Theology of Music

This month’s episode is a conversation I had with Dalton Shaffer, Music Ministry and Liturgy Director at Candeo church in Cedar Falls, Iowa. I’ve followed Dalton for a while on Instagram, and his inspiration for worship leaders is always ROCK solid. A few weeks ago, he had a post titled “Stop Singing this song in your church,” and it got my attention. But this wasn’t just clickbait bashing mega church worship songwriters and shallow worship leaders who only focus on the vibe a song creates. After diving a little deeper, I realized he was giving worship leaders some great insight into what we should be considering when choosing songs for corporate worship.

My guest on this month’s episode is an experienced worship pastor, educator, and songwriter who has provided oversight to one of the largest multi-campus churches in Virginia. I knew I wanted to pull from his expertise and finally got a chance to talk with Canadian native, Travis Doucette, the creator of a brand new training resource for worship leaders… myworshiptrainer.com.  Check it out!I’ve known Travis for several years through our connections at Liberty University. The thing I love about Travis is that before his abilities as a musician, artist, or leader, He identifies as a child of God, and that reality guides everything he does.In this first part of a two-part episode, Travis and I discuss the inevitable relationship between the worship pastor/leader/planner and AI. We both understand the spiritual tensions that come with utilizing technology, especially technology that produces human-like responses. You’re going to love Travis’ insights into ways worship leaders can use AI and the safeguards they can put in place to ensure corporate worship is biblically sound and Holy Spirit-led. Travis currently resides in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. I pray this episode provides encouragement and guidance as you lead your church in worship. Leave us some feedback with some of your thoughts as well.

My guest on this month’s episode is an experienced worship pastor, educator, and songwriter who has provided oversight to one of the largest multi-campus churches in Virginia. I knew I wanted to pull from his expertise and finally got a chance to talk with Canadian native, Travis Doucette, the creator of a brand new training resource for worship leaders… myworshiptrainer.com.  Check it out!I’ve known Travis for several years through our connections at Liberty University. The thing I love about Travis is that before his abilities as a musician, artist, or leader, He identifies as a child of God, and that reality guides everything he does.In this first part of a two-part episode, Travis and I discuss the inevitable relationship between the worship pastor/leader/planner and AI. We both understand the spiritual tensions that come with utilizing technology, especially technology that produces human-like responses. You’re going to love Travis’ insights into ways worship leaders can use AI and the safeguards they can put in place to ensure corporate worship is biblically sound and Holy Spirit-led. Travis currently resides in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. I pray this episode provides encouragement and guidance as you lead your church in worship. Leave us some feedback with some of your thoughts as well.

My guest on this month's episode was long overdue! I got a chance to talk with Dr. Ryan Loche, the co-founder of The Church Collective https://www.instagram.com/thechurchcollective/. If you’re unfamiliar with this non-profit that encourages and resources worship leaders, you need to check it out on Instagram. I’ve known Dr. Loche for about 10 years, and he’s the real deal. He has served as a worship pastor in California and continues to pour his experience into young worship leaders at the collegiate level.  In this episode, Dr. Loche and I discuss worship song contextualization. In other words, choosing songs that are not only biblically true and musically singable but also relatable on a “need” level within our churches. You’re going to love Dr. Loche’s insights in these areas. Dr. Loche currently resides in the Nashville area with his wife, Charity, and their four children. I pray this episode provides encouragement and guidance as you lead your church of worship. Leave us some feedback with some of your thoughts as well.

Colossians 3:16 not only guides the Church in WHY we should sing but WHAT we should be singing and WHY we should be singing it.

On this month’s episode, I bring back former guest, Justin Kintzel. While I’ve known Justin for a while through our connections at Liberty University and a quick coffee shop chat a couple of years ago, this will be my first time interviewing him. Justin has written several songs for corporate worship and currently serves as the worship pastor of Grace Church in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.  He and his wife Ashley have 4 children all still at home. They are busy folks! I asked Justin a few weeks ago if he saw any trends in corporate worship about the songs worship leaders use in corporate worship. He and I both recognized a bit of polarization that calls for a metric when choosing songs and I loved his balanced approach. I don’t want to give too much away, but the principles he shares are invaluable for guiding us as we shepherd our congregations in truth and love. Enjoy this month's episode and leave us some feedback with some of your thoughts as well. 

Joel and I discuss giving our congregations more than just a musically emotional experience but facilitating opportunities for them to both proclaim and ingest lasting Truth. Such a rich episode!

This is part 2 of my conversation with Brett Perkins, worship pastor at The Journey Church in Lebanon, TN. In this episode, Brett shares how they choose songs for corporate worship and even some of the things Journey Worship Co. processes as they write songs for the Church. So good!

My conversation with Brett wasn't planned but it was SO good I had to hit record. In this episode, we discuss God's leading and how we discern the motivation behind stepping into opportunities the Lord places before us as those who lead people in musical corporate worship.  

A great conversation with Pastor Kevin Haglund on his research regarding the role of emotions in corporate worship.