Volume 24 | No. 3 by Worship Leader Magazine

worshipleader PURSUING THE MISSION OF GOD IN WORSHIP

LEADERSHIP

Alabanza Cubana

Amos Yong

P. 14

Rory Noland

P. 24

Worship Around the World P. 40

New Sound, Same Spirit Nick Herbert

P. 44

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new:

EARTH IS YOURS

THE

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Christy Nockels FEATURED REVIEW

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WORSHIP LEADER | MAY/JUNE 2015 | VOL 24, NO.3

CONTENTS Look for National Worship Leader Conference speakers, teachers, and artists. Designated with: P.58

10 12

God Still Moves | Darlene Zschech

Worship in Many Tongues | Dr. Amos Yong

Song Discovery Songwriter Showcase

Women in Worship | Christine D’Clario

Centric Worship | Steve Rice

Alabanza Cubana | Rory Noland

New Music for Summer 2015 | Special Advertising

Loving God, Loving People | Ray Jones

5 Liturgical Actions | Craig Gilbert

Lifted Up, With Hands Outstretched | Reggie Kidd

The Beautiful Array | Stephen Michael Newby

Worship Around the World | Various

New Sound, Same Spirit | Nick Herbert

The Architect | Brian Smith

How to Make Rehearsals More Effective | Andy Chamberlain

Global Transformation Through Worship Application | HEIN VAN WYK

Global Tech | Kent Morris

Gear Reviews | Andy Toy

What’s New | ANDY TOY

Joining the Whole People of God in Worship | MARK D. ROBERTS

#firstworldworshipproblems | JEREMY ARMSTRONG

His Eye Is on the Sparrow | CHUCK FROMM

Christy Nockels | Featured Review

Music for Leading

Personal Playlist

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W OR SH IP LE A D E R

BY JEREMY ARMSTRONG

#firstworldworshipproblems I

just sat down at my desk after a three-hour traffic-jammed drive to the Worship Leader office—the joys of the Southern California morning commute. I try not to let those kinds of things completely derail my day, but certain realities, such as having a magazine deep in production, a late start to a Monday morning, 200+ unread emails in my inbox, and a blossoming traffic-induced headache, tend to take their toll. The Internet meme “first world problems” comes to mind. You’ve seen it, right? A picture of a person with a devastated look on their face—tears, regret. And the picture is captioned with something like: “There’s a new software update for my iPhone, but my Internet is down.” “There’s no room in my fridge; where am I supposed to put the leftovers from dinner?” “I just bought a new Blu-ray, but all my HDMI inputs are taken.” Problems that, when compared to global issues, really aren’t problems at all. There are certainly first-world problems where a service of worship is concerned. “My in-ear monitors aren’t working properly, now I can’t hear my BGVs.” “I forgot to charge my iPad last night, now I have to print my charts and use a music stand.” “My guitar strings are a couple months old, but I haven’t had a chance to get

new ones #firstworldworshipproblems.” I don’t mean to belittle these issues. These types of things, and many more snags, need to be remedied in our day-to-day lives. But it’s interesting how these daily problems can pile up and in the process gain the ability to shroud the reality of what it means to lead people in worship. When I was younger, I spent a year in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, teaching English at a church. Each of my three-hour-long classes began with music. Partly to fill a portion of such an excruciatingly prolonged lesson and partly to help my students both sing their faith and hear the rhythms of the language, I led worship. My technology? A guitar and a white board where I wrote out the lyrics to the songs. And guess what? I still had problems. Maybe there were no dry-erase markers available, maybe there was a political rally outside the church, chants and loudspeakers drowning out every attempt to lead the melody. Problems, struggles, challenges will come up no matter where, when, and how we lead worship. Some will be endemic to our location on the planet, and some will be more universal. But despite that fact, it is good to remember we

are a connected global body—unified by the mission of God on the earth throughout history. If we remember this, we might also be able to transcend a few of our #firstworldworshipproblems. This issue was designed to touch on some worship universals that connect us to the broader body of Christ. It is a conversation wherewith learning crosses cultural borders and is truly a give-and-receive amongst all involved. A conversation that, once started, helps us remember that God is not reduced to the first-world problem-solving business; he is global, and his Spirit is at move renewing and redeeming all things everywhere and at all times. W

– Jeremy Armstrong, managing editor

worshipleader FOUNDER/CEO/PUBLISHER Chuck Fromm, PhD EDITORIAL BOARD Warren Anderson, Paul Baloche, Brenton Brown, J. Robert Clinton, Maggi Dawn, Craig Detweiler, Jeff Deyo, Carlton Dillard, Stan Endicott, Susan Fontaine Godwin, Shaun Groves, Tony Guerrero, Debby Kerner Rettino, Reggie Kidd, Roberta King, Greg Laurie, Hughes Oliphant Old, Andy Park, Matt Redman, Robb Redman, Jason Ritchie, Mark Roberts, Lin Sexton, Martin Smith, Brian Steckler, Laura Story, Rick Warren. SUBMISSIONS See our submission guidelines at worshipleader.com. For all other feedback or inquiries, contact editor@wlmag.com. PERMISSIONS We grant duplication permission for up to 100 copies of any original article for use in a local church. For any other quantity or use, email editor@wlmag.com.

MANAGING EDITOR Jeremy Armstrong ART DIRECTOR Curtis Taylor DIRECTOR, TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT Suzie Stablein DIRECTOR, SALES & BRAND PARTNERSHIPS Alissa Smith Sales Associate Patrick McAbee VP, OPERATIONS Nicole Fromm ACCOUNTS MANAGER Judi Coffin ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Samantha Hart

NOTE ON BIBLE QUOTES Unless otherwise noted, Worship Leader defaults to the NIV.

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song DISCovery Worship Leader® (ISSN 1066-1247) is published bi-monthly by Worship Leader Partnership (29222 Rancho Viejo Road, Ste 215, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675-1046). Copyright: Worship Leader magazine © 2015 by Worship Leader, Inc. Worship Leader® is a registered trademark. Periodical postage paid at San Juan Capistrano, CA and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to Worship Leader, 29222 Rancho Viejo Road, Ste 215, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675-1046. Printed in U.S.A. CPM #4006 5056.

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Tedd T. Nashville-based Tedd T. (Mutemath, Newsboys, David Crowder Band) is not the type of producer who’s content to sit behind the console all day. He prefers collaborating with and inspiring artists with new approaches and fresh perspectives to music making. Tedd tells us about his process and what it’s like working on the road with For King & Country:

What is it like to record, literally, on the road? The great thing about recording on the bus is that every day you wake up in a different city. Plus, you also have access to whatever rooms and venues you find. On the bus, I record with an Apollo DUO and a laptop with a solid-state drive. Mainly, what you’re trying to do is to capture inspiration. The DUO is so compact and does such a great job; it’s fantastic. We’d sit out there on the bus and use a little Akai controller keyboard. And, even confined to two octaves on the keyboard, it’s actually cool because it makes you work really hard on what it is that you’re playing. Plus, when you’re on the road, you’re more in the mindset of creating something great, with less of the pressure you might feel when you go to a big, fancy studio and you know you have to “nail it.” Today, we’re setting up in a church to record. They have a fantastic old upright and an old M3/Leslie. I wondered if it would work, and sure enough, we got it fired up. Even with a broken key, it sounded great. The church has a soundproofed room for newborns, so we’re setting up in there. That’s a nice surprise. We moved the upright and the M3 in there, and the church has some nice mics they’ve been gracious enough to let us use. So much of the adventure happens when you walk into a new scenario where there are things that inspire art. Do you have a “go-to” mic you’re currently using? The main one is the SM7B. It’s very focused. We also used a Peluso tube mic. Tell us about the software you use. I record everything in Logic. I use a lot of soft synths in Logic. I start with the presets and do a lot of modifying to get the sounds we’re looking for. I’ve got a lot of Logic-based sounds that we used for the record. I use Absynth a lot; I think it sounds really interesting. It’s great for creating textures and backgrounds. I also use Native Instruments Ultimate, and I love the iZotope stuff. And I think Auto-Tune 7 is fantastic.

KING

H o n e s t y, F a i t h , a n d F a m i l y The name is also the mission statement: “It’s an old English battle cry, as they went to fight for what they believed and to stand for something greater than themselves,” says For King & Country’s Joel Smallbone. “For us, doing music for people and for God is one of the main underlying themes of the band.” And the Nashville-based group, fronted by Joel and his brother Luke, takes their mission statement seriously. By turns exultant, introspective, atmospheric, and immediate, For King & Country’s uplifting music is also incredibly honest and authentic. The brothers spent their youth in Australia and cut their musical teeth in the U.S., eventually backing up their sister, Rebecca St. James, on tour. By 2007, they were making musical waves of their own, and by 2013, they had released two well-received albums and received a Dove Award. The band has played hundreds of shows since then — and they’re not slowing down. Their latest, Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong., features their strongest material yet. During a stop on the band’s fall 2014 tour, Joel spoke with us about the importance of family, respect in relationships, recording on the bus, and the always-present role of faith in the band’s music. How did you and Luke get interested in music? Music chose us, I think, more than we chose music. We grew up in a very musical family. Our dad, who is our manager now, was a concert promoter in Australia. He brought over a lot of artists in the ’80s, including Amy Grant. One of my earliest memories in Sydney was looking at vinyl records by my favorite bands or going to shows and plugging my ears. I was a t-shirt model at four years old, standing onstage with the shirt draping all the way to the floor. I remember there were always bands and musicians coming through the house. It was also on one of those tours that things didn’t go as well as projected, and my dad lost a quarter of a million dollars — which ultimately led to us having to sell the house to pay the debt. For years, he’d felt a prompting to move to the U.S., and he found some work over here in the music industry in Nashville. Your move to the States was tumultuous. It was after we got there that he actually lost his job. So, it was to that point about a month in, and we were

stuck living in a furniture-less house without a car. And he was just trying to find any kind of semblance of work he could. We really knit together during that time. As a family, we raked leaves, we mowed lawns, cleaned houses along with our oldest sister, Rebecca. We really worked as a team. I remember well: we’d sit in a circle in the living room, and we would just pray. We had nowhere to turn other than upward. We saw pretty miraculous things happen. The first Thanksgiving we were here, we found out about a family who invited pretty much anyone who wanted to join to Thanksgiving dinner. At the end of the night, the father of the house walked up to my mum and said, “I feel like God is prompting me to give you the keys to our minivan.” Also, someone anonymously paid for our little sister to be born in a hospital. The list goes on — just amazing examples of people giving and serving. Do you recall particular musical influences? For Luke, growing up, bands like Switchfoot were very influential. Classic U2 was a big influence on me. I went to a few U2 shows during their 360 tour, and they segued from “Amazing Grace” into “Where the Streets Have No Name.” I was just sitting there flabbergasted at how much of a worship service it felt like, you know? There are other layers of influences too; Luke is a pretty avid reader, and we’ve both been major C. S. Lewis fans since we were kids, so hopefully some of that has rubbed off lyrically. I also love theatrical and cinematic scores. When did you and Luke begin playing live? Our oldest sister began traveling as a musician. Dad needed cheap labor, so he put us brothers to work as the crew: lighting, sound, background vocals. That was when Luke and I really began to see the impact of music. It was toward the end of Rebecca’s career that we started kind of leaning in on our own. We ended up writing over a hundred songs and began doing showcases for labels — and got shut down more times than I want to count. Then, fast-forward to 2009, a gentleman by the name of Mark Bright, who’s primarily a country producer and runs a publishing company, took over our label.

COUNTRY Mark produced Carrie Underwood and Reba McEntire and a lot of country icons. He was a real champion for us and signed us, and we recorded some material under his leadership. How do you approach instrumentation? Neither of us is classically trained. Luke grew up very rhythmic, and I’d say I grew up more melodic. I’d have a laptop and a little keyboard for the demos we’d cook up. I’d like to say I could “play” everything without playing anything. And now, live, Luke and I don’t do any of the heavy lifting, instrumentally. Luke may play some percussion, and I might play a bit on the harmonium or on a few various drums or tubular bells onstage. But it’s all a very ancillary thing that lets us focus on the vocals and the melodies and the message. Tell us about your recording process. We actually have a producer [Tedd T.] out on the road with us right now. We worked with him very closely on several songs on our last album. It’s very collaborative — in sort of a “cyber” way. He and I have a studio setup in the back of the tour bus, with a laptop MIDI controller and a microphone. We’ll build a very rough skeleton of the song and send an MP3 out to the band. Then, they will, respectively, set up their own laptops and will kind of layer in other sounds. Sometimes, we’ll even go into the venue prior to the show and mic up an instrument to get a track. So, you’re assembling both demos and the final product at the same time? Yes. In our opinion, your ears don’t lie. Technical perfection does not match the beauty of a really heartfelt piece. I think basically all the vocals on “Run Wild” were sung on the bus. It’s not a pristine, clean kind of thing, but what we went for was “heart over art.” If it feels right, go. Being so busy and being on tour allowed us to discover this recording process. What about the centrality of faith in your songwriting? I find that it’s hard to separate the song — regardless of its theme — from our faith. We might be writing about someone who is going through a hard time. In fact, Luke was very ill last year. We wrote a couple of songs walking through, almost in journal form, his illness. Inside the song, you can see the spiritual ramifications. And on a song like “Shoulders” from the new album, it’s almost a prayer. Almost a psalm, if you will. Or on “Fix My Eyes,” the lead single, that song was very much built around wanting to be

a good human being and contributing to society, but above all of those things, we want to fix our eyes on Heaven and maintain that focus. Because keeping that focus holds us in good stead — in not making it about ourselves. Family is such a strong element of the band. I honestly feel that, without my wife and Luke’s wife, Courtney and their son [and they very recently had a second son], the strength of the group would be dramatically decreased. You get a balance and a purpose. The heartbeat of For King & Country is family. I’ve mentioned that our dad manages us. Daniel, my oldest brother, does a lot of the lighting and design. Brother Ben does any video work that we do. Mom is out on the road with us right now as well. But even beyond the blood family, the guys onstage with us and the label... there’s a big sense of family. You’ve mentioned the importance of respect and honor in relationships. Our parents have been married for almost 40 years, and we’re a really strongly knit family. And borne out of that was the idea of saying to young ladies — and also to men, but especially to girls — don’t let anyone disrespect you in a relationship. Don’t ever settle for second best. Know what you’re worth; know that you matter. We say to guys that, hey, it’s time to step up. Chivalry is alive and well. You might think that we’d get people who scoff, but the response has been one of overwhelming positivity. Your producers (Tedd T., Seth Mosley, and Matt Hales) are very collaborative with you in the recording process. I can’t speak more highly of them. One of the things in the creative process that I find most stifling is a “we can’t” attitude — versus a “we can” or a “let’s try.” And these guys are so willing to think outside the box... I hesitate to say even that, because I almost think they don’t acknowledge the box. Their approach is music is music; let’s have fun and be creative.

CALL UR FOR YO

For King & Country’s latest album, Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong., is available now. To find out more, go to forKingandCountry.com!

FRSUEEE! IS

What is next for you and the band? After this tour, we’ll do something we’ve never done as a band, which is to take off about a month. Then, we’ll be on an arena tour early in 2015. We will be contributing a song to an upcoming television series, and there’s talk about working on music for a film that’s shooting this year. We’re also thinking about a Christmas EP, and there will be another tour in the fall of 2015.

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Given this approach to recording, how do you manage to get such a cohesive sound? I attribute a lot of that to the guys knowing what they want the music to become. They have a lot of musical input on the parts, and they know what they like. They’re very aware of what’s “them,” and they’re mindful of what’s going on track-wise and arrangement-wise.

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LEADERSHIP

BY DR. MARK D. ROBERTS

JOINING THE WHOLE PEOPLE OF GOD IN WORSHIP

cripture teaches us to see worship as something global, even cosmic. For example, Psalm 66:1-4 urges “all the earth” to “shout for joy” as well as to bow in humble reverence before the Lord. Philippians 2:1011 envisions the day when “every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Revelation 5:11-13 depicts the worship of a hundred million angels encircling the throne of God. Joining them, every creature in the whole cosmos offers “praise and honor and glory and power” to “him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.” Yet, many Christians miss the global dimension of worship. We think of worship as personal. It involves intimate communication between an individual and Jesus. Though we often worship with other people, we measure the authenticity of our worship by our own emotional experience of closeness to God.

Personal and Universal Those of us who lead worship accept the responsibility of helping people grow in their worship. For many whom we lead, learning to experience God in an intimate way is an essential element of this growth. But it is not the end point. There is still more, always more, to know of God and to offer to God in worship. Part of this more, I believe, is experiencing worship as both deeply intimate and profoundly corporate. Worship is something I do personally and as a member of the global, indeed, universal congregation of God’s people. 10

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How can we, as worship leaders, expand the horizons of our people, so they might understand and embrace the wider dimensions of worship? First, we need to allow the Lord to stretch our own minds and hearts so that we might see worship in a truly biblical, global perspective. We can get so focused on our own particular congregation that we lose sight of the congregation that extends across the earth, even into the heavens. Prayerfully reflecting upon biblical passages such as those I mentioned in the first paragraph can stretch your own vision and sense of worship.

Broaden Horizons Third, through our words of encouragement and prayers as we lead, we can help our people see their worship as part of something much larger. For example, we can read biblical passages that call the whole earth to worship. Sometimes when I’m leading worship, I will pray something like this, “Gracious God, how good it is to be in your presence today. How good to be part of your people across the globe. In every hour and in every continent, your people have been worshiping you this day. How blessed we are to join our voices to those of our sisters and

“We can get so focused on our own particular congregation that we lose sight of the congregation that extends across the earth, even into the heavens.” Watch Your Words Second, we can pay closer attention to the words of the songs we use in worship. We should ensure that the lyrics we choose regularly express worship as something offered by all of God’s people. I’m not saying every song must do this. But, in many of our churches, the words we sing to God almost never reflect our participation in a community of worshipers, not to mention the global church. (I just ran through the top songs in CCLI. In most of these, worship is something “I” do, not something “we” do. A global perspective, such as found in the first verse of “How Great Is Our God” is rare.)

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brothers throughout the world.” As you seek to broaden the horizons of your people, God will give you fresh, creative ways to do this, so that he might be worshiped more fully, and so that your people might experience the joy of worshiping as members of God’s global family. W DR. MARK D. ROBERTS is the Executive Director of the Max De Pree Center for Leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary. He blogs at patheos.com/blogs/markdroberts.

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LEADERSHIP

BY DARLENE ZSCHECH

GOD STILL MOVES T

he God who stopped the world for his beloved Israel is still in the business of moving heaven and earth for his kids. This is the God we worship. If we reduce our worship to song lists and production requirements, then we have certainly missed the point. And the earth suffers due to the lack of truthful worship being offered. My heart for you today is to always remember God desires to meet with his people; God desires us to meet with him; God’s will is his kingdom come. In his book God Came Near, Max Lucado describes: It all happened in a moment, a most remarkable moment. As moments go, that one appeared no different than any other. ... It was one of the countless moments that have marked time since eternity became measurable. … The omnipotent, in one instant, made himself breakable. He who had been spirit became pierceable. He who was larger than the universe became an embryo. And he who sustains the world with a word chose to be dependent upon the nourishment of a young girl. God as a fetus. Holiness sleeping in a womb. The creator of life being created. God was given eyebrows, elbows, two kidneys, and a spleen. He stretched against the walls and floated in the amniotic fluids of his mother. God had come near. Yes friend, it was God’s passion for us that caused him to send Jesus to us and for us. From that standpoint alone, we worship.

Flowing Worship We so easily praise the achievements of man. It is so natural for man to worship himself. It is so supernatural for man to worship God. This all points to the fact 12

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that we need a supernatural encounter with the living God. There is not a single one of us who is capable of worshiping God “in spirit and truth” (Jn 4:24) unless the Holy Spirit first comes to take up residence in our soul. That’s when the true praise begins, as it just starts to flow—like a waterfall. When he comes to dwell inside of you, your inner being becomes a cathedral of thanksgiving. You become a new person with new priorities and with a spirit of praise in your heart for your King. It’s not like you even have to be told to do it; it just starts to happen naturally or supernaturally. You can resist the Holy Spirit, or you can yield to him. You can dig in your heels, or you can surrender your will and emotions to all that he is. But eventually, everyone will bow before him (Rom 14:11).

In the Darkness Oh, how I worshiped my way through chemo. Really, I just needed God’s presence; I needed his Word; I needed his truth. Worship changed everything every day. I was saying to a close friend yesterday, “I am so glad to be out of that season. But I do miss my constant time with Jesus. And I want to fight for that in my every day.” In a similar way, the woman at the well in John 4 was feeling isolated, downtrodden, rejected, with a longing for something more. Her heart was searching for the promised King to worship, and then when she encountered him her life was changed forever, and her worship found its home.

Global Change This is where global worship finds its reason. For whenever the King is exalted, whenever our humanity meets his divinity, we can expect our worlds to be changed. Whenever one life is lived to the

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beat of his presence and joins with others of like heart and spirit, you’ll see blessing, real blessing. The blessing springs from real unity birthed in the perfection of Jesus and released as his children serve God’s purposes. Joyce Meyer says when we lift up our hands we show the enemy where we stand, we show God where we stand, and we show other people to whom we belong. Today I encourage you to open your heart, and I encourage you to stay connected to God’s life-giving Word because one true encounter with our almighty God will change your life forever. And your changed life will affect many others—in Jesus’ name. When we worship Jesus, we declare his kingdom and announce his presence. When we worship, we come by grace through faith, bringing the voice of our hearts to heaven. When we worship, we literally dispel the darkness and take authority over principalities and powers. When we worship, we exalt Christ and his dominion over every situation and circumstance. When we worship, thanksgiving is our entry point, joy is our strength, breakthrough is our inheritance. When we worship, demons tremble and angels join in song. When we worship, kingdom dominion is established in our lives. Love you dearly, Darls DARLENE ZSCHECH (darlenezschech.com) wrote the classic “Shout to the Lord” and has a new album In Jesus Name: A Legacy of Worship & Faith.

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LEADERSHIP

WORSHIP TONGUES: IN MANY

THE POWER OF PRAISE IN THE VERNACULAR

BY DR. 14

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AMOS YONG MAY/J U NE 2015

ur thinking about worship at the present time usually assumes that Christians worship in their mother tongue. This means that Christian worship arises from out of innumerable languages used by congregations, churches, and movements around the world. Although this is taken for granted, it is a remarkable phenomenon when we are reminded that Arabic remains the primary language of Muslim worship and that Hindu worship is also unmistakably, marked by South Asian linguistic forms.1 How did this pervasiveness of the mother tongue emerge in Christian worship, and what is the significance of such practice? It has not, of course, always been this way. In the biblical traditions, the earliest recorded worship of the gathered people of God appears to have been in Hebrew. The ancient Israelite worshipers sang the Psalms and other songs in their own

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language, and these were transmitted to the language of the Old Testament. The translation of at least parts of the Hebrew canon into Koine Greek—called the Septuagint—by sometime in the second century BCE, however, indicates that perhaps the Jewish diaspora across the Mediterranean world even at that time had opened up possibilities for worship in the dominant language of the Hellenistic world. The New Testament itself was written in this dialect, reflecting the fact that many of the earliest followers of Jesus as Messiah were at least comfortable in Koine Greek if that was not their first language. This prevalence of Hebrew for ancient Israel and then Greek for the apostolic and post-apostolic periods suggests that worship of what Jews and Christians considered the one true God unfolded in a singular language. This practice is apparently confirmed, if not perpetuated, if we fastforwarded to the papally commissioned (by Pope Damasus I) translation of the Latin Vulgate (by St. Jerome) at the end of the fourth century, which over the course of the next millennium and more not only became the official version of the Bible for the Roman Catholic Church (sanctioned post facto by the Council of Trent in the sixteenth century) but formalized much of the worship of the church in Latin. Although not the exclusive language of Christian or Catholic worship, the association of Latin with the sacraments certainly left the impression among the faithful that there was something sacrosanct about this communicative convention as it was not otherwise used in daily life and reserved only for those liturgical moments when the mysteries of the faith were celebrated and experienced.

FULL REDEMPTION I want to retrieve, however, a minority tradition that seems to me little connected to Christian worship: that intimated by the Day of Pentecost narrative in the Book of Acts, chapter two. Although the linguistic multiplicity of this account might be negatively construed as needing to be harnessed or constrained in light of the dispersal of the many languages at the Tower of Babel (Gen 10), an alternative reading would insist that the outpour

ing of the Spirit on “all flesh” (Acts 2:17) indicates instead the possibility, and the beginnings of the actualization of, the redemption of the many human languages and the many cultures, ethnicities, and groupings of peoples that such represent. If we followed this trajectory of understanding, then the promise to Abraham that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:3, NRSV) comes into relief. Even in the earlier Testament, as observed through the eyes of St. Stephen, it was God’s plan all along to remedy and renew human linguistic and cultural diversity, whether that included the wisdom of the Egyptians, the legacy of the Midianites, or even the trying times under the Babylonians (Acts 7:22, 29, 43). In this light, then, it comes as no surprise the faith in the Jewish Messiah is propagated quite apart from the Aramaic that he himself spoke.2 If many of his first disciples were also Aramaic speaking Galileans, the next generation of his followers were just as likely to represent the broad spectrum of languages and cultures summarily described in the Pentecost narrative: there were Samaritans with their own dialect of Aramaic, Ethiopian Africans, and Maltese islanders (literally: “barbarians,” from the Greek barbaroi; Acts 28:2), among those who spoke in many other tongues. I can’t help but imagine that although the New Testament is written in Greek, the worship of these messianic believers across the Mediterranean world was lifted up in their varied and diverse languages practically from the beginning.

MULTIPLE REVIVALS In order to appreciate what I am here calling the power of praise in the vernacular, let us fast-forward to the modern pentecostal revival catalyzed, many believed, at the Azusa Street mission in Los Angeles in the early twentieth century. Here we ought to note not just the outbreak of glossolalia (speaking in tongues) at the mission but that its services attracted people from many cultural, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds.3 It is difficult to say that they worshiped in their own tongues, although the lines between glossolalic and other languages would surely have been blurred among those at the mission. How-

ever, many scholars are beginning to realize that simultaneously with as well as prior to and following this sequence of events at Azusa Street, there were pentecostal type revivals breaking out in other parts of the world: in Wales, in India, and in Chile, for instance.4 In these various locales, no doubt pentecostal worship was sustained by local languages, idioms, and cultures. Focusing only on this early period of the modern pentecostal revival, we can already observe manifestations of the movement’s diversity. One might be inclined to argue that in so far as modern Pentecostalism and the charismatic renewal movements in its train follow through along the path charted by its biblical (Day of Pentecost) namesake, these contemporary movements will not just be characterized but also actually constituted by plurality: of languages, cultures, and forms of life.

LANGUAGE AS IDENTITY Beyond the diversity of linguistic worship, however, I also want to call attention to how language is intertwined with not only culture but also identity. As worship involves both singing and musicking (the creation and production of music), the act of worship thus includes not only our vocal chords but also all of our perceptual powers as embodied creatures. Here, then, we see how languages intertwined with music encompasses not just our minds or rational intellects but what might be called our hearts: our affective dispositions and orientations, our emotional states and modulations, and our interpersonal and intersubjective relationships. My point is that once we understand worship in its musical dimensions,5 then we see further how praising, singing, and music making is powerfully shaped by the vernacular. Our mother tongues not only unleash what is in the deepest recesses of human souls as we respond to the divine but also inspire creativity so that even in the most rigid of liturgical environments, every occasion of worship is a repetition with a distinctive difference. I want to suggest that the “pentecostal principle,” manifest most primordially in the Acts 2 story, has implications for Christian worship theory and praxis in M AY /JU N E 2 0 1 5

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the twenty-first century.6 What I am referring to is how the outpouring of the Spirit reconstitutes the many languages of the world precisely through enabling their speech about God’s wondrous works (Acts 2:11). This suggests that the presence and activity of the Spirit will continuously enable new forms of heralding the coming divine reign. Although pentecostal churches are no less immune to sociological processes of institutionalization that can undermine this capacity to renew and refresh, any genuine pentecostal worship cannot be institutionally copyrighted but will emerge as the Spirit promotes faithful Christian living in response to local and contextual realities. If so, then the pentecostal principle manifest in worship will be characterized by ongoing innovation, reflected for instance in the evolution of the denominational hymnal, the

indigenous styles and rhythms, and native forms and expressions. I would further submit that the parallels between the emergence of modern pentecostal-charismatic movements and the expansion of Christianity across the majority world— such that the center of gravity for Christian faith has now shifted markedly from its Western provenance—are not coincidental. Christianity as a world religion, now perhaps actually for the first time, is also dominated by a pentecostal and charismatic type spirituality. This means that Christians around the world are gathering in their own contexts and worshiping God in their own tongues.

REWRITING THE BOOK OF ACTS What might such a global phenomenon signify? Here I want to reflect on how, as it were, the 29th chapter of the Book of

these lines. First, worship in the vernacular, as already intimated, is pneumatic but thereby also thoroughly human worship of the living God. Of the Day of Pentecost, it was remembered: There came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. (Acts 2:2-4) Here the speaking in, by, and through the Spirit does not negate human agency, responsiveness, and contribution. The Spirit here transcends the gulf between Creator and created by enabling homo sapiens to be fully human in the particularity of our embodiment, language, and culture.

“HUMAN WORSHIP IN OUR MANY LANGUAGES PARTICIPATES IN THE DIVINE LIFE BESTOWED BY THE SPIRIT POURED OUT, REDEEMED IN THE INCARNATE SON, AND REFLECTED IN THE TRIUNE GOD.” emergence of the songbook and chorusbooklet, and now the vastly spreading post-denominational electronic and digital worship media. Each are instantiations of attempts to worship faithfully following the biblical storyline and metanarrative on the one hand, but yet to engage authentically with contemporary cultural and global horizons on the other hand.

INDIGENOUS PRAISE It is not surprising, then, that pentecostalcharismatic music, praise, and worship styles have impacted world Christianity in countless ways.7 If in former generations missionaries from the Euro-American West brought their forms of worship in their languages to those in the global South, the pentecostal spirit has always invited, if not insisted, on indigenous languages, agency, and responsibility. Thus pentecostal-type Christian worship has evolved favoring local instruments, 16

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Acts might be rewritten, if not resounded, in the twenty-first century. Perhaps we can understand contemporary Christian praise and worship in the vernacular as harbinger of a new Pentecost, one fit for the opportunities and challenges for a pluralistic third millennium. To be sure, the world has always been a very diverse place, but perhaps retrieval of the Pentecost narrative for Christian worship in our time will seek to intentionally embrace such diversity as theologically warranted and normative. If so, then to say that “the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (Jn 4:23), is to expect that Christian worship will unfold in the vernacular, according to the Day of Pentecost template.

THEOLOGICAL THEMES At least three theological themes can be registered as thinking with, inspired by, and supportive of developments along

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Not only are many languages inspired but many perceptual and communicative modalities are engaged: the seeing and the hearing besides the speaking.8 To be in the Spirit is to be abundantly alive to and effusively immersed in our humanity so that every aspect and dimension of our being responds in praise to the Creator. The resounding of the vernacular thus heralds the repair of our brokenness and the empowering of our witness, in and through our creatureliness. Such witness and worship in the vernacular is intended to extend “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8b), but proceeds corporately through the witness of the Church as the people of God, the body of Christ, and the fellowship of the Spirit, rather than merely through individual members. After all, it is the Spirit who gives gifts for witness and distributes them to each and every, not only select, members of the ekklesia so that all are conduits

of the edification and blessing of others (1 Cor. 12). The worshipful witness of each member thereby resounds harmoniously through the worshipful witness of all so that the testimony of each congregation strikes chords that resonate in our local communities. The great commission to “make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19a) thus emerges from out of the worshipful witness of the mother tongues in all their dialectical concordance, orchestrated by the Spirit so that each unique note (gift) echoes melodiously amidst, with, and through the others to the glory of God. It is precisely in vernacularized worship that “praising God and having the goodwill of all the people […] day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). As we connect through the Spirit with the living God in and through our (cultural and linguistic) contingencies, we draw others into the divine presence, and they in turn are caught up in the drama of redemption that retrieves and reorients their own unique testimonies.9 And all of this happens because worship in the vernacular is ultimately about God and the divine reign. Human worship in our many languages participates in the divine life bestowed by the Spirit poured out, redeemed in the incarnate Son, and reflected in the triune God. The perichoretic relationality of the divine Trinity is, metaphorically and analogously, the template for the creation in its many orders of diversity, including human cultural and linguistic plurality. In the end, then, the many tribes and peoples (Rev. 7:9) will bring into the New Jerusalem “the glory and the honor of the nations” (Rev. 21:26) so that the vernacular will ring forth in eternity as a testimony to the triune Creator who loves the creation in its variety. In that “day,” we will continuously be “amazed and perplexed” (Acts 2:12a) at the many voices, but we will no longer say that others “are filled with new wine”; instead, we will then once-for-all and forever enjoy the promise that is for us and our children, and “for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him” (Acts 2:39), and heaven will resound through the many tongues: “Salvation belongs to our

God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Rev. 7:10).10 1. On the Hindu case, see Guy L. Beck, Sonic Theology: Hinduism and Sacred Sound (Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1992). 2. As Lamin Sanneh has argued in many places; see his now classic, Translating the Message: The Missionary Impact on Culture, 20th anniversary ed. (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2009). 3. The most in-depth account so far is Cecil Mel Robeck, Jr., The Azusa Street Mission and Revival (Nashville: Nelson Reference, 2006). 4. These stories are told by Allan Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity, 2nd ed. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013), part I; see also my The Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh: Pentecostalism and the Possibility of Global Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005), esp. ch. 1. 5. Gerald Hobbs, “Christianity and Music,” in Guy L. Beck, ed., Sacred Sound: Experiencing Music in World Religions (Waterloo, Ont.: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2006), 61-88, esp. 64-66.

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6. In what follows, I riff off the work of Nimi Wariboko, The Pentecostal Principle: Ethical Methodology in New Spirit (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2011), and extend his notion of beginning again or afresh to thinking about worship innovated in the vernacular. 7. See Monique Ingalls and Amos Yong, eds., The Spirit of Praise: Music and Worship in Global Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity (University Park, Penn.: Penn State University Press, 2015). 8. Thus those for whom one of these abilities is impaired can yet receive from and participate in the pentecostal Spirit through the other means; see my discussion of how the Spirit inspires not only many tongues but many capacities in The Bible, Disability, and the Church: A New Vision of the People of God (Grand Rapids and Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2011), ch. 3. 9. See here my The Missiological Spirit: Christian Mission Theology for the Third Millennium Global Context (Eugene, Ore.: Cascade Books, 2014). 10. Elsewhere I elaborate on this pneumatological and trinitarian theology of grace and salvation: Spirit of Love: A Trinitarian Theology of Grace (Waco, Tex.: Baylor University Press, 2012).

DR. AMOS YONG is the director of the Center for Missiological Research (CMR) and professor of theology and mission School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. Previously he served at Regent University School of Divinity where he taught for nine years, serving most recently as J. Rodman Williams Professor of Theology and dean. He has authored or edited over 30 books, among the most recent are The Future of Evangelical Theology: Soundings from the Asian American Diaspora (IVP Academic, 2014) and Renewing Christian Theology: Systematics for a Global Christianity, with Jonathan A. Anderson (Baylor University Press, 2014).

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ARTISTS FEATURED ON SONG DISCOVERY MAY/JUNE VOL. 122

SONGWRITER SHOWCASE

Mike Cosper

Jonathan Seller

How does faith and music work together?

Music is such a gift. I have learned over the years to constantly receive it as such, whether I’m playing music or listening to it— to acknowledge that the joy it brings is a good gift from a good God. Every encounter with good music becomes, in this sense, a call to worship.

Worship music is unique in that you can’t just write a worship song. Worship is a response to something that has already taken place. You need revelation before there is worship. For me, the revelation of God has awakened desires and passions like nothing else in this world has. Writing music for God about God is nothing more and nothing less than my response to his revelation.

Sojourn Church | sojournmusic.com Song on Song Discovery: “New Again,” Vol 122, #7

Woodside Bible Church | woodsidebible.org Song on Song Discovery: “Can’t Be Broken,” Vol 122, #1

What was the original purpose for writing “New Again”?

We wanted a song that celebrated resurrection themes. Brooks Ritter (the song’s co-writer) and I were both writing resurrection songs, and both ran into roadblocks. We traded ideas and soon discovered that his verse—which we both liked—worked well with my chorus—which we both liked—and the two mediocre songs became one better song. What are your top 3 favorite songs?

It’s painful to even attempt a list like this. Here are the first three that pop into mind. “Ramble On” (Led Zepplin); “Gimme Shelter” (The Rolling Stones); “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” (Bob Dylan).

What was the original purpose for writing “Can’t Be Broken”?

We wanted to write a song that captured clearly the unfailing love of God. In a world of conditional love and the feeling of having to be something in order to gain something, the love of God is a welcome refreshment. You can’t earn the love of God. He just loves us as we are without reservation. I love the line in the song that says, “Your grace abounds forever, beyond my wandering,” as it reminds me that even my failures are not reason enough for God to give up on me. He is the everlasting pursuer and lover of our souls. What are your top 3 favorite songs of all time?

“It Is Well” (Horatio Spafford); Be Thou My Vision; and “Lord, I Need You” (Matt Maher). W

Songwriters: Have a song you want to share with the Church? Submit your song at worshipleader.com/submit-a-song 18

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PRESENTS

MAY/JUNE 2015 VOLUME 122

1. Can’t Be Broken

7. New Again

Woodside Worship As heard on: Response. Words & Music: Jonathan Seller. Marque Cryderman. Jacob Mason/David Stabley/Lydia Gagoh/Cathryn Mankiewicz. Visit: woodsideworship.com

Sojourn Music As heard on: New Again. Words & Music: Michael Cosper/Brooks Ritter. Visit: sojournmusic.com

2. Victorious

Sisterbrother As heard on: Into the Light. Words & Music: Nathan Horst. Visit: sisterbrotherband.com

8. Into The Light

Lifepoint Worship As heard on: Victorious. Words & Music: Brandon Lake/Berchman Paul Jr. Visit: lifepointworship.org

9. Prayers Of The People

3. Clothed In Skin

The Brilliance As heard on: Brother. Words & Music: John Arndt. David Gungor/Ian Morgan Cron/Ben Kilgore/Evan Wickham. Visit: thebrilliancemusic.com

Benjamin Dunn & Friends As heard on: Fable EP. Words & Music: Benjamin Dunn. Visit: joyrevolution.myshopify.com

10. Mightier

4. We’re Gonna Shine Gary Rea As heard on: Songs of Unity. Words & Music: Gary Rea. Visit: garyreaworship.com

Aaron Strumpel As heard on: Bright Star. Words & Music: Aaron Strumpel/Latifah Phillips. Visit: aaronstrumpel.com

5. We Are Yours

11. Never Runs Dry Rhyan Shirley As heard on: High Above - EP. Words & Music: Michael Farren/Krissy Nordhoff/Rhyan Shirley Visit: rhyanshirley.com

WorshipMob As heard on: Carry the Fire. Words & Music: Garrett Chynoweth/Jarrod Gipson/Nico Perez. Visit: facebook.com/worshipmobpage

12. Isn’t The Name

6. Like No Other Christ Fellowship Worship As heard on: Like No Other. Words & Music: Jay Boykin/Brad Parsley/ Aaron Reyes/Michael Neale. Visit: christfellowshipworship.com

MAGAZINES

CHORD CHARTS & LEAD SHEETS IN 3 KEYS Our God is stronger Our God is greater Our God is higher than any other

LYRICS FOR POWERPOINT

Bethany Worship As heard on: Saturate. Words & Music: Jonathan Stockstill. Visit: bethanyworship.com

BONUS TRACK 13. Passover Lamb House Of Peace As heard on: Into the Great Unknown. Words & Music: David Liscum. Visit: houseofpeaceband.com

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W OR S H IP LE A D E R

LEADERSHIP

BY CHRISTINE D’CLARIO

WOMEN IN WORSHIP G

od is moving. God is awakening his Church for a great revival, like none we’ve ever seen before on the earth. It comes with passionate worship and intercession. And women are a key part of it. Today, more than ever we can see how God is using women to build his kingdom. Some are in the public eye and some aren’t. Yet, they all play a vital role in the body of Christ. We as women, we are natural nurturers and have a God-given ability to carry the weight of the world—and the Church—on our shoulders. This comes in quite handy for women in worship. Now please hear

us ladies like to fall into that rhythm, don’t we?). Our work as worshipers consists of constantly making efforts and changes in our lifestyle to be the best God-pleasers we could ever be—to glorify him, not ourselves, and in the process bless his people (Eph 2:10). Our worship is better defined by what we do rather than what we say we do or how we feel. Everything we choose to do (or not to do) should aim to give God the most glory possible. Day after day, each of our actions and even our thoughts either gives God worship or takes it away from him.

“Our worship is better defined by what we do rather than what we say we do or how we feel.” me when I say that the phrase “women in worship” is not to be confused with being a female worship leader. Maybe you are involved with the praise and worship ministry in your local church, maybe you aren’t. But the truth is worship is more than the songs we sing to God or about him; it is the way we live for God.

The Work of Worship The common root word in Hebrew used for worship in Scripture is avodah, which means worship, but it also means work. Wait. So, worship is work? Yes, it is! We know that salvation is by grace, which cannot be attained by works (Eph 2:8-10). However, true worship must involve work to be real. Now, bear with me. I’m not referring to arduous works that keep us so busy we barely have time to breathe (and boy do

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True Work Having said this, and also looking further at a few other Scriptures on worship (Ps 22:3, Deut 10:21 and Jer 17:14, throughout several Bible versions), we see that God is enthroned, inhabits, sits, dwells in the praises of his people. He is worthy of them and is the very praises of his people. Picture this. We all have that favorite room in our home, where we enjoy spending most of our time, right? Yours is probably your favorite because it’s where you can kick back after a long day, take off your shoes, slip into some comfortable garment—just relax and be you. It’s your space to do with it what you will. That is the exact sensation God gets when we accommodate his presence in a lifestyle of worship. He’s comfortable to be himself, in all his glory and wonder.

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Made to Unite There is a unity aspect to making this comfort happen. Notice that the Bible says “his people,” not “his person.” God cannot be completely comfortable in worship where there is no unity. Coincidently, women are created with wombs. We come into this world equipped with the innate physiological ability to provide an environment inside of us that is perfect for cells to unite and form a miracle, manifested in another creation of God. This applies to both the physical and spiritual world. As women, we can naturally foster environments where God’s people (the cells in the body of Christ) can come together, in one accord and live out lifestyles that bring Glory to God’s name, and thus make him pleased, comfortable, and free to move in our midst with blessing and even miracles. So, never doubt your calling or feel that you are not good enough to do something significant in God’s kingdom. Woman, you are unique, highly favored, and blessed. You have the capability to please God in your daily life by worshiping him in everything you do. By doing this you receive the power and strength to nourish what seems lifeless, to build what seems destroyed, to shine a light in the darkness, and to unite what has been divided, so God can move freely within it. You are a woman in worship! W

CHRISTINE D’CLARIO is a worship leader, speaker, writer, and an Integrity Music recording artist.

TWO PROGRAMS

ONE UNIVERSITY Bachelor of Arts in Worship Arts Bachelor of Arts in Worship and Church Ministry Minor in Worship Arts Online Series in Worship Arts Certificate in Praise and Worship (one-year program) Advanced Certificate in Praise and Worship (two-year program)

Associate of Arts in Praise and Worship Contact: Sam Green P: 615-248-1341 E: sgreen@trevecca.edu

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MUSIC

CENTRICWORSHIP

WITH STEVE RICE

Vice President of Centricity Publishing/ CentricWorship Steve Rice shares his heart for the new worship-centered brand from a staple label in the Christian music world.

“I believe my primary calling is in providing worship songs for the people of God...”

Can you share a little of the story behind the birth of CentricWorship as a part of Centricity music? I came to Centricity Music three years ago to oversee the music publishing side of their business. At the time, Centricity’s music was primarily contemporary Christian radio type songs. I spent the first two years growing that side of the business before launching CentricWorship. As a music publisher, we are still heavily involved in Christian radio music with songs recorded by everyone from Michael W. Smith to Francesca Battestilli to Newsboys; others include MercyMe, Jeremy Camp, Lauren Daigle, For King and Country, and even a small handful of country songs. However, I believe my primary calling is in providing worship songs for the people of God, so I was eventually able to add this to our equation. We began providing songs of worship through a new brand called CentricWorship. 22

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Within the context of Centricity music, what is the specific mission of the CentricWorship label? CentricWorship is part of our music publishing division, therefore within the context of our business it is completely song driven. We want to provide songs that can assist the body of Christ in worship of our Lord. Our basic mission is to provide songs for congregational worship that are doctrinally sound and easily useable for congregational worship. We specifically try to select songs that inspire us personally and help us in our own private worship times. What attracts artists to CentricWorship? Honestly, I’m not sure how to answer that question. I think CentricWorship is far too young as a brand for many artists to really “choose us.” And I’m not sure we are really even trying to get artists or songwriters to choose us over another label or publishing company. I’m simply working with songwriters and worship leaders that I have a relationship with and that I believe have a calling and anointing that can truly lead us all in worship. When we do decide to work together with someone, I think the decision is generally based on a personal connection and shared mission, rather than brand. CentricWorship seems to be very resource oriented. Please share a few of the unique ways you serve the Church with your products. Last month we launched CentricWorship Plus, which is a digital subscription service designed specifically for worship leaders. We figure that when a worship leader buys a new album, they probably only learn two or three of the 10 songs to introduce to their church congregation before moving on to the next new album. There may be another two or three great songs on that

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album that get looked over. It’s too many songs at one time. A worship leader can only introduce one or two new songs each month. So with CentricWorship Plus you get 2 new songs every month, with MP3s, chord charts, and lyrics for only $1.50. It’s an easy way to get great new songs right when you need them for your next worship set. It’s all digital and easy to use. We send you an email every month with the new songs that are available, and we even throw in three instant bonus songs when you join and a few extra bonus songs during the year. We are excited about the idea of CentricWorship Plus, and in just the first three weeks, we have had a tremendous response and very encouraging feedback from worship leaders. CentricWorship was launched in the midst of the music production revolution. In what ways do you deal with the rampant “free” music available and how do you retain value in the music you produce? Those of us who work with intellectual property (i.e. compositions and recordings) as a way to provide for our families are all struggling in today’s high tech world. There are numerous ways for the general public to “steal music” today; plus new music distribution methods such as streaming have devalued music to such a degree that many folks believe all music should be free. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of people, a lot of time, a lot of services, and a lot of equipment to make music available for the masses. We can’t make it for free. We are involved with many trade associations, organizations, and societies that are all working to reform US copyright law to help the songwriters, artists, and employees who work hard to make the music that churches and individuals enjoy

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PROFILING COMPANIES, MINISTRIES, AND INNOVATORS IN WORSHIP

and use. We are grateful for organizations like CCLI (and those churches that affiliate with them), which make it more possible for us to do what we do. Your offerings so far, All the Saints and Come Alive have been results of worship retreats. Can you share the process of these songwriting retreats and their purpose? If it wasn’t going to be authentic, I was not going to launch a worship label. We had to do something different, but I wasn’t sure what that would be exactly. I needed it to be real—both the songs and the albums. I decided to gather together several proven worship songwriters, whom I greatly respected. I also brought along a few young talents that I felt had something very special going on. We got away and spent a week together seeking God, sharing testimonies and faith, and writing songs of worship. The idea was to write songs during the days and then have times of worship in the evenings with our new songs. We would record our worship times in audio and video format, to capture those special moments. We had never done anything quite like it (which is my favorite way to do it), and we had no idea how it might turn out. But just last week, we held our third CentricWorship retreat, already. It’s going very well and we want to keep doing it. I was telling someone today that when you go with your gut, you can’t really lose. I have been accused of being slow to make decisions. But I believe it’s important to wait on God to speak to your gut and then go with it. You can’t lose that way. And that’s what we are finding out with these retreats. There are so many benefits of doing it this way—benefits that we could never have imagined even if we had tried. The unified time with God that we have on these retreats has resulted in amazing songs, strong relationships, powerful creativity, and the list goes on. The fact that songwriters are collaborating on every song, rather than writing solo, has multiple benefits as well. Scripture says that iron sharpens iron, and we have certainly seen that. The list of benefits goes on and on in personal, spiritual, and business levels alike. With each retreat, we have come away with 20 or more songs. It’s been awe

some, and it is something that we will probably continue for a long time. What is the process CentricWorship employs to critique songs for biblical faithfulness, congregational accessibility, etc? That’s pretty simple. We choose songwriters that are students of the Word. Songwriters that are worship pastors in their home churches, not just occasional musicians or singers in a church band, and not musicians or songwriters who just want to try writing a worship song. Before we invite songwriters to be a part of our team, we get to know them. We are looking for professional songwriters who understand the responsibility of writing for the Church. They understand that they could very well be putting words in the mouths of millions of people around the world—words that may be sung in thousands of churches, words that many people, young and old, will memorize and may be the only Scripture or only doctrine that they know. We stress the importance that what they write must be true. At the end of the day, the songs that we look for are songs that exalt God, not man. We’re not looking for worship songs that are about “me” or “us.” We are looking for songs that are about God, his attributes, his work, his glory. And, of course, they must be seriously well written and have all the typical elements of a commercial song—from hook to structure to melody. I am a firm believer that you’re not born a professional songwriter any more than you are born a lawyer. It takes a lot of study, practice, and hard work to become a writer of great songs. W

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BY RORY NOLAND

ALABANZA CUBANA: THE AMAZING STORY BEHIND CUBA’S PREMIER HYMNAL

a stiflingly hot and muggy summer night, several hundred people gathered at the Primera Iglesia Bautista de Santiago—the First Baptist Church of Santiago, Cuba. It was the Fourth of July, 2014. On a night when most Americans celebrated with family, friends, and fireworks, I joined my Cuban brothers and sisters in the Lord for a different kind of celebration: the dedication of a new hymnal. Actually it was the second volume of the popular Alabanza Cubana, which translated means “Cuban Praise.” The dedication ceremony was the culmination of three days of intensive training for area worship leaders. The “fireworks” were supplied by the Holy Spirit who is fueling a powerful revival that has been sweeping across the island since the early 1990s. Over the past two decades, church growth statistics for Cuba’s most prominent evangelical denominations are staggering. From 1990 to 2010, the number of Baptist churches has increased from 238 to 7,039, while Assemblies of God denominations grew from 89 to an amazing 10,776 (2,779 congregations plus 7,997 house churches). Indeed, God is doing an amazing work in Cuba. While the release of a new hymnal may not be cause for national celebration in other parts of the world, the publication of Alabanza Cubana 1 and 2 represents a modern-day miracle in a country beset with poverty and for a church handcuffed by communism. 24

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The initial volume of Alabanza Cubana was published in 2005 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Baptist Conventions in Cuba. Even though the hymnal was created under the auspices of the Baptist Church, it also includes songs from other evangelical groups such as Methodists, Assemblies of God, and the Evangelical League. Thus, Alabanza Cubana truly represents Christian worship in Cuba today.

fectively capture the passion of the current revival. Many feature distinctively Cuban rhythms. The hymnal also contains 21 poems that were originally solicited to “fill space” when the pages were typeset. However, poetry has always been a vital part of Cuban culture, so the poems have been received warmly and integrated naturally into worship.

Inside the Hymnal

Even though the publication of the hymnal represents the difficult and tedious work of dozens of people, the main instigator of the project was a slight Asian woman with a big heart named Dirce Cooper. In 2000, Dirce attended a music conference in Cuba and was intrigued by all the new hymns she encountered. Having been on the mission field in Costa Rica for 10 years with her husband, Roy, Dirce was well acquainted with much of the praise music of the Spanish-speaking world. Yet, she had never heard these Cuban praise songs before. Dirce soon discovered that these unfamiliar tunes had been penned by Cuban composers, and that they were born out of necessity. The majority of churches, especially the house churches, did not have enough hymnals to go around and they certainly couldn’t afford to buy any, so they were forced to compose their own worship tunes. At that point, contemporary Cuban praise music was very much a localized phenomenon. There was no

While half of Alabanza Cubana’s 317 compositions are translations of traditional English hymns, the remaining pieces include 25 contemporary classics like Michael W. Smith’s “Great Is the Lord” and Rick Founds’ “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High.” This concerted effort to mix old and new is characteristic of Cuban praise music. In my 11 years of traveling to the island, I have witnessed an increased use of contemporary music but also a deep affinity for the great hymns of the faith borrowed, as it were, from American churches. By the same token, Cuba is characteristically intergenerational in its approach to corporate worship. I have consistently observed all ages represented on the platform—young people, even grade school children, leading worship alongside middle-aged and elderly musicians. More important than its hymns and song translations, Alabanza Cubana’s greatest asset is its 117 original Cuban songs, which ef-

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The Making of Alabanza Cubana

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regional or centralized mechanism by which to share songs with the various churches and house groups. When Dirce shared her observations with Cuban church leaders, a vision for a hymnal emerged. In 2001, Roy and Dirce began working as missionaries in Cuba. Soon thereafter, Dirce met with three Cuban musicians who came highly recommended for the project and, in spite of the fact that none of them had any previous experience publishing a hymnal, together they mapped out a strategy. As it turned out, God had gifted those musicians with the unique skills needed to produce a firstrate hymnbook. Sergio Lazo, trained in music theory, was able to notate songs that had never been written down before. Sergio’s sister, Kenia, is a gifted poet and lyricist. Esmirna Jané Henríquez is a talented songwriter who excels in ear training. As the process unfolded, Dirce provided administrative leadership while Sergio, Kenia, and Esmirna served as editors for the hymnal. From 2002-2004, the team traveled throughout the island collecting original songs—a daunting task in a country where travel is time consuming and arduous. In the process, the team discovered dozens of songs that had never been heard outside their church’s little towns. All in all, the search process netted hundreds of new songs. Each song was scrutinized for theological accuracy by a team of trained pastors and leaders. Spanish teachers were

brought in to check grammar. Gifted musicians were brought in to refine harmonies, add structure, and hone melodies, making the songs more singable. New songs were tested in contemporary as well as traditional settings. The songs that survived such thorough examination were handed off to Yusín Pons who served as the producer for the project. Yusín created demos and soundtracks for the original tunes. These recordings enable those who cannot read music to learn the songs. They also provide tracks for house churches that do not have gifted musicians to lead worship. In addition, there is a chart toward the back of the hymnal explaining basic chord structures for novice musicians as well as detailed descriptions of Cuban rhythms such as the bolero, danzón, guaguancó, guajira, habanera, and son. Such additions make Alabanza Cubana one of the most user-friendly hymnals ever published. As needed, Dirce sought the expertise of outside sources. In 2002, she brought in Dr. Michael Sharp from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary to teach the group how to use the Finale notation software program. In 2003, Camp Kirkland taught a workshop on songwriting. Camp was also instrumental in securing necessary copyright permissions and coordinated the creation of orchestrations. Others were brought in to revise piano accompaniments, produce indexes, and design graphics.

“Creo en Dios” One of the most popular songs featured in the hymnal is titled “Creo en Dios,” which means “I Believe in God.” The song was written by Yusín Pons in response to the two hurricanes, Gustav and Ike, that decimated much of the island in 2008. In the aftermath of the hurricanes, 500 copies of “Creo en Dios” were distributed across the island to encourage fellow Cubans. Always sung loudly and with great passion, the hymn has become a powerful creed for the contemporary Cuban church.

“El Madero” As Alabanza Cubana neared completion, Dirce noticed a blatant omission—the hymnal was missing an original song about the Cross. She approached Esmirna Jané Henríquez, the project’s most prolific composer, about writing a hymn about the Cross. Typical for Esmirna, the song, “El Madero,” emerged from one of her devotional times. “All my songs come out of my private times of worship,” she related to me in an interview. “Transformational worship starts with me.” “El Madero” means literally “The Tree,” but the song actually refers to the wood of the cross. “For some people, it’s only a piece of wood, for me it was Jesus’ love,” Esmirna told me. “I’ll never forget it was the Cross where I found joy and peace.”

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“Cuba, Isla Preciosa” In 2000, twin sisters Zulia and Zuley Pereira Vazquez were invited to write a song to celebrate the Baptist World Alliance meetings in Havana. The fact that the government allowed this event in the first place was cause for celebration. However, the fact that these two sisters came to Christ and today are writing songs for Jesus is just as miraculous. Born on December 25, 1983, the girls grew up in a home that embraced a syncretic mix of Catholicism and Santeria, which is a spirit religion that practices voodoo. A neighbor invited Zulia and Zuley (then 8-years old) to attend a Christmas play at a nearby church. The girls were so impressed they immediately got involved in the children’s programs at the church and were active in the music ministry throughout their formative years. For the World Alliance meetings, the twins were asked to compose a song with an evangelistic message using a Cuban rhythm. “Cuba, Isla Preciosa” (“Cuba, Precious Island”) is a fine example of a habanera, which is characterized by the following rhythm:

posal. Today nearly every church in Cuba owns hardback editions or copies of the songbook. The ubiqui-tous hymnal represents the singing church of an entire nation. Alabanza Cubana has also brought original Cuban worship music to the forefront. Original songs that used to be sung only in house churches or in remote locations are now shared by all. Because each new hymn was subjected to thorough scrutiny, they are of the highest quality. These hymns are also “tried and true,” having proven to be effective and meaningful in reallife worship settings. By fostering creativity, the hymnal has also inspired more songwriting. For Alabanza Cubana 2, the editors had several hundred songs from which to choose. Given the popularity of this hymnal, it is very likely that Alabanza Cubana will eventually have an impact outside Cuba. Yusín Pons, for one, would love to see other parts of

Example: Habanera 2 4 the world blessed by the work of these young Cuban composers. “This is our gift to the nations,” he confided to me. Indeed, what started out as the dream of a small team of Cuban musicians led by their beloved friend, Dirce, deserves to be recognized and enjoyed by Christians all over the world. W

As Cuba’s definitive hymnal, Alabanza CuRORY NOLAND bana has already left a significant spiritual (heartoftheartist.org) mark on the people of Cuba that will be felt for generations to come. Before 2005, directs Heart of the Artist Ministries most Cuban churches used only piano and and is the author organ along with the Baptist Hymnal. The of Worship on numerous house churches had neither Earth as It Is in Heaven. piano, organ, nor hymnal at their dis-

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from the cuban church 1. Pull from multiple traditions The Cuban hymnal incorporates songs from Baptists, Methodists, Assemblies of God, and the Evangelical League; as well, it has modern praise songs and classic hymns of the Church. The diversity of Alabanza Cubana has helped to make it nearly universally acceptable in Cuba.

2. Employ multiple generations It is a common Cuban sight for young people, even grade school children, leading worship alongside middle-aged and elderly musicians. This diversity of age is a lesson that many American churches can learn from.

3. Foster indigenous art Because outside music and hymnals were so difficult for churches to acquire, many Christians simply wrote their own worship songs. This was out of necessity but has helped fuel the fire of a worship revival in Cuba. Alabanza Cubana contains 117 of these original Cuban songs with distinctively Cuban rhythms that capture the passion of the people. As well 21 poems were included and have been integrated naturally into worship.

4. Test the hymns

The lyrics speak of the beauty of Cuba— a pristine environment full of happy, but suffering, people who desperately need a Savior. Today both girls are married but continue to compose. The two little girls born on Christmas day, who came to Christ through a Christmas play, have written over 15 Christmas songs, almost all of them for children.

Impact

5 lessons to learn

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Sometimes when a song is written, the songwriter feels like the work is done. But in many cases even a great song takes years to get to a place where it is suitable for a congregation. Each of the songs in Alabanza Cubana were tested and scrutinized. Trained pastors and leaders appraised the theological accuracy, Spanish teachers were brought in to check grammar, and skilled musicians were brought in to refine harmonies, add structure, and hone melodies. As well, Camp Kirkland was invited to teach a workshop on songwriting.

5. Write the prayers of your community “Creo en Dios” (“I Believe in God”) was written in response to two devastating hurricanes in 2008. “El Madero” (“The Tree”) was a response to the lack of songs about the Cross. “Cuba, Isla Preciosa” (“Cuba, Precious Island”) is a Christmas song about the beauty Cuba but its desperate need for a savior.

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING

There is more music being produced today than ever before. Churches with their own live recordings, indie artists with access to tools needed to create excellent recordings, and of course signed musicians. All together, this influx of music makes 2015 an exciting time for worship leaders and worshipers alike. We asked some of our ministry partners to share which releases they are most excited about; here are the offerings they wanted to put on your radar.

Bethany Worship

The Brilliance

Saturate Bethany Publishing Release date: January 13, 2015

Brother Integrity Music Release Date: February 17, 2015

Saturate is the debut album by Bethany Worship, formerly known as the Deluge Band. In this album, you will find roots from the Deluge Band sound along with the passionate heart and engaging culture of the Bethany Worship community. The heart of Jonathan Stockstill and Bethany Worship is to write songs for the local church that will engage the congregation and bring them into the presence of God. You sense that desire throughout the album with songs like “Running to You,” “Isn’t the Name, and “Faithful.” And that Deluge sound is present in the songs “Reason to Dance” and “Saturate.”

US-based liturgical band, The Brilliance is known for connecting liturgical tradition and modern worship. They have created a worship music style that is best described as rich, theologically brave, and emotionally honest. Following several independent releases of four albums (The Brilliance, Cavetime, Advent Volumes 1 and 2), and two EPs (Lent and For Our Children), The Brilliance now release their full-length label debut, Brother (Integrity Music). The duo, backed by a variety of musicians including cellists, violinists, and rhythm players, share their music in churches, colleges, clubs, and house shows around the country.

Sounds Like: Punchy drums and arpeggiated synths paired with electric guitar riffs and profound lyrics are the foundation for the upbeat modern-pop praise portion of this record. The worship sound encompasses dynamic piano, melodic guitars, and passionate vocals that create a palpable atmosphere on this live recording.

Sounds like: Art, in any form, is meant to be savored, experienced, and relished. Liturgical band, The Brilliance craft music with this belief in mind giving listeners time and space to fully soak in the beauty that lies in every lyric and sonic nuance.

Top Congregational Songs: “Isn’t the Name” and “Reason to Dance”

Top Congregational Songs: “Brother” and “Prayers of the People”

bethanyworship.com

thebrilliancemusic.com

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING

Christy Nockels

Creatives | Creation

Let It Be Jesus sixstepsrecords/Sparrow Records Release Date: April 28, 2015

The Worship Project, Pt. 1 Release Date: February 24, 2015

Recorded live at Passion City Church in Atlanta, Georgia, the new album from Christy Nockels released April 28. Her first ever live album features new worship songs along with new recordings of the radio single “Let It Be Jesus” and the powerful offering “My Anchor.” Sounds Like: Classic Christy Nockels but in a live setting. Affecting synth-andguitar-driven worship and Christy’s incredible vocal talent infuse each musical prayer with power and grace. Top Congregational Songs: “Let It Be Jesus” and “My Anchor” christynockels.com

The Worship Project, Part 1 is the first half of a two-part EP released by Creatives | Creation. This EP consists of five original songs and demonstrates a wide range of influence and instrumentation. The album is the byproduct of a collective group of friends coming together to express themselves creatively. It is an EP that is diverse in its own right, and each song stands on its own musically and lyrically. All of the album’s content, including the songwriting, recording, sound engineering, and visual artwork was produced by the members of Creatives | Creation. Sounds Like: The Worship Project, Part 1 is a dynamic EP that pulls from aspects of indie rock and modern worship. This EP has a variety of instrumentation and ambience that is paired with strong lyrical content that gives each song its own character and could be compared to the likes of Daughter, Lights & Motion, and Explosions in the Sky. Top Congregational Songs: “I Worship You” and “Song of the RedeemedPropitiation” creativescreation.com

Elim Sound

House of Peace

Elim100 Elim Sound/Elim Sound Publishing Release Date: May 5, 2015

Into the Great Unknown City of Peace Media/Capital Christian Distribution Release Date: June 9, 2015

Featuring 10 Elim worship leaders from across the UK, this centenary project draws upon the rich heritage of the Elim Pentecostal movement. The past is celebrated with much-loved Elim hymns and choruses, and the tradition moves forward with nine brand-new inspirational songs. The songs from history include “Power in the Blood,” “Breathe on Me, Breath of God,” and “Have Thine Own Way.” The new songs contain the anthemic ”Best Is Yet to Come,” the powerful “No Longer I” co-written with Matt Redman, the vulnerable “Lay It at Your Feet,” and a rousing cover of Jared Anderson’s “The Great I Am.” Sounds Like: Passionate, organic, and intimate congregational worship music. Incorporating a variety of styles and voices. Blending the old and the new, gospel, rock, and pop backed by a choir of 40 Elim singers. Eclectic yet consistent.

Into the Great Unknown is the first full studio album from House of Peace. Produced by, David Liscum, Ed & Scott Cash (Chris Tomlin, Needtobreathe, Jeremy Camp, David Crowder*Band.) Founder David Liscum wrote and co-wrote with Scott Cash on “Break the Bread” recording at Ed Cash’s studio in Franklin, Tennessee. He is quick to point out that House of Peace is a band and not a solo effort. Liscum is joined by an eclectic group of musicians including guitarist Jeff Maldonado, drummer Seadric Crawford, Ryan Horner on bass, and Maldonado’s wife Christine on percussions and background vocals. The song “New Life” is featured on the release and was written for The Identical movie and featured on the soundtrack. Sounds Like: The 11-song project celebrates the band’s diversity and unity by incorporating a broad range of contemporary musical styles paired with ancient, time-honored theological themes.

Top Congregational Songs: “The Best Is Yet to Come” and “No Longer I” Top Congregational Songs: “Passover Lamb” and “Break the Bread” elimsound.co.uk houseofpeaceband.com

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Rhyan Shirley

Sara Lindsay

High Above The Rain Collective Release Date: August 9, 2014

Where Your Heart Goes Community of Faith Innovative Group Release Date: December 7, 2014

High Above is an EP containing songs from the Church for the Church. Shirley’s heart in these songs is to empower the Church to be fearless in light of who Christ is. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Ephesians 1:18-21

This is the debut worship album by singersongwriter and worship leader Sara Lindsay, featuring all original tracks touching on the joy, pain, and mystery of our relationship with Christ. Sounds Like: Singer/songwriter pop approach with country/folk undertones. Top Congregational Songs: “Where Your Heart Goes” and “Find Us Here” saralindsaymusic.com

Sounds Like: Congregational worship performed live with an acoustic feel. Top Congregational Songs: “Never Runs Dry” and “High Above” rhyanshirley.com

Sojourn Music

Various

New Again Sojourn Records Release Date: February 17, 2015

Rejoice: Live From Seattle BEC Recordings/Thirsty Moon River Publishing Release Date: may 12, 2015

Sojourn Music’s new release is an accessible yet creative mix of brand new offerings alongside songs that Sojourn churches have been singing for years, plus a new arrangement of Bifrost Arts’ “Psalm 126.” Sojourn explores the gamut of human emotion and theological conviction, moving from lament to adoration and from confession of sin to celebrations of the forgiveness and healing that is only found in Christ. Sounds Like: All Sons & Daughters, John Mark McMillan, Wilco. A heartland rock/Americana sonic landscape with congregation-friendly song structures.

A live worship album recorded in Seattle, Washington, featuring worship leaders Dustin Kensrue, Cam Huxford (from Ghost Ship), Brian Eichelberger (from The Sing Team), and others! The album showcases the radio singles “Made Alive” by Citizens & Saints and “Rejoice” by Dustin Kensrue, as well as “Grace Alone” by The Modern Post (Dustin Kensrue) and “In Tenderness” by Citizens & Saints. The album also includes several rearranged hymns and favorites to the Pacific Northwest worship community and beyond. Sounds Like: Live Worship

Top Congregational Songs: “New Again” and “Let Justice Roll” Top Congregational Songs: “Rejoice” and “Grace Alone” sojournmusic.com becrecordings.com/worship

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING

WorshipMob Carry the Fire Integrity Music Release Date: March 3, 2015 WorshipMob began in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2011 for the sole purpose of ministering to worship leaders, empowering them to minister to each other and experience worship together beyond church walls. WorshipMob simply wanted to allow space for God to move; the musicians began responding naturally to his movement and, eventually, began to share the result for free with people all over the world. What developed was a new kind of mob culture—a unique community wherein the greater expression was less about individual contribution and more about serving the whole. The prayer for this project is that the listener will be ministered to and know that they are deeply loved by ABBA Father. Sounds Like: Jesus Culture (Kim Walker-Smith) & Bethel. Intimate, spontaneous, at times ambient, at times exuberant, but at all times collaborative, WorshipMob’s Carry the Fire expresses the joy, freedom, and empowerment of life infused by the Spirit of God.

Worship Leader is always on the lookout for new music to share with the community. These days, church worship teams are producing some of the most exciting devotional art we are hearing. If you or your worship team have recorded the musical prayers of your community, we would love to take a listen. To submit your music for possible review or inclusion on Song Discovery visit worshipleader.com/submit-a-song.

Top Congregational Songs: “Our Father Has Won” and “Arrested By Grace” AGNUSDEI.pdf

worshipmob.com

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MISSIONAL

BY RAY JONES

LOVING GOD , LOVING PEOPLE:

USING WORSHIP AS A TOOL FOR EVANGELISM He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:3

any have said that worship is a tool for the church to help people come into God’s presence, but I have found through the years that worship is a powerful tool for evangelism. Our worship music, outside the four walls of the church building, causes the same effect in the environment no matter where it is played and sung. God, when he is praised, builds a tabernacle for the inhabitation of his presence no matter the geographic locale. We look at worship as an evangelistic tool in two ways. First, how can we take our worship teams outside the walls of the local church? Second, how do we use music in our regular services to create an evangelistic atmosphere? Our outreach events are varied, and I will just share a few of the events we have used outside my home church’s building.

Prisons

are open to having Christian music concerts, and we have gone to local jails, youth detention centers, and even maximum-security prisons as venues for our worship teams.

Low-income housing

projects are often open to having us do a block party with BBQ grills (that’s a Texas thing), kid’s games, live worship, and periodic sharing of the gospel. This creates openness to Christ even in tough neighborhoods. 32

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Military bases

are very open to having special (seasonal) concerts both in the chapels and in the NCO and Officer’s Clubs. The Chaplains always need connectivity to the local community. We have recently become the worship team for Lackland Air Force Basic training chapel. We are able to minister to over 3,000 basic trainees every week.

Hospitals

communion

have some awesome opportunities during Christmas for small groups to carol in the halls and in the waiting room areas. We take three or four people with one guitar and have a song sheet of familiar carols so that people can sing along. In the end, we simply ask if they have someone that we can pray for by name. It is amazing how something this simple can help people make it through hard times.

Sundays (once a month at CBC) are used to present the gospel before we celebrate around the Lord’s Table. We share the gospel message before Communion then invite new believers to join if it is their first experience as a believer.

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Multi-generational

Easter, Christmas, & patriotic holidays

services are great for evangelism because using children or students in your worship attracts their friends and family. These outside folks will come to hear their friend and grandchild sing when they would attend no other time.

are great opportunities to use your worship as evangelistic experiences. At Easter and Christmas, you can urge families to come and celebrate as a unit. You will be surprised who may show up on Christmas Eve just because the rest of the family is in attendance. On military-focused holidays invite local military officials, political officials, and veterans groups to your services. Recognize and thank them publically for their service. Even use a strong believer in their ranks to give testimony of personal relationship with Christ. There are many more ways to do this with success, but the key is to do something. We have a powerful tool in our hands, and God can only use it if we break away from our usual thought patterns about worship. The gospel is the power of God. Go and tell the world. W RAY JONES

has 43 years of worship leading experience. He has traveled extensively as a music evangelist and worship seminar teacher. Ray has been at Community Bible Church in San Antonio,TX, for 20 years as the worship leader and an elder.

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MISSIONAL BY CRAIG GILBERT

5 LITURGICAL ACTIONS TO BRIDGE GLOBAL GAPS

ou don’t have to go around the world anymore to find a global mission field. In many areas of the country, the global mission field has come to us. In my own church this past Sunday we had visitors who are first-generation immigrants from Mexico, Central, and South America, various Asian countries, as well as several African countries. Most of these are people who already know and love God and are seeking opportunities to worship with other Christians. As a worship leader, I welcome these brothers and sisters in Christ, but I am also challenged by the diversity that is needed to provide worship opportunities that transcend cultural barriers. However, the more I speak to people of different global origins, the more I realize that Church history has provided us with a common language. This common liturgical language can be used in any church of any denominational heritage and/or worship style. It just takes a little creative ingenuity and the will to reach across the globe, literally and figuratively, to worship together.

1. Incorporate a Statement of Faith Many churches around the world use common statements of faith. These are sometimes called creeds or affirmations of faith. While the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds are two of the oldest and most commonly used, any statement of faith spoken aloud as a congregation will work to bring together people of divergent origins. These statements of faith allow there to be unity as a gathered people. Together you say, “This is what we believe. We have this in common.” Use something with biblical or historical origins, or develop a statement together as a church that verbalizes your common faith. 34

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2. Pray the Lord’s Prayer together One of the most common shared worship experiences in churches around the world is saying the Lord’s Prayer as a part of worship. Including it in your worship service can build a bridge between people with diverse backgrounds. If you do not always want to recite the prayer, try singing it. There are many wonderful versions in a variety of styles. Get really global by inviting someone of a different ethnic origin to lead the prayer in their native language. Everyone in your congregation can say the prayer at the same time, each in his or her own native tongue. By doing this you proclaim your shared love of God, your shared life in Christ and celebrate an intimate cultural diversity.

3. Sing songs that originated in other countries If your church has a real global congregation, reach into their worship experiences by sharing their music. Try learning these songs in both English and the native language. Find someone in your church fluent in the language, better yet actually from that country, who could lead the song in an authentic manner that would allow the congregation to experience the song the way people native to that country would use it in worship. This becomes an action of inclusion in your congregational worship.

4. Explore global expressions of the Lord’s Supper This is an important part of our shared Christian experience. Ask those who might be in your church from other countries how they celebrate commu-

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nion in their country. If it is acceptable to your church, try to incorporate some of their traditions into your celebration. One of the best ways to welcome and get to know new people is over a meal. What better meal to share and celebrate our cultural differences in Christian unity than the one offered to us by God for the purpose of joining us by God’s grace?

5. Spend time in congregational prayer for the home country of others Everyone knows that no matter how far you may be away from home, there is always a place in your heart for who and what you have left behind. Show how much you care for these wonderful sisters and brothers by intentionally praying as a church for the distant homes of those who now share your church home. These are just a few of the ways that liturgical actions can help bridge the gaps that might exist between you and those who are coming to you from afar. Culture, language, socioeconomic, and other variables are minimized when we worship together using actions that demonstrate that everyone is important in the eyes of God and in the eyes of your church. W

CRAIG GILBERT is a veteran worship leader, teacher, author, and consultant. He is the founder of theworshipdoctor.com ministries.

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LIFTED UP, WITH HANDS OUTSTRETCHED

wice in John’s Gospel, Jesus insists, “My time is not yet” (Jn 2:4; 7:30). It is only when “Greeks” approach Philip and say, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus,” that Jesus finally exclaims, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified,” explaining how that means he will be lifted up from the earth (on the cross) and “I … will draw all people to myself” (Jn 12:21, 23, 32 NRSV). The image of Jesus being lifted up and thus drawing people to himself was a compelling one to Athanasius, the 4thcentury bishop of Alexandria. Athanasius pondered Jesus’ dying, lifted up “with hands stretched out”: [O]nly upon the cross does one die with hands stretched out. Therefore it was fitting for the Lord to endure this, and to stretch out his hands, that with the one he might draw the ancient people and with the other those from the Gentiles, and join both together in himself (On the Incarnation 25).

200 Percent Athanasius himself lived in a place of hard intersection between hostile people. He persistently and stridently insisted that the Church’s worship of God was only possible through a Jesus who was 100 percent divine and 100 percent human (as Shai Linne might put it: “Jesus both God and man, two hundred percents, yeah”). He did so to the frustration of those who thought Jesus would be more comprehensible—or marketable—if we thought of him as not quite 100 percent divine. As a result, during his 46 years as bishop in Alexandria, he experienced exile five times, for a total of 17 years. Throughout, he 36

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BY REGGIE KIDD

saw himself offering outstretched hands, in cruciform fashion, to his enemies and to the gospel’s enemies. He believed, in the end, that Christ’s hands were strong enough to reconcile us to God—and to one another. Happily, he lived long enough to see most of his own opponents reconciled. It’s not very romantic to stand in that place of intersection: to hold on to God with one hand and to resistant people with the other or to hold on to one group of people with one hand and their opposites with another.

Picking Up the Cross Many of us live and minister in cruciform fashion. Missionaries live far from “home,” labor for years to master difficult languages, and take on uncomfortable customs, often only to build bridges of relationships for a harvest in the next generation. Musicians make hard choices about when to challenge their congregation’s narrow bandwidths and when to set aside their own aesthetic for the sake of their congregation’s. Privileged people marginalize themselves for a Jesus who is hungry, thirsty, estranged, naked, sick,

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and imprisoned (Matt 25:35-36). Church leaders fight cynicism but won’t abandon Christ’s bride when they see her falling prey to theological confusion and postbiblical morality. May we know Christ’s sustaining power, hope, and love. For the sake of us all, hardly a day passes when I do not pray this prayer, written by Episcopal bishop to the Philippines and Western New York, Charles Henry Brent (1862-1929), and no doubt inspired by John and Athanasius: Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen (Book of Common Prayer, p. 101). W REGGIE KIDD wrote the book With One Voice and teaches at Reformed Theological Seminary and the Robert. E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies.

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FINDING GOD’S KINGDOM IN THE ART OF OTHER CULTURES

hen we look at the art of other cultures, we can see with greater clarity God’s kingdom reigning in and through humanity. Through the grace and peace of Jesus Christ, worship arts gather us to others. As Jesus Christ will reconcile all things (Col. 3), embracing worship arts is that process by which we can model, right now, what we have not yet apprehended through Christ Jesus.

Jesus Traveled Jesus Christ, through the incarnation, came from heaven to earth, crossed the cultural comfort zone within the heavens to become human and to live out the one and true example for us. This idea of crossing the cultural comfort zone is explored on earth when we gather with a theology of righteous, multiethnic diversity. Ecclesiology teaches us that God’s Church has been, is, and will continue to be diverse. The heavenly Father is diversifying the Church by populating heaven and depopulating hell. The Holy Spirit is saving, sanctifying, and glorifying the Church. Jesus Christ is constantly reconciling and making all things new (Col. 4). God is constantly expanding his kingdom. New populations of humanity are coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. God’s heaven is being populated. Recreating and bringing together diverse people for God’s glory is Jesus Christ’s reconciliation in action. With Christ as our head, Christ’s diverse body is put together so that the world will see the Word of God made flesh with his Church, the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, doing the work of God while it is possible to work. Art is continually and 38

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constantly, with diversity, being reconciled to God. This art reflects new people groups from generations of diversity. Therefore, we are reconciled but not fully reconciled yet.

The Health of God’s Body God’s body is diverse. Therefore, God’s body, in order to be healthy, must seek to work well together. Our multicultural listening and hearing helps us to hear the diverse worship symphony of God’s song in this present age, which is our calling to fulfill. We must listen to God’s body. What is going on with God’s people? We cannot selfishly be content when one organ of the body, one area of the body, and/or one section of the body is hurting. God wants to bring healing to his Church/his body. So when we practice multicultural listening to the worship styles of many nations, we, in essence, become sensitive and very aware of that group’s concerns and cares within that community.

Hearing Is Caring When we listen, we pay attention, we pray, we care, and we become like Christ. Christ is listening to diverse prayers and interceding for all the saints. We, too, must be in prayer and supplication for others. When we sing the songs of other nations we in turn are praying with those nations who are reflecting the unity of the Spirit and casting their cares before the Lord. We live out Jesus Christ’s prayer in John 17. We are unified and the world sees that we are Christians by our love and concern for all people. Therefore, we listen and participate multiculturally because Jesus Christ is doing the same thing right now, interceding

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BY STEPHEN MICHAEL NEWBY

for us. While listening to songs and prayers from people of other cultures, we should expect to learn something new spiritually, biblically, and theologically about God’s body, and with Jesus Christ and his body in effect, we grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord’s will and kingdom agenda. Christ was Jewish. But, he did not think his Jewishness or Jewish preferences to be something that would override the need to go through Samaria to teach one of the greatest lessons on multiethnic spirit and truth worship in the Bible (Jn 4). Our worship must be heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit centered, not ethnic or multi-genre centered. Genre is about people and worship is about God. Oh, that God would give our souls the invitation to worship that is all about relationships glorifying God: living in holiness with diverse communities and living in the tension without bringing attention to personal sacrifice. We therefore, must engage in new worshiping ways with multiethnic sensibilities, paying attention to orthodoxy, holy ecumenicalism, and righteousness which leads to loving mercy, doing justice, and walking humbly with God (Mic. 6). W This article is excerpted and adapted from Worship Outside the Music Box by Stephen Michael Newby.

STEPHEN MICHAEL NEWBY, D.M.A., is Director-Center for Worship and Associate Professor of Music at Seattle Pacific University, Seattle,WA.

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THE WORLD E

ach year at the (inter)National Worship Leader Conference, we are privileged to meet readers from around the world who have traveled to join us in the live setting. We tracked some of these people down, so they could help us understand the ways God is moving around the world by sharing some of their experiences. Here are some testimonies displaying how worship is being used by God on a global scale.

Rev David Suum

Yangon, Myanmar (Burma) Grace Assembly of God

Your role at church: Senior Pastor and Worship Musician Favorite worship song: “Revelation Song” (Jennie Lee Riddle) Church: My church has 150 regular attendees on Sunday morning. It is located in the heart of Yangon City where we worship in a space made out of three adjoining apartments (2,700 square feet) on the eighth floor of a building with no elevator. History showed that the Burmese gov40

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ernment expelled all missionaries in 1966; therefore, to build a church building is very difficult ever since that time until today. Even though our space is small, home churches like Grace love vibrant and enthusiastic music. The church uses what Robert E. Webber referred to as blended worship styles. Challenges you face: The two unique challenges to leading worship in my country are: 1. There is a lack of awareness of the importance of worship. This has also become a barrier for the renewal of worship. 2. The churches in Myanmar are lacking an understanding of the biblical, historical, and theological foundations of worship. Though people offer songs of praise, listen to the Word, have communion, and end the service with prayer, they are often not engaging with God. The reason is that there is a lack of understanding of how the parts of worship fit together into a meaningful, integrated whole.

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Blessings: I have observed that Myanmar Christian young people love music. I am blessed to be one of the worship leaders in one of the greatest events in my country called Gospel Music Festival (GMF). This festival is a movement to share the gospel with tens of thousands of people through a three-day meeting of praise and worship in various locations around the nation of Myanmar. This event started in 2010, and through this, I am so blessed to lead worship and see many people praising and worshiping God. The GMF event has become a channel to share the gospel of Christ. As a result, many received physical and spiritual healing through sharing the Word and worship. Indeed, I have learned that leading worship often flows into leading people to Christ. The blessing is that worship can truly become a transforming movement when God’s presence is revealed, which results in changed lives.

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Althea A. Moore St. Andrew, Jamaica Emmanuel Gospel Assembly

Church role: Co-Lead Worshiper Favorite worship song: “The Steadfast Love of the Lord (Never Ceases)” (Robert Davidson) Church: Our worship community consists of a wide age range of people, mostly from the communities surrounding our local church. The seating capacity of our building is approximately 200 and at least 40 percent of the congregation on any given Sunday morning is below the age of 25 and 10 percent over 60 years old. Our musical culture is a mix of the genres from contemporary American to Caribbean styles including our own reggae, dance hall, and calypso from Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, there is a concerted effort to introduce or re-introduce traditional hymns more regularly into the set list for each Sunday. Challenges you face: One unique challenge for us as lead worshipers is trying to stay true to our local/Caribbean styles of music, i.e. reggae, calypso, and traditional hymns, while keeping up with the heavy influence of North American contemporary Christian music. This is also true of our local dialect, patois (pronounced patwa). There is a call for churches to make more use of the dialect to reach the average Jamaican, who will more readily relate to that dialect than proper/standard English. Blessings: The blessing is that there is a new wave of lead worshipers that are being raised up in our country who have managed to form the perfect blend/fusion of local music with other world genres. Worship concerts are also held across the island that not only include singing but other art forms such as dancing and poetry.

Anne Noelle Bailly

Toulouse, France Toulouse International Church (TIC)

Your role at church: Worship Leader Favorite worship song: right now it’s “Glory Be to the Righteous One” (Zac Dinsmore) Church: TIC is a small community of about 80-100 attendees. As its name says, it gathers people from all over the world, mainly because of aeronautics. A few French people are part of the congregation too. The language used during the service is English. Its strength lies in the diversity of the community, but it can be its weakness too, as people come and go. Thus, it’s a more changing community than most churches. As people come from various types of churches, the expectations in terms of worship music are broad, so we try to have a balance during services. We usually have 6-7 songs, mostly modern songs, but the list always includes at least one classic hymn (usually British), one children’s song, and one French song. There are three worship leaders in the community (but one is going back to his own country in August). There’s a piano, a drum set, and a bass at church, and people are welcome to join the team and play their own instruments such as guitar, flute, violin, cello, djembe, ukulele. We even had a conga player once. Sometimes people stay for a few months, sometimes for several years, you never know. One thing’s for sure, we’re all volunteers! No full-time worship pastor here. We practice on Saturday mornings and Sundays before the service. Challenges you face: I think the challenge resides in the multicultural community. As the only English-speaking evangelical church here, we have so many

different church backgrounds in a single community. The question of balance is very important—listening to the Holy Spirit and being sensitive to the people’s habits in terms of worship (all hymns, all modern songs, clapping, non-clapping, etc.). Blessings: I can say that I am blessed to lead worship here because it gives me the opportunity to fulfill God’s ministry for me, which I would maybe not be able to do in a French church (most French pastors are reluctant to see a woman lead worship). It also gives me the opportunity to sing great modern worship songs in their original language (often French translations don’t sound the same). Here I can serve the Lord both with my voice and playing the piano, have fun with other musicians, and sometimes even train musicians. Since most of the time we send people back to their own country, we feel that we play a small part in outreach to the world.

Eszter Damásdi

Kiskunfélegyháza, Hungary Reformed

Your role at church: Church Organist and Worship Leader Favorite worship song: “We Are” (Kari Jobe) Church: The Reformed church is very traditional in Hungary. My local church is a little reformed community with less than 100 people. In the Sunday service usually we worship God with an organ—we sing some old psalms and centuries-old hymns. On the other hand, the younger generation prefers the contemporary worship with guitars, drums, and piano. So we have got a little worship band with six members. We have some special occasions where the worship band serves. We sing

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some Hungarian songs and a lot of translations of English songs. I think there are lots of different approaches in the Hungarian churches. Some communities never sing contemporary worship songs and the others sing traditional hymns very rarely. Challenges/blessings: In my opinion, the biggest challenge and the biggest blessing is same: many variations of genres and styles. Because there are many kinds of music styles in various congregations of my country—classical, folk, gospel and contemporary worship—just about anyone can find their style of worship. I like it. But on the other hand it generates a big conflict between the generations. It is a big challenge for me: to be a classical organist and a contemporary worship leader at the same time.

Caio Zaleschi

Ferraz de Vasconcelos, Brazil Igreja Evangélica da Paz

Your role at church: Worship Pastor Favorite worship song: “Your Name” (Paul Baloche/Glenn Packiam)

Blessings: Brazilians will not be afraid of problems they might face and will not let anything prevent them from being in the presence of God.

Jeff & Leora Caylor

Hong Kong, Hong Kong Island ECC

Your role at church: Jeff: Director of Worship and Atmosphere Leora: Director of Creative Communications and Worship Favorite worship song: Jeff: I’m loving “Let Us Adore” (Elevation Church) at the moment. Such a great melody and feel. Leora: “Jesus Paid It All” (Elvina Hall). When I sing, “I hear the Savior say, thy strength indeed is small…” it resonates with me deeply. Church: At Island ECC, our worship experience on Sundays is creative. Because we value creativity and the role the arts play in worship, and also out of necessity. Even though we are the largest English-speaking church in Hong Kong with almost 3,000 adults every Sunday, none of our gatherings are larger than 500 people because

Church: We are a loving community, located in a lower-class environment, with a heart for sharing our lives together. We have a contemporary worship ministry that seeks to help people sing together the biblical truths that will bring faith, comfort, and a real relationship with Christ. Challenges you face: Because Brazil is such a diverse country, one of our biggest challenges is to understand our community’s background, hopes, and struggles so we can serve them right where they are.

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space is such a premium here. By using DVR technology, we simulcast to different floors in the same building for each service. Over the course of Sunday morning and afternoon, we have 10 discrete service times to look after (three floors with two service times in the AM and two floors with two service times in the PM). It’s a literal vertical church that meets in one of the many high-rise office buildings dotting the skyline of this great city. Roughly 70 volunteer musicians do the heavy lifting to allow us to lead the same music live via five different bands each Sunday. Challenges you face: Hong Kong is a fast-paced, hectic city. You wouldn’t know by looking at them on Sunday, but besides being fantastic musicians, our team is made up of bank directors, corporate attorneys, medical specialists, business owners, and more. On top of that, the work culture here expects long hours, and family time is precious and rare. Consequently, we have chosen to not hold a weekly rehearsal apart from Sunday mornings. Fortunately, the team works hard on their own before rehearsals to help us overcome this challenge of compressed prep time. Blessings: One of our favorite things about leading worship here in Hong Kong is that there are so many first-generation believers. Walking with people who see faith with fresh eyes is energizing and constantly reminds us of how God is still all about making us new. W

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BY NICK HERBERT

NEW SOUND, SAME SPIRIT O

ne of the biggest challenges of being in worship ministry is to not become a settler. We can reach a place in our hearts—as a result of the scars, struggles, and the basic need to survive—in worship ministry where we somehow make an agreement to settle for maintaining the status quo. It is here that we accept things along the lines of “this is simply what we sound like” or “this is simply what we expect the Spirit to do or not do in worship.” Our expectations and actions really can’t afford to remain settled though. Every style and stream of church is now facing more challenges, more need for change, and more choices than ever before in terms of what it means to put the gospel at the center of who we are and what we do. Regarding the United Kingdom, I heard it said recently (in a rather dramatic fashion) that we may think of the UK as a Christian country, but in fact Christian believers are a “remnant” of the population. So what does this mean for worship leaders and worship musicians? How do we respond to the need to keep centralizing the gospel? There are essentially two challenges, and at the heart of them is a tension.

1. NEW SOUND:

To continue to connect with the culture around us and seek to bridge the gap between the music we listen to and enjoy outside the church and the music we listen to and play inside the church must be part of our outlook.

2. SAME SPIRIT:

To continue to take risks as we follow the Holy Spirit in our worship and pursue 44

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encounter at all costs—confrontational worship is a priority. New sound, same Spirit, and the heart for the gospel and worship ministry are essential. But how can we hold these things together? Where better to look than the book of Revelation to see large-scale Christian worship and how it should fulfill Christ’s mandate: “May it be this day on earth as it is in heaven.” In Revelation (4:1-11), the writer John is building an incredible picture of what he is seeing: the throne, lightning, color, creativity, rainbows, and strange beasts— everywhere, new songs and new sounds, intimacy and awe. If nothing else, this is a scene that is all about diversity, and it completes the story of God in the Bible by hammering home the central theme: from first to last from cover to cover God is the creator, and he is creative. So, a few thoughts on how we might break a “settled cycle” and pursue “new sound, same Spirit.”

in their vernacular. Right at the heart of the scene of incredible creativity in worship in Revelation we are shown that Jesus is at the center.

Attempt Something Epic

Authenticity Is Key

To do something epic, to mirror the creativity in the scene in Revelation, will be slightly more costly than normal, and it will take time. But as I once heard a preacher say, “Never overestimate what you can achieve in two weeks. But never underestimate what you can achieve in two years.” So, let’s keep on searching for something way above and beyond what we’ve already achieved, to live in that place of tension. It’s a good place to be: “I’m going to keep on going, never settle for what I’ve previously experienced. Always arriving, never arrived, and I will stay true and authentic to who God has created me to be with his power in me forging the way ahead.” New sound, same Spirit—let’s not settle for anything less. W

Authenticity is what people most want to see when they come through the door of the church. There are dangers in seeking to create a new sound; it’s not about mere performance, and it’s not meant to bring glory to those involved other than Jesus. It’s meant to help others get close to God because it is accessible—music that speaks

WORSHIP CENTRAL Nick is part of the Worship Central team based in the UK. He has written many songs including “God’s Great Dance Floor,”“The Same Power,” and “The Way.”

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NICK HERBERT

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THE

BY BRIAN SMITH

ARCHITECT

How finding the right producer can make all the difference in your worship recording.

hroughout the history of recorded music, producers have been responsible for creating and defining the signature sound of countless artists. They have been the “musical architects” behind iconic performers of our time: The Beatles had George Martin; Garth Brooks had Allen Reynolds, and Amy Grant had Brown Bannister. A gifted producer brings out the best in both the song and the artist, pulling together vocals and instrumentation into a cohesive whole. So when time comes to entrust your songs to a producer, do so with much care and deliberation. Your songs—and your sound—depend on it. Be encouraged that many of the very best producers are passionate about coming alongside worship leaders and independent artists, desiring to help them create the music they are called to make. And many of these producers have been artists themselves, having traveled the very road you may be on.

Heart of the Matter “We have a deep passion for working with independent artists,” said Scott Cash, who along with brother Ed has been instrumental in shaping the sound of Chris Tomlin, among many others. “It’s an honor to be there for those called to minister to the Church through the beautiful avenue of music and to assist them in honing their craft. Worship leaders are in the trenches fighting for the name of Jesus in their communities and then taking their art out into the world. We love helping them make records that are tools for their journey.”

Iron Sharpens Iron One of the producer’s most important tasks is not only helping to select the

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right songs for each recording but often helping the artist write them. “We usually co-write at least half the songs on most of the projects we produce,” said Tyrus Morgan, who along with collaborator Jay Speight has produced numerous projects, and whose writing credits include cuts by NewSong and Unspoken. “We come alongside the artist to develop each song in a clear and interesting way, encouraging them to drive the key themes. Every co-write is different, but we often build a basic track roadmap during the process. It’s so rewarding to see the excitement on our artists’ faces as their ideas materialize into songs.” “I usually co-write up to 95 percent of the songs I produce,” said Conrad Johnson, formerly of Chris & Conrad and owner of Inertia Sound Studio. “Together we talk about their influences, their sound, and their vision and goals—all while I am sitting at the piano or strumming a guitar. I want each song to come as organically as possible.”

Beyond the Soundboard In addition to creative direction, the producer’s greatest impact may well be providing spiritual counsel and encouragement. “It’s easy to lose sight of the big picture when you are deep in the minutiae of making a record,” said Jay Speight. “It’s vital to be continually aware that our goal is to bring God glory. We spend a lot of time talking and listening, not just about the music, but about what is going on in the artist’s life. We pray with and for them. A lot of life happens in the three to nine months we may be working together.”

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REACHING OUT If the next step on your journey is partnering with a producer, here are a few suggestions:

Research production credits of artists you respect and admire. Compile your “dream list” of producers you aspire to work with. Think big. Send a brief email including one song best representing you and a short snapshot of your ministry and history. Pray for God’s direction as you move forward with confidence.

To Contact: Scott Cash: review@edcash.com Tyrus Morgan: tyrusmorgan@gmail.com Conrad Johnson: conrad@inertiasoundstudio.com Jay Speight: jayspeight@gmail.com BRIAN SMITH is president of Turning Point Media Relations, Inc. with degrees both in journalism and theology from Valparaiso University, he has been involved in publicity efforts for Christian recording artists for 25 years.With substantial experience in radio promotion and PR, he has spearheaded and worked on campaigns for Steven Curtis Chapman, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Keith and Krystin Getty among many others. Brian is actively involved at Christ Fellowship in Franklin,Tennessee.

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HOW TO MAKE REHEARSALS MORE EFFECTIVE

few weeks ago I asked our Musicademy Facebook page members the question “What advice would you give to a worship team wanting to make rehearsals as effective as possible?” It had a huge response, and for this issue, I’ve decided to compile the best of the advice that was given. So in no particular order:

RULES • Don’t noodle/text/call/Facebook/snapchat between songs. • Separate rehearsals from the sound check and song run through before the service. • Rehearsals are for working through the song together; practice is what you’ve done at home beforehand to learn the song and your part.

Practical Stuff

Culture

Hints and Tips

• Start off by praying then do a big, well-known song to let everyone get some excess energy out (especially if you’re working with a youth band). It will help them focus later.

• Encourage people to try new things and make mistakes.

• Practice loud songs quietly and quiet songs loudly.

• Model servanthood and not divahood.

• Film or record practices and services, and constructively critique what you find.

• Freestyle worship together. • Preparation! Make sure everyone knows what songs they are playing, which version, in which key, and that they have the correct score/chord charts and YouTube/Spotify links for new songs. • Give everyone a job. Get everyone involved in set up and tear down. • Practice spontaneity. • Rehearse in a circle facing each other; keep the volume low enough so you can talk over the level of the music.

• Don’t be a slave to the album version. Use it as a jumping-off point if you need to, but make it your own. • Developing team vision, mission, and values statements can be a useful motivating and team-building exercise that brings focus and direction. • Go to worship conferences together, and reflect on what you will do differently as a result.

PASTORAL

• Arrive on time and stick to a schedule. You do have a schedule, right?

• Reinforce the importance of eye contact and listening to each other.

• Include your sound tech, and take their feedback.

• Set expectations and reinforce them constructively, but be aware that some people have multiple time pressures and perhaps need extra grace from the rest of the team.

• Choose songs well in advance and communicate the short list to the team.

• Connect with your team outside of church. Do fun things just so people can get to know and get to love each other.

• Use MultiTracks and instructional training resources to separate, listen to, and learn instrument parts.

• Pray together, for each other, and for what you bring together.

• Treating everyone fairly doesn’t necessarily mean treating everyone the same. Respect team members’ time pressures/commitments and differing experience/skill levels. 48

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• Try using one of the many personality profiling tools (Enneagram, MBTI etc.) to find and use your team members’ skills beyond their musical ability.

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• Always start with what was good and then what we could do better. • Have a specific focus to different practice sessions. • If pressed for time, practice stops, starts and junction points rather than playing the whole song again and again. • Focus on trouble spots. Loop and repeat them, then practice them more than you think you need to. • Occasionally take a full day out, ideally with an external trainer/facilitator, to work with your team.

ANDY CHAMBERLAIN is cofounder of Musicademy.com and Worshipbackingband.com that produce instructional DVDs for musicians involved in worship and multitrack backing tracks and software for churches with missing musicians.

Photo Credit: Phil Sanders

THE KYSER®® / CHRIS TOMLIN LOVE RAN RED QUICK-CHANGE®® Pick Pick one one up up at at Worship Worship Night Night In In America. America. WWW.CHRISTOMLIN.COM WWW.CHRISTOMLIN.COM || WWW.KYSERMUSICAL.COM WWW.KYSERMUSICAL.COM

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GLOBAL TRANSFORMATION THROUGH WORSHIP APPLICATION

young man grows up in a Christian home. He has a lackluster relationship with his father. He surrenders his life to Christ, goes to seminary, finds work in a Christian organization, and actively serves on his church’s outreach team. He models his relationship with God after that of his earthly father. There is brokenness. There’s a search for love, acceptance, and affirmation—all built on a deep fear of rejection. He passionately loves God but hardly believes that true victory and freedom is possible. After 25 years of Christian and Bible information, the young man walks a crippled existence, which he believes to be normal because true victory, it seems, is only reserved for eternity. Then he meets a Spirit-filled man who takes those 25 years of information and lovingly shows him how to apply it. In that instant, transformation takes place. Through the power of the Spirit, the young man breaks free from his brokenness, dies to himself, and for the first time in his life, believes the words of his Heavenly Father when he says, “I love you. I am pleased with you. You are my son.”

Spiritual Disorders It’s a sad thing when we expect our spiritual nourishment to come from church. No wonder the majority of Christians suffer from an anorexic faith. The church is great at showering us with information but lacks the ability to teach application. When information and application meets, true transformation will occur. Now imagine this being a regular occurrence in every worship service. Imagine pastors and worship leaders learning to become experts in showing believers 50

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not only how to believe but also to apply those beliefs in their day-to-day walk. Think for a second how profound the impact would be when the Church’s global mission moves from preaching freedom in Christ to living freedom in Christ. It’s the application part that is pivotal. Without it, no lasting or true change will happen.

Applied Worship Worship is a love exchange between Father and child—with or without music, with or without words. It’s not a Sunday occurrence or a special event. Victory in worship will only occur where true application has preceded it. For you to walk in love, you first have to believe that God

Add Life Global transformation does not come through relevance or being politically correct. It does not call for an obliteration of the gospel so as not to offend those outside the Church. Application comes through first accepting who God is, what he has done, what his Word states, and living every bit of it. If a pastor and worship leader find no value in application, they should find another calling. In this virtual age where church is borderless, the close fellowship is under great threat, yet the global outreach potential of pastors and worship leaders is stronger than ever. This is your mission: to teach believers how to serve Christ. Teach them how to overcome sin, fear, anxiety, and loss. Teach

“Think for a second how profound the impact would be when the Church’s global mission moves from preaching freedom in Christ to living freedom in Christ.” loves you. For you to ask for forgiveness, them how to break free from bondage, lack you first have to believe that you are for- of self-confidence, lack of self-worth. Teach given. For you to gain victory over sin, them how to find happiness in every situayou first have to believe that Christ won tion and how to persevere through trials and the victory. Application comes before tribulations. Teach them how to overcome transformation. by the Word of our testimony and the blood Much of the world sees Christianity of the Lamb. Teach them that victory and life as a laughingstock. The world is sick and are only found in Christ. Let them experitired of fake Christians. They ridicule us ence the victory before they can declare it. since no other religion claims to have the Then transformation will occur. W only way, truth, and life. You better back it up, when you make a statement like HEIN VAN WYK that. All they care is to see that we live is the CEO/President of Sharewhat we teach and apply what we preach. faith.com where he innovates, They are looking with eagle’s eyes for any leads and spearheads technology solutions for churches. sign of transformation in us before they would ever believe it.

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Audio and Video

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GLOBAL TEACH:

BY KENT MORRIS

BROADENING THE SCOPE OF TECHNOLOGY SITUATION

Access to gear outstrips access to operational knowledge The global economy has improved the lives of millions while leveling the technology playing field to allow smartphones to be as commonplace in Zambia as they are in San Francisco. In fact, wireless technology is often more advanced in developing countries due to leapfrog applications. However, in church media, this direct access to products is not balanced by easy access to operational knowledge due to a historical lack of apprenticeship in the technology arts. Thus, a church can buy a digital console but have little understanding of proper gain structure, which is critical to successful mixing.

SOLUTION

Prepare before buying and use online forums to disseminate industrystandard practices to remote locales While YouTube and Google deliver quick answers, it is difficult to discern accurate information from the array of opinions lobbed in a general online format. However, there are several church-oriented resources with trusted respondents who have the necessary background to provide accurate answers. Nothing can replace a physical site visit, but with ubiquitous camera phones, enough data can be gleaned to deliver an appropriate response. For global markets, though, there are some caveats to consider before purchasing equipment. 52

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4 Caveats First, counterfeit products designed to fool the eye, but never the ear, burden the international market, making it imperative to buy only from reputable international distributors authorized by the manufacturer. Second, an advanced product is not always the right choice. Due to lack of replacement parts and the technical prowess to install them, simpler is better. For the global market, a heavy, old school toroidal transformer-based Class A/B power amp is often a smarter choice than a digital switch-mode Class-D version with DSP. Third, the incoming AC power may fluctuate to the point it will destroy a digital device. True voltage regulators, not just cheap power strips, are needed to prevent brownout situations and must be rated for the load they will carry. Last, reliability should be the primary consideration for any equipment purchase. For example, when choosing a video projector, a sealed light path to exclude dust is a more critical feature than whether or not the projector can produce a true 1080p image. For many markets, the tonality and desirable traits of media equipment differ greatly from American-centric values. While American mix engineers prefer reserved use of effects and a balanced frequency response, many international customers consider a proper mix one with exaggerated delays, heavy reverb, and accentuated lows and highs. In the same vein, American video norms do not carry over to many parts of the world where color saturation is revered. Anyone wishing to assist an international ministry should remove personal prejudices regarding musical balance and color content.

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resources Here are some trusted choices for ministries without local access to a technologist who simply need reliable technical information: churchsoundcheck.com Curt Taipale is a respected educator and system designer with an even-handed and reserved approach to training prosoundweb.com A collection of articles and forums from many of the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s veterans riggingseminars.com A solid introduction to safe rigging practices essential in any environment churchmedia.net Worldwide information freely shared across all technology disciplines Church Sound & Media Techs on Facebook A group of 8,000 worship techs seeking to assist each other daily: facebook.com/ groups/ChurchSoundMediaTechs

KENT MORRIS is an audio/lighting/visual consultant and has mixed with Paul Baloche, Tommy Walker, Israel Houghton, and many more.

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GEAR REVIEWS Nord Electro 5 Overview: The brand new Nord Electro 5 series of keyboards is the 5th generation in a long and prestigious line of Electro keyboards. Although it may look similar to the Electro 4, the new Nord offers upgrades in sound, functionality, onboard storage and live use. Standout features include a full OLED display, split/layer points, expanded memory for the Piano and Sample Library, separate delay and reverb options, and a mount for a half-moon Leslie speaker control. Currently available in three options, the Electro 5D comes in 61 and 73 semi-weighted key versions as well as a 73-key Hammer Action Portable version called the Electro 5 HP.

Digital Audio Labs Livemix Overview: Livemix is a personal monitoring system from Digital Audio Labs made with church musicians in mind. Packed with features, the Livemix CS-DUO Dual Mix Personal Monitor supports 24 channels, features touch screen control, offers two different mixes on each unit, and has a built-in ambient mic and intercom system. Livemix even has professional features such as MirrorMix, which allows a musician or tech to hear and control other users’ mixes in the system. Each CS-DUO includes EQ, compression and presets for both on each channel. Livemix also works with analog inputs as well as Dante digital systems. Church Use: Livemix is the perfect system for in-ear monitors on a church stage. Offering built-in features such as ambient mics, intercom communication, metronome and optional features such as foot pedal control, the folks at Livemix have thought through everything a church band needs in an in-ear monitor system. Easy enough to use for volunteers and deep enough for pros and techs, Livemix is the ideal church monitoring system.

Church Use: The Electro series of keyboards has been the keyboard benchmark for years in recreating electro-mechanical and acoustic instruments in a portable package and the Electro 5 sounds better and is more flexible than any of its predecessors. The new display gives name readouts and is easier to use while scrolling through presets on the fly. Split points and layers are a first to the Electro line and a much-needed upgrade from previous versions. The physical drawbars and Leslie halfmoon switch are a big step forward for Hammond organ players and show Nord’s dedication playability attention to detail. If you’re looking for a keyboard that will give you B3, piano, and some simple synth sounds, the Electro 5 may be perfect for you. More: Best portable keyboard for piano/organ/electric piano sounds. Less: Limited synth section. Price: $2,499

More: Outstanding sound quality and functionality. Less: Not much. Price: $5,344 (For a bundle that includes eight mixes)

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IMAGINE

THAT RESONATES Presonus StudioLive RMAI Series Mixers Overview: Presonus has changed the game with their StudioLive RMAI mixers! A modest 3-space rack unit, the RM16AI looks much like a 16 input stage box but offers so much more. Based on the StudioLive AI-series mixers, the RMAI series offers class Class A XMAX preamps, built in wi-fi, firewire 800 connectivity, 32-bit effects, and are 100 percent recallable. The RM16AI frees you from a traditional board with faders and knobs and allows you to mix from your Mac, PC, or tablet using their revolutionary UC Surface software: an all new wireless control software made just for the RMai series mixers. The RM32AI and RM16AI are identical except for the physical size and I/O. Church Use: The StudioLive RMAI series is perfect for everything from portable churches to medium-sized rooms with a small number of inputs. The sound quality is superb and the control software is extremely easy to use. Each band member can control their own mix via QMix, an app for iOS in addition to the FOH mixer. Reliable and ultra-portable, the RMAI is a great option for churches with small to mediumsized rooms. More: Great sound quality and flexibility at an extremely low price. Less: 32 channel max might be too few channels for some churches. Price: $1399.95 - $1999.95

Ear Trumpet Labs Louise Overview: Want a truly unique microphone? The funky, broadcast-meets-steampunk looking Louise is the creation of Portland microphone maker Ear Trumpet Labs. The Louise is a largediaphragm FET condenser microphone with a cardioid pickup pattern. Housed in a six-inch hoop, the capsule is suspended by four springs and can be rotated approximately 90 degrees from the body. Louise features a built-in pop filter, rejects feedback and stage noise from moving around next to the microphone. In addition to looking elegant and unique, the microphone has a clean, transparent sound when amplifying acoustic instruments and works incredibly well as a live microphone on quieter stages. On vocals, it has a wonderful capability to push vocals forward in the mix and is quite feedback resistant even on loud stages. Church Use: We tried the Louise on a number of instruments and vocalists and were pleasantly surprised at the sound quality of the microphone and its flexibility. Acoustic guitar, mandolin, string instruments, drum overheads, and piano all sounded fantastic through the Louise, and male vocals really blew us away with their punch and roundness. The Louise is a great mic to have as an option for broken down setups on Sunday morning, or any situation where acoustic instruments dominate. More: Great look, great sound, and flexibility. Less: Can produce too much bleed on a loud stage with guitar amps and full drum kit. Price: $499

Sound. Invisible waves of energy that move through the air and press upon everything they touch: an idea, a feeling, and sometimes even a dream. Your message matters. That’s why we work so carefully to create a system that’s right for your space. Our engineers meticulously study your environment’s unique needs. Then, we painstakingly build a solution that fills your space with exceptional, rich sound.

Imagine that. Call today!

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PRODUCTION

WHAT’S NEW: IN GEAR FOR MUSICIANS, MEDIA, AND SOUND TEAMS

Shure SE112

FOR THE MEDIA TEAM: MICS TC Helicon MP-76

Church Use: Microphone for control of TC Helicon vocal processors Price: $179.99 What’s New: If you’ve ever wanted to be able to control your own vocal effects from the stage, the MP-76 may be just the mic for you. Working together with TC Helicon’s voice processors such as the VoiceLive line, the MP-76 allows you to trigger effects live from the stage. Powered by 48v phantom power, the MP-76 is battery-free and works with any XLR cable. If you have an existing TC Helicon vocal processor, the MP-76 is a must-have accessory.

Shure PG ALTA microphone line

Church Use: Live microphones for drums, instruments, and vocals Price: $34-$124 What’s New: Shure microphones have been the industry standard for live performance for decades, and the PG ALTA line provides an affordable way to get the reliability and sound quality of the Shure brand. The PG ALTA line includes dynamic and condenser microphones for vocals, instruments, and drums with live performance in mind as well as studio application. A terrific value, the PG ALTA microphones are great entrylevel mics and come in a variety of packages and kits.

FOR THE SOUND TEAM: IEM RUNDOWN Ultimate Ears VRM

Church Use: Custom in-ear monitors designed for vocalists Price: $999 What’s New: It’s not too often you see an IEM designed specifically for a vocalist, but the UE VRM deliver a vocalist-friendly frequency response to help vocalists hear themselves through the mix. Designed for singers, normal music doesn’t sound particularly great through the VRM, but its three drivers are custom tailored for either male or female vocals to help the vocalists hear themselves. Created with the care and support that only Ultimate Ears can give, the VRMs are a great option for worship leaders who need a vocal-dominated mix or for background singers.

CAD StagePass Wireless IEM System MXL CR77

Church Use: Dynamic stage microphone Price: $179.95 What’s New: If you’re looking for a microphone with great vintage style, the CR77 is perfect for you. A dynamic mic with a supercardioid pickup pattern, the CR77 is incredibly directional and features a built-in windscreen and shock mount, making it perfect mic for the stage. Add that to the black and chrome color scheme and you’ve got a distinct looking microphone that will stand the volumes of any church stage.

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Church Use: Wireless system for in-ear monitors Price: TBA What’s New: The StagePass IEM is a stereo wireless system for in-ear monitors. The StagePass IEM comes with a 16-channel transmitter, body pack and even includes earbuds. Perfect if you need just one wireless pack, the StagePass IEM is a great entry point to wireless in-ears on stage.

Shure SE112

Church Use: Universal fit sound-isolating earphones Price: $49.00 What’s New: Most articles about church in-ear monitoring focus on custom IEM, but some of the most important IEMs are the universal headphones for rotating band members and musicians without custom molds. The Shure SE112s are sound-isolating earbuds that are perfect for the demands of a high-volume stage. Featuring deep bass, the SE112s are perfect for drummers and bass players and provide enough isolation for background singers and instrumentalists. If you need a pair of universal in-ear monitors, for under $100 the SE112 provide tremendous value.

MARCH/APRIL 2015

BY ANDY TOY

Gibson Les Paul Classic 2015

IMAGINE THAT inspires

FOR THE MUSICIAN: GUITARS Martin Dreadnought Junior

Church Use: Acoustic guitar for students or travel Price: $599 What’s New: The Martin Dreadnought Junior is a small-scale acoustic perfect for travel, students, or smaller players. Made with all real wood, the Junior features a solid Sitka top and Sapele back and sides that sounds warm and rich and has great projection for a small-scale guitar. A perfect first guitar or portable acoustic, the Martin Dreadnought Junior is a great value.

Gibson Les Paul Classic 2015

Church Use: Electric guitar Price: $2279 What’s New: One of the oldest names in electric guitar history, Gibson has released a brand new 2015 version of their historic Les Paul with some modern bells and whistles. New to the 2015 Les Paul is the mahogany SlimTaper neck for faster playing and more comfort and the G-force automatic tuning system, which allows you to tune all the strings at once by simply strumming the open strings. Despite the space-age stuff, the Les Paul Classic ’15 preserves the classic look and signature sound of the Les Paul.

Magnatone Lyric 10

Church Use: Electric guitar amplifier Price: $1499 What’s New: Magnatone is back! After nearly 30 years of extinction, Magnatone amps are back on the market. The Lyric 10 sports a single 6L6 tube and a 10" speaker that produces 10 watts of punchy tone that sounds bigger than it is. Perfect for harmonica, steel guitar or as a small-wattage, behind-the-stage amp, the Lyric 10 offers a unique, retro sound.

VISION. Some say seeing is believing, but the truth is we tend to believe what we see. It’s also been said that the eyes are the windows of the soul. The images you place on the canvas of the mind are significant and meaningful. These flickering pixels forever mark the way others see the world. In a sea of seemingly endless options, we know the way. Our technical masters will guide you to the solutions that will make your message pixel perfect.

Imagine that. Call today!

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FEATURE REVIEW

Christy Nockels W

orship leader and singer/songwriter Christy Nockels is well known for her ability to create musical space that inspires others to worship. Her musical journey, fueled by her passion for helping others communicate through music with the living God, eventually led to her latest album, Let It Be Jesus, her first live worship album. Let It Be Jesus was recorded at Passion City Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Alongside her husband, Nathan, Christy has years of experience leading worship and recording Christian music. Their musical journey began together in the early 1990s when Christy and Nathan met and married. Their first album, created along with Charlie Hall under the name Sons and Daughters, was titled Holy Roar. In 1998, the husband and wife duo signed a contract with Rocketown Records (Michael W. Smith), under the name Watermark. During this period of their life, the duo recorded five albums, were nominated for numerous Dove Awards, and created seven #1 hits. Christy and Nathan eventually stepped away from Watermark to focus on family, worship leading, and other areas of ministry. Christy and Nathan have continued to serve as worship leaders for Passion City Church, as well as Passion Conferences. In Let It Be Jesus, Christy Nockels sings with the ease and beauty of a seasoned singer, the passion of a worship leader focused on the presence of God, and the authority of a songwriter whose words are bathed in Scripture. This live album sings with intimate, quiet moments of sweet worship and soaring sounds of praise, led by Nockelsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rock-solid chops and backed by a classic, but excellent, pop-rock praise and worship band. The congregation is a participant in this album with Christy leading the way. These songs are singable,

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Let It Be Jesus sixstepsrecords/Sparrow

christynockels.com

memorable, and fresh additions to your typical Sunday playlist. Christy makes communication with the Almighty accessible in this compilation of songs both to God and about God. The opening song, “Freedom Song,” is a bright, happy, praise song for the freedom that comes from salvation in Christ. This song, with its bright acoustic guitar and hand clapping rhythms, gleams with the themes of God’s great love, mercy, and salvation. “My Anchor” is a calmer, more peaceful rock ballad focused on the protective attributes of God, backed up by power chords, which grows in intensity and reflects the hope of Hebrews 6:19. Christy sings out in another rock worship ballad, “Everything Is Mine in You,” how God is the Christian’s inheritance and all she needs is in Christ “The Wondrous Cross,” a soft and pretty tribute pointing to the cross of Christ, includes a gently flowing piano part, memorable melody, and poignant lyrics that reveal the Sabbath rest that can be found in the cross of Christ. “Let It Be Jesus,” the album’s namesake, reflects the words of Philippians 1:21: “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better” (NLT). The next song on the album, “Who Can Compare,” moves forward musically with a gently pulsing rhythm and simple, repetitive tune that reminds listeners that no one compares to Jesus. “Jesus, Rock of Ages” is a delicate and sweet, acoustic song about trusting in Jesus and his salvation. “If You Never” picks up the pace with an upbeat, light country feel in an acoustic praise song

IMAGINE THAT transcends

to God for his salvation, reminiscent of Psalm 121:4 because God never slumbers nor sleeps. A powerful song about putting our trust in Jesus even when times are hard is “Leaning on You, Jesus.” “Find Me at the Feet of Jesus” is a quiet acoustic guitar ballad that covers the themes of sufficiency in Christ, sitting at Jesus’ feet, belonging to Christ, staying close to him, and giving him our hearts. This song of commitment dreams of worship in heaven. The final song on Let It Be Jesus is “Wonderful Name,” which shares with the listener that healing, hope, and rest are found in the powerful name of Jesus. Sounds Like: Let It Be Jesus swings from acoustic light country pop to pop rock to rock ballad, all under the cohesive umbrella of Christy’s powerful voice and unmistakable style. TOP SONGS Most Singable: “The Wondrous Cross” Strongest Biblical Content: “Let It Be Jesus” (Phil 1:21) The Whole Package: “Freedom Song” Amanda Furbeck

Light. It pierces the darkness. Warm, compelling, and irresistible, it calls us to look deeper and see what cannot otherwise be seen. It summons our attention, captures the imagination, and always shows the way. Light silently tells your story in a manner nothing else can, allowing others to see in a whole new way. Our expert designers will guide you to the lighting that will truly transform your space into a place of wonder and beauty.

Imagine that. Call today!

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IN REVIEW

MUSIC FOR LEADING

PASSION

Passion: Even So Come sixstepsrecords/Sparrow 268generation.com Even So Come opens blazing with the title track followed by Worship Leader’s top song of 2014 “Forever,” and flows straight into the hair-raising civil war romp offered by Crowder’s “Lift Your Head Weary Sinner.” After the

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fiery start, Kristian Stanfill calms things down with his piano-driven “Draw Near.” All in all, a strong opening emblematic of the overall strength of Passion’s latest live release Even So Come. Kristy Nockels’ “My Anchor” uses nautical imagery to describe God as the rock, the deliverer, and the foundation through the struggles of life that tend to feel like waves crashing over and all around us. The chorus’ “my” could be exchanged with an “our” to create a more inclusive experience in one of the repeated choruses, “[Our] anchor forever, our shelter within the storm, our deliverer, you never falter ’cus you’re the rock we stand on.” Tomlin’s additions to the playlist are really good at doing the one thing that so many wor-

ship songs have a tough time nailing: they are about God. His songs declare and praise God’s attributes (“The Saving One”), they cover the narrative of Christ’s victory and eventual return (“Even So Come”), and they remind us of the redemption of all humanity in the delivery of the Cross (“The Cross of Christ”). The Deluxe Edition also brings back some classic songs from the artists that have helped define worship music for a generation in Redman’s “The Heart of Worship,” Tomlin’s version of “We Fall Down,” and Crowder’s cover of “How He Loves,” as well, Stanfill leads the classic hymn “It Is Well.” All are stripped down to an acoustic guitar/piano/vocal prayer with the audience coming in so strong that they could be

MARCH/APRIL 2015

considered duets—a nice way to finish this offering. Sounds like: Except for the three Crowder tracks, Even So Come stays true to the tried-and-true Passion tone. Christian arena rock was born with Passion, so it might as well stay there. TOP SONGS Most sinagable: “My Anchor,” feat. Christy Nockels Strongest biblical content: “The Awesome God You Are,” feat. Matt Redman (Ps 121:1-2) The whole package: “Even So Come,” feat. Chris Tomlin Jeremy Armstrong

bring many to an honest and powerful encounter with the presence of the living God. Sounds Like: Melodic and richly layered guitar-driven rock with deep textures of synth and ethereal space. TOP SONGS Most Singable: “From the Ashes” Strongest Biblical Content: “Christ Is Risen” (1 Cor 15:20-55, 1 Jn 2:2) The Whole Package: “Fearless”

Mia Fieldes Ashes Provident

Brendan Prout

Warning: This is one of those albums which we may find simply does not allow us to set it aside or stop listening to it, once we’ve begun. Mia’s passionate vocals expressing truth in song compellingly draw us in to reflect on the passages of Scripture that these arias are inspired by or lifted from directly. God’s heart for his daughters and sons is easily heard in every line of these songs. As an expression of worship, as well as a vehicle for Bible meditation, this short collection serves to lift our hearts toward the Lifter of our heads. The church has reason to thank Fieldes for this entire offering, as the songs are sure to

Derek Johnson

Real Love Jesus Culture Music jesusculture.com

Jesus Culture artist Derek Johnson believes passionately in serving the Church and desires to see people encounter Jesus, their real source of joy and healing. Real Love is Derek’s first solo release. Every song on this record

worshipleader THE APP IS AVAILABLE! NOW YOU CAN BROWSE THE ARCHIVE AND PURCHASE SINGLE ISSUES TO READ ON YOUR iPAD. Single issues and subscription available

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IN REVIEW

can be used in a corporate worship setting. Derek has given the Church a wonderful new body of Jesus-and-gospel-centered worship music. Strong vocals, great music, and powerful life-changing truth make this record a must for the modern Church. Sounds like: Jesus Culture, Brian Johnson, Phil Wickham TOP SONGS Most singable: “Real Love” Strongest biblical Content: “Our Salvation” The whole package: “Bright as You”

Lifepoint Worship

Victorious Lifepoint Church lifepointworship.org Lifepoint Worship is a group of

Jay Akins

• over 500,000 users

singers, songwriters, and musicians led by Berchman Paul, Brandon Lake, and Jordan Colle and serving the various campuses of Lifepoint Church in Virginia. The songs on Victorious lean towards the quiet and contemplative side of typical pop-rock praise and worship with only two upbeat worship songs: “Savior” and “Heart + Soul.” The other 10 songs include beautiful moments of praise, worship, and the desire to know God more. What makes these songs stand out is the work that God has done through the church to bring these songs to life, the worship music that has moved the hearts of Lifepoint worshipers, and the excellent musicianship that can be heard in the writing and recording of this album.

Sounds like: Gentle melodies and acoustic instruments while hints of Psalms and other Scriptures can be found in lyrics that focus on who God is and what God has done. Top Songs Most Singable: “My Anchor Holds” Strongest Biblical Content: “Emmanuel” (Isa 7:14; Phil 2:10) The Whole Package: “Closer” Resources Available: Lyrics, chord charts, and loops are available at lifepointworship.org. Amanda Furbeck

• 5,700 song books represented

• 2 million page views per month

• lyrics, audio files, author biographies, worship leader suggestions, lead sheets • music for orchestral instruments • FlexScores—provides you with lead sheets, large print, or projection versions (melody or harmony)

Calvin institute of Christian Worship 62

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worship.calvin.edu

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Christ Fellowship Worship

Planetshakers

Shane & Shane

Like No Other is the latest live worship record by Christ Fellowship, one of the largest churches in the U.S. Produced by Michael Neale (“Your Great Name”), Like No Other features energetic anthems and expansive power ballads. You could call it formulaic, but it’s an excellent rendering of the formula. The biggest strength of Like No Other is the extremely God-centric lyrics. Songs like “Greater” and the tour de force “Mercy Tree” tell the old, old story of Jesus and his love, connecting the Cross and the empty tomb in poetic yet simple language. Throughout Like No Other, the object of attention and praise is undoubtedly the one, true God of the Bible.

A gift to the Church, Planetshakers has taken a collection of their most-loved songs, stripped them a bit, and re-recorded them in a studio, and the result is a powerful collection of accessible, incredible congregational songs. Fortunately, veteran worship producer Ed Cash was on hand to take on translating the music to congregation-friendly recordings, and in the process creates a powerful worship experience, both familiar and new. Songs such as “Nothing Is Impossible” and “Endless Praise” are taken from guitar-driven power pop and reimagined as more acoustic, still highly affecting prayers of faith. While “This Is Our Time” gets a bigger overhaul, slowing the cadence a bit and toning the dance-pop energy down about two notches. Noticeably missing is “The Anthem”; it would have been nice to get the Cashified version of that incredible song. Overall, though, the Outback Worship Sessions will definitely appeal to the American audience who, before, couldn’t get over the Aussiedance worship style of their live recordings.

If you’re not already familiar with Shane & Shane’s The Worship Initiative, here’s your crash course. After a long and successful career as recording artists, Shane & Shane have changed focus—they are now pouring into discipling worship leaders. This is made manifest primarily through their online resource, The Worship Initiative. The Worship Initiative is one of the best examples of a modern hymnal we have seen yet. This incredible resource offers musical breakdowns of each song, with detailed instructions for each worship team member (drums, guitarists, vocals, keyboardists, etc.), but even more there is a devotional and deeper inspection offered for each song. You can find 10 albums of their curated songs on iTunes, but in the midst of all of this they have released what they consider the best of those collections in The Worship Initiative. On the whole, The Worship Initiative is Jesus Culture/Hillsong/ All Sons & Daughters heavy, and the songs will already be familiar to experienced worship leaders. However, plied with the Shane & Shane artistry full of soaring melodies, pristine guitar work, and emotive musicality, these songs are given new breath with this outstanding collection.

Like No Other gochristfellowship.com

Sounds like: Synthy and guitar pulsing congregational pop-rock. Similar to Gateway Worship, Vertical Church Band, Worship Central, and the likes. TOP SONGS Most singable: “My Reward (Found in You)” Strongest biblical content: “Immortal, Invisible” The whole package: “Mercy Tree” Bobby Gilles

Outback Worship Sessions Integrity Music planetshakers.com

Sounds Like: Americanized, slightly stripped versions of our favorite Planetshakers offerings of sung prayer. TOP SONGS Most singable: “This Is Our Time” Strongest biblical content: “Endless Praise” (Rev 4:8, Ps 149:3) The whole package: “Nothing Is Impossible” Jeremy Armstrong

The Worship Initiative Fair Trade theworshipinitiative.com

Sounds Like: The duo’s signature harmonies and powerful acoustic/pop/rock is applied to some of today’s most prominent worship songs. TOP SONGS Most singable: “Forever” Strongest biblical content: “This I Believe (The Creed)” Based on the Nicene Creed the biblical references are too numerous to list here. The whole package: “All the Poor and Powerless” Jeremy Armstrong

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Gary Rea

Songs of Unity garyreaworship.com

Songs of Unity delivers on its title with 10 tracks that explore the unity of the Church, at times praising God for the common faith shared by all believers (“The

Gospel,” “O Redeemer,” “What a Good Father”) and at other times celebrating the actual fellowship that is ours in Christ (“We’re Gonna Shine,” “Unity ‘Army of the Saints’”). Through it all, Rea comes across as a servant of the Church, crafting thoughtful and biblical lyrics for corporate worship that maintain the intimacy of the Father. The album’s production is excellent, capturing the unique character of every instrument and voice, but it is also easy to imagine congregations with only a piano or guitar singing these prayers with equal effect. The heavy reliance on Americanastyled arrangements gets

slightly monotonous, but Rea’s greatest contribution was in providing songs for use in worship gatherings that will help the Church adore and serve God in response to his mercy and grace.

The Whole Package: “We’re Gonna Shine” Resources Available: Lyrics and chord charts available for free at garyreaworship.com. Graham Gladstone

Sounds like: Mumford & Sons found Jesus at a Sovereign Grace conference then joined Fernando Ortega to write a worship album. Top Songs Most Singable: “O Redeemer,” “Jesus, You’re our Rock” Strongest Biblical Content: “The Gospel” (A nice presentation of the gospel with language from Romans 3 with a built-in response from Romans 10.)

B E T H A N Y w o r s h i p Bethany Worship is the worship ministry of Bethany Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana pastored by Jonathan Stockstill. We desire to see the body of Christ connect to God through passionate worship. Get links to chord charts, multi-tracks and other resources at BETHANYWORSHIP.COM DOWNLOAD

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1. reason to dance 2. you’re on the inside 3. running to you 4. you remain holy 5. only you are holy

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6. saturate 7. believe 8. faithful 9. isn’t the name 10. let the redeemed

This album has a very distinct intensity about it, but it also has a mellow quality. I loved listening to it in the car, but I can definitely see the church using the songs in worship as well. Sounds like: Bellarive, Sixpence None the Richer

worship songs that are sung in churches today, plus a couple of originals. You can definitely feel the heart of Justin and his passion for leading God’s people in song. If you are a fan of live worship albums, you won’t be disappointed.

Justin Kintzel We Are Yours Vital Records justinkintzel.com

It’s hard to beat a live worship album. This album does a great job of capturing the moment with some of the best corporate

Sounds like: Congregation rock of artists such as Kristian Stanfill, Matt Maher, and others. Top Songs Most Singable: “We Are Yours” Strongest Biblical Content: “Revelation Song” (Rev 4) The Whole Package: “Great I Am” Gary Durbin

SisterBrother Into the Light sisterbrotherband.com

“Into the Light” is the title song, but it’s also a theme of this album. I love that there are accessible songs for the church, yet there is also a strong artistic effort in the performance of them.

Top Songs Most singable: “We Are Redeemed” Strongest biblical content: “How Beautiful” (Lamentations 3:22-23) The whole package: “Into the Light” Gary Durbin

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IN REVIEW

UNLEASH C R E AT I V I T Y IN YOUR CHURCH NCC Worship You Alone Integrity Music nccworship.net

The latest release by Washington D.C. area multi-site congregation National Community Church is a curious endeavor. You Alone by NCC Worship is a fundraiser, is packaged with a sermon from their pastor, and features five songs that are each recorded twice (once in the studio and another live) as an intentional demonstration of how to orchestrate the same song differently. Both distinct versions are modern and relevant— clearly demonstrating the power of what production does to a song. This is most clearly demonstrated by “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today” as the studio version is an artful update to a classic hymn that’s worth giving a listen to; however, its live counterpart struggles as it attempts to pair the opposite ends of the spiritual depth issue (words like “ye” and “ris’n” over the top of long phrases of the letter “O”). Check it out for yourself at theaterchurch.com.

“ Creative Church Handbook shows how the new renaissance of creativity in our churches is turning the eyes of our culture back to God. Whether you are a seasoned arts pastor or just investigating how the arts might benefit your church, this book’s gathered wisdom and curated advice will serve you greatly.” JASON LEITH,

arts initiative director, Saddleback Church

Sounds Like: Studio versions have a programmed electronic undertone while live versions feature the standard set of modern instruments. TOP SONGS Most singable: “You Alone” Strongest biblical content: “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today” The whole package: “We Are Yours” Steven Reed

THE AMERICANA CONGREGATION

Cabin Fever Recordings Pacific Arts Group/Vineyard Worship rootsworship.com Has it been a long winter? Is cabin fever setting in? The solution is to get out. Spring is here! This message is resonating throughout the acoustic based Congregational Americana album Cabin Fever Recordings by John Barnett and his band of brothers at Roots Worship. From time to time, there comes a new album that is so infectious that you can’t seem to take it out of your CD player or playlist. This is one of those albums. Cabin Fever Recordings is unlike any worship experience you have encountered. Barnett and company have crafted an eccentric but accessible collection of strippeddown, gritty songs that immediately capture the ear and transport the heart to a simple place of love and devotion. God is honored, Jesus is glorified, and the Holy Spirit is elevated to his rightful place as the three-inone is worshiped all with a soundtrack that is reminiscent of the Traveling Wilburys with an assist from Allison Krauss. Vocals by John and Marie Barnett, Ryan Delmore, and J.R. Rund throughout the project could have been boosted just a bit to provide a true congregational project, yet once the Appalachian groove sets in, you quickly find yourself singing along to this very accessible set of songs. TOP SONGS Most singable: “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus” Strongest biblical content: “Sweeter Than Honey” The whole package: “Blind Man See” randy cross

ivpress.com 68

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Jonathan and Emily Martin

Not Our Home jonathanandemilymartin.com

Creatives | Creation The Worship Project, Pt1 creativescreation.com

Vocal duo Jonathan and Emily Martin, made up of (wait for it) husband Jonathan and wife Emily, offer their latest EP, Not Our Home, as a follow-up to their successful Set Your Eyes EP launched in 2013. This indie team showcase a knack for combining solid biblical content and singable melodies in the popular pop/folk style.

Passionate, soulful, elegant, powerful all come mind while listening to Creatives | Creation’s first release, The Worship Project. Creatives | Creation is a collective of artists who have come together to challenge each other to greater creativity and growth in their unique gifts. Well-written and well-crafted, this album blazes a new and beautiful path in musical excellence and creativity in worship music. Theologically strong and reflective, the songs of Creatives | Creation will fit well in any worship service. Sounds Like: Shane & Shane and United Pursuit Band TOP SONGS Most singable: “Identity” Strongest biblical content: “Song of the Redeemed” The whole package: “Take Me to Your Courts” Resources: Music, videos, stories at creativescreation.com.

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From the acoustic guitar-driven opener, “Not Our Home,” to the contemplative warm pad-and-keys sounds of “Meaningless,” this five-song EP, chock full of the duo’s beautiful harmony, is well-crafted and worth your time. Sounds Like: All Sons and Daughters, Christy Nockels, and Meredith Andrews.

TOP SONGS Most singable: “Not Our Home” Strongest biblical content: “Psalm 42” (...Psalm 42, of course) The whole package: “The Way I Should Go” Mike Pueschell

PERSONAL PLAYLIST 'Honouring the past, embracing the future’

Celebrating 100 years of the Elim Movement

really strong, melodically simple yet powerful song that recalls our God enthroned in Isaiah 6 and Revelation 5. The other songs will no doubt serve believers in personal devotions, but “Almighty” left me wanting more that would serve the Church together.

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www.elimsound.co.uk 70

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Jared Anderson Where I Am Right Now EP Centricity Music jaredanderson.com

Where I Am Right Now is a concise collection of introspective songs in an array of musical styles that is at once anthemic and accessible. No two songs sound the same, but Jared Anderson (known for his work with Desperation Band and New Life Worship) adeptly weaves a common thread through each: embracing God as holy and unrivalled will strengthen you to live through any circumstance. “Forgiven” is a particularly insightful song, as Anderson works through not just the experience of being saved but the implications for how we live in the world as those forgiven by God’s grace. Admittedly, the introspective nature of the songs left me wondering how they might serve a congregation, especially after listening over and again to the Anderson/Chris Tomlin/Ed Cash co-written “Almighty”–a

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Sounds Like: Steven Curtis Chapman and Jon Foreman got together to express their desire for God in a well-produced exploration of power pop, ballad, and Pitch Perfect meets barbershop vocal dubstep (no, really) genres. TOP SONGS Most singable: “Overboard” Strongest biblical content: “Almighty,” “Forgiven” (both as commentary on biblical themes, rather than reflecting particular verses) The whole package: “Almighty” Graham Gladstone

Amy Grant

Be Still and Know … Hymns & Faith Sparrow amygrant.com

Brothers McClurg

Amy Grant is back with another batch of hymn arrangements and songs of faith in her Hymns & Faith series. Be Still and Know is a compilation of some of the best-loved hymns from previously released albums and also a few new recordings. Grant teams up with her country award-winning husband, Vince Gill, on a bluesy-

Home Sprig Music brothersmcclurg.com

The Brothers McClurg’s debut Join in the Sound spun musical journeys ripe with honest cries to the Father and testimonies of his faithfulness to those who love him. Thankfully Home is more of the beautiful same. It’s a strange juxtaposition to have such gutsy words set to sweet melodic tones, but this is the Brothers’ strength: beauty and earnestness stand side-by-side, and it feels like real life. Most of the songs are not congregational in nature (“Grandma’s Rocking Chair” in particular), but “Letting It All Fall Down” is a beautiful special-music song for a service themed on surrender and “All Hail the Power” is a beautiful slowburning God-focused congregational offering that proclaims and praises the King of kings and Lord of lords. With Home, the Brothers McClurg retain their title: the best Christian music duo you’ve never heard of.

“COME LAY DOWN YOUR BURDENS AND I’LL BECOME YOUR PEACE HOLD ON TO MY PROMISE LET FEAR AND STRIVING CEASE SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND ME WHERE FAITH AND STRUGGLE MEET”

Sounds Like: Hank Williams-esque country/Americana with soulful harmonies plied deftly through earnest vocal power and some modern bluegrass instrumentation. TOP SONGS Most singable: “Move Us On” Strongest biblical content: “Hem” (Mat 9:20) The whole package: “All Hail the Power”

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Jeremy Armstrong

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gospel version of “Rock of Ages.” Other country superstars make an appearance on this album such as Sheryl Crow and Eric Paslay on the standout original trio “Deep as It Is Wide.” Be Still and Know contains just the right mix of familiar songs and newer songs of faith, all featuring Amy’s familiar, smooth vocals. Classic hymns such as “Power in the Blood,” “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee,” and others have a bluegrass feel featuring fiddle and banjo. Others have a more gospel feel, and still others have more of a pop feel. Overall, this album is a comforting taste of home, although these arrangements may work better for personal listening than congregational use.

down-home feel, with beautiful orchestrations supporting the vocals. Amy Grant sounds like Amy Grant. TOP SONGS Most singable: “Power in the Blood” Strongest biblical content: ““Be Still and Know” (Ps 46:10) The whole package: “Rock of Ages” Barry Westman

Sounds Like: Amy’s familiar voice gives this album a warm,

Britt Nicole The Remixes Capitol CMG brittnicole.com

Her most recent studio album, Gold, propelled her career to a new level of success, earning Britt a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Christian Album and an RIAA Certified Gold single for her hit “Gold.” The album’s appeal made Britt Nicole the most-played female artist on Christian radio in 2012. Following the success of Gold, she is shaking things up and releasing her first ever full-length remix album, The Remixes, featuring fresh arrangements of her best songs over the years. The remix talent includes Family Force 5 frontman Soul Glow

Activatur on “Ready Or Not (featuring Lecrae)” and “Walk on the Water,” Neon Feather, Capital Kings (who do a bang-up job resurrecting “Amazing Life”), among others. Remix albums are tricky at best and usually assumed as filler until the next drop. Britt and company raise the bar with The Remixes and offer a collection that stands confidently with remixes in any genre. Sounds Like: Power pop vocals we’ve come to expect from Britt Nicole, a fresh coat of paint on familiar songs, electronica, EDM, synth, atmospheric, dubstep, and more. TOP SONGS Most singable: ““Gold” Strongest biblical content: “Walk on the Water” (Mat 14)

New New Music Music from from RhyanShirley RhyanShirley Includes “Never Runs Dry” as featured on Song Discovery

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The whole package: “Ready or Not” Mike Pueschell

Jon Guerra Little Songs Essential Records jonguerramusic.com

Jon Guerra is an excellent wordsmith and multi-instrumentalist, to say the least. In his debut album, Little Songs, Guerra offers 11 tracks packed with poetic punch

and ripe with refreshing turns of phrase sure to leave the listener beholding God as more believable and beautiful than ever. As a member of the Vertical Church Band, Guerra’s desire is to share songs that will be useful to individuals in their journey of faith and to churches gathering to engage with God together. His soaring vocals complement lyrics full of fresh metaphors that illustrate scriptural themes of redemption and resurrection. Little Songs is a profound success in stirring the listener’s heart to know, trust, celebrate and declare the goodness of God. Sounds Like: Imaginative pop music full of unexpected yet suave blends of acoustics and synths. TOP SONGS Most singable: “I Will Follow”” Strongest biblical content:

“One We’re Looking For” The whole package: “Nothing Better” Kristen Gilles

Danen Kane Flesh and Soul danenkane.com

Danen Kane’s songwriting is extremely clever and well executed in his craftsmanship both as a wordsmith and musician, from the

way he builds his vocal phrasings to the dynamic shifts in musical tones and the overall composition of his orchestrations. Listeners who enjoy a wide variety of sonic textures will appreciate his style, which is both soothing and moving. “Love Song” is a waltzy ballad with a catchy tune and a wonderful lift that makes us smile as we sing these words to God, the lover of our soul. It reflects our human condition honestly just as it brings us to honor God passionately. And “No Words” is an expansive song, with bold changes in drive and intensity throughout serving to usher our hearts in the expression of gratitude to our Lord from a quiet place of solemn contemplation to heights of passionate shouting. Sounds Like: Warmly driving, complexly orchestrated guitar

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His Eye Is on the Sparrow:

BY CHUCK FROMM

Remembering My Friend Billy Ray Hearn

ropelled by revival winds of the Jesus Movement, there were two birds, a sparrow and a dove, soaring out of Southern California in the 1970s. In 1975, Pastor Chuck Smith called me to lead Maranatha! Music. At Maranatha!, our most popular record by far was The Praise Album; it released in 1974 with songs that were performed by worship leaders and represented the core hymnal of our community. The songs recorded on The Praise Album were also curated and published in a small spiral-bound book (hymnal) called Rejoice in Jesus Always. This book was foundational for the growing music ministry around Chuck Smith’s church, Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa. But it moved beyond our local community, equipping hundreds and later thousands of teenagers with a tool to learn and play (the chords were included in the back of the book) the songs of their generation. It even encouraged these on-fire worshipers to write new songs.

Spirit Songs In this issue of Worship Leader, we report on the development of a similar kind of indigenous folk hymnal on the rise in Cuba. It is a reminder that God’s Spirit is on the move around the world, and music is often a signpost of his moving. Be it in Cuba, Australia, Korea, or Southern California in the 70s, songs of the Spirit are a natural outflow of the movement of the Spirit.

Leaving a Legacy It was in the Spirit-filled buzz of this Jesus Music participatory culture that Billy Ray Hearn planted Sparrow Records led by artist such as Keith Green, Barry McGuire (known for the song “Eve of Destruc74

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Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav’n and home, When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is he: His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, For his eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. tion”), 2nd Chapter of Acts, Jami Owens, The Talbot Brothers, and several others. It seems that Billy Ray had a lifelong passion for helping young worshipers sing the prayers of their hearts in a form that made sense to them—winning people to Christ and teaching truth in the process. After a stint with Word Records, In 1976 he founded Sparrow Records in Canoga Park, California, and built a music label model based on ministering to artists who would then minister to the rest of the world. Since then Sparrow records has proven to be Hearn’s legacy as it continues to work with artists that are committed to making great music that fosters faith in believers. Billy Ray had the gift of great taste— whether cooking a gourmet meal at his home with friends or in the studio creating great music to support the ministry of an artist he believed in. Whatever Billy

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Ray was cooking he was fully engaged. He was a man with a great heart and great patience. Much can be celebrated about Billy Ray: his passions, talents, and the legacy he has left for music in the service and mission of God. I would encourage everyone to review his short online autobiography: The Life of Billy Ray Hearn. You will be encouraged and learn a lot. Well done, Billy Ray. W Chuck Fromm is CEO/Publisher of Worship Leader magazine.

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