The Cart before the Horse
Sometimes, the way we ‘do’ worship becomes an end in and of itself. We make our plans, we rehearse them, then perform them and we are done. Proverbs 16:9 says ‘We make our own plans, but the LORD decides where we will go.’ CEV Our plans are the ‘cart’ and the [...]

Engage the Back Row
Sometimes, in our zeal and haste for a great worship service, we can neglect or miss the very people who could most benefit from an authentic encounter with Jesus. I call it the ‘back row syndrome’ or as we used to call it: ‘sinners’ row’. Though there are many reasons people sit in [...]

Keeping It Fresh in a New Year
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges we face as worship leaders is trying to keep the worship of Jesus fresh week after week. And this challenge produces everything from the sublime to the ridiculous as we try ‘new things’ every week. The Hebrew word for ‘new’ is the wonderful [...]

Worshiping Christmas?

Here it comes – ready or not, the Christmas season is upon us. For many worship pastors it’s the same-old routine: while the words ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ are still warming our hearts, we have to drag out the well-worn Christmas carols, add a few new favorites, decorate the platform with trees, etc., change the lighting [...]

What Were You Expecting? Great Expectations for a Great Service

Every Sunday morning you have expectations. You expect everyone to show up. You expect the sound board to work, the lights to come on. You expect the guitars to be in tune. You expect the worship team to do their best. You expect people to be [...]