For years I’ve admired the work that Church of the Highlands is doing to reach people for Christ. This week’s podcast is a conversation with John Larson and Chris Griffin from Highlands Worship.

I love this because it feels like worship leader friends catching up and talking about ministry. These guys manage a worship team roster of 900 people across 19 campuses in Alabama. It’s staggering.

If you are a multi-site church (or planning on it), listen all the way to the end. So. Much. Gold.

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Jonathan is the Director of Word Worship Music. He brings a ton of music industry experience with a heart to serve the Church.

We talk about his story, writing worship songs, the problem with worshiping worship, how to get your songs heard, how to find new songs, and more!

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Let’s be honest. There’s too many songs.

If we combined all the church services across the world and tried to evenly spread out all the worship songs in the known universe, we still wouldn’t get through them all. I’m pretty sure that verse is in the Bible somewhere.

Matter of fact, once I get around to leading a popular song, it’s old already. Remember when churches used to say, “Yea, we’re still stuck with 90s Integrity songs.” Today, it’s “Bro, that’s so 2018. It’s time to modernize.”

But I’m here to tell you that it’s OK. In all honesty, the goal isn’t the quantity of songs. The goal isn’t songs at all. It’s about choosing the best quality songs that connect hearts to the Savior. But in today’s saturated song market, that’s hard to do. And let me give you some hard truths.

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Do you think the church is in a creative rut?

In a recent podcast, Nancy Beach challenged worship leaders to think beyond just corporate worship songs as it relates to the gathering of God’s people. “We’re in a rut,” she said.

I often wonder if creativity is the goal of our gatherings. How important are creative elements? How important is songwriting? How important are videos, drama, stage design, and creative lighting?

I know, you’re waiting for me to condemn it all and call us back to the heart of worship. But I’m not going to do that. I simply want to invite you to a conversation.

None of us set out to make creativity the goal. Of course, we want it to serve people in seeing Jesus clearer. But are we accomplishing that?

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Have you ever had a week go by and wonder what you’ve done? Oh, just me?

I know the weekend is game time. It’s the most important event for any local church. It’s when the church gathers together. It’s when the Word of God is preached. It’s when the saints come together to encounter the presence of God.

But it’s not everything. Matter of fact, the work that a Worship Pastor does beyond the stage is what will make those weekend experiences even stronger. We oftentimes just get by on the weekends because we’re not practicing particular rhythms. Our weeks aren’t spent on what is most important.

I understand you may not be full time at your church. You may not even be part time. You work early mornings, lunch hours, and late nights to organize your team and serve your local church.

But these habits apply to any leader – whether full time or volunteer. What will be different is the amount one does at any given time. All you need to do is pick one and focus on it exclusively.

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