If you read this blog, you've probably heard me complain about how churches have placed all their emphasis, training, incentives and expectations upon pulpit ministers, while comparatively offering almost nothing for worship ministers. Don't even ask me how important I believe worship leaders and worship ministers are!
Fortunately, there is a current "worship awakening" that has been spreading for many years. A week does pass during which I'm not asked to recommend prospects for worship leaders and ministers to be hired. Thus the problem . . . The church has provided very little in the way of training and preparing people for this highly important role.
We are hoping that more individuals and churches will see the need to invest in this kind of advanced training. I hope to work with full-time worship ministers as well as others with extensive experience who want to maximize their skills. Churches should be sponsoring their talented leaders and investing in their abilities for lasting benefits.
Not everyone who applied for this Institute was accepted, as this was not designed to cover fundamental understandings of music and directing. A certain level of skill and experience was prerequisite for this opportunity. The number was limited - as the emphasis was focused on a very personalized training, including classroom and video-taped lab sessions. We are attempting to fill the tremendous need for coaching and mentoring.
I enjoyed the opportunity to delve much deeper than is possible in our Praise & Harmony congregational workshops. The opportunity to work with these leaders one to one was a rewarding experience.
The attendees could not have been more diverse, yet the camaraderie was outstanding. It was obvious that all those who attended were serious about expanding their skills and effectiveness in leading God's people in worship.
In addition to all the practical sessions and classes that I led, we were treated to guest clinicians Melissa Kirby (Vanderbilt Voice Clinic), Robert King (Lipscomb) and John Magnuson (North Blvd, Murfreesboro.) Melissa Lancaster handled the video sessions and practical evaluations.
Having traveled extensively to conduct Praise & Harmony Workshops for the past year and a half, the need for training worship leaders has soared to the forefront of my awareness. Please pray that we will make strides in this all-important area.
"As I've listened to you in the Praise & Harmony sessions, I always wished for more in-depth, "personalized" time. The same for ACAFEST - It is a great overview of topics but there's no time for more weighty matters. This clinic took care of that. . ."
"Wednesday: I liked starting light with something that I could just listen to with Melissa's voice talk. I'm also very glad that the attendees got a chance to get to know each other with dinner at your house."
"Thursday: I hated this day. That's probably what makes it the best day. You forced us out of our comfort zones and put us face-to -face with our weaknesses. At the end of the day I was exhausted and a little frustrated. However, this is just what I needed to refocus my energies and push for hopefully a more successful Friday."
"Friday: Thank you for asking us to redo our our worship set as well as opening critique to the entire group. It was like working the stiffness out of your muscles after a 10k run."
". . . Session Four - 'Transitions': This was probably the most beneficial part of the day. I will use many of these techniques in the future. . ."
"Great seminar! The most important thing to me was it forced me to think very critically (in a positive way) about the whole scope of worship, from my presentation, to voice care, to planning. I feel like I got a lot of good information plus a lot of tough, but good practice."
"I had a real love / hate relationship with the 'lab work.' It was important though, to move me out of my comfort zone. . . This was an incredible blessing to me."
"It was a good combination of practical work and discussion / lecture. The structure of the clinic was very effective . . . I especially enjoyed Robert King. . ."
"This clinic has been tremendous in every way - This has been exactly what I needed to fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge and experience. . . I was stepping outside my boundaries and growing. The encouragement about issues I am struggling with has also been a blessing, as well as new perspectives and fresh ideas for dealing with issues. . ."
In a few months, we'll be conducting our next Worship Leader Institute. First, we'll need some time to evaluate this one and analyze how we can make it more effective for leaders and churches who are highly serious about enhancing their worship.
In addition to all the practical sessions and classes that I led, we were treated to guest clinicians Melissa Kirby (Vanderbilt Voice Clinic), Robert King (Lipscomb) and John Magnuson (North Blvd, Murfreesboro.) Melissa Lancaster handled the video sessions and practical evaluations.
Having traveled extensively to conduct Praise & Harmony Workshops for the past year and a half, the need for training worship leaders has soared to the forefront of my awareness. Please pray that we will make strides in this all-important area.
Here are some of the comments from one of those who experienced the institute:
"As I've listened to you in the Praise & Harmony sessions, I always wished for more in-depth, "personalized" time. The same for ACAFEST - It is a great overview of topics but there's no time for more weighty matters. This clinic took care of that. . ."
"Wednesday: I liked starting light with something that I could just listen to with Melissa's voice talk. I'm also very glad that the attendees got a chance to get to know each other with dinner at your house."
"Thursday: I hated this day. That's probably what makes it the best day. You forced us out of our comfort zones and put us face-to -face with our weaknesses. At the end of the day I was exhausted and a little frustrated. However, this is just what I needed to refocus my energies and push for hopefully a more successful Friday."
"Friday: Thank you for asking us to redo our our worship set as well as opening critique to the entire group. It was like working the stiffness out of your muscles after a 10k run."
We received excellent feedback from all the participants, including:
". . . Session Four - 'Transitions': This was probably the most beneficial part of the day. I will use many of these techniques in the future. . ."
"Great seminar! The most important thing to me was it forced me to think very critically (in a positive way) about the whole scope of worship, from my presentation, to voice care, to planning. I feel like I got a lot of good information plus a lot of tough, but good practice."
"I had a real love / hate relationship with the 'lab work.' It was important though, to move me out of my comfort zone. . . This was an incredible blessing to me."
"It was a good combination of practical work and discussion / lecture. The structure of the clinic was very effective . . . I especially enjoyed Robert King. . ."
"This clinic has been tremendous in every way - This has been exactly what I needed to fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge and experience. . . I was stepping outside my boundaries and growing. The encouragement about issues I am struggling with has also been a blessing, as well as new perspectives and fresh ideas for dealing with issues. . ."
In a few months, we'll be conducting our next Worship Leader Institute. First, we'll need some time to evaluate this one and analyze how we can make it more effective for leaders and churches who are highly serious about enhancing their worship.
