Arranging to Serve
Leaders and musicians spend multiple hours, even days preparing for a Sunday morning or an event that is meant to lead people in worshiping God in song. But when the time comes, it often ends up being more a crowd watching a performance than a congregation participating in worship. How do we prepare for a […]
Acoustic Guitar: Tips for Your Best Playing
While the best way to improve your skills are through hours of deliberate practice, sometimes the most effective changes you can make in your playing are simple ones. In this breakout, you’ll learn a variety of practices, patterns, and tools that will help you take your playing to the next level.
Advanced Piano Techniques (Part 2)
This class will be geared towards pianists who play by ear and are looking for ways to develop their skill. Topics to be covered include transitions, voicings, accompanying, and different styles.
Advanced Piano Techniques (Part 1)
This class will be geared towards pianists who play by ear and are looking for ways to develop their skill. Topics to be covered include transitions, voicings, accompanying, and different styles.
Advanced Bass Guitar: Craft and Creativity
A competent bassist understands how harmony, melody and rhythm can enrich even the simplest of arrangements. To that end, this seminar will cover techniques such as open and closed chord voicings, counterpoint, scales, modes, and inversions. Of course, the challenge every musician faces is how to take technical skill and apply it in a way […]
Worshiping God When Your World Is Shaking
How do we worship God when our lives are falling apart? What does it mean that God is sovereign? What’s the difference between trusting that God is in control and being fatalistic? Craig Cabaniss will address these questions and more as he seeks to help you cultivate a greater appreciation for the great and awesome […]
Worshiping a Big God in a Small Church
It can be discouraging to come to a worship conference where everyone seems to assume your church has a large staff, several music teams, and an unlimited budget. For most of us, that situation is far from reality. After serving on staff in large churches, Pat Sczebel has spent the last ten years helping to […]
Will the Real Worship Leader Please Stand Up?
What’s the Point? Planning Your Meetings on Purpose
Songs, sermons, announcements, prayers, greetings, communion—how do they all fit together? And why? In this seminar, Bob Kauflin will talk about biblical principles that should guide our thinking and planning for our Sunday gatherings. This seminar is especially helpful for pastors and worship leaders to attend together.
What Are You Talking About? What to Say When You’re Not Singing
Some worship leaders talk too much, some too little. Drawing from thirty years of experience, Bob will discuss how to determine when to say something that will serve those you’re leading, as well as what, how, and why to say it.
Thinking Surgically While Leading Liturgically
Trying to lead worship in a liturgical church can feel like trying to paint in a straightjacket. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In this seminar we’ll explore ways worship leaders can work within the confines of a more formal liturgy, using music as a tool to help their congregations experience vibrant, Christ-centered […]
The Task of a Worship Leader
Because the New Testament doesn’t mention the role of the worship leader, we tend to turn to various sources for ideas on leading worship—friends, worship artists, books, and our own experiences. But unless we know we’re doing what God has called us to do, we can lose our focus, get distracted, and become discouraged. This […]
The Leader’s Relationships
Leaders can be tempted to think that their job would be easier and more fruitful if they didn’t have to deal with people, but relationships are one of the primary ways we display the effects of the gospel in our lives and bring glory to God. If you lead congregational worship you’re surrounded by people […]
The Faith-Filled Leader
Every leader will eventually face challenges that call for extraordinary faith. Whether we’re fighting the world, our flesh, or the devil, we’ll be tempted to give in to doubt, anxiety, discouragement, and even despair. But God equips those whom he calls. Whether you’re a pastor, leader, parent, or discipling Christian, this seminar will help you […]
The Challenges of Bi-Vocational Ministry
In an age of doing more with less, many churches don’t have the resources to devote a full-time staff position to each ministry of the church. More and more ministry leaders are juggling the demands of ministry with a secular job. This session will discuss the challenges this presents from a Biblical perspective, led by […]
The Benefits and Limits of Creativity
We owe a great debt to Christians through the years who have pushed the boundaries of what kind of creativity is beneficial when it comes to music in the church. But sometimes creativity can exceed biblical bounds, turning something helpful into something harmful. In this seminar, Bob will describe ways to think about creativity that will […]
Running an Effective and Peaceful Sunday Morning Rehearsal
Too many worship teams start the meeting feeling anxious, harried, and unprepared. Those feelings can be amplified if you meet in a rented facility and have to set up from scratch every Sunday morning. Dave and Ken, both from Covenant Life Church, will share principles for maximizing the time you spend rehearsing on Sunday morning. […]
Putting Songs Together
Why do you choose the songs you do? What factors go into deciding whether one song is better to use than another? What’s the difference between lyrical flow and musical flow? How can we use songs to effectively care for people’s souls as they sing them? These questions and more will be addressed in this […]
Leading Children to Worship Christ
How is leading a children’s worship gathering different from leading an adult gathering? Should children be led to memorize, recite, or sing Bible passages that give personal assurance? Should children be expected to participate in worship if they are not yet converted? Jared Kennedy, who serves at Sojourn Community Church, will share thoughts on how […]
Remaining Steadfast in Changing Seasons (Women’s breakout)
A woman’s world is constantly changing. How do we maintain steadfast trust in God through so many different seasons of relationships and responsibilities? In this seminar, Julie Kauflin will share from her own experiences how God has helped her remain secure in Him as a vocalist, sound engineer, wife of a worship leader, mother, and […]
Is She Better than Me? (Women’s breakout)
One of the greatest temptations we can face as women is comparing ourselves to others. No matter how gifted, beautiful, or fruitful we may be we can struggle to think that “the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.” Come and learn how the gospel speaks to our insecurities and fears and enables […]