Worship Cornerstone - Palm Weekend

When Jesus entered Jerusalem in the days leading up to His death, something interesting happened. The crowd celebrated His entrance into Jerusalem as their new earthly king to rule over Jerusalem and the Jewish nations. Jesus had explained to His followers for three years that His kingdom was greater than one city, nation or the earth could even hold, but as an everlasting kingdom that knows no boundaries - and they still didn’t get it!

They wanted Jesus to be something that was so limited and focused on their own selfish needs. In their short sightedness, they could not see past their own agenda to accept and follow Jesus for who He truly was.

As we celebrate the triumphal entry of Christ today, sing to the God who knows no bounds or limits! Ask Him to be the King of your heart and to have His way in your heart and mind. Give it all to the God who knows the beginning and end, believing and understanding that His infinite knowledge and power will protect and guide us.

*Written for the bulletin for April 16, 2011 at New Hope Adventist Church

Cornerstone Song - "Stronger"

As I spoke with a friend this week, she expressed discouragement in light of recent battles in her own life and in the lives of those she loves. I resonated with her discouragement - feeling the weight of sin on my shoulders and wrapping my mind around the ugly existence of this world. As she said these words, I felt my own heart sink to where hers was... “it just feels like we can’t get ahead of the enemy.”

Then, I began practicing the songs for this weekend and God reminded me of one simple truth; He is stronger. We do not need to live weary lives afraid of the battles that we’re in, nor intimidated by the battles that are coming. Our God is almighty and has already won. Jesus has given us what no man could. He has provided a perfect sacrifice, which stands in our defense to the great and just God of the universe. He is the Lord of All!

As you face battles, remember that the war is won. Claim the promise found in Psalm 140:7, “Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle.”

*Written for the bulletin for April 9, 2011 at New Hope Adventist Church

Easter Song Selection Checklist - by Jason Hatley

This is an article by Worship Pastor, Jason Hatley. I think he's SPOT on, so I've decided to repost and share it. Enjoy...



I'm a big fan of checklists.

Let's face it . . . I can't remember it all, so the checklist helps me keep everything from my daily work flow to what I need to prepare for Sunday on track.

Several years ago I developed a checklist specifically for this time of year . . . The Easter Song Selection Check-list!

There are TONS of songs to consider at Easter, and whether your church uses modern worship (like we do at The Journey) or traditional (like the church I grew up in), running your Easter worship music set through this quick 5-Point Checklist will help ensure that the music of your Easter service is powerfully focused.

#1 - Sing Celebration Songs

Easter is a day of celebration! When I read the story of that Easter morning my pulse quickens as I see Peter and John running to the tomb and hear the joy in Mary's voice as she recognizes Jesus. It's a day of celebration and our songs should reflect that.

I'm all for a quiet moment in the service, but on Easter Sunday start and end your service "BIG" (and by that I mean with upbeat songs of celebration).

#2 - Focus on the Resurrection

Just this past Sunday a gentleman at The Journey put in a request for us to sing "The Old Rugged Cross" on Easter Sunday. Now - I love that old hymn, but it's not on my set list for Easter Sunday.

Why? Because Easter Sunday isn't about the cross . . . it's about the empty tomb.

Sing about the cross in the weeks leading up to Easter (and especially on Palm Sunday) but on Easter Sunday choose songs that celebrate the Resurrection and the new life we have in Christ because of it!

#3 - Select Songs that are Known by your Congregation

Easter Sunday is not the day to try out those 5 new songs you've been waiting all year to sing. Easter Sunday is a day to sing worship songs that the people in your congregation know by heart.

Why? Because your church will be filled with First Time Guests. Let me explain.

If you choose songs that your congregation already knows you will keep your congregation connected to the the worship set.

AND because the people around them are clapping and singing your First Time Guest will feel more comfortable clapping and singing as well.

On Easter, sing some of your church's favorite songs of worship. And if you want to do a new song, teach it in the weeks leading up to Easter so your church will know it.

#4 - Select a Song that is Known by your First Time Guests

Put yourself in the shoes of a first time guest at your church on Easter. They will enter your service uncomfortable (could be the shoes) and unsure of what to expect. They will be asked to stand and sing songs they probably don't know.

So be kind to your First Time Guests . . . choose a song that they are likely to know. Sing a hymn like "Amazing Grace". Or you may perform a popular radio song that ties in with Easter or your message series.

However you choose to do it, help your First Time Guests experience something familiar on Easter Sunday. It will go a long way toward taking the edge off and helping them relax for the rest of the service.

#5 - Don't do what you can't Replicate

This is a big time mistake that some worship leaders make . . . and I can understand why. Easter is a BIG DAY, so the tendency is to call in the local symphony orchestra and sing the Hallelujah Chorus (which is an Advent song by the way . . . I digress).

But what happens NEXT SUNDAY when the people that you reached on Sunday morning come back expecting to hear the orchestra but only find a guitar, piano and vocalist.

Easter is the PERFECT day to do your very best NORMAL service.

For me, on Easter Sunday we will have media, music, a spoken word / poetry slam element, a video clip in the message and an assortment of other small elements to creatively convey the story of Easter. But those are things we could do the following week as well.

If you can't replicate what you do on Easter Sunday the following Sunday, then you probably shouldn't do it on Easter.

The Present Worship Leader

There has always been a lot of debate about which of the two is better - being spontaneous or calculated in worship leading. However, I don't see how you can truly be effective without a little bit of both!

Once the theme has been established (from our liturgical calendar) and the worship planning committee has placed songs and other worship elements in place, I begin planning the worship experience; I do it with my guitar or at a piano. I play through the parts of the songs and transitions to feel the journey that this worship experience is going to take me, my team and my congregation on. I feel the ebbs and flows that come from the peaks and valleys of the music. It allows me to feel where silence may be needed, where prayer may be needed or where a few words of testimony might further drive home the point. All these elements are essential to creating an effective worship experience for your congregation but too often overlooked or over-planned, creating a distraction to worship rather than a bridge from one important element to the next.

To create experiences that lead people to Jesus in an authentic manner, you must be both spontaneous and calculated. You must go through the worship experience yourself and feel the ups and downs, the praises and yearnings. You must be inspired by the Holy Spirit and the songs themselves and allow them to reach people  fully. By experiencing the worship on your own, you will know how you can effectively lead it. By being present in the worship experience you will be in tune with the prompting of the Holy Spirit, the needs of the congregation and the abilities of the worship team.

Communicating "the Why"

I think many of us have lost sight of "why we do what we do." That's not something that is boding well for the church. It's a message that was known by the wisest leader God ever appointed, Solomon who said, "Where there is no vision, the people perish..."

I recently watched a seminar on leadership by Simon Sinek (Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action | Video on TED.com) that articulates the importance of casting a vision in leadership. The refrain he repeated throughout this 18 minute talk was, "people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it." Now, I'm not selling anything per se. We're asking people to "buy-in" with their spirituality, emotion and commitment though.

Most churches communicate in this direction - we are a church (what); we do things this way (how); so you can go to heaven and evangelize others (why).

Instead, shouldn't we communicate in this order? We want to be a part of God's kingdom and invite others (why); so we do things this way (how) and by the way, we are a church (what). Make sense?

People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

Let's apply this to worship. I've said for a long time, "what you win people with, you win them to" (credit to Andrea Anderson who has also long said this). You can't do worship good enough to give someone a spiritual experience that leads them to Jesus. So why put the focus on that? A great worship service, in and of itself is only a foundation for leading someone to Jesus. The worship experience has to be an authentic expression of that faith.

People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

Here's how I apply this to the worship ministry at my church, New Hope Adventist Church.

We want our congregation and attendees to experience transformational worship and know Jesus. (Why)

We use artistic expressions that people know and love to communicate biblical truth and lead them into a spiritual experience. (How)

We are the worship ministry, which is made up of music, technical arts, dance and first impact. (What)

People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

It's time to start communicating the "why" for our congregations and let the "why" redefine us. It should define us from top to bottom. It should shape every ministry, initiative and campaign that takes root in our church. If people perish without a vision, then they must thrive where it is present.

ProPresenter comes to PC! Why you should consider making the switch.

The industry standard of presentation software for top Christian artists and megachurches is now available for YOUR church. ProPresenter has all the features that can take your worship visuals to the next level. I’ve worked with ProPresenter on the Mac platform for several years now and I’m really excited to see it now available on PC. Beyond the typical features of song library, multi-media playback and Bible verse integration, ProPresenter employs more advanced technology that enhance whatever worship environment it’s used in. Let me tell you a little bit about why I love it through how I’ve used it at the two churches I’ve served as worship pastor at.

I worked at a small church plant of about 80 attendees (Hillside Community Church, hillsidecommunity.net) meeting in the city hall of South San Francisco. In the small meeting room we had, there was no platform for the speaker and many complained that they couldn’t see the pastor speak from the back of the room. ProPresenter was the perfect solution for us, because you can run live video straight into ProPresenter and add it as a layer to what is projected onto the screen. Using the simple built-in layout feature, we were able to run the Bible texts and bullet points as lower thirds and use the live video during the sermons.

I now work at a larger church (New Hope Adventist Church, lookingforachurch.org) with a whole new set of priorities and needs. At New Hope, there are several unique features in ProPresenter that have proved helpful. We used to use EasyWorship and had to switch back and forth between applications to project song lyrics, video clips and PowerPoint from the pastor. Within ProPresenter, we can now effectively play and mix all of our media. You can import virtually any type of video file as well as files from other presentation software, like PowerPoint and Keynote.

There are lots of great features contained in ProPresenter; give it a chance at your church! Go to www.renewedvision.com to download the free version (with a watermark on the output) and check out all of the related tutorial resources and documentation.

*Originally written for Best Practices for Adventist Worship.

Cornerstone Song - "How He Loves"

“How He Loves Us.” It’s more than a song title, it is a simple, yet
profound thought. That’s the point that John Mark McMillan was
making when he wrote this anthem of praise and invited others to sing
it with him at the top of our lungs.

The songs author, John, lost his best friend in a car accident. That loss
shook him to his core. It called into question the very nature of God in
his mind. He began to wonder, “if God really loves us, then why
would He allow this to happen to me?” His journey took him deeper
into the understanding of God’s love for humanity. Just like
everything in this world, it can be messy at times because sin has
created a separation between heaven and earth.

But through the salvation that Jesus has given us, we have hope in a
grace and love that knows no end. When we truly understand the
depth and passion of the love God has for us, we see that it transcends
our circumstances and gives us a glimpse of something so much more
meaningful and eternal than we could ever fully grasp on earth. How
He loves us!

 

*Written for the bulletin for February 19, 2011 at New Hope Adventist Church