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

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

99 Worship Interview Questions

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Mark Cole

Are you going to be interviewed for a worship position? Any job interview can be unnerving. Here are 99 great questions to think through, to help you prepare for that important interview. What is your definition of worship? Describe what … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Entertainment, Family, God, Humour, Jesus, Leadership, Music, Wisdom, Worship | Tagged administrate, administration, bible college, chart, connect, creative, denomination, direction, doctrine, harmonize, harmony, humor, influences, instrument, lead, leadership, lifestyle, Mac or Pc, mentor, ministry, mission statement, people person, plan, Planning Center, Presence of God, reaching the lost, recruit, seminary, song, songwriters, spiritual gifts, strength, team builder, team player, tech team, testimony, theology, weaknesses | 2 Comments

99 Questions When Hiring a Worship Pastor

Posted on May 28, 2019 by Mark Cole

By Greg Atkinson I met a pastor this past week at a conference for church planters. He told me he was searching for a worship pastor. I told him I would help. What I have found over the years through consulting … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Family, God, Jesus, Leadership, Music, Wisdom, Worship | Tagged Book, character, church, executive pastor, family, job, laugh, leadership, preachers, senior pastor, sport, theology | Leave a comment

The Five Marks of a Spiritually Mature Leader

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Mark Cole

By Pastor Rick Warren At Saddleback, we’ve always tried to make it easy for people to serve. You don’t need to be a committed Christian to pass out donuts or bulletins at our church. We shouldn’t need to check on a … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, God, Jesus, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged academics, age, appearance, character, competence, grow, growth, leader, patient, peacemaker, prayer, pressure, responsible, sensitive, serve, standards, tongue | 1 Comment

7 Things Lead Pastors Wish They Could Say To Worship Leaders

Posted on April 23, 2019 by Mark Cole

By Rich Birch Today’s post is a guest post by Unseminary’s Rich Birch Lead pastors spend a lot time in the front row of the church participating in worship services. In fact, if you’re a church leader reading this you know the … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, God, Leadership, Music, Wisdom, Worship | Tagged church, engage, growth, impact, Jesus, leaders, ministry, priority, relationship, report, songs, soul, spiritual, stage | 4 Comments

Using Tracks as Practice and Rehearsal Tools

Posted on April 20, 2019 by Mark Cole

By Will Doggett Using tracks is incredibly beneficial. Previously we’ve discussed How to Start Using Tracks in Your Live Worship and some of the benefits. But tracks are also incredibly advantageous for practice and rehearsal. I would argue that using tracks for rehearsal … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Entertainment, Music, Worship | Tagged arrangement, bass, drummer, EQ, guitar, instrument, Multitracks, parts, performance, record, rehearsal, stems, team, tone | Leave a comment

7 Attributes of a Great Worship Leader

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Mark Cole

by Ron Edmondson I’ve been blessed to work with many great worship leaders. And I’ve worked with enough now to form some opinions of what makes a great one. Here are 7 attributes of a great worship leader: Humble – They … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, God, Jesus, Leadership, Music, Worship | Tagged change, character, cooperative, encouraging, faithful, humble, innovative, servant, strategic, talent | 1 Comment

The Amazing Story of ‘O Holy Night’

Posted on December 26, 2018 by Mark Cole

The strange and fascinating story of “O Holy Night” began in France, yet eventually made its way around the world. This seemingly simple song, inspired by a request from a clergyman, would not only become one of the most beloved … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Entertainment, God, Jesus, Music, Worship | Tagged Christmas, composer, hymn, love, poem, song | Leave a comment