Worship Together Blog

The Highest and Greatest

The last couple of weeks at my church we have been singing this song by Tim Hughes and Nick Herbert from Tim's last CD. The song has a nice Irish swing to it and sounds like a classic, even though it's new.

The song has really energized our worship. It's a tremendous statement of praise. I really love the building up through the lyric "lifting You high, higher and higher". Once it flies back into the chorus, the whole congregation is singing full on.

Anyone else singing this with a similar response?

Easter Music

The Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday services are often difficult to navigate musically. Just like Christmas, there are many great old hymns of the faith that are foundational for many believers. However, many of these are difficult to translate musically into a modern sound.

Last year for Easter Sunday I tackled "Christ Arose". Talk about a challenge! I found a pretty contemporary groove for the verses, but there was just no getting around the awkward metering on the chorus "Up from the grave He arose!". I made several attempts to "straighten it out", but I just couldn't come up with anything that worked. In addition, that song is so well known within my church denomination, I was afraid they would sing it the traditional way no matter what I tried to do to it!

I ultimately decided to just go with the traditional version of the song. I figured our teens and twenty-somethings needed a shot of tradition on Easter. In the end it worked and was very meaningful. I could see some smiles from the older folks as they recalled the last time they had sung the song. The young folks probably thought it was some new retro style post-modern worship anthem :).

So don't be afraid of digging out the traditional hymn every now and then even if you can't  make them sound like Chris Tomlin. In the end it will bless your people and connect the generations.

So what big songs are you planning this Easter, new or old? Let's hear about it!

Worship Pop Stars and a Celebrity Church Culture?

From Vicky Beeching's blog...

Its been an amazing week for me... I spent time at "Re:Create" a think-tank gathering for worship leaders from across the US and abroad. Great to meet new friends - "Re:creaters" please join my Blog and keep in touch! (A big hello to Rick and Laura Muchow and the gang from Saddleback CA, Carlos and Heather Whittaker from Buckhead ATL, Brian and Alicia Chandler from Fulsom CA...and too many other names to mention all the GREAT people I met, but you were all such a breath of fresh air to me : )

Here is my Blog thought for today... It's a conversation I'm excited to start with you guys, as I love your insights....

We need to get great songs out to the wider church, and we need worship leaders and songwriters. But how do we ensure we are not creating a 'celebrity culture' within the Church? How do we as worship leaders approach marketing and imaging, without trying to look like Worship Pop Stars? Where are the lines and are we crossing them?

Are we creating an unhealthy division between local church worship leaders or people who play guitar in home group (who are the true unsung heroes!) and what we now refer to as 'worship recording artists'?

Read more of this post and other great stuff from Vicky at her blog...

What are your thoughts on what Vicky has to say?

Worship Together Writers' Retreat

February 5-7, Worship Together is hosting its first ever Worship Writers Retreat in Franklin, TN. There has been a truck load of thinking, planning, and work that has went into this event. Now that we are a week out, I'm brimming with anticipation about what God is going to do in this group.

Here's a list of those who are attending:
-Matt Maher (Your Grace Is Enough)
-Brenton Brown (Everlasting God)
-Robbie Seay (Robbie Seay Band)
-Antonio Phelon (EMI Gospel Artist)
-Michael Gungor (Friend of God)
-Ben Crist (Glorious Unseen)
-Vicky Beeching (Yesterday Today and Forever)
-Kelly Minter (New Kingsway Artist)
-Kevin Huguley (Rush of Fools)
-Wes Willis (Rush of Fools)
-Steve Fee (All Because of Jesus)
-Vernon Williams (New Gospel Worship Leader)
-Paul Oakley (Be Lifted Up)
-Daniel Doss (New Worship Artist)
-Johnny Parks (Worship Artist from Ireland)
-Aaron Keyes (New Kingsway Artist)

Usually these folks are ministering to worship leaders like you and I at various conferences and events around the country. This will be a time for them to be ministered to. I get giddy thinking that what God does at this retreat, could possibly impact hundreds of thousands of people around the world for the glory of God!

I'll be blogging some thoughts and hopefully will have some pics to share after the event. Go God!