Worship Foundry: Leaving a Lasting Legacy

Brian Easterday is wearing a t-shirt from the first ever semester of Worship Foundry. Over ten years later, the book of the same name is out, and I'm looking forward to starting another worship academy for students someday soon. This, my friends, is what I'm passionate about, along with serving the church and helping believers connect with God through worship.

Please check out the video promo below and get yourself a copy of the Worship Foundry book, on sale now.

Click here to purchase the book: Worship Foundry

ALSO: Check out my new CD!

Press here to purchase the complete CD today: $12 (standard USPS shipping included)

Worship and Persistent Prayer

Brenda and I have the honor of co-teaching at a marriage retreat this weekend. In one of the the sessions, Brenda will bring an important message about prayer as it relates to worship, faith and obedience. I want to share her message in advance as I feel its content is vital to our success as Christ-followers. As you will see, Brenda is an incredible thinker, writer—and to top it off—she's incredibly beautiful!

I. WORSHIP A GREAT GOD

In order to worship God, we need to understand how big a God He is (Deuteronomy 10:17).  “God is infinitely bigger than your biggest problem or your biggest dream. His grace is infinitely bigger than your biggest sin.”  There is no limit to God’s power. Let that sink in.  There’s nothing he can’t do.  He has good things in store for us and wants us to ask Him for them.  BUT He also wants us to worship Him, recognizing what a good and faithful father He is.   

We all seek to give good gifts to our children, and keep them from harm.  God feels the same way about us.  He has the advantage of anticipating what’s ahead (Jeremiah 29:11)—and its good! because He already knows all about it.  The enemy’s job is to make us doubt that God would WANT to do those things for us.  The enemy seeks to deflate our enthusiasm.  The enemy seeks to diminish our sense of anticipation for the future.  God wants to lift us up, encourage us and take us to new heights.  He has so much good in store for us; it is literally beyond our imagination (Ephesians 3:20). 

Never say “Will He?” (this deflates our prayers)

II. GOD RESPONDS TO OUR WORSHIP

Part of our worship is prayer.  When you consider worship, it really is a type of prayer.  God always responds to our prayers.  ALWAYS.  He will never forget us, forsake us, or leave us hanging.  He’s in the room when we’re praying.  He’s particularly interested when we are praying and worshiping with others (Acts 1:14).  Spouses especially!! 

The enemy will do everything in his power, and with the entities at his fingertips, to thwart our prayers and worship (1 Peter 5:8).  He will distract, sidetrack, push back, fiddle with, trip you up; name it – he will do whatever it takes to stop you from praying and worshiping.  Make it your mission daily, and even multiple times a day to pray and worship. 

Be specific – write it down and circle it

III. PERSISTENCE IS KEY 

Praying and worshiping God with persistence are essential.  Faithfulness to your spouse, to your church, to your commitments adds power that is unseen.  The widow wore out the judge with her persistence (Luke 18:1-5). Jericho was brought down with persistence (Joshua 6:1-20).  Moses got Pharaoh to release the Israelites with persistence (Exodus 11:1). Illness is cured with persistent treatment and meds.  Weight loss is accomplished with persistent exercise and diet.  Skill is achieved with persistent practice.  DON’T GIVE UP.  Today is the only day you have to worry about, so just win today’s battle.  You CAN do it.  And remember, people are watching (Hebrews 12:1).  Your victory may be the very thing that changes the direction of someone else’s life. That’s reason enough to keep praying and worshiping.  Honor God publicly by sharing your victory (2 Timothy 2:2). 

Success is a derivative of persistence

Worship Artistry: Mastering the Disciplines

Mastering the skill of an effective musical artist requires a lifetime of practice, patience and persistence. Many people call it quits way too early while on the road to musical maturity. They either get discouraged—because it's too tough or it's taking too long—or they are intimidated by others who are more advanced.

Artists like Linda Ronstadt have worked an entire career to perfect their craft. In an article from Rock Seller Magazine, Linda tells of three areas upon which every musical artist must concentrate in order to grow as a performer. I believe what Ronstadt says is applicable to worship leaders as well:

"I always say there are three elements that go into music. There’s story, there’s voice and there’s musicianship. Some people are stronger in one area than another. I was strong on story and strong on voice but not as strong on musicianship but that came later and I learned after a while. I thought I just couldn’t learn because I didn’t have it. I didn’t realize people spend years in conservatories honing these skills. (laughs) And I never did any of that. I couldn’t read music and wasn’t very proficient at an instrument, which was a huge mistake because I could have been. I can pick up the guitar and play it but I never really worked at it because there were so many good guitar players around. I mean, why bother? That was a big mistake" (Article by Ken Sharp—Rock Cellar Magazine, Oct. 3, 2013).

Let's apply Linda Ronstadt's three elements—voice, story and musicianship— to the role of  worship leader, singer and musician in the church.

Story

As worship leaders, artists, musicians and singers, we must always convey honesty in every song we present. We must learn to deliver the message with the emotion, tenderness, tragedy and earnestness that each song's story demands. Our skill in song delivery is what will help a congregation believe what we're singing. Our goal is that they join us on the journey toward the throne of God.

We not only tell the story with our voices, but with our body language and our facial expressions as well.

Voice

Linda Ronstadt's voice is spectacular, and most of us will never attain her stature as a singer. But we can still be effective worship leaders, even with all our flaws and shortcomings.

There are four basic qualities—especially in modern worship— that are essential for a lead vocalist: 1) to sing on pitch, 2) to avoid excessive vibrato, 3) to have vocal character that fits well with pop music stylings, and 4) to blend well with other singers.

In worship, the congregation is the lead singer. So it's important to choose keys that are suitable for our congregations to sing. Below is a simple diagram that shows the limited range of an average congregation. Choose song keys that allow the melodies to stay within these musical margins, and I bet your congregations will sing along like never before!

(Diagram: courtesy of Jamie Harvill, from his book, Worship Foundry)

It's essential to also mention that a tenor and soprano's vocal ranges fall comfortably within this congregational singing range. Altos and baritones, while keying songs for the melody to stay within this range, may find it difficult to sing.

Whatever your particular vocal range, worship the Lord with everything you have. Always be yourself, and allow your unique vocal quality to shine.

Musicianship

One of the greatest hinderances for worship leaders and singers is a lack of musicianship. It's important to know the technical ins and outs of music when working out songs and worship sets. Take Ronstadt's advice and become proficient in chords and harmony.

Learn to recognize and break down the inner workings of each song you use. Study music theory. Gain knowledge about each instrument in the band and how to communicate with your musicians in a musically literate way. Learn to pick out vocal parts and to articulate dynamic nuances to your singers. These skills will garner respect and confidence from fellow staff and team members. 

Take Ronstadt's advice and do your best to hone all three elements: story, voice and musicianship. Our teams and congregations will surely be blessed, but most of all, God will be honored!

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CHECK OUT JAMIE'S NEW BOOK: 

WORSHIP FOUNDRY

You'll find a goldmine of helpful hints on how to be more effective as a worship leader. Click here: Worship Foundry, to purchase your copy today!