Beyond Sunday Worship

Worship Podcast & Blog

#102: This Is Your Brain On Worship: The Science of Significant Ministry [Podcast]

When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.

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Today’s episode is a unique conversation. Not with a worship leader…but a senior pastor, Dr. Charles Stone.

But Charles isn’t your typical senior pastor. He has an engineering degree from Georgia Tech, a Masters of Divinity from
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminaro, and a Doctorate of Ministry from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He’s also completing another masters degree in neuroleadership.

Charles is the author of Brain Savvy Leaders: The Science of Significant Ministry. So I wanted to have CharlesDrCharlesStone on the podcast because I think it’s not only important for us as local church worship leaders to grow asartists and songwriters and musicians…but to become better leaders.

And I don’t believe it’s a healthy diet for worship leaders to only be influenced artists, songwriters, and musicians. We need to grasp the perspective our lead pastors have and Charles and I dive into this topic a bit.

Charles has some fascinating insights into how the brain works and how knowing that will help us lead people better – both our teams and congregations.

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The Trend Of Young Worship Leaders And What It Takes To Succeed

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Going to college didn’t prepare me for leading worship.

Taking music lessons didn’t prepare me for leading worship.

Worship songs didn’t prepare me for leading worship.

Theology didn’t prepare me for leading worship in the local church.

Of course, that’s not entirely true. I learned some invaluable things in college. Music lessons taught me discipline. It’s hard to lead worship without songs. Good theology ensures your leadership is rooted in scripture.

But there’s so much more to leading…than that. And that comes down to the people. It comes down to having compassion for the people you serve. It comes down to leading with bold faith and a broken heart for the needs scattered across the room.

Without sounding too cliche, it’s leading like Jesus did. He was busy yet he could always stop for someone in need. He spoke to large crowds, yet he had compassion because they were like sheep without a shepherd.

He balanced big ministry – the most massive ministry in history – with loving “the one”.

No…I wasn’t prepared for this kind of ministry. But I’m so glad to be learning it.

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What It Takes to Play Keys And Make the Music You Love

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In just a few short days I will be releasing a brand new online course called Learn Worship Keys. I couldn’t be more excited to share this with you. It’s the best resource I’ve ever created.

In preparation for the launch I’ve decided to give away some FREE video training. Why?

  • Because you’re awesome. My readers are the very best and I want you to know how much you’re appreciated.
  • I want to help rid as many people as possible of their excuses.

I created this course for those who had a dream but life moved too fast. For those who believe you’re never too old or too young to start something new. For those less interested in being praised for their talent and more about making great music to worship God.

Maybe you’ve never played keys before.

Maybe you’ve taken lessons but aren’t proud of what you can do.

This is for you.

In order to get access to these FREE videos this week, you just need to add your email address below (for those of you already on my email newsletter list, you don’t have to add your email):

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Why is it that we make so many excuses for trying something new? For stepping out?

It’s funny because oftentimes that’s exactly what we need to do to feel the most alive. But I’ll let the video speak for itself.

See you on the inside!

#101: Unity in the Church, Performance in Worship, & The City Harmonic [Podcast]

The City Harmonic 3

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Today’s interview is with Elias Dummer from The City Harmonic. Not only is Elias a greater singer, songwriter, and frontman for The City Harmonic, but he’s also a smart dude with a heart for God’s people.

In this interview we go deep, discussing unity in the church, whether performance in worship is really a bad thing, the new album, and a bit about their creative process.

You may want to give this a few listens, folks. A lot of subtle nuance and profound insight. Enjoy!

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Dear Worship Leader, Stop Trying to Prove Yourself

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Dear Worship Leader,

There’s only one opinion in the universe that really matters.

But if you’re like me, you live and work as if it’s not enough. It’s not enough that God has chosen to love you, called you, equipped you, and has your back.

You would never say that God’s love isn’t enough but your actions prove it. You’re not satisfied with who you are, where you are, what you’re doing.

You just want somebody to notice you, to admire you, to give you the approval your heart seeks. But if I know anything about approval, I know that when it comes it doesn’t satisfy. It’s never enough.

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