3 Helpful Tips When Leading Spontaneous Worship By Brandon L Smith

I once heard it said that worship is much like a Hallmark card.  When we receive a card from someone we look on the back and say "yep that's a Hallmark card."  We quickly skim the inside comments written by those clever writers all the while trying to locate where the good stuff is.  It's that special note that someone took the time and effort to write.  It doesn't mean the card itself isn't good but we want to read what came from someone's heart and soul.  

As worship leaders we look for prewritten music to fill our scheduled times to sing as a congregation.  Those songs for the most part are very well written songs of worship and adoration to God.  Much like finding a Hallmark card with a prewritten note.  But let's not forget about our special note inside the card.  It's that spot in the music when things seem to hold on and a song begins to spring up within the depths of our hearts and souls.  We need to sing it out.  Our congregations need to learn what it is to sing their own songs, their own special notes, back to the Lord.

Here's a few things to think about if you're trying to take advantage of spontaneous worship in your church. 

1.  Plan It Out

Just because we use the term spontaneous doesn't necessarily mean it isn't planned or practiced.  Working and practicing with your team for spontaneous times of worship is a must if you want to be good at it.  Don't assume your team knows exactly where you want to go with a song.  Sketch out a framework and practice.

2.  The Easy 1 Chord

Many times in worship music we end on the one cord.  Instead of making that the end note why note stay there for a bit and allow it to build back up. Playing a 3-4 suspension will work during this time as long as you don't go too crazy with it.  Choose how many bars you will do this with your team so they will know and not feel left out or awkward about the moment.  Then take it back to the chorus one last time and end the song.  You can sing your own song during the build up and encourage the congregation to do the same.

3.  Use the Bridge

Take the chord progression of the bridge and play this as an interlude back to the chorus.  This is another place you can lead your congregation in spontaneous worship.

Above all remember that just because you plan a specific time for spontaneous worship doesn't always mean you should do it.  Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and your pastoral leadership during these times.  Using caution and respect will go a very long way.

Making Harder Music Easier To Play by Brandon L Smith

Ever hear those songs that are so well produced with all kinds of ear candy and want to play them in your service but know it will be impossible to sound the same way? The studio is a wonderful place to bust out all the stops if you have the time and money.  For many of us the simple reality is we don't.  But let's not let that cause us to quit and not even try.  Remember that great music starts with simplicity.  The greatest symphonies started out with one melody, one thought, and one expression.  Later on came all the bells and whistles.

Sometimes as worship leaders we are fortunate to have professional musicians and vocalists playing and singing on our teams.  But lets face it, most of us don't have that luxury at every position.  So how do we pull our resources together to produce a quality sound on our worship teams? Here's a few things I do to help my team be successful with difficult music.

1.  Keep it simple 

This means take the frame work of a song and its basic melody and make that your main focus.  Don't worry about all the extras like: How they got that drum loop to do that, or wishing you had a guitar player who could play that way.  Take the time and get the chord progressions and transitions down.  Use what you have to make good music.  Remember you're doing this so others can worship with you not so that you can be exalted and lifted up for your musical genius.

2. Practice goes a long way

I really don't think I need to go on about this point.  Just make it happen and be productive.

3. Listen

Listen to other groups play the same songs you are wanting to incorporate into your sets.  This will help you gain perspective on how to do things differently.  It might spark some creativity of your own and allow your team to have a greater appreciation of the song.

4. Ownership

I share this phrase a lot during practices. "We don't have to do it like they do on the cd."  If your team plays songs the same way the original artist does you might find your music lacking ownership.  Mix it up.  Change the intro or the ending to allow the song to take on a different feel. Let your team help you do this and they will take greater pride knowing it's a sound they helped with.

You can accomplish great things with your worship team if you'll take the time to break things down and make them simple.  I tell my teams that if we will do the simple with precision we will sound as professional as anybody else out there.  

The Social Network By Brandon L. Smith

For several years now social networking has been on the rise.  Facebook and twitter along with others have quickly become the way of transporting all kinds of information to the world around us.  The technology known as the smart phone has helped this phenomenon reach its epic proportions because of the ability to network on the go.  Take one picture, upload it, and one can share that experience with hundreds at a time.  People share anything from birthday wishes and relationship statuses to comments on current events and political view points.  We can interact with our favorite bands and follow the life styles of the rich and famous.  Social networks have also been helpful in the ministries of the church.  It has enabled the church to connect with people like never before.  It has become a wonderful tool when keeping people up to date on events and news.  All in all social networking has helped make a big world smaller. 

These tools can, however, misplace something very crucial to the inner workings of our lively hoods.  Relationships.  It seems that many people have traded in real, true, heart felt relationships for a simple "like" button.  Often social media is used as an invisible wall of protection to hide behind as people air their dirty laundry and hurl out accusations and insults toward others.  Most people, I believe, would not act that way in person but somehow feel empowered behind a computer or phone.

Here's a few things to think about when using the world of social media.

1.   Everybody Can See

I find it strange that people quickly forget their words on social media can be seen by others. If you think what you are posting might be offensive or incriminating it probably is.  So maybe it shouldn't be posted.  Not everything in your brain needs to be verbalized. Use a filter.  It will help you go far in life.

2.  Encourage

If you take the time to be positive in your posts you'll find that more people want to engage with you.  This will actually help create a positive persona in the "real world."  

3.   The Grip

Don't let social media take a grip of your life so that you can't function in relationships with out it.  Make a point to spend quality time with your friends.  There will be less miscommunication concerning intentions and motives if you'll spend face to face time with people that are close to you.  

Remember that social media is a tool meant to help us keep in touch and network with others.  It should not control our every move.  We should not count on it to give us the next step in our lives or be a substitute for relationships.

Hopefully you can apply some of this to your everyday use of social media.

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.