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Guest background: Reggi Beasley spent eight years on staff at Elevation Church, serving in multiple worship leadership roles before becoming Worship Pastor overseeing worship ministry across Elevation's multi-site campuses. In this conversation, Reggi shares practical leadership lessons from leading large teams, developing healthy ministry culture, navigating difficult personnel decisions, and helping worship leaders grow in both character and calling. Drawing from decades of ministry experience, he offers wisdom for church leaders seeking to build thriving teams without sacrificing people in the process.
Key Topics Leading worship across a multi-site churchReggi shares what it was like overseeing worship ministry across Elevation Church's many campuses, caring for hundreds of worship team members while maintaining consistency, culture, and leadership development. He explains how healthy systems and clear communication help large ministries scale without losing their pastoral focus.
Why culture rises and falls on leadershipStrong ministry culture begins with leaders who can communicate vision clearly and model it consistently. Reggi explains that leadership is not just about saying the right things but communicating with the right spirit and heart. People follow both what leaders say and how they say it.
Building healthy audition and onboarding processesThe conversation explores practical systems for auditioning and onboarding worship team members. Reggi explains why churches should depersonalize parts of the evaluation process while keeping pastoral care highly personal. Clear standards, structured feedback, and thoughtful communication can help leaders maintain excellence without damaging relationships.
Protecting relationships while maintaining standardsOne of the most practical leadership discussions centers around how churches can navigate difficult conversations when someone is not ready to serve on the platform. Reggi emphasizes the importance of protecting people's dignity while still maintaining standards that serve the health of the ministry.
The power of delegated leadershipRather than becoming the sole source of feedback and correction, Reggi encourages worship pastors to build leadership layers within their teams. By empowering music directors, section leaders, and trusted volunteers, churches can create healthier cultures while preventing leaders from becoming bottlenecks.
Why leaders should "save their voice"One of Reggi's favorite leadership principles is learning to "save your voice." Instead of always being the person who delivers correction, leaders can create systems where accountability comes through trusted team members. This protects relationships, strengthens other leaders, and allows pastors to use their influence more strategically.
Handling difficult transitions and team changesEvery worship leader eventually faces difficult decisions around staffing, volunteers, standards, and inherited ministry cultures. Reggi shares lessons learned from both successes and mistakes, encouraging leaders to move slowly, lead with empathy, and prioritize people over programs.
Patience, growth, and long-term ministry impactMany young leaders feel pressure to create rapid change, but Reggi argues that meaningful ministry growth often happens slowly. Drawing on agricultural and biblical imagery, he explains why patience, consistency, and faithfulness produce deeper and more sustainable results than constant urgency.
Common leadership challenges facing worship pastorsFrom performance-driven identities to platform ambition, Reggi discusses some of the most common character challenges he sees among worship leaders. He encourages leaders to root their identity in Christ rather than influence, opportunity, or recognition.
Calling versus assignmentA major theme of the conversation is the distinction between calling and assignment. Reggi challenges the modern tendency to treat every ministry opportunity as a calling, arguing instead that our primary calling is to follow Christ faithfully. Assignments may change, but identity remains constant.
Equipping the saints for ministryDrawing from Ephesians 4, Reggi explores how ministry leaders are called to equip others rather than become the center of ministry themselves. Whether in the marketplace, church, or home, every believer has opportunities to participate in meaningful kingdom work.
Crown Collaborative and encouraging church leadersReggi shares his vision for Crown Collaborative, a new nonprofit focused on connecting, encouraging, and supporting pastors, executive pastors, and worship leaders. His goal is to help leaders learn together, laugh together, and build the kind of resilience that allows them to last for the long haul.
Notable resources and organizations mentioned• Elevation Church
• Crown Collaborative
• Ephesians 4
• Micah 6:8
• Passion Conferences
• Hillsong Worship
• Chris Tomlin
• Louis Giglio
• Ableton Live
• In-ear monitor systems
Key Quote"When you sit in a seat of leadership, you probably underestimate the way other people weigh your words."
• • • • •
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Churchfront Podcast — Josh Kelsey | How AI Is Transforming Church Ministry
Guest background: Josh Kelsey is the Lead Pastor of Vineyard Church in California. In this conversation, Josh shares how his church is actively using AI across nearly every department—from sermon preparation and curriculum creation to operations, worship ministry, and discipleship. He offers a practical vision for how church leaders can use AI to reclaim time, reduce burnout, and focus more deeply on shepherding people.
Key Topics
AI in the church: fear vs. opportunity Josh argues that many church leaders are approaching AI with unnecessary fear. While concerns around ethics and implementation are valid, he sees AI primarily as a tool—one that can dramatically increase effectiveness while freeing leaders to focus on ministry. He believes churches that embrace these tools thoughtfully will be able to pastor more effectively, not less.
Why churches are historically slow to adopt technology Churches and nonprofits are often years behind the business world when it comes to adopting new technology. Josh believes AI is creating one of the largest technological shifts of our generation, and many church leaders risk missing opportunities simply because they haven't taken time to understand what's actually possible.
Scaling ministry without losing community One of the most intriguing ideas discussed is whether AI can help churches scale without sacrificing the personal connection that often disappears as organizations grow. Instead of hiring more specialists for every operational challenge, churches may soon be able to use AI systems to maintain consistency, communication, and care at a much larger scale.
AI as a team of specialists Rather than thinking of AI as a chatbot, Josh encourages leaders to think of it as an entire team of specialists available on demand. Administrative support, curriculum development, data analysis, planning, project management, and content creation can all be assisted by AI, allowing pastors to spend more time on teaching, discipleship, and relationships.
The future of church software The conversation explores how tools like Planning Center, HubSpot, Notion, Logos, MultiTracks, and other church software platforms will likely become deeply integrated with AI through technologies like APIs and Model Context Protocol (MCP). Instead of manually moving information between platforms, leaders will increasingly interact with a single AI layer that understands and works across their entire ministry ecosystem.
How Josh uses AI for sermon planning Josh shares his personal workflow for annual sermon planning and weekly sermon preparation. What once required multiple staff meetings and days of planning can now be completed in minutes. He uses AI to help organize ideas, structure teaching series, review theological themes, and accelerate sermon preparation while maintaining full ownership over theological convictions and final content.
Using AI without losing your voice One of the biggest concerns among pastors is whether AI will replace authentic preaching. Josh argues that AI works best as a collaborator rather than a creator. By training AI on previous sermons, theological frameworks, and ministry values, leaders can use it to refine and organize their ideas while still maintaining their unique voice and convictions.
Curriculum creation and discipleship workflows Vineyard uses AI extensively to create small group curriculum, discipleship resources, class materials, slide decks, teacher guides, and parent resources. Tools like NotebookLM help transform existing content into multiple formats, dramatically reducing preparation time while increasing consistency across ministries.
AI-powered worship ministry Worship and production teams are also leveraging AI. Josh and his worship pastor discuss using tools like Suno to create custom music, countdown tracks, and ministry-specific content. They also explore future possibilities for creating custom stems, backing tracks, and other resources that could significantly reduce production workload.
The ethics of AI and transparency Throughout the conversation, Josh emphasizes the importance of transparency. Leaders should be honest about where AI is assisting their work while recognizing that many forms of ministry have always involved collaboration, research assistance, editors, and support staff. The key is maintaining integrity while leveraging powerful new tools.
A leveling of the playing field for small churches Perhaps the most exciting implication is what AI means for under-resourced churches. Pastors who lack staff, consultants, formal training, or large budgets can now access tools that help bridge those gaps. Josh believes AI may become one of the most powerful ministry equalizers the Church has ever seen.
Notable tools mentioned
• Claude
• ChatGPT
• Gemini
• NotebookLM
• Planning Center
• HubSpot
• Notion
• Logos Bible Software
• Suno
• Zapier
• MultiTracks
• Google Workspace
Key Quote
"Imagine if you could free up 15 hours of your week to spend more time making sure the people in your church who are most forgotten actually get seen."
• • • • •
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In this episode, Matt sits down with Spencer, Churchfront's Director of Engineering, to break down the most common PA system problems churches face and how to design sound systems that actually serve the room. We're covering everything from phase cancellation and speaker placement to line arrays, point source speakers, acoustics, modeling software, and practical ways to improve your church's audio without breaking the budget.
Whether you're planning a new audio system, troubleshooting an existing PA, or simply trying to understand why your room sounds the way it does, this conversation will help you make better decisions and avoid costly mistakes.
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Churchfront Podcast — Erwin McManus Lead Pastor, Mosaic Church (Los Angeles) | Author, The Seven Frequencies of Communication
Guest background: Erwin McManus has led Mosaic in LA for 35 years, building a congregation averaging in its twenties across 40+ nationalities. He's also an author, speaker, and has been a longtime participant in the Global Leadership Summit at Willow Creek.
Key Topics
What holds church leaders back The most common internal limitation isn't skill or resources — it's the lack of felt permission. Pastors are often communal and loyal by nature, which also makes them dependent on someone saying "it's okay to go for it." The church culture tends to withhold permission rather than grant it. This is a big reason conferences are so magnetic — they're not primarily about information, they're about permission receiving. People go to be in a room where they feel free to dream, risk, and believe. Erwin said a large part of his life's work has been giving people permission: to dream big, to risk, to try low-percentage ideas, and to fail without that defining their worth.
Giving permission downward in the org chart Leaders often receive permission at a conference and then come back and tell their team what to do — which is not the same as giving permission. True permission-giving means creating space for people to grow, develop, dream, and execute in their own way. Key principle: hold tight to where you're going, hold loosely to how you get there. Someone can execute at a high level and still do it differently than you would — and that's okay.
"It's All About People" vs. "You Can't Take Everyone With You" (from Mind Shift)McManus intentionally places these as Chapter 1 and Chapter 3 as a juxtaposition. Most leaders lean hard toward one and neglect the other. His advice: read both, figure out which one resonates more, then go apply the other one. That tension is where relational elegance lives.
When people leave, they attack your character At Mosaic, after major style and culture shifts, the people who left rarely said "I don't like the music." They attacked Erwin's character because it made them the hero of their story. He found the exceptions refreshing — the people who were honest ("the church is too young," "too diverse," "too evangelistic") made it easy to respond. His approach: when you bring clarity as a leader, you're giving people the gift of choice. If they hate who you are now, they're going to really hate who you're becoming — so this is actually a good time to part ways. "If you're everything, you're nothing."
The white interior at Mosaic Hollywood During the 18-month pandemic shutdown, Aaron McManus pitched painting everything white — stage, speakers, walls. No precedent existed for it. The idea was: when people come back, we don't want them having a nostalgicexperience — we want them going forward. The white space became a blank canvas for projection and lighting in every direction. It's now been widely imitated. (They did the same thing at their current Pasadena theater space, which was the longtime home of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.)
The Seven Frequencies of Communication The seven frequencies are a framework for understanding how people communicate and how they're heard — not just outwardly but internally, since your inner voice shapes the health of your soul. The frequencies: Commander, Challenger, Healer, Motivator, Professor, Seer, Maven. This isn't a static identity — it's a dynamic range you can access. The goal is mastery over your frequencies, not just defaulting to your primary one.
Hire for character, not for frequency When Jake asked whether leaders need Commander or Challenger to run a department, Erwin's answer was simple: if the character is right, the frequency will work itself out. A high-Motivator leader who doesn't have Commander will still make people want to achieve for them — and the team will learn to push for clarity on execution. Environmental health matters more than frequency profile.
Commanders and competency Commanders have competency as a core value. If you move a Commander into a new role without giving them enough context, resources, and framing, they won't feel like they're being trusted — they'll feel like they're being set up to fail. The key: make sure they feel equipped, not just trusted. "He just wants to make sure he has enough swords."
Seers in leadership Many megachurch pastors are Commander-Seer combinations. The risk for Seers is confusing movement with momentum — pivoting sideways to get around an obstacle, while the team thinks the direction has changed entirely. The Seer knows they're still heading north; they forgot to communicate why they went east first. Solution from their team's side: instead of assuming the vision changed, ask "this feels like a direction change — is this a strategic move to get there faster? Help me communicate it well."
Churchfront "Captive Consultant" se...
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How to Disciple Your Team When You're Always On Stage - Part 2 Episode DescriptionIn part two of this worship pastor conversation, Matt and Sean Bennett tackle the practical realities of leading volunteers, building sustainable systems, and avoiding burnout. They discuss how to disciple a team of 30 people when you can only really pour into 5 or 6, why production should enhance worship without becoming the focus, and why planning doesn't limit the Holy Spirit - it actually creates space for him to move.
Sean also shares why he has no desire to return to vocational ministry anytime soon, the "make it better" trap that burns out worship pastors, and the one simple rule that will save your sanity: Sundays are for service, not evaluation.
In This Episode00:00 - How to Disciple Your Team When You're Always On Stage 04:42 - How Production Supports Worship Without Becoming the Focus 09:53 - Systems and Planning: The Holy Spirit Shows Up on Monday Too 16:03 - The Biggest Pitfall: Not Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing 19:10 - The "Make It Better" Trap and How to Avoid Burnout 23:23 - Practical Tips: Sundays Are for Service, Not Evaluation
Key Quotes"You can't lead 30 people on your own. At some point you have to teach your leaders to be leaders and to lead other people."
"The Holy Spirit can show up on a Monday morning planning meeting just as much as he can show up on a Sunday during a service."
"Sundays are for service, not for evaluation. You can't change Sunday. The only thing you can do is look at it for next week."
"When we stand before God someday, he's not going to ask us how many perfect services we put on. He's going to ask us what our hearts were like."
Resources MentionedVisit churchfront.com for free church production training and resources
This is part 2 of 2. If you missed part 1, go back and watch that for insights on what to look for when taking a new worship pastor role and navigating the tension between excellence and authenticity.
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What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Worship Pastor - Part 1 Episode DescriptionMatt sits down with Sean Bennett, one of the newest members of the Churchfront team and a 16-year worship ministry veteran, to talk about what it's really like to lead worship and production teams. In part one of this two-part conversation, they discuss what to look for when stepping into a new worship pastor role, navigating the tension between excellence and authenticity, and how to lead a production team you can never actually be with.
Both Matt and Sean have led in large churches, small churches, and multi-site churches. They've both been the worship pastor who also had to somehow lead the tech team. This conversation pulls back the curtain on the real challenges worship pastors face and offers practical wisdom for anyone in church production or worship leadership.
In This Episode00:00 - Introduction: Meet Sean Bennett 03:27 - What I'd Do Differently Stepping Into a New Role 08:04 - The Tension Between Excellence and Authenticity 13:16 - Leading a Production Team You Can Never Be With 18:15 - You're a Pastor First, Leader Second
Key Quotes"Excellence is doing the best you can with what you have. That starts with being honest about what you actually have."
"If you're leading people, you are a pastor. Your primary objective is discipleship - helping someone become more like Jesus."
"There are some churches that could not pay me enough to work for them. And knowing that ahead of time is a good thing."
Resources MentionedVisit churchfront.com for free church production training and resources
This is part 1 of 2. Watch part 2 for more on discipling your team, building sustainable systems, and avoiding burnout.
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Podcast Notes: Leadership & Scaling from Solo to 10+ Team Members with Jake Gosselin OverviewMatt interviews Jake Gosselin about growing Churchfront from a one-person YouTube channel into a 10+ person church AVL systems integration company. They talk through leadership growth, hiring, delegation, and how to maintain vision while scaling, with direct parallels to church leadership.
Key Topics & Timestamps Vision as the Foundation (00:00–05:32)Why clear vision needs to come before leadership development
Churchfront's mission: "Equip church leaders in spaces with innovative solutions for thriving ministry."
The importance of a mission statement, vision statement, and core values
A two-day workshop at Ramsey to clarify and communicate vision
Natural progression from YouTube creator to leading a 10-person team
Key Quote: "If there is no clear vision of where you're trying to bring that organization, then everything else that we're about to talk about with leadership development and scaling an organization is kind of irrelevant because nobody knows where you're going."
The Transition from Hands-On to Hands-Off (03:23–07:54)How Jake went from knowing everything to empowering team decision-making
Building systems so problems get solved without senior leader involvement
Decision-making frameworks around mission, vision, values, and finances
When leaders should stay involved vs. when to delegate
Team members now have authority and clarity to address issues independently
High-risk or costly decisions still require senior leader involvement
Key Quote: "It's so cool that my brain, even though I can keep up with a lot of things, I can no longer keep up with all of the cool things that are happening in the business and probably some of the headaches."
Hiring A-Players (07:54–13:04)Essential hiring criteria:
Mission alignment — genuinely excited about equipping church leaders
Self-leadership — evidence of personal discipline (health, appearance, habits)
Character references — take time to call references and vet thoroughly
Working Genius Assessment — using Patrick Lencioni's framework to build balanced teams
Team vetting — multiple team members interview candidates
Churchfront Focus: Churchfront only works with churches (not corporate AV, DJ setups, or other venues). Candidates need to genuinely care about the local church.
Working Genius Details:
$25 assessment (WIDGET acronym)
Identifies whether someone leans toward Wonder/Invention vs. Tenacity/Galvanizing traits
Helps place people into roles that fit their strengths
Recommended for church staff to understand their "genius zones"
Key Quote: "If you can't lead yourself, you can't lead others very well."
The Challenge of Letting Go (13:37–16:56)Why control is tempting but unsustainable for growth
Long-term vision motivates delegation
Media/marketing was Jake's original specialty and the hardest area for him to delegate to Matt
Over time, Matt learned Jake's standards and expectations
Hiring people who are better than you in specific areas
Real Examples:
Chris installs, rigs, mounts, and runs cable better than Jake
Spencer models and drafts 3D spaces faster in Vectorworks
James creates better schematics
Senior Leader Principle: Leaders should understand all departments without controlling them. Spend a few hours learning the basics so you can make informed decisions about major investments.
Church Application: Senior pastors should take Churchfront courses (a couple half-days) to be more informed than most lead pastors when making major AV decisions.
Key Quote: "I'm motivated by the long-term vision of where this is going and how big the organization has to go that I'm just like, 'Yeah, I don't need to control everything. I don't want that life where I feel like I have to because I'm just going to be miserable about that.'"
Present Leadership Without Micromanaging (17:46–19:40)Weekly team meetings where everyone shares what they're working on
Asking: "What did you do last week?" and "What are y...
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Carey Nieuwhof Interview - Podcast Notes OverviewConversation with Carey Nieuwhof about the shift in modern church worship from entertainment-focused to encounter-focused experiences, live streaming strategy, and church growth in the digital age.
Key Themes 1. The Shift: Entertainment vs. EncounterThe Problem with Modern Church Production
Quote: "Gen Z is the most marketed to generation in human history. And we're all kind of numb to the production. I don't think people are looking for hype. They're looking for hope."
What People Actually Want
The Internet's Limitation
The Tonal Shift
Silence and Space
Quote: "People's lives are so noisy and so crowded. I mean, we don't even sleep without white noise machines or anything like that. So where else are you going to get silence?"
Evoke vs. Manipulate
Quote: "It's not our job as Christians to manipulate. It's our job possibly to evoke, to say, 'I'm going to set the table. I can't control the Holy Spirit.'"
3. The Liturgy IssueModern Church is "Liturgically Malnourished"
Carey's Confession
Quote: "It's like confess your sins to one another and you will be healed. We don't do that anymore. What if we did that?"
Not Either/Or, But Both/And
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Episode TitleThe Surprising Connection Between Online Views and Church Growth
Episode DescriptionMatt and Jake dive into The Unstuck Group's Q3 2025 report analyzing 252 churches to uncover surprising connections between worship style, online streaming, and church growth. Discover why declining churches juggle multiple worship styles, how online views predict growth, and why the cost barrier for quality streaming has never been lower.
Key TakeawaysHosts: Jake Gosselin and Matt Woltjer from Churchfront
Timestamps0:00 Introduction: The Unstuck Group Q3 2025 Report Overview 1:11 76% of Churches Now Offer Only Modern/Contemporary Worship 3:52 Declining Churches Juggle Multiple Worship Styles 6:07 Living in the Tension: Traditional vs. Contemporary 7:42 Excellence in Worship - Both Styles Can Work 10:12 Vision is Essential - Don't Lead What You Don't Believe In 12:02 Your Space Dictates Your Style Limitations 14:09 Contemporary Worship = More Online Engagement 15:51 96% of Churches Now Offer Online Services 17:01 The Cost of Broadcasting Has Decreased Dramatically 19:36 Online Streaming Doesn't Hurt In-Person Attendance 20:47 Online Views as a Lead Indicator for Growth 22:50 40% of Online Viewers are First-Time Visitors 23:07 Audio First - The Key to Quality Streaming
Resources Mentioned#ChurchGrowth #WorshipStyle #LiveStreaming #ChurchTechnology #TheUnstuckGroup #ContemporaryWorship #TraditionalWorship #ChurchAV #OnlineChurch #ChurchLeadership
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