Author Archives: Mark Cole

About Mark Cole

Jesus follower, Husband, Father, Worship Leader, Writer, Pastor, Church Consultant, Founding Arranger for Praisecharts.com, squash & tennis player, blogger & outdoor enthusiast.. (biking, hiking, skiing). Twitter: @MarkMCole Facebook: mmcole

10 Best Practices For Worship Sound Techs

Posted on March 2, 2020 by Mark Cole

By Dan Wilt Perhaps no technical leader faces more challenges on any given Sunday morning than the Sound Tech. With demands from every side, opinions aplenty, an ear to the Pastor (the real head Sound Tech), an ear to the worship … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Leadership, Music, Worship | Tagged faders, mix, sound | Leave a comment

The Pros and Cons of Using Backing Tracks In Worship

Posted on February 24, 2020 by Mark Cole

Adapted from worshipbackingband.com and musicacademy.com Technology in worship is here whether you like it or not and if embraced it can serve as the paint brush to create new sounds. In the last century technology has driven and redefined the … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Music, Worship | Tagged backing tracks, click, click track, DAW, in-ear, iPad, iPhone, loops, multitrack, practise, subscription, Worship tracks | Leave a comment

Using Multitracks With Your Worship Team

Posted on February 3, 2020 by Mark Cole

Benefits of Multitracks, Five Things You Need to Run Multitracks, Introducing Your Team To Tracks, My Personal System. Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Leadership, Music, Worship | Tagged audio, charts, clicks, content, DAW, instruments, monitoring, monitors, playback, rehearsals, SAT, time, tracks, Worship | Leave a comment

How to Stay in Love in Your Marriage for a Lifetime

Posted on November 19, 2019 by Mark Cole

Dr. Julie Barrier I have two sets of parents. Both couples were wed during the Jurassic period (not really). Both were married almost 60 years. I watched each twosome grow old together. One pair barely tolerated each other at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, God, Jesus, Wisdom | Tagged accept, burden, family, gentle, gracious, grandparents, husband, love, marriage, patience, patient, prayer, retirement, spouse, wife | Leave a comment

Celebrate Recovery’s Eight Recovery Principles

Posted on October 23, 2019 by Mark Cole

Once a month I get the privilege of leading worship at ‘Celebrate Recovery’. CR is part of a movement that is bringing the healing power of Jesus Christ to the hurting and broken through working Celebrate Recovery’s Step Studies, The Journey Begins, … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, God, Healing, Jesus, Wisdom, Worship | Tagged 12 step, Beatitudes, Bible reading, confess, forgive, Good News, happy, Jesus, prayer, recovery, submit | Leave a comment

Quick To Listen

Posted on October 17, 2019 by Mark Cole

The Kids Department in our church just asked me to write a melody for their memory verse this month. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Family, God, Music, Wisdom | Tagged Bible, James 1:19-20, Kids Department, memory verse, recording, slow to anger | Leave a comment

Platform Presence For Worship Teams

Posted on October 12, 2019 by Mark Cole

My goal with our worship teams is to have everyone on the platform not only personally worshipping God but also leading the church in worship. For some this comes naturally, for others it has to be learned. Gateway Worship has … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, God, Music, Worship | Leave a comment

The Ten Commandments of Worship Slides

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Mark Cole

By Carl Barnhill – I travel at least once or twice a month to another church, and I can usually tell right away where a church is in their design quality with a quick glance at their worship slides. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Leadership, Music, Wisdom, Worship | Tagged font, graphics, last minute, lyrics, presentation, slides | 2 Comments

A Little-Known Hack to Learn a New Skill in a Fraction of the Time

Posted on July 16, 2019 by Mark Cole

By David Finkel – It’s called ‘deliberate practice’ and it’s a proven way for you (or your staff or student) to master a new skill in a fraction of the time. There are five core elements that make it work. … Continue reading →

Posted in Exercise, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged action, feedback, goal, grow, intensity, learning blocks, logical, practice, purpose, repetition, skill, strategy | Leave a comment

10 Things Every Worship Leader Should Do Before the Service

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Mark Cole

By Wes Pickering – There’ a simple pre-flight checklist that I try my best to go through every time I lead worship. None of these things are all that complicated, but it helps each service go smoothly and minimizes distractions. … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, God, Jesus, Leadership, Music, Wisdom, Worship | Tagged appreciate, Checklist, chords, congregation, drink water, focus, instrument, Jesus, lyrics, maximize, memorize, pastor, pray, tune, tuner, voice, warm-up | 1 Comment