Something Old Something New By Brandon L. Smith

I had a wonderful time through the Christmas holidays traveling and visiting with family.  The 
gifts for my two year old daughter were abundant from her grandparents.  It was wonderful to see her face light up after opening her presents with great anticipation.  As the time with family came to an end my wife and I stumbled upon a book.  When I say stumble upon I really mean my father-in-law suggested that we take a look at his new purchase.  It was a historical book charting the existence of a small town in central Texas.  The name of the town was San Saba.  We quickly became intrigued by this find and began to turn the pages of history.  We found a page dedicated to a man named James Reavis, my wife's grandfather.  It astounded us that he had accomplished so much.  With every line we read our amazement grew as a story unfolded of a man's past detailed in a history book.  We found out that he was appointed judge and started a police force just to name a couple of accomplishments.  Our minds became filled of a past we could only read and dream about. 

Not 24 hours later on the last leg of our trip we stopped to stay the night at my parents house.  My mother brought to the table what seemed to be an old photo album.  She opened it's contents to me and I saw a young man who had many of the same features my father had.  It was not my father though. This man was my grandfather.  His name was Forrest Smith.  The album shared the history of his time in the air force during World War II.  Close up pictures of Queen Mary, Princess Elizabeth, and Clark Gable caused my mind to wonder about the possibilities of what it was like to stand in the presence of such noble and famous people.  

You might be wondering how this story of my Christmas travels might be of help to you as a worship leader or pastor.  Well, it's all in the history.  Things that are old have reason to their existence.  If we will take the time to understand them we might find them useful in birthing creativity.  This is where the "something new" comes into play.  Our set times of worship through out the week can have a great impact if we will remember our songs of old.  They will be new to many that have never heard them and a friendly reminders to those that cherish them.  We may have to polish them up a bit musically or leave them just the way they were initially created.  Either way they can spark something new in us as we worship our King.  I'll leave you this quote from Winston Churchill to kick start your new year.

"The farther backward you look, the further forward you are likely to see."

Have a happy New Year.

The Brighter the Better? Maybe. By Brandon L. Smith

Modern day worship has proven itself a great marketing tool in churches across the nation.  Many times it's the very thing that attracts people to the church.  Churches on the cutting edge leave nothing to spare when it comes to theatrics while others take great lengths to remain nostalgic.  Both paths to attracting people have their own merit, but whether or not this new age of technology is marketing a pure heart of worship that exalts the almighty God is a topic for another post.  My focus here is to concentrate on how the lights, the camera, the great, or the small have potential to pull us away from the reason we gather to worship.  It's so easy to get caught up in the next best thing.  Better lights.  Better media.  Better gear.  Worship leaders and pastors have such a great responsibility to make every effort in keeping the main thing, the main thing.  As long as the focus remains on Christ everything else will fade away as merely a backdrop.  Here's a few things to think about when trying to figure out what effects to add to the worship scene in your church.

1.  Congregation

Every expression of the body of Christ is different.  Age and demographics can play a major role into what makes up the characteristics of a particular congregation.  These things should be looked at carefully.  I'm not saying that we shouldn't try new things or color outside the lines.  I am saying that when we do we should keep in mind the personality of our congregation.  A slight change in scenery can be an effective tool in worship to help people engage in a way they haven't before.  Just keep in mind who's worshiping with you to insure that everyone has a chance to participate.

2.  Media

There are so many graphic ideas and tools we can add to our worship in this category.  I expect that most churches don't have multiple screens for backgrounds, video, and lyrics.  Adding some color or a moving background to compliment the lyrics is a great way to engage worshipers if you only have one screen.  If a moving background is the choice for you then please make sure you can clearly see the lyrics over your graphic choice.  This same concept should be applied to still backgrounds.  The point of suggestion is to not add so much color and movement that it distracts people from worshiping God.   

3.  Lights

LEDs, moving lights, and color panels are all the rave these days.  I sometimes think we are of the mindset that if it's brighter, moves, and has more color options it's better.  Well this is true some of the time but not most of the time.  If your church has this capability keep in mind that less is more.  The mood of the lights should compliment the media.  What I mean by this is to match the colors of the media and lighting.  This will help keep a general theme through the worship experience and help people not get distracted with too much change during a set.  If your church doesn't have the latest in lighting gear try dimming or turning out a couple rows of lights to create a more intimate atmosphere during worship.  You'll then want to turn them back on for the message so people can read the Bible and see their notes.

Technology is a wonderful tool to have in the church.  Let's make sure that the message and worship of Jesus Christ stays at the forefront.  We do this by not allowing all the bells and whistles to dictate our plans for the Gospel.  Technology is a tool to compliment and reinforce the message of Jesus Christ which should be the main attraction and marketing tool we use in the church today and forever.  Knowing Christ and making Him known is something you can't go wrong with.

Talk Is Cheap People Wanna Sing by Brandon L. Smith

Over the years of leading worship and training others to do so I have noticed that most young up and comings, including myself, tend to feel the need to talk during a worship set.  Talking during a set isn't necessarily a bad thing but when talking becomes a mini sermon and a mini sermon becomes rambling it has a tendency to take away from the worship experience. 

The congregation is there to worship and the worship leader's job is to help them do that.  It is not to give the people a mini sermon on whatever topic.  The job of preaching belongs to the pastor or person chosen to speak that day.  Sometimes worship leaders get to talking because they feel nervous about the setting they are in, anxious about the next song, or have a need to say something insightful.  At times this nervous and spontaneous talk can lead down a most regrettable path and leave the congregation in a state of confusion and the worship leader embarrassed.  So here's a few things to think about if you absolutely must talk during a worship set.

1.  Pray

Sounds simple but I'm not talking about a prayer from the hip here.  I'm talking about a designated time between or during a song that is planned for prayer.  The topic of prayer should be consistent with the theme of worship.  It is purposeful, meaningful, and well planned with music.  It should draw attention back to Christ and the reason people are in the service to begin with.  

2.  Scripture

Taking the time to read some scripture is a wonderful piece of worship that I think in many circles has been forgotten about.  A simple passage about worship or one that will point people in the direction of the next song is something that can enhance the worship experience.  Also reading scripture together as a body of Christ can have a powerful impact on hearts and minds in a corporate setting.  It has the potential of bringing all worshipers, both leaders and participants, together with one common goal.  

3.  In the Loop

Sounds musical.  It's not.  I'm really talking about the time the worship leader and the pastor spend together in preparation for the service.  Take a moment to be in the loop on what your pastor is preaching about.  It will help you have more purpose behind prayers and scripture reading during the worship set.  This also means that when you give instruction for prayer or insight to the scripture it will be in line with what the pastor is speaking about that day. 

Remember to keep things moving along and to practice what you will say before you actually do it.  This will help things stay concise and to the point maintaining an even flow through the worship experience. 

3 Things To Help Worship Set Transitions by Brandon L. Smith

Imagine this moment:  The worship team just finishes one of the most compelling songs of worship and the congregation is in sync and ready for the next song to lead them further into the presence of the Lord.  All of a sudden something feels awkward and no one can quite place their finger on it.  The anxious waiting of the congregation escalates to a silent roar and then it dawns on the people what is taking place.  The next song in the set hasn't started and the members of the worship team are frantically trying to figure out what to do.  The silence kills the atmosphere and no matter what happens next the moment is lost.  The worship leader tries to pull words out of thin air to try and salvage the moment but it's too late. The dead air pours over the congregation like ice cold water and stifles any chance of moving deeper into worship.  Oh sure, there are always those that can manage and get back into the swing of things but that sense of togetherness with the body is over.  The unfortunate moment has crippled the worship setting.

Here's 3 things you can do to help make sure this doesn't happen in your worship sets.

1.  The Carry Over

Many worship leaders like to keep things in the same keys for easy transitions between songs.  If the next song in the set is in the same key as the previous carry your last chord over into the next song.  You can set a new tempo if necessary but holding the chord will help gain a seamless transition to the next song.  It's easy for a keyboard player with a synth or string patch to do this but just as easy for a guitar player to pick out a quarter note lead or picking pattern to accomplish the same effect.

  
2.  Stop - Start

Sometimes the most effective tool in transition is keeping things simple.  It's easy to over think the transition but often the best thing to do is to end the song you're on and quickly start the next one.  Practice with the drummer on establishing the tempo of the next song.  Also using a click track can help in this area.  Don't worry about being abrupt, the congregation is expecting some kind of transition for the next song.  Allowing the drummer to click the song off is a tried and true way of accomplishing this task.  Just make sure it doesn't take more than a couple seconds to do this. 

  
3.  Prep Time

As a worship leader don't forget to prepare your team during practice for the transitions between songs.  It's easy to forget about intros and outros while concentrating on all the meat of your set making sure everyone knows the music and vocal parts well.  Take the time to creatively think about how you'll move through the set before you actually get to your practice and you'll find that your team will respond well to your leading.  It will also help if you take about 10 minutes near the end of your practice to go over the ending and beginnings of each song making sure that everybody on your team understands what is expected of them.

There are certainly more things a team can do to help transitions go well in a worship set but these 3 will help any team focus on the basics and keep things as seamless as possible in a worship service.   

A Quick Thought On Worship by Brandon L. Smith

Worship, what is it? You know, it’s that part of the church service before

the pastor gets up to preach. It’s normally a few fast songs followed by a few slow songs. Some people sing really loud while others don’t sing at all. Some people really get into it and others seem to reject the thought of it. Good worship is obviously filled with an awesome band and vocalists who really know what they’re doing. Worship also goes well when you add cool lights and loud sound systems. They really help create a worshipful atmosphere.

Wait a second. I don’t think God really intended worship to be like this. 1 Chronicles 16:29 says, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before Him.  Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.”

My fear is that in all of our doing to “make worship better” we as a people, have lost sight of ascribing, giving, or attributing to the Lord the glory due his name. Maybe our motive is to glorify ourselves with all of our technology and musicality. I’m not against lights that shine the colors of the rainbow in our services. I’m all for music that is current and moves people emotionally. I think, however, leaders in worship should check the motives of their hearts. Just as the scripture says, “Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.” Let’s make sure it really is about His holiness and not our self-promoted greatness.  

Over the years, my greatest experiences in worship have not been in front of a congregation of worshipers with a guitar in my hand. No, my greatest experiences have been by myself, singing the song of my inner most heart. During these times I realize that my life is not my own. The things I do must bring glory to His great name because if not, I’m distracting from His glory. Being a glory thief is not my proudest of moments.

I dare say that worship is not about a fast song or a slow song. It is not simply the time in a church service that we sing songs before the preaching of the Word. Worship is everything under the sun that our hands find to do. Those things become worship when we do them for the glory and edification of the Father, who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Worship begins and ends with our lives dedicated and solely lived out as a product of His artisan work.

Beginnings by Brandon L. Smith

Life is full of surprises. This fact of life has a tendency to keep us on our toes. I'm not sure that any of us really know what's around the corner. I can assure you, however, that there is a surprise around the corner. Sometimes these special events are welcomed with open arms, and other times we cry out for help and rescue.

I think each surprising event in our lives offers us a new beginning. In that moment we have an opportunity to embrace the change or run from it.  It's easy, I'm sure, to run toward things that make us happy, but what about the things that make us grow.  Our first instinct is to take flight or run from anything that causes us to change. It's our human nature to do such a thing. What would happen, I wonder, if we decided to remain steady and stand firm before we bolted for the door?  We might actually think things through and find change more appealing having seen things from a different perspective.

Slow down. Take a moment. Breathe. Everything is going to be okay. Another opportunity for a fresh start and new beginning is ahead of you. Don't run. Embrace the challenge because your life depends on it.

A scripture from the Bible that helps me do this is 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." It's helpful to know what God has given me when I'm trying to decide to move forward in change, growth, or a new beginning.