Once a month I pull together a few things worth your time. This month’s list is about the work nobody sees. The conversation you keep putting off. The words your team hears before rehearsal. Where the mic sits. How your charts look at 7:45 on a Sunday morning.
None of it will trend. All of it shapes Sunday.
The Conversation You Keep Avoiding
The Worship and Leadership Podcast (LifePoint Church)
Two worship pastors, Elmer Cañas Jr. and Willie Simpson Jr., talk through the hard conversations every team leader is tempted to dodge. Their opening idea stuck with me: the conversation you’re avoiding is already costing you. You just haven’t counted the currency yet. The best stretch is Elmer’s story of moving their pastoral interview ahead of the platform instead of after it. If you only have a few minutes, start around the 14-minute mark.
Listen here
Worship Team Culture: Chris Kuti Keynote
Churchfront
Chris Kuti tells the story of a rehearsal that sounded perfect and still felt empty. His diagnosis afterward: “We had become professionals at the mechanics of ministry, but amateurs at the ministry of people.” From there he walks through five ways to build a culture that lasts, and the first is the most practical. Write a one or two sentence creed for your team and read it before every rehearsal and meeting. Ours at Bethel lives in our team manifesto: we exist to create environments where our church can go all in with their worship. If your team doesn’t have one yet, this keynote will help you write it.
Read here
What Is Your Microphone Seeing?
Church Production Magazine
Eric Myers makes the case that a microphone doesn’t create good sound. It only gives you a perspective on the sound already in the room. Before you buy another mic, tune the drums, fix the source, and try moving things a few feet. His tips on aiming at the first reflection off a drum shield or piano lid, and finding tone across a guitar speaker, are worth passing straight to your production team.
Read here
Introducing Music Stand v5
Planning Center
I use Music Stand at every rehearsal, and I bring it with me anytime I’m leading somewhere I don’t normally lead. My notes stay with the song no matter what key we’re in. Version 5 makes it better. Music Stand 5.0 adds a Dark Inverted mode that flips your PDF charts to light on dark while keeping colored annotations visible. It also brings a cleaner interface, a new media player, and faster chart loading. It’s rolling out on iOS over a couple of weeks, but you can grab it from the App Store now. If your team plays in a dark room, they’ll thank you.
Read here
One more. Last month I wrote about the conversation you’ve been avoiding with a volunteer. If the LifePoint episode put a name or a face in your mind, read that one next: How to Have the Conversation You’ve Been Avoiding With Your Volunteer