Category Archive

  “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

  “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

  “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

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

  “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

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

  “As we like to say around the office, the message drives the day. Likewise, in a strong worship planning system, the upcoming messages and series drive every other element of your planning. So outlining your preaching calendar well in advance is critical. Otherwise, you cripple the other aspects of your worship planning. The only way to have a worship … Read More

  “People should be more like Jesus when they walk out of our churches than when they walked in, and every aspect of our services should be created with that goal in mind. Repentance is the deepest kind of worship.”                – Nelson Searcy and Jason Hatley The above quote is from p. 36 of … Read More

  “Information plus inspiration plus action leads to transformation. God provides the inspiration; we provide the information and the call to action.”                 – Nelson Searcy and Jason Hatley The above quote is from p. 36 of Engage: A Guide to Creating Life-Transforming Worship Services. Engage is your step-by-step, stress-free guide to planning creative worship … Read More

  “We are a reflection of God’s character on this earth. God isn’t sloppy or ill prepared; he’s excellent. And excellence on our part honors him. Where you and I get into trouble is in thinking that excellence is the same as perfection. It isn’t. We will never be perfect this side of heaven. But that doesn’t mean we can’t … Read More