Worship Ministry Training Podcast (for Worship Leaders)

The average church in America is 80 people. And the vast majority of churches in the US are under 200 people. Small churches are not small…they are actually NORMAL. Big churches are abnormal. So how can we stop comparing ourselves to big churches and try to be who God made us to be? How can we be excellent with what we have? Jason Houtsma from Worship Artistry joins me to discuss. We talk recruiting, training, arranging, and improving our sound. If you were helped by this episode, send it on to a friend! Thanks for being part of the WMT family! Try Worship Artistry Jason's last episode   Get 15 days of Worship Ministry Academy for $1: Get 10 in-depth courses, live monthly training, weekly coaching calls, pre-built ministry systems and team documents, team discipleship material, personalized help, and a supportive community!  Visit Worship Ministry Academy and start your $1 trial today!   FOLLOW US! TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, or FACEBOOK

We live in a noisy world. But God speaks to us in a "still small voice". It's easy to miss. As worship leaders, we need to make time and space to hear from the Lord. We can't give to others if we're not receiving ourselves. But how do we do that in a world full of distractions? That's what I talk about this month with Andrea Olson from Overflow Worship. If this episode encouraged you, share it with a friend.    Get 15 days of Worship Ministry Academy for $1: Get 10 in-depth courses, live monthly training, weekly coaching calls, pre-built ministry systems and team documents, team discipleship material, personalized help, and a supportive community!  Visit Worship Ministry Academy and start your $1 trial today!   FOLLOW US! TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, or FACEBOOK  

Many worship leaders have never been taught the purpose of a worship set. Nor have they been taught HOW to build a set that flows musically and thematically toward a climactic destination of God's glory and grandeur. If that sounds complicated, don't worry. This episode is me teaching a group of worship leaders how to improve their worship sets by understanding a few simple frameworks. By the time you finish this episode, you'll know how to build better worship sets. And when you strengthen your sets, you'll strengthen your church's response in worship. If you enjoy this episode, send it on to a friend.    Get 15 days of Worship Ministry Academy for $1: Get 10 in-depth courses, live monthly training, weekly coaching calls, pre-built ministry systems and team documents, team discipleship material, personalized help, and a supportive community!  Visit Worship Ministry Academy and start your $1 trial today!   FOLLOW US! TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, or FACEBOOK

Many of us lost team members after the pandemic. In fact, some of us feel like our teams were decimated. We don't have enough musicians, and the musicians we DO still have are stressed and less reliable. How do we go about rebuilding healthy worship teams after Covid? That's exactly what I discuss with Brian Wahl (Worship Tutorials), Jenni McGrew (Worship Leader's Collective), and Jason Squires (Creative Launch). Enjoy and be encouraged!   Get 15 days of Worship Ministry Academy for $1: Get 10 in-depth courses, live monthly training, weekly coaching calls, pre-built ministry systems and team documents, team discipleship material, personalized help, and a supportive community!  Visit Worship Ministry Academy and start your $1 trial today!   FOLLOW US! TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, or FACEBOOK

What if we've been focusing on the wrong goals in our worship ministry? What if social media / YouTube has convinced us that success in worship ministry means musical excellence, fancy production, and killer songwriting? But what if that's not actually what Jesus is measuring? The truth is, worship ministry has never really been about music. Jesus didn't ask us to make music. He asked us to make disciples. In this keynote talk from the Loop Community conference, I try to bring us back to a Biblical understanding of our ministries. This is a super important episode, and I'd love it if you can forward it on to as many friends in worship ministry as possible. Thanks!    Get 15 days of Worship Ministry Academy for $1: Get 10 in-depth courses, live monthly training, weekly coaching calls, pre-built ministry systems and team documents, team discipleship material, personalized help, and a supportive community!  Visit Worship Ministry Academy and start your $1 trial today!   FOLLOW US! TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, or FACEBOOK

Should all of our worship songs be addressed TO God? Is it weird to sing about God when He’s right there in the room? When is a testimonial song appropriate in a worship set? Andi Rozier and I answer these questions for an Academy member in this episode. Be encouraged and forward this episode to a friend who you think would benefit!   Looking for great training? Try the Worship Ministry Academy: Join me live as I interview our guests and submit your own questions. Plus get 10 in-depth courses, live training workshops, exclusive interviews, Q&A sessions, personalized help, pre-built resources for your team, and more! Visit Worship Ministry Academy and start your trial today!   FOLLOW US! TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, or FACEBOOK

How do we give negative feedback to a faithful team member? If a volunteer team member is doing something that we (or the congregation) doesn’t like, are we allowed to tell them? If so, how should we go about it? Andi Rozier and I answer this question for one of our Academy members. We also discuss speaking between songs, since that is the primary issue in question. Enjoy this episode and pass it on to a friend who would be helped by it!   Looking for great training? Try the Worship Ministry Academy: Join me live as I interview our guests and submit your own questions. Plus get 10 in-depth courses, live training workshops, exclusive interviews, Q&A sessions, personalized help, pre-built resources for your team, and more! Visit Worship Ministry Academy and start your trial today!   FOLLOW US! TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, or FACEBOOK

Have we boxed the Holy Spirit in? If God wanted to move and change our service order, would we allow Him? How can we balance spontaneity and planning in our worship services? That’s what Andi Rozier and I answer for one of our Academy members. It is possible to be Spirit-led, well-planned, and still remain flexible to His in-the-moment promptings. Find out how in this episode.   Looking for great training? Try the Worship Ministry Academy: Join me live as I interview our guests and submit your own questions. Plus get 10 in-depth courses, live training workshops, exclusive interviews, Q&A sessions, personalized help, pre-built resources for your team, and more! Visit Worship Ministry Academy and start your trial today!   FOLLOW US! TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, or FACEBOOK

How come some churches seem to have such passionate worship? Why do some congregations just engage more during the singing time? If you want to see greater participation from your congregation during worship, then this episode is for you! I have Andi Rozier back on the podcast (formerly of Vertical Worship), to help us learn how to build strong, passionate, worship cultures on our teams and in our churches. Lots of gold here, from one of the best! Forward this episode on to your senior pastor and other key leaders on your worship team.   Get 10 days free of Worship Ministry Academy: Join me live as I interview our guests and submit your own questions. Plus get 10 in-depth courses, live training workshops, exclusive interviews, Q&A sessions, personalized help, pre-built resources for your team, and more! Visit Worship Ministry Academy and start your free trial today!   ALSO SEE:Increasing Congregational Engagement Starting a Songwriting Ministry w/ Andi Rozier   FOLLOW US! TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, or FACEBOOK

What if your church had a graphic design team, a photography team, a film-making team, a dance team, and a theater team? Why couldn't you? Do you have people in your church who have those skill sets and passions? Why not let them use those creative gifts to build up and serve the church? That’s exactly what Awaken Church has done! They have built creative teams of volunteers who are passionate about using the arts to portray the Gospel in beautiful and excellent ways. They seek to make art that rivals and even surpasses the art and creativity of the world! If you’re curious about how you can see more creativity at your church, let this episode inspire you!   Want to join me live as I interview our guests? Join the Worship Ministry Academy and get 10 days of free access to in-depth courses, live training workshops, exclusive interviews, Q&A sessions, and personalized help!    Awaken Music (Spotify) Awaken Music (iTunes) ALSO SEE: Building and Leading Creative Teams   FOLLOW US! TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, or FACE

This month I’m giving you another free lesson from my brand new Musical Excellence Course! This time we’re talking about running efficient and effective worship rehearsals! Did you know it’s possible to get through a full 5-song worship set twice within one hour, with everyone feeling comfortable with their parts and excited about the upcoming service? Yep! It’s possible, and in this episode I’m going to show you how! After listening you’ll know how to lead better worship rehearsals! This lesson is part of the Worship Ministry Training Academy. Inside the academy you’ll get 138 more lessons just like this one, plus live monthly training, exclusive interviews, and personalized help to grow as a worship leader! Best news is, you can try it absolutely free for 10 days. Sign up HERE   Follow Us! TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, or FACEBOOK

This month I’m giving you a free lesson from my brand new Musical Excellence Course! I’ll be teaching you 14 ways to better lead the vocalists and background singers on your worship team. These are super practical tips, so get a pen, jot some down, and try them out next week in your worship ministry! Great worship ministries have great worship singers, and these tips will help you get there! Inside the brand new Worship Ministry Training platform, you’ll get 138 more lessons just like this one! Best news is, you can try it absolutely free for 10 days. Sign up HERE ALSO SEE: Improving Your Vocals and Vocalists w/ Charmaine Brown   FOLLOW US! TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, or FACEBOOK

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This month, I had the chance to be interviewed by Matt McCoy from Loop Community for their podcast! Matt and I talk about how to think of your ministry in terms of rhythms and systems. How can you do the right things, at the right times, in the right ways, to bring about the right results? You can design your ministry to get specific desired outcomes. Are you thinking strategically about what tasks you are repeatedly doing and optimizing them to bring health and stability to your ministry? Enjoy this month’s episode and think of one way you can apply these concepts to your ministry. BONUS #1: Matt and I will be teaching together at the Worship Innovators Conference on Oct 10th and 11th, 2022 in Chicago, IL. I have two free tickets to give away! To enter the giveaway: Sign up for my Mailing List Leave an Apple Podcasts review Email me me a screenshot of your review and the email address you signed up with (email: alex@worshipministrytraining.com) BONUS #2: I have a HUGE announcement coming June 15th. Be on

Want to start using backing tracks in worship? Or maybe your church is already using tracks but you want to see if there's a better way. This episode is for you! This month I talk with Matt Mccoy from Loop Community about how to properly begin using tracks in worship. We cover... Which churches should be using tracks. How to get your band ready. Who should be in charge of running the software. What to do when things go wrong. How to overcome opposition. The future of technology in worship...(think metaverse and AI)! Loads more! This is a great conversation and you're sure to be helped and encouraged. Do us a favor and forward this episode on to a friend! Check Out The Brand New Worship Leader Training Courses! Use Promo Code WMTpodcast for 25% off! Helpful Links: Loop Community Website ALSO SEE: The Pros and Cons of Backing Tracks in Worship   FOLLOW US! TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, or FACEBOOK  

Tommy Walker has been faithfully leading worship at his church for the past 30 years! Talk about steadfastness! Tommy has a lot more ministry experience than most of us! So in this month's episode I ask Tommy to share wisdom and advice with us younger worship leaders. Whether you’re just getting started in ministry or you’re two decades in, there is so much wisdom and encouragement in this episode. Get ready to get amped and excited about pressing into your local fellowship!     Tommy's New Album (Spotify) Tommy's New Album (Apple Music) Tommy's Website    Check Out The Brand New Worship Leader Training Courses!   Use Promo Code WMTpodcast for 25% off!   FOLLOW US! TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, or FACEBOOK

Acoustic worship sets can actually be very powerful. You don’t need a big band or huge sound system to see your church respond in worship. Led well, acoustic worship sets with small, simple teams can lead to passionate praise and intimacy during coorperate worship. Whether you’re part of a church plant with a small team, or a large church with a huge team. Embrace small. Try these 11 tips next time you lead an acoustic worship set, and you’ll be surprised how much your church responds, and how loud they will sing. Send this episode to anyone you know who leads acoustic worship often.  Check Out The Brand New Worship Leader Training Courses! Use Promo Code WMTpodcast for 25% off! Helpful Links: Relative Keys Cheat Sheet Acoustic Guitar Techniques Loop Community Backing Pads ALSO SEE: Leading with a Small Team   FOLLOW US! TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, or FACEBOOK

Having a great music director can really take your worship ministry to the next level when it comes to musical excellence. In this episode I talk with Tyler Wester from Highlands Worship about how to be a great music director, what key qualities are necessary, what to look for in potential trainees, and some pro-tips on how to make your worship team sound great musically! Whether you have a music director yet or not, this episode is a must-listen. And if you DO have a music director, then be sure to send this episode on to them!    Tyler’s Gear Setup (Video) Music Directing Example (Video)   Check Out The Brand New Worship Leader Training Courses!   Use Promo Code WMTpodcast for 25% off!   ALSO SEE: The Role of Music Director and Practical Tips to Succeed In It Musical Excellence   FOLLOW US! TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, or FACEBOOK

Investing in your worship team volunteers is one of your most important tasks as a worship leader. You may not be able to pay your worship volunteers with money, but you can definitely show them you care in many other creative ways. This month I talk with Lee Baker from 12 Stone Church about how we can create "rhythms and layers" of volunteer care for our team members. There are a lot of really great ideas for ways you can show your volunteers how much you appreciate them! Take a few and apply them to your team this month!   EXAMPLES OF 12 STONE’S DOCUMENTS   Check Out The Brand New Worship Leader Training Courses!   Use Promo Code WMTpodcast for 25% off!     FOLLOW US! TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, or FACEBOOK

Systems, processes, routines, and schedules.  Most worship leaders run and cower in fear at the mere mention of such "structured" words. We are creatives. We like our lives to be free and flowing. But the truth is, you can't have a healthy ministry without solid and effective administrative systems and routines. The results you are currently getting in your ministry are directly correlated to actions you repeatedly take.  So what sort of actions do you need to start taking to get better results?  Thankfully, today I am talking to Chris and Tyler from Highlands Worship. Church of the Highlands is known as a "systems church", and through intentionally designed systems they've been able to grow to 60,000 people!  In this episode, I talk with Chris and Tyler about the systems they have in place to bring about health in their worship ministry.  Take a listen and be inspired! Highlands Worship Prayers to the King (Spotify) Songs to the King (Apple Music) Pray First App Check Out The Brand New Worship Leader Train