Does Jesus Still Heal People?

Posted on November 25, 2023 by Mark Cole

In 2005 I was constantly travelling.. every other week I was on a plane to somewhere in the world to lead worship. This also involved playing piano for 4-6 hours a day. Finally, I developed carpal tunnel syndrome in my right wrist… playing the piano became painful.

One evening, the evangelist that I was working with, Charles Ndifon, had a word of knowledge (God spoke to him) that someone was getting healed of carpal tunnel syndrome. I was standing about 6 feet away playing the piano.. and in my heart I was saying.. ‘I sure wish that was me because my wrist really hurts right now’.

I played the rest of the evening in pain and didn’t think much more about it. But, in the morning I woke up and the pain wasn’t there… and it never came back. Even though I continued to play piano for 4-6 hours a day.. I’ve never had a trace of pain from my wrists again..

Jesus is my healer…

Question: Have you ever been healed? Can you share your story?

Check out my new book: “Leading Worship ~ Notes from a Grand Adventure’. It is now available in Kindle or Soft Cover Editions.  This is a great gift for the musician or worshipper in your life.

Posted in God Adventures, Healing, Jesus | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Journey To Finding Purpose

Posted on November 25, 2023 by Mark Cole

My first couple of years working in church ministry were great. The church that I was born in, Glad Tiding Church, had hired me to conduct and arrange music for their 100 voice choir and orchestra. It was a bit intimidating at first, I was only 27 years old when I started and many of the choir and orchestra members were significantly older that me. But leading in the old GT church was so much fun. I remember the power of the music as we belted out great songs of worship to the Lord…. ‘Bless the Lord, who reigns in wisdom and in power’… ‘Worship the Lord, let’s praise His holy Name!’

I was even blessed to be the choir director when the church moved into it’s new 2200 seat auditorium. The stage had all the bells and whistles. Their was a huge platform in the middle of the stage that went down to the floor below to pick up sets. Their were two huge revolving turntables on each side of the stage for rotating sets and two great curtains for the front and back of the stage. To this day, it is still the best stage that I have worked on in church ministry.

But unfortunately, there were some problems. The church could not afford all this grandeur. Because of some significant leadership problems the church did not make the transition to the new building in good shape… not to mention that they owed millions of dollars and the interest alone was killing them. So in the fall of 1984, a couple of us staff members were let go. The church did not have the funds to pay us.

At the time, we were enjoying our nine month old son, Josh, and my wife Anna was pregnant with our second child, Stephanie. So as a family with one child in arms and one on the way, we had some praying to do. I started to put my name out to other churches, went on unemployment (thank you Canadian government) and continued to conduct the choir. We were living in Anna’s parents basement suite and Anna was back working at the Royal Bank, so we were getting by.

A few weeks later, I was leading the GT choir on a Sunday evening and I spotted two men in grey business suits sitting in the middle of our congregation. Something told me that they had come from another church to check me out. To make a long story short, they had come from First Assembly in Calgary and in short time I was hired to conduct their annual Singing Christmas Tree and become their new Music Pastor.

That fall, I was flying back and forth from Vancouver to Calgary and working on two Christmas productions at the same time. I later turned over the Vancouver production to another leader and my little family and I moved to Calgary in time to conduct the many performances of the Singing Christmas Tree. Busy times!

But in the midst of all that change, God finally showed me what my true calling was. I could lead music groups and conduct and write music for choirs and orchestras, but that was not my main calling. When I arrived in Calgary, they just assumed I could lead worship (and I didn’t tell them I had never lead before) so I was soon scheduled to lead. At that same time I turned thirty years old and I began to lead people in worship for the first time in my life.

Those early years at First Assembly Church in Calgary were busy and exciting times. We went from 2 Sunday services to 5 services every Sunday. I still look back fondly at what God did.

That was many years ago and leading people to set their hearts and worship on God is still one of my greatest passions and joys. Leading people to God through worship has taken me around the world numerous times and allowed me to minister in front of hundreds of thousands of people on almost every continent. I agree with what King Hezekiah said, “The Lord has chosen you to stand in His presence, to minister to Him, and to lead the people in worship.”

God knew what He was calling me to do…

lead the people in worship

Question: What is God calling you to do? What is your true calling?

Check out my new book.. “Leading Worship ~ Notes from a Grand Adventure’ available in Kindle or Soft Cover Editions.  This is a great gift for the musician or worshipper in your life.

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10 Ways To Improve Your Worship Team (Sound, Media, Lighting) ~ Part 4 of 4

Posted on November 11, 2023 by Mark Cole

This blog is the fourth and last instalment of ’10 Ways To Improve Your Worship Team’. Here are the links to Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. I want to start this blog by talking about that important techie who helps you sound good.

worship-team

9a. Sound

Sound Man: This is the person who can make or break you. Excellent church sound people are worth their weight in gold! I have worked with a whole range of sound men. Here are the qualities of the top guys that I appreciate the most:

i. They are nice people: They show up on time, they have a servant’s heart, they smile, they encourage, they are patient and they don’t get uptight.

ii. They understand technical stuff: When something goes wrong, they become detectives and work through the problems until they find a solution. They keep up with the changing technology and they are constantly figuring out how to do the techie stuff better.

iii. They have good ears: They hear when something is not right. They understand musical balance and mixing. They understand how to get a comfortable mix for the congregation.

iv. They have thick skin: If you are a church sound person, you will be criticized. There are such a huge range of personal preferences in the congregation that it is impossible to please everyone. 

 b) Ways to help your sound man:

i. During rehearsals ask your band to direct all their sound requests through one person. In my case, that is always me, the leader.

ii. Decide on a decibel level that works best for your congregation, auditorium and staff. Get your lead pastor and staff to agree on a level and then back the sound man when they get complaints. My preference is to run it a strong level so the congregation is comfortable singing loudly. My main goal is to always get maximum participation from the congregation. Whatever level helps gets that result is, in my opinion, the best level to run for my congregation.

iii. During rehearsals, ask the sound man if there is anything the band can do to make the mix better.

iv. Teach the singers how to use the mics properly. Teach them to sing at a consistent level and how to back off the mic if they suddenly increase their volume.

v. Have the band and singers practice at the same volume and intensity during rehearsals as the service. 

vi. Get to know them as people, not just as sound men. Express your gratitude to them on a regular basis. Finds ways to reward them for all their hard work. 

vii. Pay for any training or seminars that will help them grow.

c) Room Acoustics: This is a huge subject and I will just address a few areas.

i. The drums: There are basically two ways to control the volume of drums. First, leave it to the drummers to play at the perfect volume or secondly, put them in a sound proof drum cage (a. expensive, b. medium, c. homemade) and mic them up. Personally, I prefer the second scenario. This gives complete control to the sound man. The drummer can play at the level that they prefer and the sound man can run their level that is best for that room. Win-win. Check out Carl Albrecht’s advice.

Screen Shot 2014-08-13 at 9.16.22 AM

ii. The bass: Bass waves are long sound waves. If the bass players amp is too close, they often can’t hear their volume properly. The best way to control the volume is either to put baffles around the amp and point the amp at the bass player. Or, have the player wear in-ear monitors or headsets.

iii. Natural room acoustics: My advice is to hire a professional and do whatever it takes to make the room work. It will often be a trial and error process. It is usually an art rather than a science to get a room to work acoustically.

d) Media Person: I love a media person who knows the songs backwards and forwards and worships while they are doing the media. The media person needs to rehearse as much as the band. They are an integral part of the overall worship experience. There are also ways to automate lyrics with programs such as mulitracks.com.

I have usually run two different media set-ups. One for the congregation and one rear mounted set-up for the vocalists. The vocalist don’t need all the fancy graphics, they just need clear black and white words that are delivered just before they need them. Many of the new media programs are designed to deliver that duel design.

Triple Wide Screen

I love the ability to run triple wide graphics and multiple screens. People are used to big screens in their homes and theatres. It great to have strong graphics and professional media set-ups. 

e) Ways to help your media person:

i. Buy a great computer with lots of RAM. Nothing is worse than a slow computer. My favourite is a top-of-the-line Mac that has lots of memory and RAM.

ii. Have all the media set-up midweek so they just have to come in and run it Sunday AM.

iii. Put the lyric slides in the order that you will sing them. You want to make the set-up foolproof. 

iv. Practise the songs, including any reprises, in rehearsal the way you will do them in the services. The less you surprise the media person, the better chance they have of doing a great job!

v. Love them, encourage them, challenge them and give them all the tools and training they need to do a great job. Here’s a great blog for your media people: 7 Great Tips for Church Media Operators

f) Lighting: Good lighting and lighting boards cost money. I believe every church should invest in the basics. There should be enough lighting so you can see the faces of the worship team and speaker. Beyond that, the sky is the limit. It’s always a matter of where is the best place to spend the available finances. Personally, I want to make sure the stage and lighting is the best that our church can afford. It’s all about creating a great first impression.

For some expert advice check out this blog: Lighting 101: Putting A Church Stage Lighting System Together

Youth Worship

On the other side of the issue, lighting does not bring the Presence of God. 
It just makes the place look better when God shows up.

10a. Teach on worship: One of the ways that we disciple our worship team is to teach them on worship. What does the Bible say? How are we to worship? What is Biblical worship? I written two blogs on this subject: Check out these links: Actions Speak So Loud (The actions of worship) and Attitude Is Everything (The attitudes of worship)

b) Bible Reading and Prayer: I would encourage you and your team to read your Bibles regularly. Here is the link to Bible Gateway’s Daily Reading Plan that I have emailed to me every day (the email subscription box is at the bottom of that page). I would also encourage you to read one Psalm and one Proverb per day. It’s a great way to round out your daily Bible reading. 

It is also important for your team to pray together regularly. My practice has been to pray at the end of the rehearsal and also together on Sunday mornings.

c) Worship Books: Lastly I want to pass along my recommendations for my three favourite books on worship. 

God Songs: Baloche & Owens

Paul Baloche and Jimmy & Carol Owens are experienced and wise songwriters and leaders. I love to learn from people who have been successful over a long period of time. I’ve also worked with Paul a number of times. He is the real deal. Together , Paul and the Owens will give you solid advice on writing and choosing songs for worship and even give you a good music theory lesson.

Extravagant Worship: Zschech

Darlene Zschech is another one of those very successful and experienced worship leaders. I love her wisdom and spirit. I was blessed to play with her once and I’ve also sat in her teaching classes and worship sets. There is a lot to be learned from this Godly woman.

Exploring Worship: Sorge

I’ve worked with Bob Sorge a number of times. I love his experience and wisdom. This book is a classic on worship. I highly recommend it.

Questions: What points in this series have spoken the most to you? Do you have any questions on this subject? What has worked for you?

Check out my new book: “Leading Worship ~ Notes from a Grand Adventure’. It is now available in Kindle or Soft Cover Editions.  This is a great gift for the musician or worshipper in your life.

Posted in Church, God, Leadership, Music, Wisdom, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

10 Ways To Improve Your Worship Team (The Band) ~ Part 3 of 4

Posted on November 11, 2023 by Mark Cole

This is Part 3 of 4. Here is a link to Part 1 and Part 2

8. The Worship Band Rhythm Section

worship-team

a) The Band: A worship band can come in many different shapes and sizes. Most contemporary church worship bands have a drummer, bass player, keyboard player, acoustic guitar player and lead guitar player (5 piece rhythm section).

You can also effectively operate with just three players (bass, drums and either keys or guitar). To expand to a 7-8 piece band you can add a second keyboard player (synth, B-3 organ, laptop with effects or background track), rhythm electric guitar and percussion. The general rule of thumb is, the more players you have, the less busy everyone plays.

I prefer a 7-8 piece band because it gives you the greatest possible variety. But, it also needs more musical direction to make sure everyone is not playing too much. It also depends on the musical forces that are available in your church setting. For a long time, many churches operated with just a piano player or organist. Now, most churches have rhythm sections of various sizes.

b) Tempo: One of the newer changes to the worship band setting is the use of in-ear-monitors and a click track. This works best with personal monitor mixers (often Aviom or Roland) for the whole band. The drummer will program the different tempos of the worship set into an advanced metronome or an app off an iPad, iPod or iPhone and feed the click through a channel to the rest of the band. Some bands also use backing tracks with click tracks that fill in extra orchestration such as string sections, brass sections, special effects and other synth sounds.

Click tracks have been a staple of recording studios forever. They are great for helping the band play rhythmically tighter. The challenge is to get the band so used to the ‘click’ that they feel comfortable playing with it and also worshipping at the same time. Frankly, I never want to substitute musical perfection for true heart-felt worship. I believe you can have both, but you have to work at it.

Another new way to add clicks and loops to your live band is through LoopCommunity.com or Multitracks.com. There is a whole world of loops and tracks that can be used on your iPod, iPad or computer (Ableton, Mainstage, Garageband). Check out their training videos!

Another simple solution for tempo is to have small flashing metronomes on stage for the players (usually the drummer, piano or acoustic guitar) who are starting a particular piece. This gets the music started at the right tempo, then the drummer, band and singers just need to maintain that tempo.

c) Musical Feel: Nothing changes the musical feel or groove of a song like the ‘kick & snare’ of the drums (i.e. bass drum and snare drum). You don’t have to be a drummer to lead a band but you should know the basic ‘kick & snare’ grooves. You should make notes of what beats the bass drum is on. Normally the kick is on some variation of ‘1’ and ‘3’, sometimes it is on every beat, sometimes it is 1 & 2+ and occasionally there is no kick at all for certain sections of a song.

The same applies to the snare. Sometimes it is on ‘2 & 4’, or a ‘half-time feel’ on 3, or the snare is every beat. And sometimes there is no snare at all for certain sections of the music.

Often a musical groove will change from the verse to the chorus to the bridge. It is usually very boring to have the same groove throughout a whole song. The leader and band should know when the groove changes.

You should grow familiar with terms like ‘4 on the floor’ (kick every beat with snare on 2 & 4), ‘shuffle’ (triplet 8th feel),’16th feel’, ‘Half-time feel’, ‘Double Time Country’ and ‘Rock’. There are a myriad of types of musical feels in general, but most contemporary Christian music uses more rock, pop, country and gospel feels.

There are new terms being invented all the time as music grows and changes. If you don’t know a term, ask your drummer or other experienced players. Also, sometimes bands and players have different names for the same groove.

d) Musical layering and dynamics: Another important area that leaders should note is where the different instruments and vocals come in and out. A general rule of thumb is that you want the song to build. Having all the instruments play all the time gets musically boring.

You want to build musical variety and dynamics into a song by changing up the vocals and band instrumentation. Sometimes it will be acoustic guitar or piano only, sometimes it will be bass and drums only. Often the electric guitar will lay out a softer verse and come in to add more power to the chorus. Normally the whole band is in by the first or second chorus. Sometimes there is an ‘a cappella’ section (vocals only) with drums. Noting all those details from the original recording or adding your own musical ideas will help bring variety into the arrangement.

Another new layer that you can add to your band is to run with tracks. I recently started using MultiTracks.com to add to my live set-up. I run it from my iPad with click in the left channel and track on the right. There are also different levels and versions of tracks that allow you to only add the tracks that you need with your live band. You can add a whole track if you are going solo or only add extra synth or percussion parts if you are playing with a whole band.

e) Stage layout: I was on the road for years playing in different auditoriums, churches and stages every night. It was amazing how creative you had to get with the band set-up every evening.

Here are some general rules of thumb. If possible, put the drums at the back of the stage in the centre. They are the heartbeat of the band, and the closer the band is to the drummer the easier it is to play as one unit. But, having said that, I’ve put drummers in baptismal tanks, sound cages, stage right, stage left and on the floor in front of the singers. With different stage set-ups, set decor, large video screens and choir lofts, you sometimes need to get very creative.

Another rule of thumb is to have good sight lines between the leader and drummer. If the drummer can’t clearly see the leader, there will usually be musical problems. It is also important to put the bass player next to the drummer. They need to communicate and provide the musical feel for the band. The closer they are together, the better the communication.

The most important visual feature is the worship leader and singers. So of course, they should be well-lit and at the front and centre of the stage.

f) Stage Presence: It is important for the band to have great stage presence. Ideally, they should memorize their music and sing and worship during the worship. For the music and worship to be all it should be, musicians who are also worshippers is huge. If the band is totally into the music and also worshipping God, it really creates a great setting to lead the congregation in worship.

A few players will naturally have good stage presence but frankly, most musicians can be shy on stage. As a leader, continually encourage your band to worship onstage. Seeing the whole band worshipping on stage is important to the overall worship experience. Genuine and heart-felt worship is powerful.

Question: What kind of instrumentation does your worship band use? Did I miss any important details on this quick overview of the worship band rhythm section?

In part 4 we will discuss Sound and Worship Teaching

Check out my new book: “Leading Worship ~ Notes from a Grand Adventure’. It is now available in Kindle or Soft Cover Editions.  This is a great gift for the musician or worshipper in your life.

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10 Ways To Improve Your Worship Team (Charts & Vocals) ~ Part 2 of 4

Posted on November 11, 2023 by Mark Cole

worship-team

6. Great charts

One of the keys to improving your worship band and your rehearsals is to give your group great charts. The majority of worship bands charts fall into one of two camps. The majority of bands use a lyric sheet with the chords on top. Personally, I prefer a full Rhythm/SAT vocal chart with all the written notes, solo cues, repeats with proper first and second endings, D.S. and Coda.

If you are doing a lyric-chord style chart, it is important to double-check the chords and make sure they are all correct. Chord charts downloaded from the internet often have mistakes. I would also put in the overall form of the songs (i.e. Intro, V1, C, V2, C, Bridge, C, C, ending) and chords for the intro, instrumental sections and the ending (outro).

The more information that you have on your chart, the less time you have to spend in the rehearsal explaining the music to the band.

I have been a professional chart writer and musical arranger for most of my life, so I am quite fussy about my charts. I normally spend four or six hours on each new SAT/Rhythm chart and make it as perfect as I can. I put in written musical cues for the leader, back-vocals, drums, bass, guitars and keys. Then after the first rehearsal with that chart, I will go home and revise anything that didn’t work in the rehearsal.

Here’s a sample of one of my charts.

Screen Shot 2014-08-09 at 6.43.00 PM

It is also important to note that some bands just ‘play by ear’. I grew up in this environment. The lead player usually just plays the songs, everyone listens and picks up the music on their own. I think that to be a well-rounded musician, you should be able to do all three: improvise off a chord chart, read written notes and ‘play by ear’.

7. Vocals

There are a number of different styles of vocals that are popular. The current trend is to have the main leader (usually a guy) with one back vocal (usually a girl) throwing in some occasional 2 part harmony. This style is a little more impromptu and usually gives either singer lots of room to do what they think sounds best for the song. This also works best when practice time is limited and the background singer is good at picking out their own part.

Another favourite style is to put the male leader on the melody with the top note around a D and then stack two other parts above that (TSA). The harmonies are usually reserved for the chorus and the bridge if it is appropriate. This style usually works well with one girl singing the tenor part and another singing the alto part above that. This puts all the singers in their strongest vocal ranges.

Another popular style is to have a large group of vocalists (from six singers to a full choir) and to have the traditional soprano on the melody with two parts below (SAT).

Of course, you can add a bass part (SATB) or change the vocals around so it’s the guys on melody with the ladies singing parts above (TSA: as per example 2) or sandwich the melody between two harmonies (ATB), where a guy sings the melody with an alto part above and a bass or baritone part below the melody. Or, if you don’t have any guys, you could just do 3 part ladies (SAA). Or you could all just sing the melody.

I won’t attempt to give a vocal arranging course at this point, but I will say that the vocals are the most important part of any worship band. It has been my observation that many groups do not spend enough time working on their vocals.

When I work with vocal sections, I make sure that everyone is singing the proper rhythms for the song, is breathing at the best places, memorizes the music, learns to enunciate properly, knows what the harmonies are for the different sections of the song and learns to blend properly. Another important element is vibrato, or the lack of vibrato. The modern worship vocal sound is normally without vibrato (or with very little).

The other areas of consideration are mic technique, great stage presence and worship. I never want the singers, or any of the band for that matter, just singing songs. I want them to get past the music to singing to the Creator. I want them to be worshippers and worship leaders, not just singers.

I also look for singers who worship God whether they are on the stage or off the stage. If people only ‘worship’ on the stage, then something is not quite right. That usually indicates that they are performing more than they are worshipping.

Question: What style are you using in your worship band? What is working for you?

In Part 3 I will talk about the Worship Band Rhythm Section: instrumentation, tempo, musical feel, layering, dynamics, stage layout and stage presence.

Here’s the link to Part 1.

Check out my new book.. “Leading Worship ~ Notes from a Grand Adventure’ available in Kindle or Soft Cover Editions.  This is a great gift for the musician or worshipper in your life.

This blog is part of my vision to train over 100,000 worship leaders around the world. If you would like to support this vision you can help by giving any amount via this PayPal account.

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10 Ways To Improve Your Worship Team (Leadership, Songs, Rehearsals) ~ Part 1 of 4

Posted on November 11, 2023 by Mark Cole

I believe great teams always start with great leaders. Leadership is crucial. What are you doing as a leader to improve? 

Here are some areas to look at when you are working on improving your leadership and your team. Generally speaking, teams never rise above their leader.

worship-team

1. Model Worship: If you are a passionate and biblical worshipper, it will rub off on your team.

a) How is your passion for God? God is the source of all good things. He is the source of creativity, the source of wisdom, the source of joy. How much time are you spending with the source? How much time are you spending with your Creator?

Are your reading your Bible daily? Are you encouraging and challenging your team to read their Bibles daily? Here’s a link to a daily Bible reading program that you can have emailed to you daily. It is in the New Living Testament version and it will take you through the whole Bible chronologically in a year. I highly recommend it. It will change your life! And it will only take about fifteen minute per day.

I would also encourage you to read one Psalm and one Proverb per day. The Psalms are must-reads for musicians and the Proverbs will teach you how to deal with people.

Are you praying on a regular basis? No matter how busy Jesus was, He got away from the crowds and spent time with God. We all need time with God. You do not need to do a lot of talking. Just find some quiet place and spend time with Him. Make a list of things you are praying about, and check them off as God answers your prayers.

b) How is your understanding of Biblical worship? Check out my blogs on understanding Biblical worship: “Actions Speak So Loud” and “Attitude Is Everything”  In these blogs I review some of the basic actions and attitudes of Biblical worship.

c) How Is your stage presence? Do you ever video yourself and your team? It is always good to work with your team and remind them to be passionate worshippers. Getting a team to smile is huge. There is great power in smiling. It can change the mood of an entire congregation.

2. Model Excellence: If you model excellence, it will slowly rub off on your team.

a) Personal practice: Are you putting in the consistent daily time to be the best singer and player that you can be? Are you encouraging your team to put in regular practice time? Are you and your team better this year then you were last year, or have you plateaued?

b) Memorization: Are you taking the time to memorize the music every week? Are you encouraging your team to memorize their music? Memorization helps to get the song into your spirit. And memorization really helps you and your team communicate with your congregation at a higher level. There’s nothing worse than having a leader and team who is just reading music on a Sunday morning.

c) Always learning: Have you improved your organizational skills this year? Are you reading and growing? What other skills have you improved on this last year?

d) Learning to change and grow: Music is constantly changing. Musical forms are changing, chord progressions are changing, chord voicing are changing. Rhythms and grooves are changing. Are you listening to the new music and learning to change with it? Are you staying fresh and growing?

e) Private lessons: Have you thought about taking private lessons? Are you challenging your team to take lessons? What can you do to improve your singing and playing? Check out my blog: ’10 Keys To Improving Your Singing’

f) Personal grooming: Is your personal grooming habits changing with the times? How is your haircut? Is the style of your clothing relevant to the people you are ministering to? I’m not talking about being trendy, just current. Is your look dated? Are you presenting the image to your congregation that helps them to engage in worship?

g) Written standards: Do you have written guidelines for your team? When you have your expectations written down, it solves a lot of misunderstanding. Here is the link to my blog on this subject: Guidelines For A Strong Worship Team

3. Great Songs

Sometimes a team does not do well because the songs are not as strong as they could be. Great songs make worship leading easy. Compare your list with CCLI’s Songselect Top 200. It will help you to see if you are on track. Also, check out my blog on “12 Keys To Picking Great Songs For Worship“

4. Listening

a) Personal listening: What music are you listening to? Are you stuck with one group or church? Or do you listen to a good variety of music from different parts of the world? Again, the CCLI Songselect Top 200 is a good place to start. Personally, that list helps me know what the main musical flow is across the Body of Christ around the world. It is easier than ever to go to iTunes and pick the top songs from the new albums that are coming out. You should have a music listening budget and buy new music all the time.

b) Team listening: Are you encouraging your team to listen to new music? Are you putting the current music online that you are working on? Are you giving them links to the YouTube recordings and videos of the songs that you are using? I put the Mp3’s online and also send the YouTube links to the songs we are using that week. PlanningCenterOnline.com and Multitracks.com are great resources to help your team listen to the songs in the keys that you are using.

c) Learning to listen: Are you and the team really listening to what is happening in the songs? Are you listening to the new rhythm patterns that the drums, bass and guitars are doing? Are you really listening to the new sounds that the electric guitar and keys are using? Are you listening to the vocal inflections. harmonies and riffs? Is that reflected in what your team is playing and singing?

5. Great rehearsals:

a) On time: Are you on time? Do you get there early and have everything ready to go? I expect and encourage my team to be on time. It’s sets the tone for the whole rehearsal when everyone shows up and is ready to go on time.

b) Professional attitude: I work in both professional and volunteer settings. In professional settings, players and singers are expected to learn the material on their own time. They come early and are set-up and ready to go. They come to the rehearsal with the attitude of doing whatever it takes to please the producer. I expect the same work ethic and attitude from my volunteers.

For more on rehearsals, check out my blog: “10 Tips On Improving Your Worship Band Rehearsal“

In my next blog I will discuss: Part 2: Charts and Vocals

Check out my new book.. “Leading Worship ~ Notes from a Grand Adventure’ available in Kindle or Soft Cover Editions.  This is a great gift for the musician or worshipper in your life.

This blog is part of my vision to train over 100,000 worship leaders around the world. If you would like to support this vision you can help by giving any amount through this PayPal account.

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Seven Blessings of Faith

Posted on November 8, 2023 by Mark Cole

Hebrews 11:6  states that, “it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.” This verse underscores the pivotal role of faith in our relationship with the LORD. Let’s look at seven blessings that radiate from a life grounded in faith.

1. Divine Pleasure:

The very essence of faith lies in pleasing God. When we exhibit faith, we show our trust in His existence and His promises. Through faith, we align our lives with His divine will, and in doing so, we bring pleasure to the heart of God.

2. Connection with the LORD:

Faith acts as a bridge that connects us with the LORD. It is through faith that we cultivate a profound, personal connection with God. Our belief in His existence makes Him a living presence in our lives.

3. Unwavering Assurance:

One of faith’s blessings is the assurance it provides. When we genuinely believe in God’s existence, we can rest in the fact that He is with us, guiding, comforting, and supporting us in our journey. This assurance brings a sense of peace and unwavering stability to our lives.

4. Divine Rewards:

Hebrews 11:6 underscores that God rewards those who genuinely seek Him. Faith propels us to seek God with all our hearts, and in return, we are met with His blessings and rewards, often exceeding our expectations. These rewards encompass the spiritual, emotional, and material aspects of our lives.

5. Strength Amidst Trials:

Faith serves as an unshakable source of strength during life’s trials and challenges. Our belief in God’s existence and His promises empowers us to endure difficult times with patience and hope, knowing that He is present, working all things for our ultimate good.

6. Guided Path:

Through faith, our path is illuminated, offering guidance and direction. Trust in God leads us to navigate life’s complexities and uncertainties, secure in the knowledge that He is leading us in the right way.

7. Transformation of Life:

Ultimately, faith transforms our lives. It empowers us to live in accordance with God’s principles, nurturing qualities such as love, compassion, and selflessness. A life grounded in faith reflects the love and character of God.

Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that faith is not just a religious doctrine; it is a transformative force that can shape every facet of our existence. The blessings of faith extend beyond our spiritual journey, influencing and enhancing all aspects of our lives. As we continue to grow in faith and live with the conviction of God’s existence and His rewarding nature, we uncover a deeper purpose and meaning in life. May our faith lead us to the many blessings that enrich our journey of wholeheartedly following God.

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Faith Is Having The Courage To Let God Have Control

Posted on November 6, 2023 by Mark Cole

‘Faith is having the courage to let God have control.’ As I read these words, my mind goes back to the many times that God has asked me to trust Him to have control in my life. 

 Faith is

I don’t know how God has worked in your life. But for me, God has always asked me to have total trust in Him. To follow Him along unknown pathways. To totally surrender my own plans in favour of His plans.

To totally trust God, you have to come to the realization that He really loves you and has great intentions for your life. God alone knows what will make your heart sing. God alone knows what will bring true joy to your heart. God knows me better than I know myself.

Only God knows the future. When I first started this journey, I had no idea that He wanted me to travel around the world using music to preach about the joy of receiving forgiveness through Jesus. I had no idea that God wanted me to be involved with miracles and seeing nations touched by Him. I had no idea that I would pastor in churches and lead people to God through worship. I had no idea that I could orchestrate and arrange music and see thousands of churches use my charts to minister to their own congregations. I had no idea that I would write songs that would touch people in many countries. I had no idea that my blog would encourage over a million and a half worshippers and worship leaders from around the world

I had no idea, but God did. I have realized that following God takes faith. Not faith in my own abilities, but faith that God is who He said He is. Faith that God can do what He said He could do. Faith that God is able to a much better job with my life that I can. Faith that God is able to do much more that I could ask or think.

At this point in my life, fifty years into the adventure of wholeheartedly following Him, I am excited to see what God has next. God is faithful. I know, because I have seen it with my own eyes and I have experienced it in my own life. God really is able to do much more than I could ask or think!

I love this quote  ~ “God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him.” (Jim Elliot)

Question: What area is God asking you to surrender? Do you trust God to have control in your life?

Check out my new book: “Leading Worship ~ Notes from a Grand Adventure’. It is now available in Kindle or Soft Cover Editions.  This is a great gift for the musician or worshipper in your life.

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If You Had An Infinite Budget For Your Worship Team, What Would You Spend It On?

Posted on November 5, 2023 by Mark Cole

I recently saw this question posed on Musicademy’s Facebook page. It’s a fascinating and, I think, a good exercise in vision-casting and dreaming. Nobody has an infinite budget, but over a number of years, a good size church should spend a significant part of their budget (my suggestion is 10%) to support and grow their music department.

Whishlist

Here are some of my favorite responses so far from both of our Facebook pages: (I’ve put my wish list at the bottom)

John Hirst ~ Budget for the worship team – sorry I don’t understand the concept 🙂

Steve Emery ~ Aviom or similar, iPads all round with full ‘Planning Center Online’ subscription.
Instruments all setup for team ready to go, paid for by budget rather than team members
Guitar – mid/top end Taylor
Elec – Gibson and Fender Strat
Keys – Nord stage 2 and Korg workstation
Drums – Gretsch with range of cymbals

Colin Eccles ~ Doughnuts and coffee to bless everyone for turning up for practice night! Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm – doughnuts! 🙂

James Livingstone ~ Employ every member of the team who want to dedicate their days to improving the team, writing songs, increasing their skills etc… iPads all around with “OnSong” installed so that everyone can be linked during sets, with an endless list of chord sheets at the point of a finger…
Holidays and events for the team to gel together…
Various different style worship albums for individuals to be encouraged/uplifted plus to create a diversity of the music and song selection of the team

Paul Arnold ~ Well…first I would buy a permanent place to worship in rather than renting from the council. Allowing dedicated space for the musicians so that we won’t need to hire roadies to set up and pack down each week.
Then – decent spec PA system, digital desk (just one flick of an iPad type) with loads of channels and Mics so that we can play in tonnes of different formats (choir, band, big band, etc). Training for everyone on their particular gifts and on worship leading. Team building sessions. Then whatever spec instrument/rig people feel they need to do the job well. Buy enough time for all to have a day in the week for practise. Invest in a decent monitor system and iPads with “OnSong” or similar for all.
Mentoring and training for all the young people in the church who want to develop their gifts in that direction.

Dave Billington ~ Pizza. Engineering courses for sound techs. Humility courses for the lead guitar players. Amps that only go up to 9, not 11. Earplugs. Sniper tranquilizer-dart training for the stage monitor techs whenever they are alerted to a tambourine in the congregation.

Chuck Summer ~ This! 🙂

Drum set

Mark Cole ~ Here is my response ~ I’ve got to say that I’ve been blessed and I’ve had many of these at one time or another.

  • Free music lessons (for those who need or want them) from the top Christian players in town.
  • Weekly honorariums for the band and singers.
  • Top quality stage lighting.
  • iPads with forScore and Onsong apps with iPad stands.
  • Once a year seminars with top worship guests.
  • Paid sound-men.
  • Top quality in-ear wireless monitors system.
  • A good quality Taylor acoustic guitar.
  • Top keyboards for the piano and synth players (Roland, Yamaha or Nord).
  • New Mac laptop for synth players
  • Great multi-screen system for lyrics (front and back).
  • Top quality drum booth and kit with a regular paid maintenance guy.
  • Wireless mics for the singers.
  • Hire a great Christian producer and record a worship CD every other year.
  • Do an all-expenses-paid overseas music missions trip every two years.

Question: What does your wish list look like?

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Seven Blessings of Humility

Posted on October 29, 2023 by Mark Cole

In a world often driven by self-promotion and pride, the act of walking humbly with God stands as a profound and transformative choice. If you’re someone who desires to follow God with your whole heart, embracing humility can lead to a life enriched by numerous blessings. Let us explore seven significant blessings that come from walking humbly with God.

Blessing 1: Divine Guidance

Proverbs 3:5-6 advises us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.” When we walk humbly with God, we acknowledge our need for His guidance, surrendering our plans to seek His wisdom in every aspect of our lives.

Blessing 2: Inner Peace

Philippians 4:6-7 Paul tells us: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Humility allows us to surrender our worries and anxieties to God, finding a profound sense of peace in trusting His sovereign plan for our lives.

Blessing 3: Fulfilling Relationships

Philippians 2:3-4 reminds us, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” By prioritizing the needs and concerns of others, humility fosters unity, love, and fulfilling relationships.

Blessing 4: Spiritual Growth

James 4:10 encourages us to “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.” As we walk humbly with God, we continually grow in our faith and understanding, submitting to His divine will and trusting in His plan for our lives.

Blessing 5: Divine Blessings

Proverbs 22:4 reveals that “The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.” Embracing humility leads to a life filled with divine favor and blessings from the Almighty, demonstrating His grace.

Blessing 6: A Closer Relationship with God

Micah 6:8 captures the essence of walking humbly with God: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Humility deepens our connection with the LORD, allowing us to draw nearer to Him.

Blessing 7: Inner Transformation

Through humility, we model our lives after Christ’s example. Jesus, the epitome of humility, humbled Himself for the salvation of humanity. As we walk in His footsteps, we experience a transformative inner change that reflects His character.

Walking humbly with God is not about thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less. It’s a daily choice to seek His will, trust His guidance, and act justly while showing mercy to others. By embarking on this journey, we find blessings of inner peace, divine guidance, fulfilling relationships, spiritual growth, divine favor, a closer relationship with God, and inner transformation. These blessings lead to a life filled with purpose, love, and grace, as we embrace the path of humility in our walk with the LORD.

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