Trusting God is our calling as Christians. Jesus asked the disciples: “Why did you fear? Where is your faith?” (Mark 4:40)
Not long ago, I arrived early at the church where I was to preach that morning and found that a Sunday School class was meeting in the auditorium. I made my way to a chair and joined the dozen or so adults of various ages.
Whatever scripture they were studying that day, they had wandered far afield from it. Class members were excitedly speaking against abortion, gay marriage, transgender acceptance, hate crime laws, political shenanigans, the coming world government, the Antichrist, the President and the possibility of an armed uprising in America so everyone had better have plenty of ammunition.
At one point, during a lull, I asked, “So, what is the scripture for today’s lesson?” As far as I could tell, only the teacher caught the irony (and gentle rebuke) of that. He named some place in one of the prophets.
As the members of the class fed on one another’s fears, something occurred to me from the Lord.“This is what happens when Christians quit praying and trusting Me.”
They fear.
These believers were frightened out of their wits.
Let’s admit the obvious here: God is never happy when His people live in fear. Fear shows a distrust.
“God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
How many times in scripture does an angel begin a conversation with “Fear not”? And how often does the Lord Jesus tell us not to be afraid?
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence,“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.” (Hebrews 13:5-6).
The faithful do not live in fear. Period.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4).
I will not be afraid.
OK. Everyone on the same page about that? God’s children are not to fear. Fear is giving too much credit to the enemy and not enough to the Savior.
Fear occurs from a failure to trust Him.
To rebel against God, or to fail to believe in Him, sentences one to live in fear.
Fear of what? Fear of everything, fear of anything and even fear of nothing.
People can fear nothing? Yes, they can.
“I will put anxiety in the hearts of those of you who survive in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a wind-driven leaf will put them to flight; and they will flee as one flees from a sword, and fall though no one is pursuing them. They will stumble over one another …” (Leviticus 26:36-37).
The sound of a leaf blowing in the wind panics them.
Same with blood moons, Middle Eastern skirmishes and the latest candidate for the Antichrist.
What’s wrong with Christians? Why do they fear every little thing that comes along?
Writing in the September 24, 2015, New York Review, Professor Marilynne Robinson takes on the fear she sees among God’s faithful today. (I confess to being ignorant of this well-known teacher and author who is so highly respected among the intelligentsia. Yet, she writes as a born-again Christian.)
Some points Dr. Robinson makes:
—When people forget God, “they make irrational responses to irrational fears.”
—“Fearfulness obscures the distinction between real threat on one hand and on the other the terrors that beset those who see threat everywhere.”
—“To fear indiscriminately” is a “very costly indulgence. Likewise, trying to stimulate fear in others is a bad proposition.
—“No one seems to have an unkind word to say about fear these days, un-Christian as it surely is.”
(Note: I find it amazing this purely Christian sermon is to be found in a secular publication like the NY Review of Books.)
What a terrible statement we Christians make to the world when we live in fear.
I love what Ezra said.
This spiritual leader had received permission from the king to return to Babylon and retrieve all the holy vessels taken from the Temple in the days of Nebuchadnezzar. Their value was easily a king’s ransom. This lengthy journey could be risky indeed.
Ezra thought of asking the king for an armed guard. He would have granted the request, he knew. But there was a problem with that. “For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way.”
Why was he ashamed to ask for protection? “Because we had said to the king, ‘The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him.’”
So, what would they do? “We fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty.”
Then, they “manned up” and “the hand of our Lord was over us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the way” (Ezra chapter 8).
We make the same choice as Ezra every day of our lives: Whether to live up to the claims we make for our Lord. Whether to live by faith.
“When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8).
Or, will He ask us as He did the disciples on the Galilee: “Why did you fear? Where is your faith?” (Mark 4:40).
Lord, help us to be strong in the Lord and act like we believe in Thee. The leaves are always quivering and You are not pleased when they panic us.
http://www.joemckeever.com/Joe McKeever has been a believer over 60 years, has been preaching the Gospel over 50 years, and has been writing and cartooning for Christian Publications over 40 years. He lives in New Orleans.
There are a great many benefits when you memorize worship songs, allowing you to be more in the moment musically, more focused on the Lord spiritually, and more able to lead the congregation pastorally. As daunting as it may seem to memorize and internalize your worship music, you truly can do it.
Below are a few tips to help you get memorize worship music.
1. How Vocalists Can Memorize Worship Songs
LYRICS: Memorization is all about finding patterns. First, try to identify any lines that repeat. Does each verse end with the same line? Are the Pre-Choruses the same? Knowing these patterns will decrease the amount you have to memorize.
I like to hand write the lyrics as well. This seems to help me internalize them. Get out your pen and notepad and write them out!
Also, nothing beats repetition. Sing the lyrics along with the recording several times. Then sing them on your own until they are locked into your brain.
MELODY: Lyrics aren’t the only thing to memorize. Get intimately familiar with the melody as well. Listen to the recording until you can sing it back with confidence.
MAP: Finally, memorize the map of the song. How may times is each section sung? Is there a Pre-Chorus or a Chorus after Verse 2?
2. How Musicians Can Memorize Worship Songs
CHORD PROGRESSION: Regardless of the instrument you play, everyone is working from the same chord progression. Here are three great ways to memorize chord progressions.
1) Repetition: Play the progression over and over until it’s ingrained in your hands and you can’t mess up. Muscle memory really works!
2) Key: In most modern worship songs there are only 4-6 different chords used. They may come in all kinds of combinations but if you memorize what chords are in each key you will have a huge head start and a point of reference for memorizing songs. Click here for our “Chords Per Key Cheat Sheet”
3) Tonal Quality: Ear training is huge for memorizing songs. If you can tell what quality or feeling that each chord in a key has you can anticipate it before it arrives. Even if you forget a chord a trained ear can make the correct decision anyway.
TONE: If you’re playing an instrument that uses different tones (electric guitar, keyboard) you’ll also want to memorize what tone is used for each section of each song. Is the Intro a piano or pad sound? Do I turn the reverb on in the Pre-Chorus or Chorus?
MAP: Be sure to memorize the map of the song as well. I’ve been caught knowing all the parts but unsure of when they come in the song.
3. How Drummers Can Memorize Worship Songs
BEATS: Drummers, you don’t have lyrics or chords to memorize but you’re not off the hook. Most of the songs you’ll play are written with very specific beats that are crucial to the overall feel, flow, and energy of the song. Oftentimes they change with every section of the song. If you want to play confidently you’ve got some memorizing to do.
Begin by looking for patterns in the song. How many different beats are used? When does the same beat recur?
Again, nothing beats repetition. Your best bet to memorizing all the drum parts of the song is to play through the song until you’re confident with all of the sections.
DYNAMICS: Along with the beats you’ll want to memorize the dynamics of the song. When does it begin to build? Is Verse 2 soft or full? The drummer often drives the dynamics so it’s important to know them well.
MAP: Finally, memorize the map of the song. Know how many times each section repeats and when it moves on. This is crucial for transitions between sections of the song because the drummer can often subconsciously cue the congregation and band by playing a specific fill that leads into the next section.
ONE STEP AT A TIME
Don’t be overwhelmed. Take baby steps. Here are some steps you can start taking right away:
Look At Your Music Less You might be surprised just how much you’re staring at your music stand when you really don’t need to. Make a conscious effort to look away when you can.
Memorize One Song Per Week It’s hard to memorize six songs all at once. Start with one song a week and in a few months you’ll have most of your song rotation memorized.
Use A Cheat Sheet You’ll find that with most songs there is only one section, progression or lyric you have trouble remembering. Try to get all of your notes for the whole service onto a single piece of paper, and keep it at your feet while you play.
That’s it! You can do this! Use the tips in this article, download our cheat sheet and start enjoying the freedom that comes when you can play your songs by heart!
This article about how to memorize worship music originally appeared here.
Perhaps no technical leader faces more challenges on any given Sunday morning than the Sound Tech. With demands from every side, opinions aplenty, an ear to the Pastor (the real head Sound Tech), an ear to the worship leader/band, and an ear to the Holy Spirit, this role requires a saint, a sound technician, and a servant – all wrapped up in one. Gleaned from some of the most skilled and great-hearted Worship Sound Techs I know, here are 10 Best Practices For Worship Sound Techs.
Worship is a dynamic environment in which God is meeting with people, and people are meeting with God. For that reason alone, the Worship Sound Tech must take their place – with active attention – among the worship leadership influencers in the room. [Note: In the age of digital boards, some things have gotten easier when running sound. With the push of a button, levels can be set. If you’re on a digital board, some of the following technical elements may not apply.]
1. Ride The Faders (Or, Never Set And Forget)
The worship environment is not a static environment, in which one can set all the levels then kick back in the booth. It is dynamic, and riding the faders as well as monitoring the congregation is a necessity for effective sound leadership. Imagine you are the conductor in an orchestra, and now that piano is highlighted as the band drops out, or a sweet violin solo now lifts from the music and is to stand out. Conduct, ride the faders, and make your sound work a dynamic ministry. Worship Sound Techs help the band create dynamics. This verse is true about sound, and how it reinforces the message being shared: “… the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.” (Acts 10:44, NIV).
Great, dynamic sound leadership can greatly enhance the effective hearing of the message, sung, spoken, visually expressed. or otherwise communicated.
2. Gain A Respect For Gain
Ever been in a hurry to get “sound done” and ignored getting all your gain levels right? Stop. Before everything gets going, set the right gain for each mic and instrument set. A friend of mine says, “I’ve seen gains change between shutdown on Saturday night and startup on Sunday, even though nothing has changed on stage. If you don’t get the gain right, you’ll be fighting the levels all through the service.”
This may mean showing up early, getting yourself together, and being ready to go when rehearsal or soundcheck starts. Hustling at the last minute causes us to miss things.
3. Serve The Pastor, The Worship Leader, The Musicians, And The Congregation
There are no two ways around it; a Worship Sound Tech must be a servant to all, carrying skill and technical ability in one hand, and a real, living relationship with Jesus in the other. That combination creates Sound Techs who are asking how they can serve better, rather than insecure leaders pushing to get their way because people are acting like they know better. I’ve always told my Sound Team over the years that the Senior Pastor is the ultimately the Lead Worship Sound Tech, and then the Lead Worship Leader (or someone they’ve assigned to oversee it). Why? At the end of the day, you and I will go home after the “event” – and the Pastor (and the worship leader to some degree) will have to deal with the effects of the experience – church growth, church shrinkage, people’s connection or lack of connection with the church. If the Pastor says, “Please turn that down,” or “please turn that instrument up,” or “please raise the volume and energy level in the room,” find a way to do it rather than resisting. It’s just good honor – and even if they’re wrong, it will come back as a blessing later.
Serve the musicians as to what they need, and then serve the dynamic in the congregation. Often musicians need training in “turning things down” in their monitors so that other elements stand out. Be a part of that training as able. You hold the reins on front of house; offer your best to see the best rise in the community.
4. Check Your Ego At The Door
Here’s the truth. People will look at you if anything is wrong with the sound. They just will. It takes a strong inner leader to carry that in a community. Technically oriented gift mixes, in my experience and that of many, can carry a subtle insecurity with them. When challenged, or asked to “please turn that up,” or “turn that down,” or “give me more monitor” (things are harder when no one is saying ‘please’ or ‘thank you’), it’s easy to react with ego. Lay it down before Jesus as you walk in the church doors each morning. Know that the Lord has your back, and the more like Jesus you are to the pastor, the band, etc. – the more it sweetens the entire worship experience everyone will have that day.
In fact, try this. Ask the pastor and worship leader, after you’ve done sound, “How was the sound? Is there anything you’d like me to change?” The first time, they will faint because you asked. The second, they’ll feel an open door exists for ongoing interaction. It’s wonderful.
5. Walk Around The Room
With iPads and more at our fingertips (digital boards), it is now easier than ever to walk around the room, surveying the sound from various vantage points in the room and making adjustments. But even if you’re not on a digital board, make sure you are moving around to get a feel for what is happening in different spots. The sound can change radically space to space, and recommending to certain people where they should sit is not a bad thing.
6. Make Recommendations With Community In Mind
This goes with #4. Do research, give input, then open your hands to the decisions the primary worship environment stakeholders (worship leader, pastor) must make. Sometimes you may desire to cage the drummer, for example (and they may deserve it!), to get complete control of the sound. But there may be another priority brewing inside the worship leader, or even the pastor, to have the drummer not be enclosed for the sake of the visual experience, and people not seeing this as just a performance. In short, we have to live with some things, and sometimes we may discover someone else was right. That doesn’t make us inadequate – it just means that sometimes there is more than one approach to something, and various priorities must be considered.
7. Be Difficult To Offend/Easy To Work With
When leaders in the same area of expertise are working together, sometimes we exert ourselves to “prove something.” No need. Trust Jesus, and work hard to work with others. Be difficult to offend. Be easy to work with. Only hold your ground when you feel so strongly about something you would rate it an 8-10 in life, rather than if it’s really a 2-3 rating in importance. Having a “domain” is important to all of us, but we must share, compromise, and collaborate in Body life.
When working with musicians, sometimes they need some training, but from a humble posture (even if the musician is not acting humble). Teach them that asking for more in the monitor may not be the win, but actually having less of something else. “Turn it up” is the natural response to not hearing something (but then you hit a ceiling with the knobs and the room). Help them get the best mix for them, as they must respond well to the monitors to lead well (IEMs fix this part, but musicians still need training turning things down so other things stand out).
8. Learn From Everyone; No One Is Past Learning
Ask local producers, or worship sound techs in venues you respect, if you can sit in with them as they do sound. If they say yes, listen, learn, and ask questions. Also, research forums on the internet, looking for tips and tricks from a variety of people working through the same issues you are. A friends says: “I am continually learning new things about sound, new tricks on my board (makes me sound like a surfer), new ways to set up the mics or the _____.” Be a lifelong learner.
9. Get Help If Something Is Challenging – And Read The Manual
A friend of mine says this: “Don’t feel inadequate if you (like me) are not someone who can identify a sound frequency by hearing it. I have an ipad with an RTA, and when I’m dealing with feedback issues, I have no problem firing it up (and humming the frequency into it if the feedback has already died down). You don’t have to be perfect at everything to be a good sound engineer, you just have to be good at using the tools you have.”
And read the manual. Read the manual. Read the manual (that was reverb).
10. Make Mentoring A Priority
Mentoring is absolutely vital. Always have someone shadowing you (standing beside you as you do it, and talk them through what you’re doing). Especially a teenager or twenty-something, as musical styles and sound environment palates change over time. You want ears that are listening to more than you are, through a different auditory lens. Don’t release them too early; you want them to succeed. Wise worship sound techs create a loooonnnggg mentoring curve.
After they’ve shadowed you for a long time, you start to shadow them. Here’s the Mentoring Cycle: 1) I do it, 2) You watch me do it, 3) I teach you to do it, 4) I watch you do it, 5) You do it, 6) You teach others.
Conclusion: A Great Sound Tech Is After Transparency
A producer friend of mine says, “Great Worship Sound Techs bless the church by insuring that the communication of the ‘word’ (speech or music) is clear and understandable to everyone. The quality of sound during a meeting can be a major factor in how people are able to engage in the activities at hand. What good would it do for the best worship set in the world to be played, or the best teaching to be given, if the sound is so bad that no one can bear to listen to it? Bad sound can be a great distraction to those engaging in a worship service. At the worst of moments, the quality of sound can even hinder one’s ability to understand and engage at all. At the best of times, good sound provides an opportunity for clearly communicated material (music or speech) to be received easily.
When sound is then transparent, and out of mind, the ‘word’ can become the focus of attention. A prudent Sound Technician is key to achieving this worthy goal.”
Amen.
(Oh, and get the pastor to assign you an intern to bring you coffee and doughnuts. Thanks for all you do.)
Dan Wilt, M.Min. is an artist, author, musician, educator, songwriter, communicator, and spiritual life writer. With 20+ years in the Vineyard family of churches, he serves in various ways to further a “New Creation” centered vision of the Christian life through media.
Technology in worship is here whether you like it or not and if embraced it can serve as the paint brush to create new sounds.
In the last century technology has driven and redefined the music we make. From electric guitars and keyboards to recorded elements from synths, decks and loops all integrated into live music.
When it comes to live worship music, the introduction of the drummer’s click track transformed the sound of worship songs. And the wheel has turned again with backing and multi tracks used alongside, or instead of, live worship bands.
Even churches with lots of musicians use backing tracks. Even big secular bands use tracks during live performance. That doesn’t mean that they are miming. It is simply because they cannot achieve the full sound they want with a limited number of musicians. An album track may have multiple guitar and keyboard parts on it – far more than a single guitarist or keyboard player can manage in a live setting.
In a church context it is not just smaller churches with missing musicians that use tracks to fill out the sound, there are plenty of churches with full compliments of musicians using tracks to produce more of an ‘original album’ sound that simply can’t be recreated with a 5 or 6 piece band.
I talked to worship leaders about their experiences of working with backing tracks (you can see the original conversation thread on the Musicademy Facebook Group). Here is what I found.
Mark Snyder, a song writer and the software developer behind Worship Backing Band’s Transition MultiTrack Player, says that worship tracks can help your team get better “it is like how a strong choir member can help the weaker ones sing better”.
Kent Wade has been the Pastor of Worship at The Chapel EFC in St Joseph MI for 18 years. He says that the experience of playing to a click has been a game changer, especially for less experienced musicians. “When you add a track to the live band, not only does everyone play ‘in the pocket’ better, but the supplemental parts help the band sound more full as well.”
Kent says that the only problem is when the worship leader misses an entrance or does something different to the track such as cutting an instrumental bridge in half. He says that “It’s then that we have to kill the track, listen extra hard to stay together, and follow the chart to the end.”
But Jonny McGeown, a worship leader from Belfast, Ireland has found that with tracks mistakes are minimised and the congregation less distracted from worshipping and tracks have helped improve musicianship. He implemented a move to in-ears and the use of tracks and said that “Understandably, my fellow volunteer musicians took some time assimilating click as they played for worship – but each of them has become more aware of ensemble and has improved both their technique and musicianship”.
Don Dickson, a worship leader in Chesham, UK says they primarily use backing tracks as practice tools to hone playing skills and also learning a new song finding that the jump to a segment feature is much better than searching a recording. For live performance he says that “If only a small number of musicians is available then just adding a core instrument such as bass or drums can be just what is needed”.
Dwane Woodard from Alabama feels that churches should be wary of relying on technology. “There is a difference between having an acoustic guitarist on stage and having the support of an entire invisible band, vs having a full band on stage and supplementing keys and percussion.”
I spoke to Richard Fletcher who admitted to being something of a sceptic on the use of tracks. He was concerned that tracks would mean in-ears were required – which had resource implications. He was also worried about the level of technical knowhow required to run the software as well as fearing a loss of flexibility when being “beholden to playing it as on the backing track”.
Changing perceptions about MultiTracks
Richard’s comments are interesting as they reveal a lot about people’s perception of backing tracks. Perceptions I’d gently want to challenge:
You don’t have to have in-ears for the full band to make tracks work. If the drummer and/or leader has in-ears, everyone else can follow them with the used tracks in the fullback.
You don’t need to master complex DAWs such as Ableton. iPad and iPhone solutions include user friendly apps like Playback, Prime and Worship Backing Band.
Also, flexibility is not lost as you can loop and repeat song sections, transition from song to song, fade, change key and tempo. It’s not the same as a fully live band but it is far from the karaoke-style bouncing ball that many people think.
The pros of working with MultiTracks
So to summarise some of the pros of working with backing tracks:
A full sound regardless of how many musicians you have or conversely a stripped back sound for an acoustic feel
An improvement in the professionalism of the music you make – fewer mistakes, consistent timing, a tighter sound and a more confident team
MultiTracks are great practice tools as you can solo your own instrument part and learn how a pro would play it also great for playing along with new songs
Access to the full range of worship songs including those too tricky for your musicians (or Doris on the organ) to play
Backing tracks for when your musicians are away or when you simply want to give them a day off to enjoy worship from the other side of the congregation
You get a “nearly live” feel and if you have musicians playing alongside them most congregational members will simply not be aware that a track is also playing
The play list (which you plan in advance) automatically cues up the next song which is ready to play with a single click
The cons of working with MultiTracks
On the downside:
There is often resistance to the concept of using tracks. People can feel that a motley crew of not-very-able musicians is preferable to pre-recorded music
There is a financial outlay for the tracks. Depending on your source of tracks you are paying from $17-$30 a track or a monthly subscription of $50-100 a month.
You’ll need a mac, PC, iPad or Iphone loaded with the software and songs plus someone to operate the software
A few congregation members may not like the idea of musical accompaniment without being able to see the musicians. But, most will not even notice.
Your musicians will need to get used to working with a track – this can be quite a challenge for those whose timing is less than perfect but they will certainly learn to listen better and often find that their own musicianship improves
Things to consider
And some caveats:
Prep is essential to get the instrument mix right for your setting
The worship leader in particular needs to know the song, syncing with the track and know the junction points if he or she is going to use the looping function
Congregational perceptions can change. When I first mooted backing tracks at my small local church people were horrified. Within a couple of songs they were converted.
Thanks for collating that, Mark. Helpful as a discussion point for churches moving toward their use. I like some of the pros listed, and especially the underused idea of helping with rehearsing parts. Our TWU traveling team had to go without a bassist last autumn, and the team learned how to work seamlessly and play the most important parts themselves to mask the idea that there were virtual tracks in the mix.
I’d add a couple of other cons I’ve observed: 1) the implementation of them can give the mistaken message that tracks ‘must’ be used on every song, hindering leaders from developing the ability to craft arrangements tailored to their own community, based on either available musicians or simply the kind of venue (e.g. stadium vs. living room). 2) the presumption that a song can only be played the way it was recorded. Apart from tempo and key, a good song can be adapted using alternate instrumentation and feel, just as we tend to arrange older hymns with a modern feel. 3) Leaders know that important hooks and parts can be covered by tracks, so they may tend to rely on those for parts, rather than encouraging their own players to learn those parts and develop as musicians/players. I think that used as adapted for one’s own situation can be a help more than a hindrance, but the article’s case for the cost can certainly be prohibitive for communities on a tighter budget.
1. PLAYING TO A CLICK WILL TIGHTEN UP YOUR WORSHIP TEAM
Playing with a click gives everyone on the worship team a better sense of time. It will be challenging for some at the beginning, but it actually becomes quite freeing as everyone rises in their level of playing. After playing with a click for a while, most musicians feel very comfortable with it.
2. MULTITRACKS IN WORSHIP WILL ENHANCE OVERALL SOUND
One powerful aspect of MultiTracks is that they are able to fill out the overall sound of your worship team. A typical worship team may have four to ten live musicians. With multitracks you are able to add four or more additional instruments to the overall mix.
For example, in addition to your live instruments (e.g., keys, drums, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, etc.) the sound is complemented with pre-recorded tracks that might include additional percussion tracks, keyboard pads, electric guitar parts, acoustic guitar parts, piano, organ, mandolin, etc. The additional parts do not feel out of place but enhance the overall mix.
3. MUSICAL ARRANGEMENTS ARE INTENTIONAL AND REPRODUCIBLE
When playing along with MultiTracks in worship, a “guide” voice lets the musician know (one bar ahead of time) when a given section of a song is about to be played: intro, verse, chorus, bridge, etc. The worship team members follow their chart as well as listen to the guide voice. This guide factor adds another level of direction within the arrangement of a given song.
In addition, the worship leader does not have to re-create an arrangement each time a given song is played – it is laid out through the multitrack arrangement. However, there is still flexibility within this structure. There are ways to alter the purchased multitrack arrangement for a given song, and there is always room for spontaneity after the MultiTracks have stopped.
4. KEY PARTS FOR SONGS ARE NOT LOST DUE TO LACK OF SKILL OR PERSONNEL
Some songs have a signature part during the intro section or after the chorus. However, not all worship teams are able to perform those parts in church. A worship team may not have a musician skilled enough on the electric guitar or piano to play those signature parts. Or, if the talent is there, sometimes team members have scheduling conflicts.
As a leader, what do you do at that point? Still, in another scenario, a team may have a player who is skilled enough to play the part, but he or she didn’t have time to rehearse at home. With MultiTracks, those scenarios do not have to keep you from executing those key parts within a song.
For a team without the skill, the track itself can capture that signature part. If a key member is on vacation the week a worship leader has chosen to play a certain song, the track can fill the part for that Sunday. If the key musician didn’t learn the part, he or she can learn it by playing along to the track during rehearsal and then double it during the service.
1. CONTENT – MultiTracks, CustomMix, Playback Rentals, Custom tracks 2. PLAYBACK DEVICE – iPhone or iPad running Playback (used iPad Air/32GB) or a Computer with a DAW i.e. Ableton, Logic Pro X etc. 3. AUDIO OUTPUT DEVICE – Headphone jack from the iPhone/iPad or an Audio Interface 4. CONTROL DEVICE – Finger tapping the play button/hitting the space bar or MIDI Controller 5. MONITORING DEVICE – In Ear Monitors, Headphone Amplifier or Personal Monitor System
Personal recommendations: Shure SE215-CL In-ear Monitor (approx. $125 – amazon.ca) or MEE audio Sport-Fi M6 Noise Isolating In-Ear Headphones (approx. $25 – amazon.ca)
C – HOW TO INTRODUCE YOUR TEAM TO MULTITRACKS
Explain the benefits of clicks and tracks
Start using in-ears and put away the floor monitors
Get the band and singers used to playing with clicks
Optional: start using an in-ear live music director
Send the service order with links to the charts, transposed recordings on Monday for the Thursday rehearsal.
Attach special notes for keys, lead guitar, lead vocal and harmonies.
Encourage and expect all players and singers to come to the rehearsal with their parts learned.
Download all songs (in any key) onto iPad running PLAYBACK. Edit form and transitions.
Personally practice and review all tracks.
Take out instruments from PLAYBACK mix that are playing live
Rehearse Thursday night and fine tune the vocals and the band
I have the bass player run the tracks from the iPad on Sunday (they only have to touch the iPad twice)
Here’s a recent comment from Facebook:
“Having left a “big church” to go to a “mid-sized church” that was struggling with musicians, I was distinctly and poignantly reminded about how using Multitracks can utterly transformed one’s worship ministry in only 6 months.
If you’re still on the fence about taking this gigantic leap in doing worship ministry, I hope this nudges you in the right direction.
Thanks for a great article, Mark Cole! (Phil Spoelstra)
I have two sets of parents. Both couples were wed during the Jurassic period (not really). Both were married almost 60 years. I watched each twosome grow old together.
One pair barely tolerated each other at the bitter end. My folks were sweethearts until death parted them. Mom and Dad had a caregiver in their final years, and they confided that they wanted her to arrive later in the morning so they had time to snuggle and kiss!
My Mom had mid-stage Alzheimer’s, but Daddy didn’t care. He patiently reminded her where to find her shoes and never scolded her for asking the same questions over and over again.
Such long-lasting love!
Yet long-lasting marriages can also become challenging.
My in-laws struggled greatly in their latter years. Although they loved each other deeply, their days were filled with snapping, nagging, impatience, and frustration. Mom-in-law yelled. Pops pouted. At the end, they clung fast to each other and grieved that so many years were wasted in frustration.
“Precious and Papaw” were excellent parents, phenomenal grandparents, and wonderful Christians. They just rubbed each other the wrong way. Their golden years were a bit rusty.
Ancient Sarum wedding vows encourage:“For better or worse. For richer or poorer. In sickness and health. For as long as you both shall live.”
My husband and I have taught a bazillion marriage conferences around the world. We explained the “marital satisfaction” scale as fantastic during the honeymoon stage, good during the childhood years, terrible during the teenage years, better as the kids left home and best during retirement-the “golden years.”
We were wrong!
Retirement is not always easy. Marriage can be challenging after partners stop working and spend long hours puttering around the house together. Some couples are healthy, wealthy, and happy. Others are strapped for cash, suffering with debilitating illness, grieving the loss of family and friends, and fearful of the future.
So how do we finish the race with grace?
God promises strength to persevere, but we have to submit to His plan and learn acceptance with joy. Here are three “Scripture nuggets” to revive the romance and survive the challenges:
1. Accept one another just as Christ has accepted you. (Romans 15:7)
The whirlwind of family life may mask flaws that exist between couples. Toothpaste tubes, chewing loudly and leaving laundry on the floor become battlegrounds. Let’s face it. I have mentioned trivial irritations. However, there are more devastating differences.
We reject each other when one spouse is anxious and the other is carefree. We fight when one partner is disciplined and the other procrastinates. Jesus accepted everyone, even tax collectors and prostitutes.
Acceptance means loving someone, affirming them and appreciating them whether they change or not.
2. Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)
Burdens come in all shapes and sizes. They can be mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual. Some are little backpacks. Some are boulders. A farmer yokes his oxen together to get the job done. That’s why Solomon observed,
Two are better than one…if either of them falls down, one can help the other up…though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. – Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
“Two are better than one…” is Solomon’s way of describing the power of support and protection that marriage provides. The threefold cord is a picture of the amazing bond between God and two marriage partners.
Prayer is the most important way we can bear our partner’s burdens.
Christ is the ultimate “burden bearer.” He took our sins and suffering to the cross. Burden-bearing for an aging spouse may include dressing, driving, or helping with housework.
Don’t try to do life without help. God provides family, friends and church homes to come alongside the elderly. I have observed that those couples actively develop a support system will find it much easier to survive.
3. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God in Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32)
Be gracious, polite and courteous, not rough, rude or blunt. My husband always opens my doors, walks on the outside of the sidewalk, and pulls out my chair. He is as chivalrous as Sir Walter Raleigh.
Be thoughtful and helpful, not insensitive and selfish. Be understanding and compassionate, not callous or unconcerned.
Be patient and tolerant, not edgy or easily annoyed. Be big-hearted, not begrudging. Be forgiving, not vengeful.
Be gentle, not rough or harsh. It takes energy and effort to be kind.
Only Christ can accomplish such sweetness in us. Many husbands and wives don’t want to go the extra mile. It’s exhausting. But when your loved one is gone, you miss the inconveniences. The extra time is filled with loss and regret. Love while you can. Each moment is precious!
Dr. Julie Barrier, along with her pastor-husband, Dr. Roger Barrier, have taught conferences on marriage and ministry in 35 countries. The Barriers are founders and directors of Preach It, Teach It providing free resources in 10 languages to 5 million visitors in 229 countries. The Barriers pastored 35 years at Casas Church in Arizona, Julie has served as a worship minister, concert artist and adjunct professor at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. She has authored or composed of over 500 published works.
Once a month I get the privilege of leading worship at ‘Celebrate Recovery’. CR is part of a movement that is bringing the healing power of Jesus Christ to the hurting and broken through working Celebrate Recovery’s Step Studies, The Journey Begins, and The Journey Continues. To date, over 5 million individuals have completed a Step Study.
Part of the evening’s activities are reading “Celebrate Recovery’s Eight Recovery Principles”. They are based on Jesus teachings in the Beatitudes. I have been impressed with how powerful and foundational they are in every believer’s life. I have included them below with links to CR’s website.
Realize I’m not God; I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable. (Step 1) “Happy are those who know that they are spiritually poor.” Matthew 5:3a TEV
Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him and that He has the power to help me recover. (Step 2) “Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 TEV, NIV
Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. (Step 3) “Happy are the meek.” Matthew 5:5a TEV
Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust. (Steps 4 and 5) “Happy are the pure in heart.” Matthew 5:8a TEV
Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. (Steps 6 and 7) “Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires” Matthew 5:6a TEV
Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others when possible, except when to do so would harm them or others. (Steps 8 and 9) “Happy are the merciful.” Matthew 5:7a TEV; “Happy are the peacemakers” Matthew 5:9 TEV
Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will. (Steps 10 and 11)
Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and my words. (Step 12) “Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires.” Matthew 5:10 TEV
The Kids Department in our church just asked me to write a melody for their memory verse this month.
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. – James 1:19-20
Here’s a simple recording I did at home this morning. Feel free to use it in your Kid’s Department.
My goal with our worship teams is to have everyone on the platform not only personally worshipping God but also leading the church in worship. For some this comes naturally, for others it has to be learned.
Gateway Worship has produced a great instructional video to help worship teams pay attention to how they look and lead on stage. The information in this presentation will help your team grow in their expressiveness and ability to lead the congregation.
I travel at least once or twice a month to another church, and I can usually tell right away where a church is in their design quality with a quick glance at their worship slides. I can tell whether the church has an in-house designer or a volunteer with no experience in graphic design is designing worship slides.
Don’t hear the wrong thing here, I’m grateful for volunteers willing to step up and get things done that need to get done for your congregation to worship. Your screen content is one of the most visible venues for everyone in your church. It’s worth the effort and time to make your worship slides and screen content impactful.
Allow me to give you a few quick tips for preparing and executing your worship slides:
Limit your lines of lyrics to 3-4 lines of text. Never go more than this.
No big explanation here other than it just looks better and cleaner. We’re not using overhead projectors anymore, slides need to be clean and simple and not contain huge bulks of text that is hard to read. Be consistent with your fonts and font size.
Choose one font for all your lyrics for the whole day. Choose a font size that is readable but doesn’t overwhelm your screen. (Check out my article 5 Go-To Worship Fonts for more on this topic.)
Choose Non-Cheesy Motion Backgrounds.
Cheesy clip art or rainbow backgrounds are not only just poor design; it distracts your congregation from worshiping.
Lead lyrics!
I can’t stress this enough. Nothing is worse than being late on lyrics. It halts the worship of your people. We’ve all been there – you’re singing along and you’re two lines into the next slide before the operator advances to the next slide of lyrics. A good rule of thumb for leading lyrics is to advance to the next slide when your worship leader sings the next to last word on the slide.
Never let your audience see what’s going on “behind the scenes.”
You never want to see a cursor, a desktop background, another program, or anything else on your screens besides media content from your presentation software.
Avoid Repeated Lines or “Hymnal Directions”.
If you sing one line repeatedly, it should be on one slide and the slide should be duplicated in your presentation software. Don’t use directional statements on screen – remove all words and phrases like “REPEAT 2X”, “MEN ONLY”, “BRIDGE”.
Set up your presentation software in the order of the service.
You should primarily be using the spacebar to advance your way through your media content. You should only use your cursor to catch a worship leader on a rogue lyric or to fire a video element.
Set up consistent Capitalization and Punctuation Rules.
There are some varying views on this, but I’ll tell you what I usually land on: My rule of thumb is to only capitalize names of God and pronouns like “I”. Another good practice is to only capitalize the first word of every sentence. I also never use commas, periods, or punctuation marks – you’re not winning grammar awards here – you’re making slides nice and clean for people to worship. Another acceptable option is to us all capital letters for lyrics.
Care for the “orphans and widows.”
Don’t leave one or two small words hanging on one line. Break lyrics up where they make sense when reading them and produce your slide where the words are roughly the same length on each line.
Gently encourage your leaders to not make any last minute changes.
In my experience, very last minute changes affect the concentration of the team and can throw your execution game off. Train your leaders that your service starts when the counter drops and set guidelines to when is too late to add content to your presentation.
Carl Barnhill has served on staff at some of the largest churches and organizations in the country. He served as Media Director at Precept Ministries International, directing the television and radio program Precepts for Life with Kay Arthur, broadcasted to over 98 million homes around the world. He served as Video Production Director at Pinelake Church in Brandon, MS. He most recently served as Video Coordinator for Newspring Church in South Carolina. He currently serves as Creative Director and Owner of [twelve:thirty]media, serving churches and ministries all over the world through motion graphics content and church media coaching.
