Are You an Anxious Leader?
If you’ve ever been anxious, nervous, insecure, fearful, jittery, or apprehensive about leading your congregation on a Sunday, this episode is for you! Of course, it’s relevant to other situations in as well. Bob and David talk about the difference between good anxiety and bad anxiety, and explore means God has given us in his […]
Interview with Jonathan Lane (Integrity Music), Part 2: Questions for Creatives
For more than 20 years, Sovereign Grace Music songs have been administrated by Integrity Music. In that relationship we’ve had the joy of working with Jonathan Lane, the Vice President of Music Administration and Contracts for Integrity, who has been an invaluable resource for questions related to contracts, licensing, royalties, and CCLI. In this second […]
Interview with Jonathan Lane (Integrity Music), Part 1: Questions from Churches
For more than 20 years, Sovereign Grace Music songs have been administrated by Integrity Music. In that relationship we’ve had the joy of working with Jonathan Lane, the Vice President of Music Administration and Contracts for Integrity, who has been an invaluable resource for questions related to contracts, licensing, royalties, and CCLI. In this first […]
The Paradox of the Worship Selfie
For those in public ministry, especially musicians in the church, social media can be a convenient way to let others know what we’ve been doing. But when does the desire to communicate ways we’ve been serving become more about us than Jesus? In this episode, Bob and David explore that topic and suggest ways we […]
Musicians Are Part of the Congregation Too
It’s easy for leaders and band members to think of themselves as different, separated from, or even above the members of their congregation. In this episode of Sound Plus Doctrine, Bob and David suggest reasons we might think that way, why it’s unhelpful and unbiblical, and ways we can start seeing ourselves a members of […]
Gender, The Gospel, and Our Gatherings [Part 2]
In this second part of our interview with Josh Blount, we get into more details about what difference being made male and female makes as we think about our Sunday gatherings. Josh serves as a pastor of Living Faith Church in Franklin, WV, and wrote his doctoral dissertation on issues related to gender. Below are […]
Gender, The Gospel, and Our Gatherings [Part 1]
The world is more confused than ever about the distinctions between men and women and why they even exist. Do those differences matter? Are there problems if we neglect them? And what does gender have to do with our Sunday meetings? To help us answer those questions and learn why God’s design for men and […]
How Do Musicians and the Sound Team Work Together?
Church musicians and sound teams aren’t always on the same page. Sometimes they rarely talk to each other! In this Sound Plus Doctrine episode, Bob, David, and Devon dive into practical ways bands and tech teams can work together to serve their churches more effectively for the glory of Christ. Have a question about this […]
Q&A: Questionable Songs, Receiving Compliments, Asking for Mercy, and Rehearsals
In this episode, Bob, David, and Devon answer questions that have been sent in to the podcast. We revisit singing songs from questionable sources, how to respond when someone encourages you for your leading, the appropriateness of asking God for mercy, and how long rehearsals should be. Send us an email at soundplusdoctrine@sovereigngrace.com Follow us […]
How Covid Affected Our Church’s Worship
When we first became aware of it in 2020, COVID-19 had a significant impact on churches throughout the world. For some, it brought to the forefront questions about who decides when the church can gather. For others, it revealed a deficiency in our understanding of why the church meets. For everyone, it caused us to […]
How Do You Evaluate Your Sunday Gathering?
Every week church leaders plan their Sunday gathering. How do we measure whether or not those meetings have been effective? More importantly, how do we know if they’ve been pleasing to the Lord? Join Bob, David, and Devon as they talk about various standards we can use to determine if our meetings are being faithful […]
Finding God Faithful in Unexpected Trials
We often find it easy to trust God when things are going well and difficult to trust him when our world is falling apart. But Scripture assures us we can “trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock” (Isaiah 26:4, ESV). In this very personal episode David Zimmer and Bob […]
Idolatry on Sunday Mornings [Part 2]
We gather each Sunday as the church to hear from God and worship him as he has revealed himself to us in Jesus Christ. But we can subtly shift our worship to secondary matters like music, liturgy, or skill and end up engaging in idolatry. This is the part 2 of two episodes where David […]
Idolatry on Sunday Mornings [Part 1]
We gather each Sunday as the church to hear from God and worship him as he has revealed himself to us in Jesus Christ. But we can subtly shift our worship to secondary matters like music, liturgy, or skill and end up engaging in idolatry. This is the first of two episodes where David and […]
How Much Training Do I Need to Lead Congregational Worship?
One Sound + Doctrine listener wrote in to ask, “How much musical or theological training do I need to be effective in leading congregational worship?” While there are a number of factors to consider, Bob and David devote this episode to taking a stab at answering that question. References and resources Systematic Theology by […]
Live Recording: Planning the Sunday Service for Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville
What does planning a Sunday meeting actually look like? In this episode we take you behind the scenes with a zoom recording of planning a Sunday morning at Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville. David and Bob are joined by Fabrizio Rodulfo and Reuben Foster, members of the church. References: For The Cause by Keith Getty, […]
What is a Woman’s Role in Leading Worship in Song?
More than a few women have asked us how we should view a woman’s role in leading music on Sundays in light of Scriptures like 1 Corinthians 11:33-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-15. We invited Jeff Purswell, dean of the Sovereign Grace Pastors College, to join us for a conversation on how we can think about […]
Unchanging God
Sovereign Grace Music records songs that are meant to be sung in local churches, not just listened to. In this episode, Bob and David talk about how they have utilized the songs from Unchanging God, Vol. 1 in their Sunday meetings at Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville. References: Unchanging God: Songs From the Book of […]
How Should God’s Word Function In Our Sunday Gatherings?
People sometimes view the music and the preaching on Sunday morning as unrelated. But God intended Scripture to govern, guide, fill, and fuel our times together. What does that mean for how we structure and lead our gatherings? That’s the topic David and Bob discuss with Jeff Purswell, dean of the Sovereign Grace Pastor’s College, […]
How Can We Share Musical Opinions Humbly?
Band rehearsals for Sunday morning can sometimes reveal differing thoughts on how songs should be sung, played, and interpreted. How do we share those thoughts humbly, while continuing to pursue musical excellence? That’s the topic David and Bob dig into on this episode of Sound + Doctrine. References: Proverbs 12:15 Proverbs 21:2 Romans 12:16 Colossians […]
Backing Tracks – Blessing or Curse? Or Something in Between?
For about 15 years now, churches have had the option of using instrumental and vocal tracks to supplement or replace live musicians on Sunday mornings. In this episode, Bob and David ask what the benefits and drawbacks of adopting backing tracks might be and consider what the Bible has to say to help us. Have […]
