMS: •Undergrad •Graduate •PhD •Online Programs •Certificate

STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 15:1 dENOMiNATiON: Southern Baptist

NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: Dec. 25, 2015 (30 days prior to the Spring Semester) SChOOL SizE: 3,400 MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM SizE: Approx. 60 students AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: Admissions: 800.284.6317 Registrar: 919.761.2215 WEBSiTE: sebts.edu/academics TUiTiON: College: $316 per credit hour for members of a Southern Baptist Church and $630 per credit hour for non-SBC students.

Seminary: $250 per credit hour for members of a Southern Baptist Church and $501 per credit hour for non-SBC.

fACULTY ABOUT At Southeastern, every classroom is a Great Commission classroom. Graduates are sent out as worship leaders seeking to win more worshipers for Jesus Christ.

The seminary is distinguished by a missional perspective and a commitment to both robust theology and ministrycentered skills.

Southeastern’s worship programs require significant study of theology.

Undergraduate, graduate, and advanced degree programs give students the opportunity to learn a biblical theology of worship led by theologically-minded faculty members and worship musicians.

Students will develop the skills, knowledge, and character needed to effectively serve the local church.

Worship at southeastern

Experienced worship leaders and pastorally-minded theologians mentor students. The faculty often have conversations with students over coffee and meals to discuss practical and deeply theological issues. The SEBTS faculty is augmented by a regular program of nationally-recognized chapel speakers, guest lectures, and worship concerts.

OThER OPPORTUNiTiES Southeastern encourages a community atmosphere by hosting events that promote fellowship between students, faculty, and staff. The regular rotation of events at SEBTS includes coffee houses, campuswide cookouts, intramural sports, and an annual Chili Cook-off. Students are also encouraged to be active in their local church.

Worshiping as We iamgoing.org

• Robust Theology • Ministry-Centered Skills • Missional Perspective • Engaging Faculty • Affordable Cost • Certificate, Undergraduate, Graduate and Advanced Degree Information available at sebts.edu/academics Wake Forest, NC /sebts 58

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING

SOUThERN BAPTiST ThEOLOGiCAL SEMiNARY LOUiSViLLE, kY

ABOUT Three values drive our new worship leader training program: the centrality of the gospel, musical diversity, and pastoral leadership. At Southern Seminary, we train pastors who lead gospel-centered worship—pastors theologically grounded in the truths of Scripture and understand that their congregations’ devotional lives are formed by sacred liturgies. Our students develop and expand their own worship vocabularies through solid musical training. They learn how to navigate the shifting musical landscape in the Church and the culture and are equipped to serve in a wide variety of contexts. In addition to rigorous theological and musical training, our students are mentored by faculty members dedicated to their students’ personal spiritual preparation and call to the ministry. Boyce College (the undergraduate arm of SBTS) offers the Bachelor of Science program in Worship Studies—with either a pastoral or music emphasis.

PROGRAMS: OThER OPPORTUNiTiES One of the key components of the worship leadership program is our partnership with local churches and worship ministries. On-campus worship students are involved in worship leading and ministry in churches all over the Louisville area. In addition, students using our modular and online courses represent many more churches in the United States and abroad. Connecting what we do in the classroom with real-life ministry in the local church is the most important target in training our students. There are also numerous on-campus opportunities for student engagement. Students can participate in a variety of activities such as chapel worship, concerts and conferences, workshops, band labs, and ensembles.

•Undergrad •Graduate •PhD •Online

STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 10:1 for the Worship department dENOMiNATiON: Southern Baptist NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: Dec. 1, 2015 SChOOL SizE: 4,300 MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM SizE: 115 AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 502.897.4200 WEBSiTE: sbts.edu TUiTiON: $254 per credit hour for members of a Southern Baptist Church and $508 for Non-SBC students. The estimated yearly cost for full-time SBC students is $4,822.

We train pastors who lead worship.

GOSPEL CENTERED

MUSICALLY DIVERSE

PASTORALLY FOCUSED

DEGREE PROGRAMS

DELIVERY OPTIONS

• B.S. in worship and music studies (through Boyce College) • B.S. in worship and pastoral studies (through Boyce College) • M.A. in worship leadership (also available through the professional track) • Master of church music • M.Div in worship leadership • D.Min. in Christian worship • D.Ed.Min. in Christian worship • Ph.D. in Christian worship

• Residential degrees on campus • Summer residential with fall or spring online components (available for worship pastors serving the local church for over seven years) • Hybrid online and residential combinations

To learn more about our programs and faculty, visit www.sbts.edu/bgs/biblical-worship S E P T E M B E R /OC T OB E R 2 0 1 5

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ThE kiNG’S UNiVERSiTY SOUThLAkE, Tx PROGRAMS: •Undergrad •Graduate •PhD •Online programs •Certificate STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 11:1 dENOMiNATiON: Non-denominational NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: Spring application deadline | Dec. 21, 2016 SChOOL SizE: 705 MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM SizE: Nearly 60 students

AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON:

682.223.6932 Admissions Office 817.552.3700 Main Line WEBSiTE: tku.edu

TUiTiON:

Undergraduate $398 per credit hour Graduate $415 per credit hour

ABOUT Named one of the 50 Most Affordable Small Private Colleges in the U.S., TKU offers students a complete learning experience, which combines accredited higher education with practical ministry experience within dynamic local churches.

TKU provides a full range of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs in the areas of theology, worship, biblical counseling, Christian ministry, and more. TKU offers students the flexibility of daytime or evening classes, as well as online study. TKU also offers short-term intensive modules throughout the year from its multiple campuses across the country. This complete educational experience prepares and equips students to serve in the local church, the marketplace, and around the world.

fACULTY The King’s University faculty is committed to championing the personal and professional success of each and every student. TKU faculty members are passionate and dedicated field experts with 60

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OThER OPPORTUNiTiES PRACTiCUM MiNiSTRY TRAiNiNG deep industry relationships, shared with students through teaching, mentoring, and professional development.

Skilled vocalist, keyboardist, and clinician, Ed Kerr serves as director of the TKU Worship Studies Department. As a published songwriter and artist with Integrity Music, Kerr regularly collaborates with Paul Baloche and other prominent worship artists around the globe. Under his leadership, the Worship Program faculty includes a variety of well-known songwriters, vocal coaches, and international practitioners from Gateway Church and beyond.

In addition to industry-leading faculty and staff, the TKU Main Campus is equipped with a state-of-the-art facility including a keyboard lab, rehearsal studios, teaching and practice rooms, all fully equipped with Pro Tools software.

An essential part of the learning experience for every full-time undergraduate student at The King’s University is the opportunity to serve in one or more specific ministry area(s) within a local church.

These Ministry Training programs are designed to provide in-depth participation in dynamic areas of ministry at Gateway Church, for students at the TKU main campus, or other associated local churches for students attending a TKU branch campus. This “hands-on” experience serves as a vital training ground for any student seeking vocational ministry.

Each TKU undergraduate student will participate in weekly involvement in the life and ministries of the church.

MiSSiONS The King’s University offers all students the opportunity to participate in various faculty-led mission trip opportunities around the world.

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EARN YOUR

ASSOCIATE --- OF ---

WORSHIP LEADERSHIP DEGREE

Earn your Associate of Worship Leadership degree in two years. Learn from industry leading professors and Gateway Worship leaders. Develop skills in songwriting, studio recording techniques, live audio design, commercial voice and more.

F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N

www.tku.edu 817.552.3700

ACCREDITED UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE ONLINE EDUCATION

E D U C AT I O N . M I N I S T R Y.

BETTER TOGETHER. S E P T E M B E R /OC T OB E R 2 0 1 5

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TREVECCA NAzARENE UNiVERSiTY NAShViLLE, TN PROGRAMS: •Undergrad •Graduate •PhD •Online Programs •Certificate

STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 18: 1 dENOMiNATiON: Church of the Nazarene NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: June 1, 2016 SChOOL SizE: 2,650 MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM SizE: 80 students AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 615.248.1320 WEBSiTE: trevecca.edu TUiTiON: Tuition for undergraduate students in both worship programs is $23,248 per year. The online seminar series in worship arts is very affordable: $1,000 for the entire program.

ABOUT As “a Christian university in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee—Music City, USA,” Trevecca is an excellent choice for music students who want to be part of a small campus and part of the city that was built on music. In this exciting environment, Trevecca offers two programs designed to equip students to fulfill God’s call upon their lives.

TREVECCA’S CENTER fOR WORShiP ARTS prepares persons to serve as worship pastors through learning, internships with pastor-mentors across the country, and biblical/theological training. Persons who choose this route can earn an undergraduate degree in worship arts or worship and church ministry, or they can minor in worship arts. Additionally, the Center offers an online seminar series for worship leaders who want to deepen their biblical and theological understanding of worship. For more information, visit trevecca.edu/worship.

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ThE NATiONAL PRAiSE ANd WORShiP iNSTiTUTE (NPWi) at Trevecca utilizes a proficiencybased system for music theory: students master each concept before moving to the next one. NPWI uses four components: live instruction, strong video support, builders, and roadmaps. Builders are practice drills that teach each concept thoroughly. Each builder is accompanied by an instructional video, and the result is students who learn skills applicable in today’s music. NPWI offers a one-year certificate program and an advanced (two-year) certificate program. For more information or to view a demo, please visit NPWI.com and vivicimusic.com.

fACULTY Trevecca’s worship programs are able to involve adjunct faculty from Nashville, which includes professional musicians who play and sing with current top artists. Students learn from seasoned musicians with expertise that is difficult to find in other music programs throughout the country.

OThER OPPORTUNiTiES Music ensembles—vocal groups, bands, traveling groups, Trevecca Symphony Orchestra, internships, mission trips, songwriters’ nights, campus clubs, intramural sports, drama productions, and local church ministries.

TWO PROGRAMS

ONE UNIVERSITY Bachelor of Arts in Worship Arts Bachelor of Arts in Worship and Church Ministry Minor in Worship Arts Online Series in Worship Arts Certificate in Praise and Worship (one-year program) Advanced Certificate in Praise and Worship (two-year program)

Associate of Arts in Praise and Worship Contact: Sam Green P: 615-248-1341 E: sgreen@trevecca.edu

www.trevecca.edu/worshiparts

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TRiNiTY SChOOL fOR MiNiSTRY PiTTSBURGh, PA PROGRAMS: ·MDiv ·MAR ·STM ·DMin ONLiNE PROGRAMS: ·MDiv ·MAR, ·DAS in Spanish CERTifiCATE: ·Anglican Studies, ·Diaconal Formation dENOMiNATiON: Anglican/Episcopal SChOOL SizE: 150 residential, 100 online AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 724.266.3838 WEBSiTE: tsm.edu TUiTiON: $389/credit hour

OThER OPPORTUNiTiES ABOUT

The Andy Piercy Worship Project at Trinity School for Ministry hosts conferences and events with the purpose of building up the Church through sung worship. Songwriters and worship leaders are invited to workshops and conferences that are designed for ministers and music leaders to attend together.

Andy Piercy is a worship development consultant, songwriter, and record producer who brings guest musicians, worship leaders, theologians and master songwriters to each workshop.

Trinity School for Ministry is an evangelical seminary in the Anglican tradition that forms Christian leaders for mission. Since its founding in 1976, Trinity has sought faculty and staff who were both deeply committed Christians and professionally gifted.

Biblical theology is our primary teaching distinctive. Formation in community defines our rule of life. Campus life begins and ends the day with morning and evening prayer, and Holy Communion is celebrated mid-week. Our aim is for students to live and articulate a biblical, historical, systematic, and pastoral theology that will effectively communicate the Christian message to advance the mission of God.

UPCOMiNG CONfERENCES: Writing Songs for Today’s Church: Jan 4-6 Holding Heart & Head Together: Jan 15-16 Spirit & Sacrament, Integrating Traditional Liturgy & Modern Worship: June 6-8

Trinity School for Ministry

an evangelical seminary in the Anglican tradition

HEAD and Heart together holding

WRITING SONGS FOR TODAY’S CHURCH Practical Songwriting Workshop

Andy Piercy | Maggi Dawn | Zac Hicks Trinity School for Ministry | Ambridge, PA January 4-6, 2016 www.tsm.edu/writingsongs

16th Century Wisdom for the 21st Century Church:

Rediscovering Cranmer’s Purpose for the Liturgy in Modern Worship

Andy Piercy & The Rev. Dr. Ashley Null St. James Anglican Church | Costa Mesa, CA January 15-16, 2016 Hosted by Trinity School for Ministry’s Piercy Project & Holy Trinity Anglican

www.tsm.edu/worship

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UNiVERSiTY Of NORThWESTERN ST. PAUL, MN PROGRAMS:

ABOUT Northwestern offers a tight-knit Christian community, rigorous academics, and faculty who care about your journey—all located on a beautiful lakeside campus.

excellence and passionate about teaching students to think, perform, lead, and worship.

fACULTY

Instrumental and vocal ensemble opportunities, internships at local churches.

Learn from highly credentialed faculty, seasoned performers, and composers who are dedicated to your musical

OThER OPPORTUNiTiES

•Traditional undergrad and adult undergrad •Graduate •Online programs •Certifi cates and associates STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 14:1 dENOMiNATiON: Non-denominational NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: Rolling SChOOL SizE: 3,320 total enrollment, 1,800 undergrad MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM SizE: Average class size is less than 10 AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 651.631.5111 or 800.827.6827 WEBSiTE: unwsp.edu/music TUiTiON: $14,195 per semester, $28,390 per year

The Bachelor of Science in Music with an emphasis in music ministry offers a dynamic study of theology of worship, theory and practice of music, and foundations for effective ministry.

Learn more at unwsp.edu/worship.

This program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).

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UNiVERSiTY Of VALLEY fORGE (UVf) PhOENixViLLE, PA PROGRAMS: •Undergraduate •Graduate •Online

STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 12:1 dENOMiNATiON: UVF is part of the Assemblies of God, but several denominations are represented in the student body.

NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: Rolling SChOOL SizE: Close to 1,000 students.

MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM SizE: Nine majors and three minors, which include the nationally recognized Worship Leading program.

AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 800.432.8322 WEBSiTE: valleyforge.edu TUiTiON: Approximately $9,322 for 13.5–17 credit hours per semester.

ABOUT The UVF undergraduate degree in Worship Leading is a resident program designed to train and equip modern worship leaders. The extraordinary online graduate Worship Studies program leads students to a deeper understanding of the biblical foundations of worship. UVF has a state-of-the-art recording studio and a digital studio suite featuring the most current music software on the market.

fACULTY The music and worship faculty have extensive teaching experience and are

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committed to each student’s musical and spiritual development. They have also served, or are currently serving, as worship leaders in local churches.

OThER OPPORTUNiTiES Students have the opportunity to join the ministry teams and ensembles that travel throughout the Northeast region. Opportunities are also available for students to be part of the chapel worship teams.

Local church involvement is strongly encouraged and missions trips provide opportunities for music/worship students to serve internationally.

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WORShiP U REddiNG, CA ONLiNE AT WORShiPU.COM STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: On campus: 10 to 1 Online: 100 to 1 dENOMiNATiON: Non-Denominational.

Facilitated by Bethel Music

fACULTY ABOUT WorshipU is distinctive because it focuses on the heart of a worshiper, the understanding of worship, and practical skills needed to lead worship. This comprehensive approach allows students to continually grow and learn, regardless of experience or skill level. They are continually pressing in to know what God’s Word has said about worship and to hear what God is currently saying to his people. With an ear bent towards continually learning from the Holy Spirit, there are always new words to impart to the WorshipU students.

WorshipU is comprised of instructors and staff that are actually worship leaders and musicians who have been successful in what they do. Much of their curriculum goes beyond standard text and workbook courses and instead speaks from a place of experience and duplication. The heart of Brian and Jenn Johnson (WorshipU senior overseers) is to release students into spiritual authority who do more than simply lead songs but actually bring about God activity when they sing and lead—so that lives and communities are truly transformed by the presence of God.

NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE:

On Campus: April 30 Online: Anytime

SChOOL SizE:

On campus: 700 Online: 5,000 AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 855.939.6774 WEBSiTE: WorshipU.com

TUiTiON:

On Campus: $895 Online: $19.95/month

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING

ViSiBLE MUSiC COLLEGE

PROGRAMS:

CAMPUSES iN: MEMPhiS, TN ChiCAGO, iL dALLAS, Tx

•Modern Music (Instrumental, Vocal, Worship Leadership, Songwriting) •Music Production •Music Business STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO: 5:1 dENOMiNATiON: non-denominational APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: Open enrollment SChOOL SizE: Small artist communities of 130 students at each campus MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM SizE: Varies by year and by campus AdMiSSiONS: seeyourself@visible.edu WEBSiTE: visible.edu TUiTiON: Full load tuition, fees and housing, is approximately $24,000. Institutional, talent, and academic scholarships, as well as financial aid, are available.

ABOUT Visible Music College is an accredited music industry and worship arts college.

Attracting students from all 50 states and 15 foreign countries, the Visible experience is unmatched in higher education.

For aspiring worship leaders, there’s no other program offering the same emphasis on spiritual, professional, and academic. Our students receive classroom training in music theory and performance and learn pastoral care through internship placements in partner churches. With expert faculty and a focus on hands-on, vocational opportunities, Visible Music College trains and equips artists, technicians, and business professionals in skill and character for effective service in the music industry and the Church. Visible graduates are employed in music industry and ministry jobs at a placement rate of 85 percent.

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fACULTY Visible Music College faculty are not just experts in their respective fields—from vocal or instrumental music to worship leadership to music business—they are also artists, pastors and music industry entrepreneurs who spend time outside the classroom working on their own creative and business pursuits, sharing those experiences with Visible students and constantly growing as practitioners and professors.

OThER OPPORTUNiTiES Our City Eyes program encourages students to engage in our campus cities by

spending a number of hours per semester in need-based service in all areas—from ministry to education to social services— with a goal of seeing the city through the eyes of Jesus: what is beautiful, what is broken, and where we fit in to create positive change. Our students are also connected to exceptional opportunities for summer and school-year internships throughout our campus cities—serving in local churches, engaged in professional opportunities within the music industry, and teaching in our program that conducts music lessons in the underserved community.

SEE YOURSELF AT

VISIBLE

WAKE UP, GO TO CLASS, WRITE SONGS, STUDY, REHEARSE, EAT, SLEEP, REPEAT. Bachelor degrees and professional experience in a Christian artist community

1-877-55-VISIBLE seeyourself@visible.edu

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SPECIAL SPECIALADVERTISING ADVERTISING

WESLEY SEMiNARY AT iNdiANA WESLEYAN UNiVERSiTY MARiON, iN PROGRAMS: •Master of Divinity (online or onsite) •Master of Arts in Ministry (online) •Certificates (online) •Specialization in Worship Arts available in each

STUdENT TO TEAChER RATiO:1:15 dENOMiNATiON: The Wesleyan Church NExT APPLiCATiON dEAdLiNE: Rolling SChOOL SizE: 450 students from over 30 states and 10 countries

MUSiC/WORShiP PROGRAM SizE: Our Worship Arts specialization will begin in January of 2016. We anticipate 20 students in our first cohort.

AdMiSSiONS/REGiSTRATiON: 877.673.0009 WEBSiTE: indwes.edu/seminary TUiTiON: $459 with discounts offered to those on staff of ministries.

ABOUT Wesley Seminary is inspired and engaged—a seminary designed for practicing and preparing professionals and shaped by what ministers and Christian leaders actually do. By putting theory into practice, within your own ministry context, your education becomes more active, more personal, more real. Ours is a seminary designed for ministry and immersed in ministry—one that will inspire you, engage you, and help you grow both spiritually and professionally.

fACULTY Wesley Seminary’s faculty bridge the gap between academic scholarship and ministry practice. Each has served or continues to serve in pastoral roles while also dedicating themselves to intense scholarship and teaching. The head of the Worship Arts specialization is Dr. Brannon Hancock. Brannon first sought to fulfill God’s call to ministry by pursuing a career in contemporary Christian music. After several years of touring internationally and releasing two albums, 70

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the road took an unexpected turn and he ended up in Scotland at the University of Glasgow. The Centre for Literature, Theology, and the Arts at Glasgow was the perfect setting to allow him to bring together his interests in worship, theology, poetry, fiction, film, music, and the visual arts. After four years in Glasgow (2003-2007), he accepted a call to join the pastoral staff of Xenia Church of the Nazarene near Dayton, Ohio. As worship pastor, Brannon led a team of about 50 volunteers in the areas of music, technology, and creative arts. He completed his PhD in 2010 and was ordained in 2011.

Brannon feels called to serve God’s kingdom by guiding the spiritual and theological formation of individuals and congregations. For nearly seven years in Xenia, he carried out that vocation as a pastor and worship leader, shaping the worship services that in turn shape the Church. He is excited to continue carrying out that calling to serve a wider array of congregations and their pastors as a professor at Wesley Seminary.

Worship Arts Courses: Emerging Trends in Worship Time and Space in Worship Music and Arts in Worship Media and Technology in Worship

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MASTER OF ARTS IN MINISTRY

ONLINE 36 CREDIT HOURS FINISH IN 2 YEARS

877.673.0009 indwes.edu/seminary S E P T E M B E R /OC T OB E R 2 0 1 5

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SKILL

A Stor y to Tell

W

hen people ask what a publicist does, I usually respond with the simple phrase: we help artists share their stories. The Hollywood images of red carpets and backstage negotiations are far from our everyday routines of crafting press releases, preparing CD mailings, drafting emails, and setting up interviews. Utilizing a variety of communication tools, our work boils down to exploring the very best opportunities for each client to share their unique story.

As a worship leader and recording artist, you too have a story to tell—what steps have brought you to where you are today and the reason you seek to lead others in worship. As your art and audience grow, more people will desire to know about your journey. A few well-developed tools will enable you to communicate that story clearly and effectively.

recording (if you have one). Since it is a challenge for any of us to write about ourselves, you may want to consider asking an English instructor, journalism student, or professional communicator for assistance.

Your Communication Headquarters Just this week I shared with a gifted worship leader the importance of having a distinctive, functional website—a one-stop hub for anyone desiring to pursue your music or ministry.

A core component for any future additional marketing and development efforts, an impactful website should have these essential elements: •Bio •Artist images •Endorsements from other ministry leaders •Music samples •Video segments (performance and interview) •Contact information

ThE hOLLYWOOd iMAGES Of REd CARPETS “ANd BACkSTAGE NEGOTiATiONS ARE fAR fROM OUR EVERYdAY ROUTiNES …”

YOUR PORTRAiT iN WORdS Foundational to telling your story is the bio—a concise summary of who you are, both musically and personally. Highlighting the most-essential information at the top, your bio should read as a compelling narrative introducing your music—and heart—to readers. Using quotes for color and depth, be sure to include your personal mission statement, as well as interesting information about your latest 72

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MAkiNG ThE NEWS As the reach of your ministry grows and you begin to perform at other churches and venues, you should have a press release available to help promote your appearances through local media. With a simple formula that is easy to research

BY BRIAN SMITH

online, the release begins with the essential facts about your performance, followed by a quote and a background paragraph on your ministry. A striking photo will heighten the release’s impact.

After you have sent the release to key newspapers and radio stations within range of your appearance, you will need to persistently follow up with each contact.

As you develop these basic tools, begin interacting with media, and building your public profile, you will gain an invaluable understanding of public relations and the important role media can play in advancing your story. It is never too early to be fashioning and fine-tuning your own narrative—along with the tools that will help share it—for a world that is waiting to hear. W Recommended Resources: Life Is a Contact Sport by Ken Kragen Creating Monsters by Keith Stancil The Associated Press Stylebook BRiAN SMiTh is president of Turning Point Media Relations, Inc. with degrees both in journalism and theology from Valparaiso University, he has been involved in publicity efforts for Christian recording artists for 25 years.With substantial experience in radio promotion and PR, he has spearheaded and worked on campaigns for Steven Curtis Chapman, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Keith and Krystin Getty among many others. Brian is actively involved at Christ Fellowship in Franklin,Tennessee.

Gateway Worship’s new album and live DVD,“WALLS” captures deep moments of worship while expressing the unchanging truth of God’s love for His church.

Led by Worship Pastor Thomas Miller and featuring worship leaders Walker Beach, Anna Byrd, David Moore, Mark Harris, Rebecca Hart and Matt Birkenfeld.

Also featuring Rita Springer, Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe and Tim Sheppard.

Includes the single “Grace That Won’t Let Go” featuring Mark Harris

FAirTrAde gATewAy

AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE October 2, 2015!

Pre-order Now on iTunes, Amazon Music or GatewayWorship.com

gatewayworship.com q facebook.com/gatewayworship twitter.com/gatewayworship q instagram.com/gatewayworship

SKILL

BY HEIN VAN WYK

When We Worship Without Integrity i

QUESTiON Of iNTEGRiTY

n Barna Group studies during the last two years, there has been a significant change amongst Millennials who believe it less important to attend church, grow in their faith, and become God’s hands and feet extended. The Church, according to them, is simply asking too much. To a culture that is seemingly obsessed with themselves, there remains little room for anyone else. When this underlying arrogance of focusing on self moves into the Church and becomes evident in the way we worship, the songs we sing, and the message we teach, we can expect a self-centered outlook that cares little for God’s heart.

fOLLOWiNG GOd’S hEART Galatians 2:20 carries the weight of the new life in Christ—the moment where we cease to exist for our own purpose and start to mimic the Father’s heart.

This truth is becoming irrelevant in the church where worship is seen as a musical experience, church as fellowship, teaching as life skills, and outreach as a philanthropic pat on the back.

The church struggles heavily under the burden of cultural relevance, trying to carve out a message tailored for an ever-demanding audience. Show me how you want to live your life, and I’ll find you a pastor that will teach it. When the Church becomes less about the Father’s heart and more about ourselves, we lose the very essence of a kingdom-focused, purpose-driven life. If it’s truly no longer I that live, but Christ that lives in me, should my words, actions, outlook, behavior, outreach, and existence not be 100 percent biblically based? Should I not hate what God hates and love what God loves?

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What is the problem then? That worship is misunderstood? That pastors act less like shepherds and more like CEOs? That churches are becoming nothing more than a feel-good, substance-less gathering of believers who learn and learn, but never grow? Have we become so intimidated with political correctness that we allow our government to dictate our Christian worldview? Have we become so afraid of offending someone that we’ve amputated those very hands and feet that are supposed to make a difference wherever we go?

Ravi Zacharias, in a recent article in relation to the current political landscape in the U.S., writes the following: Our worship will have to have theological integrity, not just in form but in substance; worship that is not just moments of exhilaration but is coextensive with life itself and sermons that are not merely heard but are also seen.

The outreach of love will then be embodied and not be mere talk. The Church must not be a fortress guarded by a constabulary, but a home where the Father ever awaits the return of each of us who is in the far country.

ThE GREAT diVidE What is very offensive to a nonbelieving world is the hypocrisy of Christians.

There is a great divide between what Christians say and what we do, and the world is very aware of that. How can we sing of a God of life, and be tolerant of the atrocity of abortion? How can we sing of a God of justice and turn a blind eye to sex trafficking, child slavery, and persecution? How can we sing of a God of freedom when we have no problem being bound in financial debt? How can we sing about being set apart when we crave the same media and entertainment the world does? Our worship can never

have substance or integrity if we do not conform to God’s standard of holiness.

Only through holiness can we die to self and live for Christ so that our worship spills over into actionable deeds that impact the world around us.

ENTERTAiNiNG GOATS C.H Spurgeon accurately predicted the temperature of the current church landscape when he said, “A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the Church will have clowns entertaining the goats.” Though a grim outlook, his words ring true. Our worship will remain selfish when pastors teach for self-edification instead of spiritual transformation. Our worship will remain empty as long as worship leaders lack fundamental biblical knowledge, which prevents them from writing and leading as God requires. Our worship will remain fruitless as long as we put our needs above those of others.

Ultimately, worship with substance and worship with integrity demands worship in purity. That purity comes through obedience. Obedience demands an unquestionable adherence to God’s Word and a relentless pursuit of his heart. It’s there, close to the Father’s heart, where we’ll hear his heartbeat beating for justice, holiness, unity, freedom, life, and peace. Desiring for all, to come to know him. W

hEiN VAN WYk is the CEO/President of Sharefaith.com where he innovates, leads and spearheads technology solutions for churches.

t h e n e w b e s t- s e l l i n g l i v e w o r s h i p p r o j e c t from north point music

norThpoinT

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PRODUCTION

AVL With a Global Reach

BY KENT MORRIS

SiTUATiON

Logistics, local gear, and the need to make the most of what is available One of the most memorable experiences in my tech career took place in Zambia with Tommy Walker and his team.

Tommy has an unquenchable passion for the lost in the developing world and has focused on reaching and connecting with people wherever he is given the opportunity to minister. Zambia, despite its difficult colonial past, has developed into a beacon for the gospel within Africa. So, with throngs of Christ-followers ready to help, Tommy set out to record a live DVD in the city of Lusaka. However, we soon found out personnel logistics is one thing; gear logistics is quite another. The world is equipped to move people anywhere on earth, their gear, not so much. In the end, the DVD was a success but only by overcoming some serious challenges along the way.

SOLUTiON

Simplify again and again to reach a minimum acceptable level Congregations in remote areas of the world are content to use the available technology, but they learn to master it fully.

Just as embargo-affected Cubans have kept 1950s cars running for decades with no replacement parts, so, too, media techs in Guatemala, Cambodia, and Estonia have been able to keep antiquated mixers, mics, and cameras functional with no outside support. It is a testimony to their ingenuity and should cause those of us in the States to reexamine our definition of a “need.” Additionally, given the perils of travel, gear can be broken and should be considered expendable. For a first-world team looking to serve on a short-term excursion, the key question members must ask themselves is, “What is the absolute minimum amount of gear I need to perform my function?” As a gesture of gratitude, many visiting worship teams leave all the equipment they bring with the host churches. Since international flights have strict rules regarding baggage weight limits, the corollary of lighter weight applies as well. Clearly then, this situation precludes bringing amplifiers of any type, multiples of any instrument, and any item considered irreplaceable, such as a ’59 Les Paul Rosie.

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ACTiON

Know the environment Just as customs vary around the world, tech norms are different as well. It is often noted, British sound techs are among the world’s elite due primarily to their calm attitudes during the chaos of sound check. I found out, though, this aplomb does require the tea cart come off the truck first, be plugged in, and tea served before any other gear can be off-loaded. For a Type-A American with a detailed timeline in-hand, this process can be difficult to comprehend, but it is the local custom and should be honored.

Safety, though, must be held to a rigid line of acceptability regardless of the locale. For instance, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, I had to accompany the equipment owner to the one store in the country where safe hoisting gear could be found and insist it be purchased and used in place of the dangerous rigging they had attached to 1,500 pounds of line array. Even so, I could not stop the rigger from climbing the support structure barefoot with no safety harness. Prayer goes a long way in these situations.

Incoming AC power is not stable or entirely safe in many areas of the world. In Myanmar, their music festivals are accompanied by high-pressure water hoses drenching the revelers in close proximity to power lines running from nearby generators. Isolation transformers can help in these environments and should be part of the system. For on-stage talent, the best idea is to not touch the mic or use wireless instead. For less dangerous situations where there is the possibility of hum, Ebtech’s Hum-X devices are quite useful. Given the diversity of connectors and voltages, it makes sense to take a high-quality international kit in a carry-on bag. W

kENT MORRiS has mixed with Paul Baloche, Tommy Walker, Israel Houghton, and many more.

Community of Faith

FOLLOW YOU a worship EP

Singable songs designed to allow every person to have an encounter with Jesus.

CommuniTy oF FAiTh

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PRODUCTION

BY ANDY TOY

WHAT’S NEW: IN GEAR FOR MUSICIANS, MEDIA, AND SOUND TEAMS

Media: for the Stage Churchbanners.com

Church Use: Get custom banners and signs for your church Price: $80-$239 What’s New: Designing and printing banners for your church can be expensive and time consuming, but Churchbanners.com offers everything you need to make a perfect custom banner. Choose between one of their many pre-made banners or have Churchbanners.com design one for you for free.

Starting at $80, Churchbanners.com are very affordable and can accommodate any size or shape you may need. For more info visit churchbanners.com.

Stretch Shapes Truss Wrap Projection Screens

Church Use: Projection Screen for Truss Frames Price: TBA What’s New: New from Stretch Shapes are the Truss Wrap Projection Screens, a projection screen designed to work with standard 12" box truss frames and provide a beautiful aesthetic for your stage. The Truss Wrap Screens sit flush with the front of the box truss frame and wrap all the way to the back, making the frame invisible from the front.

Stretch Shapes uses a fabric that is strong, durable, and stretchy, giving the appearance a tight, wrinkle-free look. Truss Wrap Projection Screens can be set up for front and rear projection and are made to order and fully customizable to any size, making it a great resource for a church of any size. For more information visit stretchshapes.com.

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American DJ Mega TriPar Profile Plus

Church Use: Low profile par for general stage lighting Price: $99.99 What’s New: Upgraded and redesigned, the Mega TriPar Profile Plus from American DJ is a low-profile, compact, 5-LED par built for the stage. Perfect for uplighting or general stage wash, the TriPar Profile Plus can sit directly on the ground or inside a truss making it extremely versatile. In addition to DMX control, the Mega TriPar Profile Plus can also be controlled via the ADJ LED RC wireless remote, which is sold separately. For more information visit adj.com.

Sound Tech: dAW and Software FL Studio 12

Function: DAW Price: $99 What’s New: FL Studio 12 (formerly known as FruityLoops) is the latest version of the user-friendly recording software. New to the update is a brand-new user interface including a redesigned mixer, updated plugins, and multi-touch support for use on touch-screens. FL Studio 12 breaks the mold of traditional DAWs and gives the user the ability to detach each window of the program and place it wherever he or she wants on the screen, making it extremely easy to use and customize. Best of all, when you buy FL Studio 12, you get a lifetime free upgrade to all of the future FL Studio versions. For more information visit image-line.com/flstudio.

American DJ TriPar Profile

Pro Tools 12

Function: DAW Price: $299 What’s New: Pro Tools 12 is here, and it brings a new standard to the digital recording industry. New to version 12 is track input monitoring, a much-needed feature for talkback mics, rehearsals, and engineering.

PT12 also supports up to 128 simultaneous audio tracks and up to 512 instrument tracks. A free iOS app called Pro Tools Control gives you iPad control over the software and is extremely useful when you’re recording alone without an engineer. Last but not least, Avid Cloud Collaboration for Pro Tools allows you to record and mix sessions with other people no matter where they are in the world. For more information visit avid.com.

Progression 3

Function: Composing software for guitar, bass, and drums.

Price: $45.95 What’s New: PreSonus’ Progression has been known as an extremely easy-to-use notation software geared especially to musicians where piano is not their first instrument. Enter notes from fretboard, keybord, or drum pad and see them notated in the staff or guitar tablature. New in Progression 3 are brand new PreSonus plugins from Studio One: limiter, compressor, and EQ, and an expanded chord library providing more library chords and user created chords. For more information visit presonus.com.

PRODUCTION

Musicians: dRUMS Alesis DM10 Studio Mesh Kit

Church Use: Electric drum kit.

Price: $1,199 What’s New: New from Alesis is the DM10 Studio Mesh Kit, a 5-piece electric kit with brand new Alesis mesh drum heads that reproduce the feel and rebound of an acoustic drum head. The mesh heads reduce the acoustic noise significantly and have a precise adjustment knob so drummers can adjust the heads to provide the exact amount of tension and response that suits their playing style. DM10 Studio Mesh Kit comes with four 8" toms, a 10" snare, a 12" hi-hat, two 12" crashes, and a 14" ride. Included with the kit is the premium DM10 sound module that features over 1,000 different drum and percussion samples. For more information visit alesis.com.

Ludwig Acrolite Classic

Ludwig Acrolite Classic Reissue Snare Drum

Church Use: Snare drum Price: $409-$469 What’s New: Originally released in the 1960s as a student drum, the Acrolite has found its way onto hundreds of recordings and is considered by many to be one of the most versatile snare drums of all time.

Ludwig has reissued the Acrolite in two sizes, 14"x 5" and 14"x 6.5" in a faithful recreation of the original dry, cracking snare. Its aluminum shell gives the Acrolite the classic dry snare sound and the blue and olive badges give a nice vintage look to the Ludwig reissues. For more information visit luwdigdrums.com.

Sabian Big and Ugly Ride Cymbals

Church Use: Ride cymbals Price: $209-$439 What’s New: Ride cymbals might be the most important cymbals in the church setting, and the Big and Ugly collection from Sabian offers a quirky group of cymbals that will give you a unique addition to your kit. The Big and Ugly collection include six cymbals: Apollo (22" & 24"), Pandora (22" & 24"), King (22" & 24"), Nova (22" & 24"), Phoenix (22") and Monarch (22"). From a versatile light, shimmery ride to a dark, washy tone, the Big and Ugly cover every angle while providing the look and feel of a vintage garage sale find. For more information visit sabian.com.

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PRODUCTION

GEAR REViEWS SONiVOX Film Score Companion Overview: The Film Score Companion Bundle is a brand new production package tailored for film score. Included in the bundle are Orchestral Companion Brass, Orchestral Companion Strings, Orchestral Companion Woodwinds, Eighty Eight Ensemble, and Big Band Cinematic Percussion. With easy to use interfaces, Film Score Companion gives you a broad palate to select from when making tracks or playing live.

Sennheiser D1-835 Digital Wireless Vocal Set Overview: The D1 is the latest line of wireless microphone and instrument systems from Sennheiser. Incredibly easy to use, the D1 combines the reliability of digital wireless with the flexibility of interchangeable capsules on their microphones. The system comes in handheld, headset, lavalier, and instrument configurations, but we will be focusing our review specifically on the handheld 835 system.

Sound: Each of the five collections sound beautiful and strikingly real! The string, woodwinds and brass collections all have different articulations from staccato to legato and everything in between. The mod wheel on a MIDI keyboard provides natural swells, and you can map each articulation to a button on the controller for on-the-fly changes. Eighty Eight provides an excellently sampled 9’ Steinway grand piano that sounds beautiful on its own, and sits in the mix quite nicely. Our favorite package was Big Bang Cinematic Percussion, a library of world percussion from timpani to snare rolls.

Sound: One of the best things about the D1 system is the interchangeability of the microphone capsules. The system ships with a transmitter and a capsule of your choice (we chose the 835) that simply screws off if you want to change capsules for different singers. This ability gives you flexibility to match the microphone with each singer perfectly. The sound of the D1-835 is crystal clear; in a real-world test the sound never once cut out and there was no interference. Sturdy and tough, the microphone transmitter is built for the stage and looks nice in its black and grey housing.

Church Use: Film Score Companion is perfect for the keys player to have authentic piano, string, horns, and woodwind sounds ready to go. One of our favorite applications was to run Film Score Companion as a plugin in Ableton Live and play string parts live on a MIDI controller. Adding orchestral sounds to your band is easy if you play with tracks, and the percussion elements add a lot to the sound of the band. For the price, this bundle is a great value and gives you a huge library of high-quality sounds. For more information visit sonivoxmi.com.

Function: One of the biggest strengths of the D1 system is its ease of use. To pair a microphone all you have to do is press the “pair” button on the receiver and then press the “pair” button on the transmitter, and the system selects the best frequency to use and you’re up and running. To make things even easier, the transmitter and receiver ship pre-paired and ready for use. Built into the system is an EQ, a de-esser and an “automatic gain control,” which works like a built-in compressor, ensuring top-notch sound no matter where you are. The D1 uses the 2.4 GHz band and automatically moves both the receiver and transmitter if it detects any interference.

More: Great sounds at a great price.

Less: Great sounds mean large files, so older computers may have trouble layering more than one plugin at a time in Mainstage or Ableton Live.

Price: $299.99

Church Use: This is an ideal system for any stage where you need a reliable, great sounding wireless microphone. For more information visit sennheiser.com.

More: Reliable, sturdy, easy to use and looks nice on stage.

Less: Not much.

Price: $699.95 80

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PRODUCTION

Omnisphere 2 Overview: When Omnisphere 1 was released in 2008, it was an instant hit; the lush pads, powerful synth oscillators, and sophisticated playback engine made it an essential tool for keyboardist and composers. With the newly released Omnisphere 2, Eric Persing and the team at Spectrasonics have raised the bar even higher. They’ve added new sounds, new synth waveforms, new effects processors, and a very well-designed upgrade to the playback software.

Sound: Omnisphere’s bread and butter has always been great synth pads, and they shine in the upgrade, along with massive bass and leads. The addition of over 400 new synth waveforms and thousands of new sound sources has given the library a more modern sound, something that they highlight with a “Spotlight EDM” category in the sound directory. The synth bass sounds are especially well designed, with big aggressive sounds that don’t overwhelm the low end of the mix. Like everything Spectrasonics does, the attention to detail and focus on musicality are top notch.

What’s New: In addition to the new sounds, Omnisphere 2 brings a major upgrade to the playback engine and the interface. The “Sound Match” feature quickly lets you audition new patches that are similar to the one you’re currently using. In a real-world test at a recording session, it was fast and accurate and made it easy to quickly give the producer several similar options to choose from. When loading a new patch, it loads the “lite” version almost instantaneously and lets you start playing then it continues to load the full version in the background letting the user make decisions faster and stay in the flow of creating music without waiting for big sounds to load slowly.

Omnisphere 2 also features 25 new effects including classic amp and stompbox modeling. Finally, you can now add your own audio to Omnisphere 2 and take advantage of all the processing and playback manipulation that the software has to offer.

Church Use: If your keyboardist uses pads or synths as part of your worship team, they’ll love Omnisphere 2. It’s one of the most powerful and useful musical tools I’ve ever worked with. For more information visit spectrasonics.net.

More: Incredibly musical sounds, powerful synth editors, and a massive library to play with.

Less: Not much Price: $499 new/$249 upgrade

Yamaha AG06 Overview: The AG06 might be small, but it’s so packed full of features it was hard for us to fit them all into our review! From the outside, the AG06 looks like a 6-channel mixer/USB interface, but it’s so much more. Built for live streaming, the AG06 makes connecting and editing on the computer a breeze. Along with the sturdy metal mixer, AG06 includes connectivity to iPad and Cubase AI. Features: The AG06 uses the Yamaha D-PRE preamps for extremely high-quality sound recording at 24 bit/192kHz. AG06 has 2 mic/line inputs, 2 inputs for stereo keyboards, 2 RCA inputs, and an 1/8” aux input for ipods. Channel 1 is equipped with phantom power along with a one-touch compression and EQ button and an effects button.

Channel 2 features a hi-Z input for guitars and has a one-touch amp simulator button along with an effects button. The compression, EQ, effects, and amp-simulator are all fully customizable with the AG DSP Controller software for PC and Mac that’s included with the mixer. One of the best features of the mixer is the “loopback” switch that allows all the audio (including playback from the computer) to be live-streamed via USB back to the computer. AG06 is bus-powered and can run on an external battery when used with an iPad. Church Use: This little mixer is a perfect companion for churches to record their services or live-stream them over the Web. Simply take the mix from the FOH board and connect it to the AG06 and you have a perfect way to live-stream your mixes or record them onto a computer. With stereo outputs, monitor outputs, and a headphone out, you have plenty of I/O for any of your live-streaming needs.

More: Ground-breaking flexibility and built-in effects, perfect for live-streaming.

Less: We’d love to see an AG mixer with more channels!

Price: $199

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FEATURE REVIEW

RENd COLLECTIVE

spArrow | rendColleCTiVe.Com

A

AS FAMILY WE GO

nyone who listens to Christian music has probably been introduced to Rend Collective because of their breakout hit “Bring Your Kingdom Here.” That song alone broke the mold and broke through the CCM world with a fresh and current sound. It’s a song that makes you want to move around and have fun as you worship the Father.

In fact, that’s a good description of Rend Collective.

Before Campfire and The Art of Celebration, the band was, and continues to be, more than a band. They are a family, which is what every church should be. They came together as a result of a ministry called Rend, which was led by bandleader, Gareth Gilkeson. Rend collected and impacted young adults in Northern Ireland who were looking for an authentic experience and encounter with God.

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Following up their hugely successful The Art of Celebration, Rend Collective have released As Family We Go, an album that speaks to the heart and intentionality of remembering the idea of “family.” It’s clear, based on their public ministry, that Rend chooses to “do life together,” just as a family should. But more than that, they are fueled by the truth that they are a part of a much larger family—the family of God. As Family We Go is a testament to the mandate that we are not to be a social club of Christians. As disciples, we are to go. As we go, there are certain truths and promises that fuel our journey. The songs from this album really celebrate these truths. In fact, apropos to the overall theme, the opening song, “Celebrate, ” challenges us to celebrate in all circumstances.

FEATURE REVIEW

Another quality listeners will hear is the art of refreshing old ideas. This is really the challenge of anyone writing songs for the next generation of the Church—a challenge that Rend Collective seems to be championing with each album they release. They also have a great handle on the skill of writing a simple, yet infectious melody line. As Family We Go is full of beautifully written songs that the Church can easily sing. In this, they are serving the body of Christ. I hope they never get away from that.

“You Will Never Run” is a bold anthem with a huge hook with a similar feel to the tunes from the Tarzan soundtrack

by Phil Collins. “One and Only” has a very Matt Redman feel, in that it’s all about who God is. It’s a beautiful, reverent corporate worship song that will leave us only thinking about the one and only … Jesus.

“Joy of the Lord” is one I could see exploding in my church. At this point, it’s my favorite tune on the project.

Echoing the promise in Psalm 28:7, the song proclaims, “In the darkness I’ll dance, In the shadows I’ll sing, the joy of the Lord is my strength!” This is a song that will not just be sung; it will be shouted in churches.

The other standouts are “Free as a Bird,” “Every Giant Will Fall,” and “Never Walk Alone.” In all honesty, the entire album is excellent. Rend Collective continues to stand out in the Christian music world and continues to stand up for God’s call and purpose for their music. They recognize that God is the true Artist and his work is always beautiful.

Sounds like: As Family We Go keeps the Rend Collective signature sound going, while stretching and expanding it a bit. For comparison purposes, I would point to Phillip Phillips.

Top songs Most Singable: “One and Only” Strongest Biblical Content: “Joy of the Lord” (Ps 28:7) The Whole Package: “Free as a Bird” Gary Durbin

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IN REVIEW

musiC For leAding

Tim hughes Pocketful of Faith Integrity Music worshipcentral.org As Tim Hughes shares in this issue of Worship Leader (p 22), he recently relocated from Holy Trinity Brompton, London, to St Luke’s Parish in Birmingham, where he’s serving as a Priest.

Wow. Talk about transitions. Pocketful of Faith, Hughes’ fifth studio release, reveals the prayers of that transition, as well as the hope for the coming journey. Even though change is one of the few universal constants in this world, you don’t have to be in the midst of it for these songs to resonate. From the orchestrated goodness of our mysterious Creator and sustainer that is constantly sung over us (“Symphony”) to the sinking sand of changing seasons (“Here With Me”), these prayers are embedded with biblical response and lift the common hopes and fears of the Church united. And in classic Hughes form, the prayers are artful, musically excellent, and vulnerable with an ability to catch our hearts along with them.

Thematically, PoF encompasses many aspects of faith and faithfulness, so obedience is also prominent. “Pocketful of Faith” launches this faith/obedience relationship by repurposing the parable of the Widow’s Offering—where a faithful woman didn’t give from her great riches; instead, she gave all she had. “Hope and Glory” finds the resonance of faith that expresses the heart of this release, because even if we do have a pocketful of faith, only God can move the mountains, and it is only in Christ that we can stand with hope, purpose, and belief.

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Hopefully you are already using “The Cross Stands” and “The Way” as featured on other Worship Central releases. Their inclusion here is welcomed, but their interpretation is pretty much what we have in their former iterations. With the washes of synth and shimmering guitars, the sounds are strong and nearly overwhelming. Of course that’s classic Hughes. In the future it would be nice to get a more stripped down version of his heart to further distance his solo releases from the high-octane Worship Central offerings.

Sounds Like: Congregational rock with synth drives and anthemic guitar power.

Top songs: Most singable: “The Way” Strongest biblical content: “Pocketful of Faith” (Mk 12:41-44) The whole package: “The Cross Stands” Jeremy Armstrong

AAron shusT

AAron shusT Doxology Centricity aaronshust.com Doxology, the latest album by Dove-Award winning artist Aaron Shust, is a record of celebratory songs birthed from Shust’s experience of God’s comfort and faithfulness after four years of family suffering. Shust says, “These songs are like a playlist for a praise & worship ‘after party’ at the end of time, around the throne, celebrating the crowning of Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords.”

Doxology is a congregation-friendly collection of praise anthems celebrating the resurrection, rule, and reign of Jesus Christ. The album is sure to inspire worshipers to wholeheartedly sing to the Lord, while crying out with the soulful choir featured on “Come Quickly” for the rapid return of Christ.

Sounds Like: High octane, anthemic pop worship with a healthy dose of gospel soul.

Top songs: Most Singable: “Oh Praise (The Only One)” Strongest Biblical: This entire album is packed with strong Biblical themes and scriptural content!

Whole Package: “To the Only God” and “It Is Finished” Kristen Gilles

IN REVIEW

Plenty of worship releases these days have semblances of EDM/dubstep. But is a semblance enough? Sound of Heaven says absolutely not. Full tilt, and unabashed, newcomer out of the HTB/Worship Central community, Tom Smith embraces the alluded genres in a way that unmasks the posers. So what does it matter? It turns out there is some pretty powerful praise available in EDM. It doesn’t hurt that Smith had the other Smith (Martin Smith of Delirious?) join him in the production role, plus Tom has been leading worship with Tim Hughes for over eight years.

Fear not local youth worship leader (yes, this release will likely get more play in the youth room than the main sanctuary). Down beats are heavy here, but the melodies are as clean as they come. And the songs could be used out of the EDM context; in fact, if there isn’t an acoustic guitar version of these mu-

sical prayers in the mix, someone has missed an opportunity to bless the Church. This being an EP, we’ve only got five tracks to work with on this go-around, but the standouts are abundant and they start with the opening cut, “Dynamite,” where we are encouraged to lift our hands into the light and continuing with the “Sound of Heaven” where it is easy to believe that heaven will contain more syncopated drum patterns and heavy bass than harps and lyres.

Sounds Like: Daft Punk meets Hillsong Young & Free meets Worship Central.

Top songs: Most singable: “Take My Heart” Strongest biblical content: “End of Me” (Jn 8:12) The whole package: “Sound of Heaven” Jeremy ArmsTrong

v

Tom smiTh Sound of Heaven tomsmith.tv

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and intensity. Plush background strings, sparse percussion, and rich harmonies contribute to the ethereal feel. “Carry Me,” “Lily’s Song,” and “Be Still” stand out as congregational worship songs, while “Eyes on You” and “I Will Follow You” demonstrate a beautiful but more complex melodic composition.

KrisTene dimArCo Mighty Jesus Culture/Sparrow jesusculture.com/artists/kristene-dimarco/ Mighty showcases Kristene DiMarco’s talents as a singer/songwriter with 11 original songs interspersed with the familiar strains of a few traditional hymns. Throughout this live recording, Dimarco shares themes of hope, comfort from the Holy Spirit, and overcoming adversity through the use of imaginative lyrics sprinkled with Scripture. This passionate worship album demonstrates DiMarco’s versatile voice, ranging from light and sweet to gutsy, dark, and soulful as each song rises and falls in dynamics

Sounds like: Kristene Dimarco’s talented vocals are reminiscent of a cross between Sixpence None the Richer’s delicate strains and Melissa Etheridge’s soulful sound with her ability to cross the vocal gap between sweet and serene and gutsy and passionate. Mighty blends in well with other well-crafted albums from Jesus Culture and Sparrow Records, bringing talent, passion, and worship together.

Top songs: Most Singable: “Be Still” Strongest Biblical Content: “Lily’s Song” (Ps 103, Ps 118:17) The Whole Package: “Over and Over” Amanda Furbeck

worshipplanning.com makes it easier for churches to plan, schedule and coordinate worship services.

• Create and organize multiple services and worship flows • Organize teams and schedule volunteers to serve • Build a library of music with easy access for team members

One name says it all.

I love the theme of unity in the body of Christ on this project.

The CiTy hArmoniC We Are Integrity thecityharmonic.com Just like their previous projects, The City Harmonic brings another album filled with great musicality. It’s not really geared for the typical church in a corporate worship sense, but it’s a fantastic tool for your personal worship time.

Serving with you.

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Sounds like: For King and Country, The Fray, Downhere Top songs: Most singable: “Solid Rock” Strongest biblical content: “Let There Be Light” (Ps 119:105) The Whole Package: “We Are One” Gary Durbin

quiet moments of selah, to the climactic anthem ending, this song delivers a passionate performance to God during its journey, built on Scripture passages to encourage and build up the saints horizontally and usher us to worship Jesus vertically with its refrain and resolution. linZy wesTmAn Here in the Waiting linzywestman.com Linzy Westman’s new EP Here in the Waiting is a simple and tasteful collection of heartfelt songs giving God glory, with luscious sonic textures woven together beneath her crystalline vocals. String ensembles, solo cello, pools of ambient electric guitars, spacious percussion, subtle backing vocal harmonies, piano, and acoustic guitars overlaying simple chord progressions amid solidly rhythmic bass guitar make each song an encompassing auditory experience. And the dynamic of Linzy pointing straight to Christ in each song makes this album a must listen, and a great resource for any worship leader.

Linzy’s revamp of a wonderful piece of heritage-in-song does indeed do great justice to the classic “It Is Well,” adding a lovely lift to the chorus, reminiscent of yet another traditional hymn (“The Old Rugged Cross”), making it familiar and fun to sing along with the new melody line. A standout is the dynamic and powerful “I Surrender All to Thee.” Through the ringing piano strains of its intro, careful builds,

®

Sounds like Adie Camp, All Sons and Daughters, Audrey Assad, Christy Nockels, Mia Fieldes Top songs: Most singable: “It Is Well” Strongest biblical content: I’m happy to say that determining which song has the strongest biblical content is a true challenge, because every song is chock full of Scripture.

Because of its clear presentation of the gospel, its horizontal building up of the Church, as well as vertical praise, “Boldly to the Throne” is the top choice on this album. (Heb 4:16, Rom 6:23, Rom 8:15, 1 Cor 10:13, 2 Tim 1:7, 2 Cor 2:18, Jn 1:14, 1 Jn 4:2, 1 Pt 2:24, Isa 53:3, 1 Thess 4:14, Mt 27:51, Jn 3:16) The whole package: “I Surrender All to Thee” Resources: Linzy’s personal website contains recording samples, videos, pictures, links to her on Spotify, Instagram, her calendar letting us know where she’ll be leading worship, and a link to her blog (well worth reading!): linzywestman.com.

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IN REVIEW

sTephen miller Liberating King stephen-miller.com Liberating King by Stephen Miller elevates worship music to a wonderful level by using authentic lyrics and instrumentation, especially guitar, to pierce the heart with no wasted words or false sentiment. “Only Sinless One” challenges the listener to engage the flow and

rhythm of the song and then embrace the album as a collective. Stephen Miller resides in Austin, Texas, where there is no shortage of musical talent. Tunes like “The Love of God” and “Liberating King” are right at home. The song “You Complete All You Begin” allows music and lyric to converge and then take a praise and worship voyage. Each song is inviting and distinctive and well worth a listen.

Listening to Liberating King and then rediscovering the hymn standard “It Is Well” reminds the heart and spirit that worship music can take us on a journey and refresh us along the way. It also blurs the line between major label and independent artist. The intro and depth of “Speak to Me” with Lauren Chandler is a beautiful composition that awakens the need for mercy and a plea for a relationship with God and resolves with a sweltering passion for reverence.

The scriptural textures that are painted across

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Sounds like: Lincoln Brewster with a St. Louis edge.

Top songs: Most singable: “Only Sinless One” Strongest Biblical Content: “You Complete All You Begin” The Whole Package: “Speak to Me” Resources: Chord charts at stephen-miller.com.

Darryl Bryant

And he walks with me and he talks with me a Ad he tells me I am his own And the joy we share as we tarry there None other has ever known The songs are the focal point of this release using simple acoustic sounds (though the creativity is certainly apparent in its songsupport), and as a result Hymns & Hallelujahs has a distinct ability to accompany your sung prayers as you rest in the sounds and beauty of the overall release.

Kelly minTer Hymns & Hallelujahs LifeWay kellyminter.com Circumventing the din of guitar noise and power-pop common on today’s airwaves comes Hymns and Hallelujahs, a collection of hymn covers and original songs by Kelly Minter. Rich with melodic beauty and theological depth, Minter keeps the roots of faith and musical beauty at the forefront. Guest vocalists include the likes of Ginny Owens, Cindy Morgan, Andrew Greer, and David Minter, and the overall result feels like a love letter to some cherished hymns while also expressing a pure and heartfelt devotion to the Creator and Sustainer.

Song choice is certainly a standout factor of Hymns & Hallelujahs. Beloved, yet rarely touched by mainstream classic hymn projects, songs bring nostalgia to the forefront, and in

this palatial canvas will hopefully get radio play and online buzz. There is so much to like about Liberating King, more importantly as independent artists stretch beyond the usual fair, it is imperative that we embrace what social media is designed to do: spread the word!

Sounds like: Rootsy and slightly folksy with bright piano accompaniment, subtle strings, and just the right amount of strumming, plucking, and handclapping.

Top songs: Most singable: “Hallelujah What a Savior” Strongest biblical content: “My Dwelling Place (Psalm 91)” (Ps 91) The whole package: “Let the People Say (Our God Is Good)” seconds listeners will find themselves worshiping in a heart-language that may have been quieted for a while. The classic “In the Garden” is emblematic of the overall effect. Simple piano vocal and violin support the sweetness of the classic refrain.

Jeremy Armstrong

How Do You

IN REVIEW

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A161 89

IN REVIEW

ZeAlAnd worship Zealand Worship: The EP Word Entertainment zealandworship.com Zealand has a very particular definition of worship: a corporate experience that inspires daily devotion.

A laudable definition. The “particular” part comes in when you parse out the context of that corporate experience—their website’s intro video shows the band reflecting on the story and experience they want to create, all while plugging in and cranking up axes and rockin’ out. The EP serves this context well: an album of songs ready made for the arena/ conference worship stage—breakdowns with claps and audience choruses built in, fade outs that just beg the audience to sing en masse the chorus one last time, moments to hoist your lighter/iPhone, lyrics so simple that they can easily be picked up

and repeated on first listen. It’s this final piece that may make it hard for The EP to take root in the larger Church—it paints in broad strokes a gospel of “God will get you through the hard times” without going into detail or taking on the larger issues of sin and redemption. “Savior” is one insightful exception, exploring how God’s saving action is not just a one-time event but an ongoing action in our lives. See Zealand live; it will probably be an inspiring event.

Outside of that context, The EP will probably be most fruitful wherever big sound is the priority.

some big drums, big echo-ey guitars, big synth arena praise rock tunes with a dash of “whoa-a-ohs” and Deliberate People theology (Joel’s current ministry).

Sounds like: Phil Joel (formerly of Newsboys) got some mates together to record

Graham Gladstone

Top songs: Most singable: “Lead Us to Your Heart” Strongest biblical content: “That’s Who You Are” and “Greener” both develop, in different ways, the same theme: the God who began a good work in you will continue to work all things, even hardships, for good.

The Whole Package: “Savior”

PRODUCED BY GABRIEL WILSON (BETHEL MUSIC, HUNTER GK THOMPSON)

IN REVIEW

AwAKening worship Adonai awakeningworship.com Hailing from the great northeast, Awakening Worship leads youth towards the power and truth of Jesus Christ. Passionate about revival fuelled by young people, this worship-leading band offers Adonai, a wonderful collection for the young person in your world. Awakening Worship is birthed out of New Life Worship Center in Smithfield, Rhode Island, and Adonai was recorded live at the Awakening youth conference. The Hillsong influence (both United and Y&F) is heavy in the song structure and selection where tracks include covers of United’s “Scandal of Grace,” Young & Free’s “Alive,” the Jobe/Johnson et al “Forever,” as well as a few originals including the standout “Adonai.” Many tracks feature the vocal stylings of Aaron Gillespe

(touring drummer for Paramour and solo artist); the grit and power of his presence add to the overall barnstorming effect. Awakening Worship claim to be “passionate about the local church and authentic worship, we believe it is God’s desire for everyone to know him and to experience his love and power.”

This is evidenced in “Adonai.” A slow building prayer of praise, the focus of this song is reminiscent of “Revelation Song” letting worshipers sing out the wonders of the Father with clarity and vulnerability.

The overall live recording feel is definitely praiseworthy, but the vocals come in a bit unpolished at times. That said, there is an authenticity and a clear desire to make Christ the famous one, this makes the worship infectious and the invitation for listeners to join in the sound palpable.

Top songs Most singable: “Scandal of Grace” Strongest biblical content: “Make You Known” (Mt 9:31) The whole package: “Adonai” Jeremy Armstrong

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It is clear from beginning to end that the band is experienced in front of an audience, yet Our God & Our King does not overuse distracting applause tracks and overplayed solos. What you get is heartfelt songs that are reverent, persuasive, and intentional. On my wish list, it would be nice to know more about the artist and worship leaders that are as versatile as they are talented throughout the project. The production is top-notch throughout, and many nlC worship of the songs, especially “When I Was Lost,” Our God & Our King use space and lyrics to create layers and newlifechurch.tv textures that are mesmerizing and artistic. The NLC Worship is the offspring of New Life Church vocal harmonies that conclude that song will connect listeners with the festival atmosphere in Little Rock, Arkansas. The standard edition that is giving independent artists a following— of Our God & Our King is 14 songs and the hopefully inspiring longevity as well as legacy. deluxe edition is a 20-song set that combines “Oh How Beautiful”! studio and live versions of praise and worship that starts where Our Hope left off. The project Sounds like: Hillsong with a touch of Arkanutilizes the full gamut of instrumentation from the ballad-driven title track to the power anthem sas and Nashville all rolled into one.

“Family of Grace.” “Thankful” and “Glorious Surrender” use piano, guitar, and audience Top songs participation to make the CD an interactive Most Singable: “Thankful” experience. Noteworthy is “The One My Heart Strongest Biblical Content: “Holy, Holy, Loves.” This song is all about the worship. AnHoly” other fulfilling aspect is that many of the songs The Whole Package: “The Beauty of Your tell the stories that make the unplugged genre Love” so popular—vignettes of testimony that lend themselves to corporate worship.

Darryl Bryant

soulFire reVoluTion Afterglow Dream Records soulfirerevolution.com Helping fuel the fire of spiritual revolution in Bogota, Columbia, and Miami, Florida, Soulfire Revolution is the musical voice of MCI Church (International Charismatic Mission), and Afterglow is their sophomore project.

Filled with heavy beats, dance-pop worship, and plenty of auto-tune, this release is rife with joy and heart. Recorded at one of the largest churches in South America with over 200,000 members, there is a clear expression of faith ignited—made manifest in the congregation’s participation and overwhelming passion.

As a soundtrack for revival and movement, it makes sense that the 12 tracks are largely emotional outpourings of commitment and requests for the power of the Spirit to move (noteworthy in this vein are “Arise” and “Fire Fall Down”). But there are also touches of fanning the flames of God’s love around the

world (“Set the World on Fire” and “Afterglow”), and personal response to his grace (“Back Into Your Arms” and “An Encounter”).

The most profound of the offerings, “Afterglow” highlights the relationship between the character of the Father and how our lives are lived as response to him. This is a fine call for a congregation to live with integrity—aligning our lives with the songs we sing. Though these songs are offered to God, most of them focus on our acts of devotion or sacrifice, as opposed to God’s acts as the creator and redeemer of all things. There are some incredible things happening in the ministry of Soulfire Revolution, we will look to subsequent albums to find growth in biblical reference and God as subject of our prayers. Regardless, Afterglow contains a beauty and a zeal that will ignite and inspire lives for the kingdom of heaven.

Sounds Like: Electronica power-pop with a fairly good balance of down-tempos as well, though the musical creativity is most powerful in the high-energy offerings.

Top songs: Most singable: “An Encounter” Strongest biblical content: “Back Into Your Arms” (Ps 51:10; Lk 15) The whole package: “Afterglow” Jeremy Armstrong

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NCC WORSHIP “WHERE WOULD I BE” FEATURED ON SONG DISCOVERY

personAl plAylisT

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NATIONAL

COMMUNITY

CHURCH

PASTOR MARK

BATTERSON

LISTEN NOW

& FREE CHORD CHART

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ToBymAC This Is Not a Test ForeFront Records tobymac.com Six-time Grammy Award winner tobyMac is representing what it means to be the gold standard when it comes to being the most innovative and creative force in Christian music today. This Is Not a Test, tobyMac’s latest release, is everything you would expect and more. Complex, well written, and highly produced, this record makes you want dance with every spin of the vinyl. Yes, it comes in vinyl. Featured guests include, Capital Kings, Hollyn, NF, Mr. TalkBox, Ryan Stevenson, and Tru. But wait, there’s more! DC Talk is also

featured on “Love Feels Like.” Could this be a subtle hint of a reunion record?

Mac is clear on songs like “Til the Day I Die” that he will serve Christ with every ounce of his being until he draws his last breath. This record is once again tobyMac’s call and declaration of a life committed to building the kingdom of God and sharing Christ’s love with the world.

Toby is a true master craftsman—This Is Not a Test is a gospel-truth-infused party from top to bottom.

Sounds like: tobyMac … You can’t compare him to anyone else, he’s a force of nature all on his own.

Top songs: Most Singable: “Feel It” Strongest Biblical Content: “Undeniable” The Whole Package: “This Is Not a Test” Jay Akins

shineBrighT Only You BEC Recordings shinebrightmusic.com Husband and wife duo Emily and Nathan Irene release their second album Only You with a renewed passion and focus for the ministry God has called them to. In the last two years they have changed the band name from Shine Bright Baby to SHINEBRIGHT and have gone from four members in the band to two. Emily says,

“I hope people feel a sense of belonging as they listen to these songs. We are human and we want to be honest with God and with those listening. For me, it’s like looking in a mirror. I don’t have all of the answers in life, but I want to write about those things I see.”

Fun, reflective and honest, Only You is an impressive and creative sophomore release from SHINEBRIGHT. Five original songs and four remixes make this record a great listen.

Sounds like: Pop, dubstep.

Top songs: Most Singable: “Reckless for Love” Strongest Biblical Content: “Only You” The Whole Package: “Limitless (Feat.

Rapture Ruckus)” Jay Akins

that fits within Christian adult contemporary boundaries. Timmons consistently reminds us that Christ is our loving, gracious king, in lyrics like, “Even in the battle you are good, even in the struggles I have never understood.”

Tim Timmons Awake Our Souls Provident timmonsmusic.com Tim Timmons returns with his sophomore album on Reunion Records, a 10-song collection that explores the reality of the kingdom of God in our midst. As Timmons sings in the title cut, “Everywhere the king is, there is the kingdom.”

The mostly upbeat songs feature tight, clean production, and a radio-friendly style

Sounds Like: Phil Wickham, Shane & Shane, Leeland, Casting Crowns Top songs: Most singable: “You Are Good (That I May)” Strongest biblical content: “Rest My Soul” Whole Package: “Awake Our Souls” Resources: videos, charts, blog, suggested reading materials, and more at timmonsmusic. com.

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one package as the overlying theme of the album is that life is hard, but there is hope.

Sounds like: Upbeat, dance, heavy synth-driven electronica with lyrics that bring things back down to earth—basically like Owl City

owl CiTy Mobile Orchestra Republic Records owlcitymusic.com Collaborations of pulsating pop music abound as Adam Young releases his fifth studio album as the electronica wizard, Owl City. Departing occasionally for a musical diversity break, Mobile Orchestra is replete with the beats that brought throngs of fans to the Owl City sound.

Accompanying the trademark sounds are lyrics that speak to an array of emotions that are real and sometimes raw. There is a despair that is comforted through the refrains of “This Isn’t the End.” While not being overly preachy, it serves as a companion piece to the Britt Nicole alliance “You’re Not Alone.” The ’90s boy band Hanson joins Young for the fun on the nostalgic “Unbelievable.” While the comfort zone of the familiar is explored in the country-flavored “Back Home” with Jake Owen. It all works in

Top songs: Most singable: “I Found Love” Strongest biblical content: “My Everything” The Whole package: “Unbelievable” Randy W. Cross

Josh wilson That Was Then, This Is Now Sparrow Records joshwilsonmusic.com Josh Wilson radiates a captivating energy and excitement for the Christian’s spiritual journey in his latest release, That Was Then, This Is Now. The son of a preacher from Lubbock, Texas, Wilson seeks to best use his gifts in service of God and others, especially his gift of music. Wilson’s brand of contemporary pop Christian music is a combination of many early influences in Wilson’s life including hymns, classical music, alongside secular pop, rock, and folk songs, adding a unique and creative twist to a very listenable, top-40 style of music Wilson’s youthful voice belies his nine years in professional Christian music, revealing both

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Sounds like: That Was Then, This Is Now exudes the excitement, enthusiasm, and charisma of a sinner who is thankful to be saved by grace. Josh Wilson’s vocal stylings are energetically youthful yet polished, honest, and joyful with an earnest dose of spiritual depth and “old soul.”

This music is contemporary pop with a twist of folk, rock, hymnic literature, and classical music.

Top songs: Most singable: “Don’t Let Go” Strongest biblical content: “Grace Upon Grace” (Jn 1:16) The Whole Package: “That Was Then, This Is Now” Amanda Furbeck

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his passion for the Lord and the musical polish and craftsmanship found in his music. That Was Then, This Is Now closes the gap between worship music and personal listening CDs with songs such as “Grace Upon Grace,” “No More,” and “Say Yes.” “Ode to Joy,” the only instrumental piece on this album, exemplifies the musical depth and versatility found on That Was Then, This Is Now with its inspired interpretation of a favorite hymn.

resourCes

AirStream Seraphim Software airstreamsoftware.com Yes, AirStream is the newest offering in church presentation software. But no, it’s not just presentation software. That’s what got our attention when we took a sneak peek at Seraphim’s AirStream (scheduled to release in the fall of this year). AirStream is actually a cloud-based suite of presentation tools, and it’s going to be a viable option for many churches because it simply makes so much sense.

Starting off with the cloud-based reality; you don’t have to be at church to create your Sunday presentation. We all know about those last-minute changes from the pastor, or even the nudge from the Spirit to make a song change. With AirStream, you rework your presentation on any computer, and it’s there in the cloud, ready for your service of worship.

The other standout feature of AirStream is the fact that it comes with multiple features. “Compose” is the design aspect, basically replacing your Photoshop, PowerPoint, or Keynote design elements. Also, the days of spending hours upon hours finding motion backgrounds can be eliminated with this feature because it lets you dynamically create advanced elements such as particle systems, lens flares, procedural, noise, and more. Plus you can set new color schemes—did you use a fire motion background last week? Well this week, the same fire motion can be a different color to create a completely new effect. The presentation aspect of AirStream, “Present,” is easy to use, and lets you accomplish everything with the added bonus of on-thefly capabilities and more. “Direct” is the third feature; it’s a record, display, and live stream software that lets you broadcast to wherever you want to show your service to the outside world. The last feature, “Immersion,” equips you for environmental projection. Now the walls of your church have nearly limitless potential to enhance the theme of your service because this feature has all the AirStream dynamic tools and advanced effects.

Sure, these tools all exist in other software. What’s so impressive about AirStream is the ambition, or maybe the common sense, to put them all together in a single, exhaustive service. And it is excellent, as well. Seraphim’s AirStream is one of the most impressive presentation options available to churches today.

Please note: Last issue we mistakenly printed that Chris McClarney’s record label was Bethel Music. It is actually Jesus Culture Music.

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BY CHUCK FROMM

I

Learning to Pray

have recently been thinking a lot about the idea of prayer— the Lord’s Prayer, in particular.

And how that affects leading worship. Knowing how important prayer is to my cousin, Chuck Smith Jr, I decided to call him up and had an enlightening conversation.

He reminded me that the disciple that asked Jesus to teach us to pray in the Gospel of Luke (11:1) was unknown. The Bible is rich with things to know, but almost as often, it’s the unknowns that speak volumes. A “disciple” asked Jesus a question, but which disciple?

Which one of the twelve?

ThE ESSENCE

know how we are going to make it through the week. But hopefully as disciples, we know how to pray.

Or at the very least, like the anonymous disciple, we know we need Jesus to teach us to pray.

PRAY WiTh A few days before I sat down to write this, Leonard Sweet shot a nugget of wisdom into the twittersphere that caught me as particularly meaningful for worship leaders as well as for my own prayer contemplations: It is one thing to pray FOR people; prayer moves to a whole other level when you pray WITH them, too.

In all reality, yes we play music for our congregations, just as we pray for them. But a pivotal next step is to play with them. To pray with them. We are all part of one team lifting worship to God. And in its essence, that worship is prayer. Communal prayer. Prayer with one another. Prayer that engages God so that everyone comes away renewed.

I asked Jeremy Armstrong, our managing editor to sketch this all out in a responsive reading. I’d like to leave that prayer here, but I would also invite you to write your own and send it to us. We would love to discover the ways you are praying with your congregations.

Because of this omitted information, one thing we can infer is that Jesus wasn’t teaching a personal life lesson for Peter, John, or Thomas. This disciple is all disciples. And all disciples need to learn how to pray from their master. Chuck had this to add: If disciples know anything, they know to pray. They cannot meet world need, solve national problems, end war, or change human hearts. But they can be with God, breathe his Spirit, acknowledge his power, request his mercy, and through prayer, move his mighty hand.

The essence of worship integrity, and worship on the whole, is prayer. We may not know how to meet all the needs of the world, we may not ChUCk fROMM know how to hit all is CEO/Publisher of the right chords on our Worship Leader magazine. guitars to reveal the presence of the Spirit, we may not even 98

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LORd TEACh US TO PRAY: RESPONSiVE REAdiNG Leader: So we might awaken to the wonder of your presence So we might feel gratitude for your gift of life today So we might discover your kingdom as revealed in our sisters and brothers So we might find safety beneath the shelter of your wings All: So we might declare your glory as we gather together: Lord, teach us to pray

Leader: So the truth of your Word resonates in what we say and sing So we might prepare a way through the wilderness of chaos and pain So our eyes are alert and our souls awake to your movement in our midst So our good work is fruitful in the reign of your kingdom All: So we might declare your glory as we gather together: Lord, teach us to pray

Leader: So we might forgive those who have wronged us So we might lead free from pretense and hypocrisy So we might trust your perfect plans and not replace them with our own So we might love you with our whole hearts and love our neighbors as ourselves

Leader: So our voices bring a pleasing sound to your ear So the notes of our instruments rise sweetly to your throne So our singing is a light in the darkness, drawing nations to your grace So our songs vibrate with the voice of the Lamb who was slain

All: So we might declare your glory as we gather together: Lord, teach us to pray

All: So we might declare your glory as we gather together: Lord, teach us to pray

Leader: So diverse hearts might harmonize as many voices become one So our bodies might praise you in bowed heads and raised hands So a spirit of criticism is replaced with an offering of sacrifice So we consider others more important than ourselves

Leader: So the lonely and hopeless find comfort in your abundant presence So those in war and famine find the everlasting peace of your Spirit So we are not indifferent to the suffering of the world around us So our songs help to make us look more like you

All: So we might declare your glory as we gather together: Lord, teach us to pray

All: So we might declare your glory as we gather together: Lord, teach us to pray

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