How do you know when you’re going from being detail-oriented, exacting, meticulous, and nuanced to... nitpicking? Where’s the line?

Every Fader must answer this critical question.

A worship leader sent me this question: “Our team has been growing in building musical dynamics that really create openings for people to enter in.”

Stop right there! I’ve never heard it said quite like that: “Musical dynamics create openings for people to enter in.”

One of the most biblically mandated yet commonly neglected roles in worship ministry is discipling those on our teams. Why? We over-focus on the weekly grind and under-focus on the long-term spiritual formation of our team.

Experience is NOT the best teacher. Experience can be cruel. It can flatter you. It can lie to you. But evaluated experience is a fantastic teacher. Debriefing after leading is a must.

As we continue the series on how each Fader approaches the main tasks of worship ministry leading, today, we explore that moment of leading worship.

Every professional athlete has a pregame ritual.

Here are five unique and famous pregame rituals that athletes are known for:

Three short stories. (they include your goals for 2025)

Do you struggle to learn new songs? Before you say you don’t, let me clarify what I mean.

When we start something, we’re never amazing at it. This Fertilizer is dedicated to worship leaders, teams, and techs in their first five years of serving.

Next week, I fly to Columbus, Ohio, to encourage a worship and creative team. I’ll be rehearsing them and leading the Sunday services as part of the training weekend. In preparation, I’m sending them notes on one of the songs we’ll lead.

Imagine this: the students who bravely stepped into high school amidst the whirlwind of the pandemic are now on the verge of graduating. Wow!

I was speaking with a church that has been without a staff worship leader for nearly a year.

The Five Faders is the single concept that will likely create the most dramatic, positive change in your leadership and your team’s health.

Do you love rehearsals as much as I do? I admit sometimes they are more fun than the actual service.

I’m working with a worship team that has been trained well.

My dear friend, George Yellak, allowed me to eavesdrop on a conversation with one of his team members.

On a Sunday afternoon, my wife and I were hanging out on the comfy couches in our living room with two of our sons, thirteen and sixteen.

I found out about a recent conference called “ALTARS.”

I was twenty-six. Having recently moved cross-country, leaving the long summers of South Texas for the short ones of Pennsylvania, I was learning many new customs in this new culture.

I read a job description for a Director of Music and was struck by the first “Core Competency” required.