I am pleased to announce that Dr. Paul Clark and I are co-hosting a seminar at Grace Community Church on Saturday, February 11, 2012 entitled “Congregational Singing: Planning and Leading Congregational Worship from a Pastoral Heart.” We had breakfast with Keith Getty this morning, now a Nashville resident, to confirm his involvement with the seminar. Keith is the co-writer of the modern hymn “In Christ Alone” and has blessed the universal Church with many theologically-rich and melodically beautiful new hymns. I was very excited to meet him as I have been impacted by his music for many years. He was the same guy across the table as he is on stage. Both his passion for working hard to write great songs for the Church and his desire to lead God’s people to sing well were evident in our conversation. I am very pleased he will be joining us for a Q & A session to encourage worship leaders in what they do.
Here is the itinerary for the day:
8:15 – 9:00: Registration and Light Breakfast
9:00 – 9:30: Worship through Singing
9:30 – 10:30: “Leading Congregational Worship Pastorally” – Dr. Paul Clark, Director of Worship and Music Ministry at the Tennessee Baptist Convention
10:30 – 11:00: Break
11:00 – 12:00: Q & A with Keith Getty
12:00 – 1:00: Lunch
1:00 – 2:00: Breakouts – Choose Between the Following:
“Cultivating Passion in Worship” – David Ward, Director of Worship Ministries at Redeemer Bible Church in Minnetonka, MN, Founder of Reformedpraise.org, Modern Hymn Writer “Leading Your Worship Team Pastorally” – Dave Hunt, Worship Leader at Trinity Church in Nashville, Worship Songwriter “Building Your Song Repertoire with Pastoral Intentionality” – Jeff Bourque, Director of Worship at Grace Community Church, Worship Songwriter
2:00 – 2:30: Break
2:30 – 3:00: Worship Through Singing
3:00 – 4:00: “Planning Your Worship Service with a Pastoral Heart” – Jeff Bourque
We would love for you to come! The cost is $35 and includes a (light) breakfast and lunch. To register, click here. If you have any questions, feel free to .
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A friend of mine sent me this text, saying her church had just sung this hymn and though the music was not very engaging, the words were extremely powerful and would I write a new melody? I read through the text and saw what she was talking about. What a faith-filled hymn! Written by Samuel Rodigast in 1676 to comfort a sick friend, he lays out what it means to deal with the problem of pain from the perspective of faith. Our God is sovereign and full of love, and though he takes us through adversity, his plans are right and true. His promise is that he will not leave us in the circumstance through which he is taking us. Samuel’s response is to trust that God will hold him and to be content through the pain. May we all be blessed with such a response that can only come as a result of the Spirit working in us. I pray this song would help our people through whatever trial God is taking them, knowing that some sweet day, we will all be free from the pain of this world.
Whate’er my God ordains is right:
His holy will abideth;
I will be still whate’er he doth;
And follow where he guideth.
He is my God: though dark my road.
He holds me that I shall not fall.
And so to him I leave it all,
He holds me that I shall not fall.
Whate’er my God ordains is right:
He never will deceive me.
He leads me by the proper path;
I know he will not leave me.
I take, content, what he hath sent.
His hand can turn my griefs away,
And patiently I wait his day,
His hand can turn my griefs away.
Whate’er my God ordains is right,
Though now this cup, in drinking,
May bitter seem to my faint heart,
I take it all, unshrinking.
My God is true; each morn anew.
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart,
And pain and sorrow shall depart,
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart.
Whate’er my God ordains is right.
Here shall my stand be taken.
Though sorrow, need, or death be mine,
Yet am I not forsaken.
My Father’s care is round me there.
He holds me that I shall not fall,
And so to him I leave it all,
He holds me that I shall not fall.
It was a packed house. I was sitting at the piano after having just finished a song during our Christmas Eve service a couple weeks ago. Our pastor, Scott, had begun his short message. This evening, there was no childcare because the Christmas Eve service is a more informal, kid-friendly gathering. I looked toward where my wife was seated with both my 1 and 3-year-old daughters, and I could feel the tension rise. I saw Kelly and Lucy shout-whispering – I could tell my first-born was protesting some decision my wife had made. I watched as Kelly shouldered the diaper bag, swooped up the little one, and then attempted to grab the ticking time bomb with the other arm. My red-headed 3-year-old then screamed at the top of her lungs, and my mortified wife had to carry her, belly-exposed, kicking, down the length of the middle aisle and through the overflowed Gathering Hall. And where was I? Oh yes, sitting on stage.
My wife is a saint. Every Sunday morning, I leave before anyone is awake, so she gets two little girls ready for church on her own. If one of them is sick, she’s the one who stays home. She’s the one who drops them off at childcare and picks them up at childcare. Sunday after Sunday, week after week.
Worship leader, love your wife. She’s the one who deals with the kids on Sundays. Even if you don’t have small children, your wife probably still sits alone for the majority of the service most weeks. She may come to church alone. She has to endure you being gone lots of extra rehearsals right around key holidays. Be in tune with her. When you’re wiped out from leading a day of services or after a week like Holy Week, know that she is probably tired too and misses you. Pursue her. Listen to her. Be open with her. Her job is just as hard as yours, and sometimes, as was evidenced on Christmas Eve for me, much, much harder.
Read this great article calling us to be centered on the gospel (and the expression of those who have been transformed by it) as we prepare for the Christmas season in our congregational gatherings.
This is a great, concise interview with the Gettys on why hymns matter. So fun to have these two in Nashville. Click here to read. Thanks to Andrea Frankenfeld for passing it along.
I am so thankful to have been a part of what God is doing in India. I spent three days last week teaching Indian believers who are quite good musicians how to write songs that are congregational. They were the most receptive, eager bunch I’ve ever taught. We walked through the steps: Gather together, pray for God’s inspiration, write down some things about God that are true and that He is showing you about Himself, find Scripture about these things, say the main point of the scripture in your own words, sing that main point or phrase until you like the melody, write a rhyming chorus with good meter, and then write supporting verses that all point in the same direction. For 18 people who had never written a congregational song before, they hit it out of the park (I’m watching Game 7 of the World Series as I type this – thus the baseball analogy).
By the second day, they had written and refined four songs (there were four co-writing groups). The songs are in English because it is the only common language in many churches here, and because six different countries were represented in the small group that we had. The songs also sound western, because these believers live in an urban setting, and since they are young, their heart music is more western than the traditional sounds of the generations before them.
One of the most moving moments for me was after we had recorded the songs and taken a break, I decided we should just get in a circle and sing songs we all knew together. We sang songs like “I Could Sing of Your Love Forever” and “Come Thou Fount.” Then, after a great time of singing several well-known songs, I started playing one of the songs they’d just written. It was like a lightbulb went on. They sang and played with joy – their songs, written from their own experience, as effective in aiding our worship as any of the more popular ones we had just finished singing. We sang all four of their new songs, and then we broke into new groups with even more passion to write some more.
It’s a joy to see this kind of fruit from such a short time of teaching and training. It’s even more of a joy to know these musicians in the Indian church will keep writing, giving voice to the experience of believers in that unique culture.
I can’t wait to post the songs. I will as soon as I have the recordings.
10 minutes ago, I was singing songs with some of the guys who are here for the workshop. About halfway through “How He Loves,” I realized what I was doing. The tears began to well up, because I was practicing for that place that my soul longs to be. I was singing praises with three young men, and four nations were represented in the room. My spirit leaped and longed for heaven.
Today was a very good day. I am missing my family like crazy. But I know that God has called me here for these few days to encourage His passionate, talented followers from many nations (I think there are 8 represented among the 20 or so who are here). I count myself very, very privileged to be doing what I’m doing.
This morning, my phone alarm buzzed at 4:30am. I met Paul Clark at 5:30am in a Home Depot parking lot where I threw my stuff into the back of his ride and headed to Chattanooga to make an 8:30am Worship Leader Roundtable put on by the Tennessee Baptist Convention. Having to be somewhere in the Eastern time zone early in the morning always hurts. Paul had asked me to come with him to share some of my songs and to meet these faithful brothers. 4 hours of conversation with a man I’ve come to greatly respect and a chance to share with other worship leaders? Not a hard decision to set that alarm for 4:30am.
It was such an encouraging day. On top of great conversation there and back, I got to hear the hearts of 9 fellow worship leaders who GET it. These guys were teaching each other, sharing passionately about the responsibility they feel to lead scripturally, with an emphasis on congregational involvement. I could sense the care that they had for their churches. I watched and listened to their humility. Being a part of that for half a day was a shot in the arm for me.
If you lead worship on a regular basis, I hope you have some connections and friendships with other worship leaders who share a gospel-driven passion for what you do. If you find yourself alone, pray for God to provide these kinds of people for you and then go seek them out. I need to do so more often for myself.
On October 17th, I will be leaving on a jet plane (3 planes actually, for a total “in the air” time of something around 20 hours) for South Asia. It will not be really fun to be leaving my girls for a little over a week, but I am very excited for what I’m getting to do. I have been asked to come and lead a workshop for South Asian worship leaders, teaching them how to write congregational songs. I have been wanting to get involved in this kind of thing for a while now – back at a missionary retreat that I led worship for in 2006, Kelly and I were both in much contemplation and prayer as to how God could use our gifts overseas. She was using her counseling skills to help missionaries with their close relationships, and I was leading worship for these same folks on the front lines. At the same time, we were both wondering how else we could be used. Since then, we’ve both decided that we are where we need to be in Nashville, but even still, He impressed something on me that trip. I say impressed, but more literally, here’s what happened. Every time I thought about helping believers from different cultures and people groups learn how to write worship songs that were original to them, my heart started beating faster. Every story that I hear to this day that has anything to do with this topic still strikes that passion in my heart, and I know again that God has something for me to do in this area.
So, for the first time, I am getting to go and do this first hand. Please pray for me in preparation and while I am there – that God will use me to build up the church leaders in this area, and that He will inspire many songs through these believers that would be used to strengthen and grow their churches to the glory of His name. Also, pray for me and my close friends who are serving in the area, that our visit would be a sweet, encouraging, “water from a distant land” time (Proverbs 25:25).
Yesterday, Kelly and I drove down to Dunlap, TN for the wedding of a close friend of hers. They have known each other for 20 years.
We arrived at her parents’ house, where the events were to be held in the back yard. The barn now sported a stage where the bluegrass band and square dance caller would provide the reception entertainment. The wood-plank covered pool would serve as the outdoor “chapel” where the wedding itself would take place. With the Tennessee Appalachians in the background, these two would be married on a near-perfect blue-skied late September afternoon.
Everyone was asked to arrive an hour early to begin the festivities. This allowed us all to talk to the bride and groom beforehand, share with the family, and feel very comfortable by the time 4:25 arrived and it was time to find a chair.
The couple walked from the barn to the arch during the appointed song. It was the most simple processional I’d ever witnessed. The bride was dressed in red. It was certainly not your usual wedding.
Then the officiator, an older woman who I believe is a priest at the groom’s Methodist church, began the ceremony. It was obvious she loved the couple. She shared from I Corinthians 13 and encouraged them to work at doing life together. It rang with truth. Then came the time for the vows.
The groom began with original words: strong words of commitment, promise, fondness and adoration for his bride. I was almost moved to tears. Then, the bride, confessing her many attempts to write out words that would express the depth of love in her heart, said that she had found the perfect words, but they that were written with a melody. She took a deep breath, and began to sing a capella to her groom – raw, real, nothing but heart. Tears began to stream down my face as she sang these words:
I will not take my love away
When praises cease and seasons change
While the whole world turns the other way
I will not take my love away
I will not leave you all alone
When striving leads you far from home
And there’s no yield for what you’ve sown
I will not leave you all alone
I will give you what you need
In plenty or in poverty
Forever, always, look to me
And I will give you what you need
I will not take my love away
It was an incredibly powerful moment of professed love. I have never seen someone so completely vulnerable, yet so completely confident. I won’t forget it.
Then, they proceeded to speak more traditional vows, repeating the familiar words of having and holding from this day on. I realized that these two had just beautifully blended the emotional with the traditional, the creative with the historic.
I then wondered how we might do the same when we remember and celebrate our marriage vows each Sunday as the bride of Christ. Can we, as leaders and participants in this all-encompassing commitment with each other and with Jesus, be this authentic, this heart-driven, this tied to the historic truth of God’s Word and work of salvation while being moved by it to love God, serve Him, and renew our commitment to Him each week?
I don’t know, but my heart is stirred.
If you would like to hear the song by Matt Wertz that she sang, click here.
There are rarely two services back-to-back that I plan at Grace that do not include a Stuart Townend song. He is the most prolific of modern hymn writers. I know of very few who would dispute that last phrase. God has gifted Stuart in a unique way, and our church is richer for his faithful use of his gifts. His writing is both poetic and powerful; beautiful, but not glossy. He has partnered more recently with the Gettys, and their collaborations are the best you’ll find when it comes to consistent, God-honoring, singable new hymns. If you haven’t done so, take some time to browse the CDs and songs I’ve listed below. All of them contain gems for congregational settings.
A fellow Middle Tennessee worship leader messaged me on Facebook (amazing how many ways we have to get in touch with folks these days) and wanted to know my thoughts on patriotic music in light of the 10-year anniversary of 9/11. He was already leaning the same direction as me in this area, but was wanting some feedback to make sure he wasn’t missing something that maybe he should consider including. Here was my answer:
“We have pretty intentionally steered clear of any specific “American” or patriotic themes for the reasons you stated above (which were that God is not American or Republican, and that we need to invest our brief time together in worship and teaching). I’m certain Scott, our pastor, will pray for those who lost loved ones on 9/11 and for the souls of the attackers. It’s possible that I will look into scripture that coincides with the anniversary, but most likely, the pastoral prayer will be the most focused time of the service. We’re also pretty low tech, so our slideshow beforehand is only basic announcements (not a good place for anything of this seriousness).
I just think there is a danger (see Deitrich Bonhoeffer’s biography) in tying anything that we do on Sundays to pride of country. The pride is a good thing, and I’m as patriotic as they come, but I just believe it can hold potential for problems when tied to what we are called to do in scripture when we meet together as a church. So, as much as we can do to pray and help anyone who has been through something tied to 9/11 closely is obviously good, but we would be very careful when bringing something of this nature into the congregational setting.”
I actually haven’t read the newest Bonhoeffer biography (I’ve only seen a documentary of his life), but my pastor Scott has, and he says that if you read it, you will always think twice about tying anything of a political or patriotic nature to the church. Bonhoeffer’s experiences with the established church in Nazi Germany serve as a sober warning to us all.
On the way home from church this evening, I called a friend. We caught up on life, and followed up on some previous discussions. At the end of the conversation, he took an opportunity to encourage me by letting me know how much the worship ministry at Grace has impacted him and impacts so many for God’s glory. He stated that so many people come to our church for a season and then are sent out having matured in what it means to worship God. I hung up the phone feeling energized to press on when I get to the office tomorrow and plan our service for Sunday.
If you are a worship leader, your faithful, intentional leadership makes an impact – and I’m speaking particularly to those of you who lead in the local context and have been in the same place for a long period of time. It’s very easy for us to get tired of the Monday-Sunday cycle, over and over, 52 times a year. It’s also easy for us to downplay the importance of a Sunday morning because it seems rote or routine. But your work is valuable. And it is valuable not just weekly, but eternally in the lives of those to whom you minister.
I read this article today about how important it is for believers in Christ to excel in the arts and infuse truth into the culture. It was well worth its length, and the end of the article was the most helpful.
I think it was around 2003 that I was first exposed to a song written by the songwriting community of Sovereign Grace. The song was “Before the Throne of God,” a new melody written by Vikki Cook married to older lyrics by Charitie Lees Bancroft. It was an instant favorite of our congregation.
Sovereign Grace music is a bastion of gospel-centered songs, some of which fit our context at Grace and some of which do not. But I buy most of the albums they put out because I know they will probably include songs that will greatly benefit our congregation (like the latest favorite of ours, “All I Have Is Christ”). Bob Kauflin, who heads up the ministry, is a dear brother who has taken the mantle of spiritual leadership in the realm of worship leading very seriously. Having attended WorshipGod ’09 (Sovereign Grace’s Conference for Worship Ministries), read “Worship Matters” (the book), followed “Worship Matters” (the blog), and had the privilege of sharing a couple meals with the man himself, I have been blessed and challenged by his perspective and his passion for the church.
Sovereign Grace songs we use at Grace regularly (with several more waiting in the wings):
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Paul Clark and I are co-hosting a seminar at Grace Community Church on Saturday, February 11, 2012 entitled “Congregational Singing: Planning and Leading Congregational Worship from a Pastoral Heart.” We had breakfast with Keith Getty this morning, now a Nashville resident, to confirm his involvement with the seminar. Keith is the co-writer of the modern hymn “In Christ Alone” and has blessed the universal Church with many theologically-rich and melodically beautiful new hymns. I was very excited to meet him as I have been impacted by his music for many years. He was the same guy across the table as he is on stage. Both his passion for working hard to write great songs for the Church and his desire to lead God’s people to sing well were evident in our conversation. I am very pleased he will be joining us for a Q & A session to encourage worship leaders in what they do.
