Music Archives - Passion for Planting

You were Created to Get Creative

Sean Cronin — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 10:00:50 +0000

You were Created to Get Creative

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By Brandon Cox: God is quite creative. All you have to do is look up and around you and you’ll see a world filled with wonder, with color, in mesmerizing detail.

Often when people express themselves creatively, even when they aren’t producing specifically “Christian” art, they’re still glorifying God because they’re doing so as a reflection of his creative touch upon their lives.

The thing about art is that some of us just don’t “get” it. We wonder why someone would pay millions of dollars for a painting or spend countless hours listening to musical performances. Art isn’t very practical, after all.

In ancient Greece, there were two cities of global renown. Sparta was famous for their fighters and became the seat of the Greek military. Athens was the center of thought and artistic expression. Both were essential to the ongoing flourishing of the culture.

God wired us to be expressive. He designed us to employ our talents and abilities to show off his glory, sometimes with art and sometimes with engineering and innovation.

God wired us to be expressive. He designed us to employ our talents and abilities to show off his glory, sometimes with art and sometimes with engineering and innovation. Click To Tweet

Why is God so interested in worship, anyway? It doesn’t seem to feed the hungry or heal the sick. What’s the purpose of praise? The one hundredth psalm gives us a clue:

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

~ Psalm 100:1-5 NIV

Shout… worship… sing… know… enter with thanksgiving and praise… these are all commands. And the why?

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever. His faithfulness continues.

We sing and shout and praise God simply on the basis of his worthiness. And when we do, we reach out and touch the heart of our Creator, and he responds by touching our hearts in return.

Praise is God-glorifying. And praise is life-changing. Let it overflow in your life right now. What do you have to praise him for today?

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What Churches Can Learn from Kanye West: Podcast 275

Sean Cronin — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 10:00:32 +0000

by Leadership Network: In this podcast, Nils Smith and Aaron Magnuson talk about Kanye West’s newest album “Jesus is King,” and his Sunday Services. Listen as Nils and Aaron share their thoughts on what churches can learn from the virality of his latest artistic project that has gained various opinions on social media. This and more on this SMC podcast.

Share your thoughts using the hashtag #SMCPodcast.

A Shownotes to: What Churches Can Learn from Kanye West: Podcast 275

Source: What Churches Can Learn from Kanye West: Podcast 275

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CNLP 251: Drew Powell and Matt Warren on Why Attractional Church is Past Peak, Why It’s Changing and What’s Next for Weekend Services

Sean Cronin — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 09:00:22 +0000

by Carey Nieuwhof: The attractional church model has been the dominant church model for 20 years in growing churches and many leaders are noticing it’s not nearly as effective as it used to be. Few churches were better known for the attractional model than Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN.

In a raw, honest and open conversation, Creative Director Drew Powell and Executive Director Matt Warren talk about why attractional church isn’t what it used to be, why it was effective but isn’t as much anymore, what they’ve changed (and why Cross Point is now the largest its ever been) and where the future church is heading.

Welcome to Episode 251 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.

Guest Links

@drewpowell | @mattywarren | crosspoint.tv | crosspoint.tv/music

Episode Links

Step up your digital game and grow your congregation through custom-tailored content with Pro Media Fire. Take advantage of this special offer for podcast listeners at promediafire.com/carey and receive 10% off all plans for life and 40% off media bundles for life.

Mark Clark and I team up in The Art of Better Preaching, where we share everything we’ve learned about communicating in a way that will help your church grow without compromising biblical integrity. We cover detailed training on everything from interacting with the biblical text, to delivering a talk without using notes, to writing killer bottom lines that people will remember for years. Find out how you can improve your preaching by enrolling today.

5 Reasons Charismatic Churches Are Growing (And Attractional Churches Are Past Peak) by Carey Nieuwhof

3 Insights from Drew & Matt

1. The foyer of the church has moved online

Nobody goes to a restaurant without checking out the website and reviews first and it’s no different for seekers looking for a church to call home. Most people are going to visit a church online before ever considering to step through the doors and that’s why the foyer of the church has moved.

Once online attenders are ready to experience a service live, the transition can be intimidating. That’s the time where they get to find out if everything they’ve been experiencing online (and missing out on live) is real and true.

It’s important to have volunteers on the ground ready to make them feel expected, welcomed and at home. That successful transition often leads to fast engagement because they are eager to get involved in the church community once that online barrier has been crossed.

2. Everyone can still be welcome in a charismatic model

As many churches move towards a more charismatic model, it’s important to continue to be welcoming to everyone – a key component of attractional church that doesn’t need to disappear.

What’s shifting in the charismatic approach is who the programming is being created to reach. Instead of cultivating a service with only the unchurched in mind, incorporate space in the program that provides the “first couple of rungs on the ladder” for anyone new to the church space while keeping the focus on engaging Christ followers in continued spiritual growth.

3. Don’t wear Saul’s armor; find your own fit

If you feel stuck in a model that isn’t working and aren’t sure how to change course, there are two places to focus on in order to slowly turn the ship around.

First, pray – and if you don’t know how to pray, ask God to teach you how. Seems too simple, but never underestimate the powerful changes that can come through intentional prayer.

Second, focus on your unique calling instead of getting lost in the comparison trap. The things that connect your church to your community are not necessarily the same things that connect other churches to theirs. You can’t wear Saul’s armor. You need a suite customized for your own battle. Focus on your strengths, know who you are and hone in on what God has called you to do.

Quotes from Episode 251

Nobody is looking for WOW anymore in the church. If they are truly lost, they are looking for HOW. -Matt WarrenClick To Tweet

People show up looking for Jesus and shame on us if they show up and only find us. @cnieuwhofClick To Tweet

I never want to lose the environment that says everybody is welcome. -Matt WarrenClick To Tweet

We’re never going to have the opportunity to actually get our arms around online attenders if we don’t engage them in the new foyer, which is online. -Drew PowellClick To Tweet

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 251

Looking for a key quote? More of a reader?

Read or download a free PDF transcript of this episode here.

Reach More People…Every Weekend

Ready to start preaching better sermons and reach the unchurched without selling out? Then it’s time to start using the right tips, lessons, and strategies to communicating better.

76% of people say that preaching is a major factor in whether they decide to stay at a church.

The Art of Better Preaching Course is a 12 session video training with a comprehensive, interactive workbook that will help you create, write, and deliver better sermons. The course contains the lessons Mark Clark (lead pastor of Village Church, a growing mega-church in post-Christian Vancouver) and I have learned, taught, and used over decades of being professional communicators.

This is the complete course you need to start preaching better sermons, including:

7 preaching myths it’s time to bust forever
The 5 keys to preaching sermons to unchurched people (that will keep them coming back)
How to discover the power in the text (and use it to drive your sermon)
The specific characteristics of sermons that reach people in today’s world
Why you need to ditch your sermon notes (and how to do it far more easily than you think.)
How to keep your heart and mind fresh over the long run

And far more! Plus you get an interactive workbook and some bonus resources that will help you write amazing messages week after week.

In the Art of Better Preaching, Mark and I share everything we’ve learned about communicating in a way that will help your church grow without compromising biblical integrity. We cover detailed training on everything from interacting with the biblical text to delivering a talk without using notes, to writing killer bottom lines that people will remember for years.

Check it out today and gain instant access.

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Next Episode: Kevin Queen

What do you do when a well-known, charismatic founder of a highly visible, successful church resigns and you’re the successor? That was Kevin Queen’s situation in 2017 when he took over the Lead Pastor role at Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN after Pete Wilson stepped back. Kevin had never been a Lead Pastor before and has a very different style and approach. 18 months later, the church has never been stronger or larger, and is moving into the future as alive as it’s ever been. Kevin shares that astonishing, unlikely story of how it all came together under God’s grace.

Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 252.

The post CNLP 251: Drew Powell and Matt Warren on Why Attractional Church is Past Peak, Why It’s Changing and What’s Next for Weekend Services appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

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Why We Lose Great Creative People

Patrick Bradley — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 09:00:33 +0000

By New Churches Team: If you’ve been in church for more than a few months, you will hear people say that they are being called to move on to a new place. The truth is, it hurts when people leave. Sometimes losing people is circumstantial. Sometimes losing people is a natural progression of growth.

There are some trends that become common reasons that creative people become disenfranchised. By focusing on these five trends, we can engage creative members of the church, challenge them, and set them up for success. Here are five reasons creative people leave.

1. We stop leading with vision.

Vison matters and it leaks. It creates momentum and excitement. When you lead with why you’re doing something, you transition from being a renter to an owner. When we rent something, we treat it one way, and if we own it, we treat it differently. By owning something, we make it our own, celebrate it, and put effort into it. Vision bleeds this passion.

2. We don’t allow people to unleash their passions.

It’s crucial to allow people to align their passions with the opportunities that you have. Give the creative people in your church an outlet to use the gift that God has given them. If they are aligning passions with opportunities, they will be excited to work. Not only do they want to do it, they will also be passionate about doing it.

3. We micromanage instead of trust.

People might mess up or do things differently, but growth requires sharing responsibility and authority. This creates leaders that will learn from you and help and coach other leaders. When we lose creative engagement, we lose creative volunteers. They want to challenge, innovate, and create.

To read the remainder of this article, and to watch the entire video training with Stephen Brewster, click here for the full video and post.

These videos are part of Plus Membership. To get full access to them, and much more, I encourage you to become a Plus Member. Click here to see all the benefits of becoming a Plus Member.

Source: Why We Lose Great Creative People

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The Relationship Between the Worship Pastor and the Lead Pastor

Patrick Bradley — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 09:00:30 +0000

By New Churches Team:

Doxology and Theology

It’s imperative that our worship leaders be theologically trained. This doesn’t mean your worship leader has to have worked through difficult theological texts, but you want to help shepherd that person toward theological formation and growth. For pastors who want to disciple their worship leader and see growth, encourage the worship leader to read one commentary on the book that you are preaching on Sunday. Then take time to discuss the text together. The next step in discipling is for your lives to be so crossed over that you are discipling them in a one-on-one relationship.

The Focus of Worship

Church planting around the world didn’t start with a half million dollar budget and a full rock band with a light show. There is a lot to learn from global church planting when it comes to what is needed for the people of God to gather together and worship Jesus. You need His Word open in the midst of His people. You need an environment to pray. You need to be singing. You need to observe the ordinances. You need the right preaching of God’s Word.

That doesn’t mean you need all the bells and whistles. Some Sundays it is good to intentionally have just a guitar. In doing so you are modeling and teaching the church that they don’t need a large band setup. They are great to have and we want to use them, but they are not imperative.

The Selection of Songs

That relationship between the worship pastor and the lead pastor is critical to operational health. The compartmentalization between preaching and music needs to be erased. The pastor needs to be involved in the singing and in helping approve songs, even if he is not choosing them. I think if both the worship pastor and the lead pastor understands what the other is doing, everyone grows and thrives.

Historically, there are several faithful examples of pastors who cared so deeply about the hymns that were sung: Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon. Spurgeon had a profound experience with hymns. He incorporated a pedagogical sense of teaching through the hymns in his sermons. He picked the songs for worship every week. He created his own hymnal that he edited personally. He also contributed to that body work by writing about 15 psalms and 14 hymns.

The Importance of Family Worship

You can’t lead your church in worship if you aren’t first leading your family. Everything begins in the home. There must be a sense of consistency in who you are in front of your congregation and who you are in front of your wife and children. This looks very different from home to home. Reading Scripture, expositing the word, praying together, praying for one another, and singing together are all things to be included in family worship.

To read the remainder of the article, and to watch the full video, click here.

This video is part of Plus Membership. To get full access to it, and much more, I encourage you to become a Plus Member. Click here to see all the benefits of becoming a Plus Member.

Source: The Relationship Between the Worship Pastor and the Lead Pastor

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Music Archives - Passion for Planting

You were Created to Get Creative

You were Created to Get Creative

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What Churches Can Learn from Kanye West: Podcast 275

Related Posts

CNLP 251: Drew Powell and Matt Warren on Why Attractional Church is Past Peak, Why It’s Changing and What’s Next for Weekend Services

Guest Links

Episode Links

3 Insights from Drew & Matt

Quotes from Episode 251

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 251

Reach More People…Every Weekend

Subscribed Yet?

Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review

Next Episode: Kevin Queen

Why We Lose Great Creative People

1. We stop leading with vision.

2. We don’t allow people to unleash their passions.

3. We micromanage instead of trust.

The Relationship Between the Worship Pastor and the Lead Pastor

Doxology and Theology

The Focus of Worship

The Selection of Songs

The Importance of Family Worship