The Church Collective Worship Leader Podcast

In this episode I talked with Chris and Jon about some practical worship guitar tips as well as hear the heart behind their upcoming guitar workshops. In this episode we talk about:

The value of connecting with other worship leaders.

The story behind the start of these workshops.

Jon's journey to becoming a worship leader. The influence of Carl Lentz and Hillsong on his life.

The worship leader's network of Hampton Roads.

Some practical advice for guitar tone and creating atmosphere.

The tremendous value of training others.

In this episode we talk about:

The songwriting process at River City.

The value in having one large team of players and leaders.

The process they go through to decide which new songs get introduced at their church.

The challenge of crafting songs and giving control to River City. How they help their songwriters create better music.

How they introduce new songs to their church.

How they filter their music theologically.

The process for submitting music to CCLI.

Scott and I dig deep with Spence and Seth from Crosspointe in Valdosta, GA about their song Arise that has really started seeing traction in churches. Here's the rundown:

How they wrote Arise.

The people involved in creating the song over the course of a year.

How their pastor was involved in writing the song.

How they introduced the song to their church.

The recording process.

The evolution of the song after it has been recorded.

Advice for worship leaders wanting to record their team.

The importance of connecting with the people of your church.

Brian Campbell and I give some great advice for integrating click tracks in your worship services.

I had a really great conversation with Chris Sligh about:

What it was like growing up in a family that was deeply involved in ministry.

How he came to know God and really make his faith his own.

His first job at a church doing youth worship and youth pastoring.

How he was involved in multi-site work at seacoast church just as it was starting.

Why he decided to try out for American Idol and how God was involved in the process.

The difference between CCM and artist music in the christian music world.

His prayer to God to be able to spend more time with his family and the profound way God answered.

Moving from his artist career to full time worship ministry and how God met all his needs.

What it's like doing worship ministry at a 7500 person church. Shoreline in Austin, Tx.

How he started to change the worship style at his church.

The choice to move away from paying musicians in worship ministry.

What he does to keep close to God in ministry.

The process of writing songs and keeping yourself filled with the Spirit.

A breakdown of his 3 hour rehearsal time.

The importance of speaking well of the ministry that has been done before you joined.

This week's episode features Aaron and Hope from Fellowship Creative: Miles and I chat with them about:

How Fellowship Creative ties in to Fellowship Church.

Their process for getting people involved in worship ministry.

What they do to get young people involved in leading worship.

Their discipleship process for team members.

Plus a bunch more just great practical worship leading insights!

In this episode I had a chance to chat with Spence Parkerson about his ministry and the heart behind his new book The Gospel Centered Worship Leader: Raising Up Worshipers Who Lead. It's been great to get to know Spence over this past year and if you haven't gotten his book yet, you really need to! Here are some highlights from our talk:

The importance of replicating ourselves as worship leaders.

How he began writing his book.

The value of scripture in the life of the worship leader.

The danger of leading without having God involved.

The heart behind his post Worship is War.

The value of knowing the people you are ministering to in your congregation.

Miles, Casey, and myself had a great conversation with Toby and Matt from the band Emery and Bad Christian. In this episode we chat about:

The heart behind their new venture: Bad Christian.

Their book: Bad Christian, Great Savior and the process of writing it.

Their podcast and what it's all about.

How the new Emery album is coming.

Miles and Casey make a plea for Emery to come to San Luis Obispo.

Toby and Matt's involvement in worship leading and what they've learned so far.

The difference between touring and worship leading.

The value of listening to more than just worship music.

In this episode we talk about:

How Kings Kaleidoscope came together.

Where they draw their musical inspiration from.

Chad's experience in serving at the local church.

Their new partnership with Bad Christian

How their new EP was recorded in one night.

The importance of strong theology in your songwriting.

Chad's favorite song on the EP.

Upcoming plans for a new album and tour.

How they're transitioning from congregational writing to writing for a broader audience.

The process of arranging the music for such a big team.

The need to internalize the music you're leading.

The pastoral role of the worship leader.

In this episode of the podcast we have interviews with Jadon Lavik and Crystal Lewis. If you're in southern california, you're going to want to head to An Easter Together. Be sure to check it out!

Here are some highlights from the convo with Jadon:

How he got involved in worship ministry.

The influence Rick Muchow had on him.

How he moved from being a touring artist to now pouring in to the local church.

What a typical weekend service looks like for his church.

His involvement in An Easter Together.

How to go about doing a city wide worship service.

And here are notes from our interview with Crystal Lewis:

How she got involved in ministry.

The influence her parents had on her musicianship.

The value of training your kids in music.

The new ministry she's doing with her daughter.

The joy of leading worship with other worship leaders.

The heart behind her blog.

How to deal with burn out.

How she keeps her voice healthy. Her thoughts on Phil Wickham's recent vocal fatigue.

The balance of using your platform for the glory of God.