Worship Fertilizer from Ad Lib Music

The quality of our hearts > the quality of our music Group Discussion Questions How would our corporate worship be different if we came with greater openness? How would our own experience in worship be different if we came with greater openness? What might God be asking us to let go of? What might God be wanting us to receive? What are my obstacles from being more open to God in worship? (small groups?) What would it take for me to become more open to God in worship? What would greater openness look like? How could we take a step of faith together to grow in openness?

The worship team at your church (including the leaders, musicians, and techs) are responsible to be the primary shapers of the worship culture of your congregation. Yep, it goes way beyond picking songs, doesn’t it? There’s a lot on the line. You’ll learn to focus on avoiding three of the major pitfalls every congregation faces, as well as grow in the freedom to experience the yoke that is easy and the burden that is light. You’ll also receive a tool that will help your team be single-minded in its mission. We like to call it “Broccoli.” Dave taught this class at the 2014 Inspire Worship seminar. More at www.inspireworship.net

Each breathing room is different. It's simply an unscripted night to worship. This particular one is Dave Helmuth and Nate Smoker at Lincoln Park Community UMC on April 10, 2014. Dave just put his iPhone on the grand piano and hit record.

Would you like to have Ad Lib Music out to train your worship team? Here's a sample of what they could learn. Of course, it would be customized to your team's needs.

Have you ever wanted to know how to really use EQ to make your mixes sound great? Has compression always been a mystery to you? Have you wanted to know practical ways of getting more out of your vocals and drums by using a compressor?

Drummer, Community Life Pastor, dad, and former staff with Eagles’ Wings, Brian Flewelling will help our teams grow in the discipline and art of making our personal and gathered worship times richer, fuller, more grounded and alive. He’ll talk both about the devotional side of using the Word to inspire and inform our worship, and the importance and practices of saturating our gathered worship with the Word. With each Fertilizer, you’ll grow in worship, in musicianship, in leadership, in relationship…it’ll be just what you need to grow. Be a part of this podcast by submitting your questions and comments to podcast@adlibmusic.com

What if you could say that? If you’re the leader, are you doing what you can to feel that and create spaces for your teams to feel that? I you serve on the team, is that your current experience? You’ll learn how to make sure the whole team arrives better prepared, how to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the time you spend rehearsing, and how to think well about the gem that the weekly rehearsal can be! And if you’re a tech, of course there’s a huge part for you in this too. With experiences of leading different teams at different churches each week, Dave Helmuth is able to teach broadly and very specifically to help you experience rehearsals that’ll leave you exclaiming “I love rehearsal!” With each Fertilizer, you’ll grow in worship, in musicianship, in leadership, in relationship…it’ll be just what you need to grow. Be a part of this podcast by submitting your questions and comments to podcast@adlibmusic.com

Rick tells his story of how he learned to have both passion to lead and compassion for those he leads. The topic of “how engaged/responsive/connected the congregation was on Sunday” is a significant (but often elusive) measuring stick for how well we’re leading. And I mean leading as a team, because no one ever leads alone. It’s easy to hide behind the songs and blow through a set of worship music, missing the opportunity to activate God’s people and nurture their worshiping hearts. Rick Rowe leads with one hand on the keys and one hand in the air, motioning for participation from the congregation. Way beyond giving insights on how to “work a crowd,” he’ll share practical ways of thinking and habits to learn in increasing congregational engagement as a worship-leading team. After 17 years in full-time worship ministry, Rick now lives out his passion for authentic, Christ-honoring worship in the local church by serving with Ad Lib Music as a Worship Coach. With each Fertilizer, you’ll grow in worship, in musicianship, in leadership, in relationship…it’ll be just what you need to grow. Be a part of this podcast by submitting your questions and comments to podcast@adlibmusic.com

I challenge you to BE a worshiper off-stage, a trust-builder and bridge-builder, led by the Spirit, undistracted by logistics, an activator of people, secure in who you are, in who God says you are, given in your calling, a leader of a “leaned-in team,” a fearless “asker,” a great chooser of songs, great at teaching new songs, a teacher of biblical worship, a reproducer of worshipers and worship leaders, historically broad. Learn what it takes to increase congregational engagement in worship. With each Fertilizer, you’ll grow in worship, in musicianship, in leadership, in relationship…it’ll be just what you need to grow. Be a part of this podcast by submitting your questions and comments to podcast@adlibmusic.com

Chandy shared with us at the Boutique* Worship Event at WJTL's Junction Center about the heart of David and the transormational practice of meditating on God. Chandy is an anointed preacher and a revelatory teacher. He is compelled by desire for the bride of Christ to walk in God’s full purpose and plan. The Word comes alive as he shares truth from a place of honest devotion to Jesus. Both Chandy and Sarah are passionate worship leaders and songwriters. They live as missionaries on the Island of Cyprus with their 4 children exploring Biblical community with the Gateways Beyond Tribe. Donate to his ministry at http://www.gatewaysbeyond.org/donate.php With each Fertilizer, you’ll grow in worship, in musicianship, in leadership, in relationship…it’ll be just what you need to grow. Be a part of this podcast by submitting your questions and comments to podcast@adlibmusic.com

So when you went to your worship team rehearsal this week, what skill did you plan on working on with your team? Did you just learn the songs or did you learn how to play music together? Because it’s the prefect lab for growth really: Two hours, five songs, and six (or three!) musicians PLUS the desire to learn and just a smidge of intentionality, and BAM! you've got a mini-seminar. And you can have 52 of them every year…at YOUR church with YOUR people! And it’s stinkin’ free! Or you can just get the songs learned for this Sunday. (bleh!) Sure, your team might accidentally get a tad better (or they might stay relatively the same for the next year). Look behind you to see how far (or short) you’ve come. Do you have the same nagging musical irritations over and over? How do you actually start doing this? Simply and one small step at a time. Hey, this is the real world. You may be struggling to just put your song list together, or you may be doing all you feel you can do just to get there and strap on your bass, let alone prepare. So this challenge is going out to worship leaders and to team members…since you’re each responsible to double your talents. Seriously (don’t get Matthew twenty-fived). That’s part of why God gave them to you to manage. And let me ask you this: If you were managing someone else’s talents the way you’re managing your own, would you fire yourself? (thank you, Dave Ramsey) Choose one skill to work on in one song for that week. Relax and play what you know for the others, but intentionally focus and stretch in this one song. Consider doing it first so that it has the potential of influencing all the other songs. Skills? What skills? Dynamics, listening, groove, steady tempo, build, tuning, blend, accents, different styles, listening (you’re right, I did already say that), playing in fractions, memorization, improvisation, listening (yep), modern sound, you get the idea. Here are some samples: ~Work dynamics with 10,000 Reasons – play the chorus super loud, the verses super quiet, and use the musical interludes at the end of each to set up the next section. ~Take a familiar song, like Our God, and play it once together, once with just the bass and drums (having the piano and guitars listen), then once with just the piano and guitars playing (having the bass and drums listen), and then all together. Then talk about what each of them heard. ~Get the metronome out (oh boy), and play Be The Centre at the typical 67 BPM. Then at 87 BPM. Then at 107 BPM. Or take a song you always do at 90 BPM, and try doing it at 83 BPM. ~Use a remade hymn like Jesus Paid It All and have all the singers circle up tightly and sing it without mics to really focus on blending and owning the words. ~Use a song born from the river (Bethel, IHOP, Life Center…O Taste And See, My Soul Longs for You, Faithful) and “plan” for spontaneous improvisation at the end of the song. Have a different member of the band pick the chord progression to use. The bottom line is this: If your only growth plan is Ad Lib Music’s Rehearsal Coaching (which is great) or going to seminars and conferences (which are awesome), you’re missing the biggest opportunity for growth. Really. With each Fertilizer, you’ll grow in worship, in musicianship, in leadership, in relationship…it’ll be just what you need to grow. Be a part of this podcast by submitting your questions and comments to podcast@adlibmusic.com

Receive practical advice (play nice even if you can't play well) and spiritual impartation (be a laid-down lover). Here's a breath of fresh air! Follow them on Twitter: @DanielHazelwood and @NataliaHzlwd

I want to encapsulate the antidote to burnout into two phrases you can take with you: Never do anything alone & Drink from the well Hold on as you receive practical tools, heart encouragement, and divine impartation on how to avoid burnout on the path to bearing much fruit! Originally, the flow for the evening was worship, Dave, and then Daniel. With the magic of audacity, this recording re-orders it to be Daniel, Dave, worship. (Daniel drops so much glory that I wanted his stuff at the beginning!)

There’s no magic pill. But there is resistance... history, legalism, conservative thinking, empty religion, fear of man, no vision, me-centeredness. Don’t worry, we won’t step on any toes. Care for a sacred cow burger? (They’re tasty) Let’s learn God’s blueprint for “Good Order In Worship” together.

Are you doing things that sabotage your effectiveness as a worship leader? You are. (true story) We all do it. Learn how to take a look at yourself honestly. It’s less scary and more productive and interesting than you think. More than just coming back to the “haat of wsheep,” get the goods that will propel you forward as a leader who creates spaces in which people can meet with God. Oh, and if you’re up front playing bass, you’re a leader too, so this is for the whole team!