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9 Keys to Maximize Rehearsal Time

March 4, 2013 by 4 Comments

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You’ve worked a hard day and would love to just get home for a hot meal and some R&R. You’re feeling tired and it seems the day should be winding down but there is still one more important meeting to attend: the weekly praise team rehearsal.

Most praise teams are staffed with volunteers who have busy lives. Although our primary objective should be preparing our teams so that we can lead effectively, getting our volunteers through rehearsal in a reasonable time frame is an added bonus.

Every rehearsal is different but there are certainly some steps we can take as leaders to honor the time of our devoted praise team members. By being prepared you can have a more effective, productive rehearsal which will potentially take less of your team’s time while still preparing them to lead with excellence and confidence. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Story, Media & Tech, Recent Articles, Worship Leadership, Worship Planning

Top Upbeat Praise & Worship Songs of 2012

February 27, 2013 by 3 Comments

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A common question we receive here at The Worship Community and a very highly searched term in general is: What are the top upbeat praise and worship songs? It seems there are times when we just struggle to find that perfect “top of the setlist” opener that will not only break the ice but also sincerely call people to worship effectively. If you’re like me sometimes it can be a struggle to find those songs.

Well, we scoured the the top 25 lists from October 2011 through Sept 2012 and came up with this list of upbeat songs. We’ve included songs that could also be considered “moderate tempo” because with enough energy and the proper arrangement they will work just as well.

Keep in mind these are songs that are reported through CCLI and might not include the newest, greatest, “hot” worship songs out today, but is a list of what churches from all over are reporting as being used regularly.

We know this list goes back to a year and a half ago, but if you’ve not introduced these songs to your congregation yet, they are great options and have proven well, as reflected by their rankings in the CCLI charts. These include new songs and older songs as well.

Included is the name of the song (linked to the ccli song page which includes lyrics, lead sheets, chord sheets, audio, vocal sheets, and copyright info); the author(s); and the ccli number (also linked to ccli song page).

Top Upbeat Worship Songs of 2012:

Notable Songs in the Top 100 SongSelect & Top 100 CCLI charts (as of February 2013):

Notable NEW songs that aren’t yet listed in the top 100:

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[Poll] Transitions: Silence or Flow?

February 22, 2013 by 2 Comments

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Time for some interaction! When it comes to transitions between songs in your Sunday Setlists, do prefer to bring each song to a hard close with a second or two of silence between each? Or do you prefer to have some instrument continue to “pad” the space between the songs? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Story, Recent Articles, Worship Leadership, Worship Planning

Finding My Heart in a Bamboo Box

September 5, 2012 by 12 Comments

Thanks to Mat Reames for sharing these thoughts after traveling to and ministering in Nepal and India this summer.

Its 9:59 on a Sunday, the band is tuned up, the lights have been turned down, the countdown video is in its last few seconds, the guitarist has his foot tapping in the tempo of his dotted eight delays, and we are ready to begin worship.

The service begins loud as we introduce that new song that everyone will be talking about next week. People have their hands raised high, unless they are attempting to clap to the rhythm. But the key is, people are engaged.

Then you begin to see them. As your eyes adjust to the lower lighting you begin to notice the people who aren’t engaged. They are scattered around the room. You feel the frustration. Week in and week out you spend hours preparing for this service, choosing the songs, ordering the lights and videos, you have labored to prepare an atmosphere of worship. But with all the time, money, and of course blood, sweat, and tears, there are still people who just will not engage. As a worship leader this is one of the most difficult things to deal with…. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Encouragement, Featured Story, Recent Articles, Worship Leadership, Worship Planning Tagged With: , , ,

Private Worship Prepares You For Corporate Worship

July 30, 2012 by 17 Comments

Thanks to Rob Rash for sharing these thoughts with TWC.

Did you realize that your corporate worship is only an overflow of your private worship?

It’s true. If we are only worshiping while we are having rehearsal or Sunday morning services, something is wrong.

Private worship (meaning personal worship outside of the church) is the necessary fuel for strong and passionate corporate worship. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Encouragement, Featured Story, Recent Articles, Worship Leadership, Worship Planning

Practical Resource: Planning For A Successful Record

May 4, 2012 by 14 Comments

Thanks to Matthew Reed for sharing this insight with us at TWC.

This is my short and condensed version of how to make a successful record from the planning stages to the release date! Take everything I say as my opinion only and not the rule. These steps are just practical steps to help you in the process of recording your first or next record. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Story, Recent Articles, Songwriting, Worship Arts, Worship Leadership, Worship Planning Tagged With: , , , ,

Planning Powerful Worship Sets

May 2, 2012 by 12 Comments

Thanks to Rob Still for sharing this post with TWC. Originally publisthed at: http://www.robstill.com/planning-powerful-worship-sets/

I was recently inspired by this David Santistevan post on crafting powerful worship sets.

His very fine article presented four key ideas:

1. Teach – sing songs that declare who God is.
2. Engage – make it as easy as possible for people to sing, clap, and participate with the music.
3. Inspire -  lift their vision higher, help move people’s eyes off their circumstances onto the greatness of God.
4. Convict – turn our hearts away from self and towards God, that is repentance which leads to change.

My experience is that planning worship is a mixture of practicing theology, musical artistry, and understanding human dynamics.

I’d like to add these morsels to the buffet of ideas. Bon appetite! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Story, Letters To Leaders, Recent Articles, Worship Leadership, Worship Planning

Making Sure That Your Now Doesn’t Become Normal

April 27, 2012 by 9 Comments

“Success” in ministry has more to do with developing people than it does creating a team to out rock all teams. Sure we need to pursue excellence, sure we need chemistry, sure we need to rehearse together, flow together, pray together, etc…

But a tight rhythm section or regular vocals that the congregation sees every week isn’t a sign of success (when you dig a little deeper).

This means putting people first – before talent and/or spaces to be filled. Of course we should always be aware of positions and roles that need to be fulfilled, but we should never see people as just a set of skills. Sure that guy is a great guitarist and you could really use a great guitarist, but what you really need is a PERSON that will plug in to the vision of the ministry and commit to using their talents and skills to serve others. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Encouragement, Featured Story, Generational Worship, Letters To Leaders, Recent Articles, Worship Leadership, Worship Planning

Leading Worship With Scripture

April 11, 2012 by 37 Comments


Thanks to Gary Durbin for sharing this with TWC. Originally published at: http://garydurbin.blogspot.com/2012/04/leading-worship-with-scripture.html

About 10 years ago I started my first job as a worship leader in a church. I was 24, green and eager to grow. I went to my first music conference shortly after, and it wasn’t that great. It was pretty old school and very irrelevant to the vision God had given me regarding worship ministry.

But just like most things in life, you can always learn something. As bad as the conference was, I walked away learning something that has been very vital to my ministry. I attended one of the workshops they offered, and the teacher said something that stuck with me. He said that the most impacting thing we could give our crowd every week, during the music, was scripture. He challenged us to make sure we used scripture, somehow, someway, during every worship set we lead.

[Read more...]

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Resource: A Guidebook for Leading Fantastic Worship Rehearsals by TWC Member Rob Rash

March 27, 2012 by 4 Comments

Are you ready to take your worship team rehearsals to the next level?

TWC member Rob Rash has a great resource available for free. From Rob’s website:

Rehearsals are a strange thing. There’s no ‘right’ way to do them, however, there are a few key principles to keep in mind to make the most out of your time with your band.

If you struggle to lead a good rehearsal, don’t know where to start, or even if you are a seasoned veteran, I’d like to introduce you to my first ebook called ‘A Guidebook for Fantastic Worship Rehearsals.’ This is a very practical guide for taking your worship rehearsals from 1st gear to overdrive! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Story, Publisher's Press, Recent Articles, Resource Reviews, Reviews, Worship Leadership, Worship Planning Tagged With: ,
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