Tag: Worship

5 Reasons Live Sound Issues Are Not Your Sound Person’s Fault

Recently I was talking to a frustrated worship leader at a church I was helping with their live sound issues. He was talking about his (volunteer) sound guy: “Dude, it’s not like it’s my job to keep running back there and showing them how to do stuff.” I (maybe not very politely) responded, “Actually Fred (name changed to protect the guilty), it is. Let me explain the difference between paid staff and volunteers. Hopefully you’ll understand that you’re lucky to have any because if I came to church here, I’m not sure I’d work for you.”

Too harsh? In both my travels as a sound consultant, and my lifelong experience as a church brat, band member, worship leader, and pastor, I discover over and over that the stereotypes about sound guys exist for a reason. Yeah, a lot of them are grumpy, and many of them lack some needed skills, but if you’re willing to zoom out a little bit, it’s not hard to see why. So, in the spirit of an apology, and sort of explanation to my rudeness to Fred, here are 5 reasons it’s not the sound guys’ fault.

1.) You didn’t train them.

So many good-natured, servant-hearted people are totally set up to fail in this role from day one. Some mechanic who once installed his own stereo system at home gets prodded by his wife during a call for volunteers, and the next thing you know he’s been locked in that booth for 5 years, with the current plan for him being to have a week off when Jesus comes back. His “training” consisted of a 5-minute run-through on a Sunday morning right before he ran his first service. Now he runs the main complaint station for every grumpy member of your congregation and mainly gets attention whenever something goes wrong. Seriously, you should only do this to people you hate. Is it any wonder he bites now? This is why often in my training events I offer time for repentance, and whenever speaking to groups of sound people I offer apologies on behalf of their church staff that “know not what they’re doing”.

2.) They don’t have the proper equipment to do their jobs.

Many churches are running like the Millennium Falcon week to week. Turn stuff on, bang on it, and cross your fingers hoping you make it through the service. Having the right tools matters. Pastors, can you imagine having to prepare a sermon using only your least favorite Bible translation?

Worship leaders, imagine replacing your carefully curated pedal board with a bunch of random stuff from the guitar center closeout shelf. This is what many sound techs are facing week after week. When the microphone cuts out, everyone shoots a frustrated look at the sound booth. The sound person has been telling the staff that it needs to be looked at for months, but nothing gets done, and people assume the sound person sucks.

3.) No “win” has been clarified, therefore all anyone can do is lose.

Sound techs intuitively assume that their job is to offend no one since it is church and we’re supposed to be nice. When they receive complaints (from people that generally just don’t like rock music and are going to be unhappy no matter what), they feel personally responsible and begin to mix out of fear, trying their hardest to do what every pastor knows is impossible: please everyone in the church. Volume and mix preferences are wildly subjective, and no two people (including professional mix engineers) totally agree on what good is.

4.) They are volunteers.

In most churches (like Fred’s), these wonderful people are here only out of the kindness of their heart. They are among the first to arrive and last to leave on a day that for many people it’s their only day to sleep in.

In most churches I’ve seen, they serve more frequently ([fewer] Sundays off) than any other area in the church. And they carry a tremendous weight of responsibility. Is there any other volunteer position in the church where the pressure of the entire service is on someone? They’re not paid, and they’re there as long or longer than the staff?

And last but not least:

5.) You forgot to turn the mic on, bro.

The most common answer to “what’s wrong?” is “someone on stage did the wrong thing.” Not that that’s going to stop anyone from blaming the sound person.

Now that you, I and Fred are on the journey of repentance together, maybe consider if that Starbucks gift card is really adequate to express your appreciation for the team this holiday season.

Article written for MinistryTech by Caleb Neff. Caleb is a producer, pastor, songwriter, worship leader, husband, and dad from Cape Coral, Florida. His passion is helping artists both inside and outside the church develop their full creative potential. Check out his website, http://www.juniperrecording.com

The 10 Commandments of Great Worship Team Members

Sometimes I lead the worship band and sometimes I play in the band. Both are important roles and have specific responsibilities to do them well. As both a leader and a player/singer, here are my ten most important rules as a team member:

1. I will be available at least twice per month and answer worship department emails within 24 hours

I find that players need to play a minimum of twice per month to stay in the flow of the worship and maintain good relationships with the leader(s) and team members.
As someone who has scheduled worship teams for years, prompt replies by the team members is greatly appreciated. Also, it is a good habit to be prompt in all your communication. It is a form of discipline and respect.

2. I will listen to, practice and memorize the songs for Sunday

Most musicians learn by listening. I always spend the .99 cents to $1.29 to download the songs on iTunes and make a playlist to listen in my house and car. Listening will teach you things that charts never will. I also use the PlanningCenter.com app and media player for my phone
I will take time to practice the new songs for the team and briefly review the older songs. I want to be excellent in my service to the Lord. Wether I get paid or not, I’m playing for the ‘King of kings’. God rewards faithfulness and excellence.
I will play according to the style of the music that is driven by the church’s vision/mission instead of simply imposing my personal tastes into the music.
I will memorize the music. Memorizing songs allows me to get past the music and worship God freely. Most worship songs are not hard to memorize. Here is my post on helping you to memorize.

3. I will show up prepared and on time for rehearsal

Leaders and other team members really appreciate when all the team has done their homework. When the drummer knows the grooves, tempos and breaks, it makes the rehearsal go so much smoother. When the lead guitar and keyboard players have learned the introductions and lead lines, it saves so much time for the rest of the group.
I will bring a pencil to highlight problem parts, changes and incorrect charts.
When team members all show up on time, it shows respect and value for the whole team. It promotes unity and makes the rehearsals go much smoother.

4. I will show respect and love for my fellow team members and leader

The second greatest commandment is to ‘love your neighbor as yourself’. When team members show love and respect for each other, rehearsals, worship and life in general is much better.
If team members get direction that they don’t like. It’s important that they don’t take it personally, agree to disagree and submit – just like professionals do in the studio.
Being a leader can be tough. When you give respect and are patient with your leader, God sees and rewards that attitude and heart.

5. I will not noodle on my instrument when the leader is speaking

Having great rehearsal habits is important. The time to practice your individual part is when you are on your own.
You show respect for the leader and the rest of the team when you learn to listen at the appropriate times.

6. I will worship as I play my instrument and endeavor to be a great worshipper on and off the stage

The purpose of a worship band is to worship God and lead the congregation to do the same. If you are just playing or singing then you are not fulfilling your responsibilities. Get past the music and worship God and lead by example.
A sign that you are an authentic worshipper is that you are the same on and off the stage. People see you on and off the stage. Be authentic!

7. I will attend church and give whether I am playing or not

Great team worship team members know the importance of regular church attendance. We all need to be great congregational members before we can become great worship team members.
Supporting your local church means more than playing your instrument. Giving of your time and finances really shows where your heart is.

8. I will practice my singing and/or instrument regularly

Great worship team members are better this year than they were last year.
Great team members work on growing by practicing regularly, taking lessons and watching and learning from great worship videos.

9. I will wear the appropriate clothes for the dress code

I never want my clothes to be a distraction to our worship times.
My general advice is to develop a dress code that is modest and culturally relevant to your congregation.

10. I will grow in my love for the Lord and live a godly lifestyle

This is the last commandment but it is the most important. Loving God with your whole heart and life is the core of worship.
Living a life that is pleasing to God opens up the door for God’s blessing on your life. Don’t allow sin to ruin that. Repent and get back on track!
Great worship team members are more than volunteers. They are serving in worship ministry because of the calling and gifting of God in their lives.

Question: What points have I missed? Are you a great worship team member? What areas can you improve on?

Article written by Mark Cole. Mark has spent over 30 years as a Worship Pastor in some of the largest churches in Canada and is also the founding musical arranger of PraiseCharts.com, a ministry supplying worship charts and orchestrations for thousands of churches around the world. To find out more about Mark, click here.

Roll Out The Red Carpet This Christmas

For some people, Christmas is the only time they go to church. That is why it is critical for churches to have a strategic plan for welcoming guests, especially during holiday services. If you haven’t started, now is the time to begin planning your events to reach the first time guest who will come to your church this time of year. There’s just too much at stake! Here are some practical things you can do during your service to make an eternal difference in the lives of your guests:

Pay attention to your website and social media

Give extra attention to your website and social media leading up to your Christmas services. Is it clear and easy to find the times and locations of your Christmas services? Are all of your campuses open, or will you have one large gathering at the main campus? Will childcare be provided? Make sure every detail is covered online.

Train your holiday greeters

This seems obvious, but if you don’t usually have greeters at the entrances of the church, be sure they are present at your Christmas services. If you already have them, add more for your Christmas services, and make sure they are your most hospitable and helpful greeters. Place friendly faces at all of your entrances to the church and main worship areas so that that each guest gets a “Hello and Merry Christmas!” Encourage your greeters to offer more than a smiling face. At the very least, challenge them to remember people—because nobody likes to feel forgotten. Make a special effort to greet people you do not already know.

Greeting begins in the parking lot

The first few minutes of a guest’s experience are critical to the overall visit. Their experience starts when they pull into your church parking lot. Why not add a few extra volunteers this year to help direct and greet visitors as they find parking. Seeing a friendly face before you’re even in the door can make a big impact.

Add additional helpers

Think through the highest trafficked hallways or confusing areas of your church. These would be great spots to add additional greeters to help guide visitors to the right spot. Make it obvious who your volunteers are, using name tags, signs, or shirts so that guests know who to go to for help.

Have an overflow seating plan

Your Christmas Eve or Christmas services are usually the biggest one of the year, so have a solid plan in place for overflow seating. This includes volunteers assigned to grab more seating or direct people to a different area to watch the service. It also includes the tech team or extra tech volunteers to broadcast the service in the overflow room and attend to any potential sound issues.

Get Visitor Contact Information

Get your guests to share their contact information by offering something in return. My church gives $5 to the local food bank for each connect card that’s completely filled out and put into the offering bucket. Find what works for you and your church and do what you can to collect your guest’s information.

Engage in Meaningful Follow-Up

Follow-up on Christmas Eve immediately following the worship service. Yes, we realize that there are other things to do Christmas Eve! It’s inconvenient and everyone’s tired and wants to go home. We get that! Churches that are growing have leaders who are willing to work their tail off to get and maintain momentum to build the Kingdom

Make Your Christmas Eve Service Remarkable

Take your creativity to such a level that the service and your guests experience is talked about for weeks to come. We want your guests to be telling their friends and family about their experience so that their friends and family will want to come and experience your services for themselves.

Give Visitors a Reason to Return

Several times during the Christmas Eve service, make a big deal about your new sermon series that starts the following week or the first week of January. Use popular movies and community concerns to develop impactful sermon series. Whatever you do, be sure that you invite your guests back!

Poor hospitality is the #1 reason first-time visitors don’t return. Express this to your staff and volunteers. You have an opportunity this Christmas to share the message of Christ and draw people into your church. It’s time for all hands on deck!

What special things do you do at your church to retain your Christmas guests?

Written by Meggan Jacobus. Meggan is the staffing manager at Froot Group, a worship staffing and consulting company.

You Can’t Tell Me What to Wear!

I think it’s time for some worship leaders to grow up. I know the artsy types are free thinkers, like to push the boundaries around them, and don’t like to be told what to do. It’s part of their creative make-up and helps make them who they are: explorers. However, I believe that these reasons are sometimes just excuses to circumvent the expected, and many times in the process hurt and offend others.

I recently attended a wedding. The setting was a small Catholic church, complete with hardwood pews, kneeling benches, and stained glass windows. This traditional setting had a modest sound system and had added a retractable screen for a projector, but otherwise every effort had been made to keep the aesthetics true to its history. This wedding was a formal event, most people in suits or dresses.

After I was seated, I was admiring the skill of the worship leader who was playing, singing, and just providing a nice ambiance before the ceremony. It was then I was horrified. The worship leader was also in a suit and tie, but decided to express his uniqueness by wearing teal Converse. This man was being paid by the bride and groom, and obviously expectations were set by them, the pastor, and the sacredness of the event; yet I felt like they were totally disrespected. I felt embarrassed for them by this rude gesture.

Each Sunday, anyone on the platform represents the church and pastor. In many cases, the pastor has set a climate or culture that they want established. There are guidelines set, whether written or verbal. This can vary from a suit and tie, to jeans and a t-shirt. Whatever the expectation, those who are allowed the privilege of serving on the platform should follow the dress code.

And this is where many worship leaders say, “You can’t tell me what to wear!” Think about other jobs: McDonalds tells their employees what to wear; nurses are told what to wear; and offices set a dress code. Truth is, most of us are told what is acceptable and what is not.

So I’d like to encourage every worship leader to put their pride aside and be sure they are following the rules given to them. There is great freedom within the boundaries set, as long as we are obedient within those parameters. Show respect to the people or event you are participating in, whether it is a church service, wedding, VBS, or funeral. Meet the expectations, and represent the authorities above well.

Written By: Dave Feltman. Dave is a Search Coach for Froot Group, a worship staffing and consulting company.

A Bigger Picture Of Worship

I’m going to jump right into things this week. I’m discussing worship…a topic that’s near to my heart. But before we get started, I have a few questions:

What drives you to worship? Not just on Sunday, but throughout the rest of the week?

What keeps you in a frame of mind that is set upon worship?

What is worship, anyway?

If I am honest with myself, I struggle with answering these questions. I’ve found there’s no easy answer even with many years of practice. For some backstory, I’ve been involved with some level of “worship” (the part you see and hear on stage) since I was in my high school and college years. I remember leading a youth group praise band with my electric guitar; my Epiphone Les Paul (oh yeah!). And then in college, I led worship at my school’s Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship chapter. I helped lead while attending North Dakota State and our worship team actually included the gal who is now my wife. (Just fair-warning: your future spouse might be someone who’s on your team!)

With all that experience and many more years under my belt in ministry, you’d think I’d start to have a grasp of what worship is. That maybe I’m at some expert or mastery level. But in reality, I know I have as much to learn now as I did all those years ago. Worship is so much deeper than what I think it is.

I think those initial questions are hard to define because we speak of worship in somewhat ambiguous terms. We talk about worship as a church service. It can also be a song itself. Or maybe even a style of music. Worship as a music style has grown so much over the past 20 years that it has gained its own genre and subgenre within Christian music.

But is worship solely limited to those things? Just a song or style of music? Or just the 20 minutes of time that lasts between the announcements and the sermon? I surely hope not.

Through my own study of this topic through books and the Bible, through hearing sermons, and by just being around other Christians, I’ve come to this conclusion: worship is SO MUCH BIGGER than the box we put it in. In fact, it’s really not about music at all. It’s an attitude of the heart. Music is one way to express our worship to God and it’s a great way to do it. But I’ve come to embrace the fact that worship is all-encompassing. Therefore, everything I do becomes an act of worship to God.

That means how I serve my wife and kids is worship.

How I spend my time and money is worship.

How I treat my coworkers is worship.

What words I allow to come out of my mouth is worship.

Who I am when no one else is around is worship.

In each of these things, I am allowing myself to ascribe worth and value to something: hopefully in each case, to the Lord.

I think if we come before the Lord each day seeking Him and pursuing a lifestyle of worship, it becomes that much easier to enter into worship and praise on Sunday. When we’ve been living it in the trenches Monday-Saturday, we realize Sunday is just the capstone; the culmination of all we’ve already been doing throughout the week. Through that, we praise and we thank God. It’s as important to worship corporately (i.e. on Sunday) as it is individually (outside of church).

This summer, I’m urging you to find space and margins in your day and week to reevaluate what worship looks like for you. I find it especially important with the busyness of fall soon approaching. Consider this a gentle reminder that we need to constantly and consistently pursue Christ and set aside time to seek Him and His will for our lives. It just won’t happen by accident. If you are struggling to find rest, to unplug and listen to the Lord, here’s a blog I wrote earlier this year that might give some guidance: Learning To Rest .

If I point a finger at anyone in all of this, it’s at myself to ask “How well am I worshipping today? Am I giving God my best?” He deserves our best but until we understand a bigger picture of worship, we run the risk of giving Him less than He deserves. I don’t want to give God my leftovers. I want Him to have the first fruits. Worship is how we do that and it’s happening all the time…24/7.

God bless you! Much love to you and please know I’m praying for you!

I can be reached at info@derekcharlesjohnson.com

God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:24

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. Psalm 29:2

Written By: Derek Charles Johnson. Derek is a friend of the Froot Group family and is a church worship leader residing in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Check out Derek’s website to find out more about who he is, listen to his songs or read more of his blogs. We think he’s a swell guy and you will too!

Give Yourself a Break

Typically, for worship leaders specifically, summer is a “slower” time of the year. Once September arrives, you are already planning Christmas, doing a quick hit on Veteran’s Day, then before you know it into Easter, Memorial Day, and Fourth of July. Not taking into account all the other special days your church might have coming up: baby dedications, sermon series, Mission’s Convention, community outreach, and the list goes on. There seems to always be something pressing you.

That’s why when you have a natural break, you need to take it! You might say, “Well now that there’s a break, I can catch up on another project.” I tried that. For all of May and June, I worked longer hours, to the point that everything else was on hold. For me, I notice it in my backyard. The weeds were bountiful, there was no new mulch, the flower pots were empty, the grill was covered, and the pool was green. It really hit me the first week of July that I was overworked, tired, and burnt out. And it was my own fault.

The past few weeks I have remedied the problem. I have limited work hours, and made an effort to take time: for me, to be with people, and to catch up the yard. Today is a milestone…I went in the pool. It is crystal clear, the yard is mowed, the weeds gone, the plants and flowers planted. I am seizing the time I have, because I can see the next project coming.

How about you? Have you been able to give yourself a break? If you haven’t it’s not too late. Take advantage of any lull you have and get away from work. Spend time on your hobby, meet with friends, get your chores done around the house. You will feel better, and it will recharge your battery so when the rush of work comes again, you will be ready. When you take care of yourself, you are then able to give to others.

Written by Dave Feltman. Dave is a search coach for Froot Group, a worship staffing company.

Shooting An Amazing Smartphone Video

Forgive me Father for I have binged! I sat down for an extended amount of time (for I will not disclose) and watched YouTube. One video leads to another, which leads to another and before you know it you’re asking yourself what you started out doing before you started in on the binge. You spend hours and hours laughing at the videos that people have posted. You ask, “What was he thinking?” Sometimes you’re blown away or pleasantly surprised by the talent or quality.

Here at Froot Group we see videos of all kind. One of the top things that stop a worship leader from proceeding along in our process or even landing a job, is the lack or quality of their video. We can’t stress enough how important your introduction and worship leading videos are. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video may be worth a thousand pictures.

Almost all of us have a smartphone these days or know someone who does. I wanted to provide you just a few suggestions to help improve the quality of your video.

Most important, turn your phone sideways: By using the “landscape” (horizontal) orientation when shooting video, you get more of the worship center and musicians in the shot. Another reason is that you don’t want your viewers to see those black bars on each side of the video when it’s played back on social media, or viewed on a computer desktop or widescreen television.

Hold your phone steady: You can position yourself and try to be as still as possible but your best option would be to pick up a monopod or selfie stick at your local dollar store. If you have access to one, it would be even better to get ahold of a collapsible tripod. Having a still video will ensure your viewers don’t get turned off by a shakey video.

Composition rule: Sometimes you only got one chance to capture a great worship experience. If you want your videos to look professional, consider the “rule of thirds”. Break up the phones viewer screen into two vertical lines and two horizontal lines, and place your subject wherever the four lines intersect. Think of it like a Tic-Tac-Toe board; our eyes naturally look at one of these intersection points.

Lighting is important: Pay attention to the light around you, and take advantage of it. Good lighting – be it natural or artificial — can make or break a video. Play with the angles until you like what you see. Don’t shoot subjects near a window or with their back to the sun, as they’ll look like a silhouette. Even though you might be tempted to chose the auto feature on your phone, it’s ok to revert and play with the other features. This will allow you to make up for any differences that you may have for natural lighting.

Sound advice: Don’t underestimate the importance of good sound. This is one of the most important features of a great video. Your best option would be to have a professional microphone but if you can’t, try to get as close as possible to capture the clearest audio. You’ll be surprised how good your smartphone’s mic can be. If you’re too far away, you’ll get some of those ambient noises in your recording. Although you’re not going to avoid everything (sneezing, baby crying, etc) in a worship service, it will at least be better if you’re closer to the person you’re capturing.

Edit away: Video can live forever so you might as well make it as good as it can be. Tweak it on your phone – or better yet, on a computer with its larger screen to assess your work. This includes cutting, cropping, adjusting color and brightness, adding transitions, special effects, music, narration, captions, and more. Always keep the original just in case, but spice up your videos a bit before giving it to the world.

If you stumble upon someone to shoot a professional grade video for you definitely jump on the opportunity. Just remember though that if a church is investing enough in you to bring you out for a visit to their church, you should invest in them by having a great video.

Written by: Meggan Jacobus. Meggan is the Staffing Manager at Froot Group, a worship staffing & consulting company.

5 Ways to Grow Your Worship Team

Over the past 10 years I’ve had the privilege of being part of worship teams all around the country. Now as a Worship Pastor of a growing church, I often am asked “How are you growing your worship team?”

So I thought I would share with you 5 simple ways to grow your team.

Build the Culture

When we talk about building the culture we want to first talk about having a vision for your worship team.So ask yourself this question. Why should people want to be on the worship team? By sharing the vision, your team will know if this is something that they can get behind or not. Do not be afraid to lose teammates over casting a vision. King Solomon said it best, “People without a vision will perish.” So, what kind of culture do you want to build?

Worship Team Commitments

Worship team expectations or team commitments are essential for building your worship team. It is a way for people to not only see the vision of the team, but to also have a good idea of what they are getting into and what is expected of them. You may also want to include a vision statement as well as a list of your team believes. i.e. We believe every week something powerful happens when we worship Jesus.

Ask People to Join

There is a true and real statement in the worship world when talking about worship teams, “Excellence Attracts Excellence”! Though this is true, the simple truth is people want to be asked. Try not to assume they don’t want to play with the team. Maybe they are just waiting for someone to ask them? You never know until you ask.

All Team Nights

As a volunteer at our church, you are not just on a team but you are part of a worship family. We love to get together and one way we do this is by having All Team Nights. This consists of all our worship and tech team coming together once a quarter. We have a time of worship and encouragement. We talk about upcoming events as well as changes that we are going to be making. This is truly a great time for the whole team to be unified.

Build a Lead Team

If you can, build a lead team. This is so key as it helps cast the vision and unite. Your lead team will also be able to see things that you as a worship leader may not see. They will help you dream and implement new ideas that you may not be able to implement yourself.

Try to find a time, each month, to sit down over coffee or a meal and talk about how things are going. Always try and answer the question, “Are we better than we were 3 months ago?” Trust me when I say this is a game changer!

Written by Derek Harsch. Derek is the Marketing Director of Froot Group, a worship staffing and consulting company.

May 23, 2017

Meggan Jacobus

What do you use to encourage your team? Do you tell the speaker that they just preached a great sermon after that early Sunday morning? Do you tell your favorite worship leader that their voice sounds angelic every time they steps on platform? How about the chairs team? Do you thank them for all their hard work and faithfulness to the church, and the ministry that God is using them for? Absolutely. Continue reading →

Listen Up!

Pastor’s are known as talkers. They speak to people every week. Forty-five minutes during a Sunday morning. Thirty minutes at a Bible Study. Twenty minutes at a prayer group. They talk.

Worship leaders are known as singers. They sing to people every chance they get. Sunday morning church, rehearsals, private lessons, weddings…always singing.

But when have we, as pastors or leaders, just listened?

Franklin D Roosevelt (32nd President) loved to entertain guests at the White House. His desire for connecting with people become so popular that he had to create a line and have everyone pass by while he shook hands and conversed. One day he had been feeling as if people weren’t really listening to him so he tried something… as he greeted each guest he would whisper as they were walking away, “I murdered my grandmother.” Everyone gave similar responses, “You’re doing a great job,” or “Nice to meet you,” or “Great, keep up the good work.” Roosevelt became pretty upset until the ambassador to Bolivia come by. When Roosevelt whispered, “I murdered my grandmother,” the ambassador leaned in and said, “Well sir, I’m sure she had it coming.”

The people we serve have a story they are living, and they need to share it. The job promotion they just received, the news of an illness, personal struggles, they all are happening in the people around us every day. And we need to hear about it. But that requires a skill very few have mastered: listening.

My challenge to you this week is simple…stop talking long enough to allow others to tell their story. When given the space to be heard, you will be amazed at what people will share with you. And when you are a good listener to them, you will better know how to speak to them.

Written by: Dave Feltman

Dave is a Search Coach for Froot Group, a worship staffing & consulting company.

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