Engagement. It’s a word we use a lot when it comes to worship, don’t we?

Because it’s important. Corporate worship isn’t about finding our own voice as worship leaders. It’s about helping the Church find theirs. Worship leadership is mostly about getting out of our own way.

As I’ve traveled the country this last year, there’s many lessons I’ve learned about worship. What I’ve noticed about great worship teams and worship leaders is their effectiveness depends on their ability to help people feel a part of the experience. I’ve been in churches where the music is incredible but everyone is watching. And I’ve also been in situations where the music is horrendous and people are watching. It goes both ways.

The best teams? It’s not always because of standout talent. Sure, a one-of-a-kind voice can light up a room, but that’s not what we’re after in worship. We don’t want our churches to depend on a talent or ride the emotional high of songs. We want to lead them to spirit and truth, simple, pure, Christ-exalting worship that prepares them to worship in the real world.

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Have you ever wondered why we sing so much? Is it really necessary, every time we gather together as the people of God, that we sing?

It makes sense for people who like to sing. But what if you don’t?

But then I come across portions of scripture like this:

Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” (Ephesians 5:18-19).”

This is no isolated verse, jolted out of context. Did you know the Bible contains over 400 references to singing?

King David not only commanded it be done, appointing people to do so, but also created instruments that were designed for praise.

Woah. This is a big deal. And there’s a reason music and singing is a huge part of the gathered church.

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I remember writing in my journal, ‘I will never be a Christian.'” – Austin French

So fun to welcome Austin French to the podcast. Austin is a worship leader and a new singer/songwriter to the CCM scene. I particularly loved Austin’s story of how he came to faith after being so hurt by the church.

We talk about the new record, leading worship, songwriting, and more.

Enjoy!

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Show Sponsor

This episode is brought to you by the Pads Live app from Coresound Pads.

Coresound Pads are my favorite pad loops on the market.  If you’re looking for a way to raise the quality and sound of your worship team, this is probably the easiest way to do that.

And Coresound now has a powerful, easy-to-use pads-player app called PADS LIVE that helps you transform your worship service’s atmosphere INSTANTLY by downloading and playing their top-rated pad loops on the fly from your mobile device.  This is an POWERFUL tool for worship leaders at any-size church.

If you go to PadsLive.com, you can link to download the app for FREE, which also comes with all of Coresound’s Pads in the key of D for free.  You can let the pads loop infinitely, crossfade gently into the next pad or into silence, and build songs & playlists.  And when you’re ready to unlock all 12 keys instead of just the key of D, you can purchase and download those pads directly within the app.

Now the app doesn’t take promo codes, BUT if you buy a Pads Bundle online from Coresound and use the promo code BEYONDSUNDAY, you’ll get an additional 20% off your purchase.  And your online purchase WILL unlock those very same pads within the app, as well as let you download the 20-minute MP3s to use the pads elsewhere.

In This Episode You’ll Hear More About:

• What recovery can teach us about worship
• Austin’s new record
• Songwriting and the power of collaboration
• Leading worship

Resources Mentioned:

• Show Sponsor: Coresound Pads
• Music: Wide Open by Austin French

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If you enjoyed the show, I would be so appreciative if you would rate it on iTunes and write a brief review. That helps me so much! Thanks.

Question: What was your biggest takeaway from this interview with Austin? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

[ois skin=”Beyond Sunday 2″]

Music Theory. Those two words either fill you with complete dread or tremendous gratefulness.

I used to hate theory. When I was younger, I just wanted to play “music.” I didn’t have time to waste on chord diagrams, treble clefs, and dotted eighth notes. I wanted to be creative – to play music as I felt it.

I didn’t realize how misled I was.

Music theory builds your creative intuition. Without it, you have no language to work from. It’s like being in a foreign country and not having the ability to communicate. The more you know the “rules,” the more understanding you’ll have when you want to break them.

But I can understand the intimidation. I studied music in college and took 16 credits of Theory I, Theory II, Theory III, and Theory IV. Most of you probably don’t want to sign up for that. So the question begs to be asked: “What do you need to know in order to succeed as a worship leader? What theory knowledge will help me lead my team and my church better?”

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