“Teaching pastors must remember that intellectual knowledge is just the beginning of transformation. There must also be a clear call to repentance and, most importantly, the congealing inspiration of God. I don’t ever want people to walk out of church and simply think, ‘Huh. I learned something today.’ Instead, I want them to think ‘I want to live out … Read More
Keys to Worship Planning: Honoring God with Your Best
“Instead of continually praying for more, prove your faithfulness by doing the very best you can with what you’ve already been given. If your worship team is just you and a guitar, be excellent in that position. You and I honor God when we commit to doing the very best we can with what we have. To offer God … Read More
Keys to Worship Planning: The Thursday Midnight Rule
“Since Sundays are so important, at The Journey we have decided never to leave anything associated with the Sunday service to chance. In fact, we have a rule called the Thursday midnight rule. By midnight on Thursday, we are totally prepared for Sunday – down to every last detail. Leave nothing to chance. God honors preparedness.” … Read More
John Wesley’s 7 Rules for Congregational Singing
Today’s guest post comes to us from TheWorshipCommunity.com. In 1761, John Wesley penned these iconic guidelines for corporate singing for church congregations who would be singing out of the Select Hymns with Tunes Annext hymn book. Believe it or not, in the 18th century it was fairly cutting edge to sing the hymns that we know and love today. So, … Read More
Keys to Worship Planning: Every Sunday Matters
“The hour or so that you have with your people during each worship service is phenomenally important. Every. Single. Week. You can never let a Sunday slide. Every Sunday matters. One of the most basic requirements for being a teaching pastor or worship leader is that you love Sundays. God has entrusted you with people who will walk through … Read More
Keys to Worship Planning: Creating the Right Environment
“None of us is in the business of creating transformation in people. God is the only one who can do that. Our job is to create an environment where the transformation can happen and intentionally invite our listeners into God’s truth. If people aren’t seeing their lives transformed by the reality of Jesus Christ, we may not be doing … Read More
Keys to Worship Planning: Planning and Preparation
“Your Sunday service is like the tip of a massive iceberg. The planning and preparation going on beneath the surface will determine the shape, strength, and overall impact of the hour or so you have with your people. Think about it: your service is the only visible manifestation of your hard work, prayer, and planning; it’s often the only … Read More
Magic Words to Improve Your Worship Services – Part 3
Last week in this multi-part series, I shared two more powerful phrases that I use at The Journey Church during our Sunday worship services. Today I’ll share my final three phrases that can help you improve the life-changing impact of your worship services each week. Magic Phrase #5: “You may be seated” Another similar option is “Great job singing — you … Read More
Keys to Worship Planning: Clarity Before Transformation
“Clarity is key. If your services aren’t clear to you in advance, they won’t be clear to your attenders on the day in question, which means they won’t lead to radically transformed lives. But as you lift the fog of confusion by pursuing clarity – and as you shape and strengthen your system by choosing to be diligent in … Read More
Magic Words to Improve Your Worship Services – Part 2
Last week in this multi-part series, I shared two powerful phrases that I use at The Journey Church during our Sunday worship services. Today I’ll share the next two phrases that can help you improve the life-changing impact of your worship services each week. Magic Phrase #3: “Let’s Pray” We want to serve as a guide to first-time guests and … Read More