For centuries, church gatherings have been synonymous with music and creative arts, but what if your church’s musical expression wasn’t actually helping you accomplish your vision and goals? What if it’s actually a barrier to you achieving what the Lord has uniquely purposed your church to do? What if the resources, time and energy that you invest into your church’s live music could be better spent and see greater impact in a different area?

Being hurt within a church community seems to be an unfortunate reality for many Christians… While there is no such thing as a perfect church, many people who have experienced ‘church hurt’ begin to believe things about themselves as a result of their trauma. Moreover, they apply what they’ve experienced to every church, individual and leader and disengage from meaningful engagement in Biblical community.

Here are statements that I’ve used to remind myself that my experience and emotions don’t get to have the final say when it comes to the community in which I grow, worship and serve.

So much tension and turnover in church teams stems from a lack of healthy and honest communication of values and expectations. Culture is both taught and caught. One of the best ways to ensure that your culture’s expectations are understood is by creating a team handbook.

Check out my key ingredients for creating your handbook AND sign up to get a free copy emailed to you today.

Words are important. Cultures are built and broken upon the values that are expressed in vernacular. Trust is given and authenticity is gauged based on word choice. As we lead people in their articulation of faith we need to be intentional. Here’s some clichés I catch worship leaders using — and have used myself — that I think need to be shelved.

Searching for a church environment to serve in as a creative can be a daunting task. With each role and leader being unique, the number of variables and questions that you may have heading into an interview process can make you want to give up entirely. Here are a few things that I think creatives should be looking for in lead pastors they want to work for.

Searching for the right creative to serve in your local context can be challenging. Check out these essential traits that creatives should have before joining your team.

You can only be as prophetic when you lead on Sunday as you were when you prepared for Sunday.

Looking for new songs to add to your church’s weekend rotation? I’ve got 10 that your church should be singing in 2023 right here.

Shout out to all of the creatives putting in the extra time to serve their communities this Christmas season!

But hey, I get it — over 10 years of working in local church environments has taught me… In the busyness of the local church calendar, staying focused on the why behind the madness if easier said than done. Let’s work together to keep the main thing the main thing this Christmas season!

Like many church creatives, we found ourselves serving in the church because we are passionate about what we do. But as we mature in our roles as more than just musicians, artists, cinematographers, etc… We begin to learn that more than just the skills of our craft are essential to the way that we serve our local church communities. These essential skills are non-negotiable if you want to see impact and longevity in your ministry.

How do you maintain a Biblically accurate view of honouring your leadership when everything in culture is pushing against it?

We’re only halfway through summer, but rock legend Vandam is already giving us more to look forward to in the fall.

Are you so busy working IN the ministry that you aren’t getting the time to work ON the ministry?

We love to talk about ‘culture’ as though it’s a buzz word with magical connotations but it’s actually the sum of an intentionally inaugurated and maintained set of values that has been explicitly communicated, authentically demonstrated and beautifully celebrated.

In the spirit of keeping things loose and fun, doodling can offer a pressure release on a busy Sunday morning. But doodling can also become a distraction to your team, sidetracking synergy and momentum and causing frustration across the stage. Will we ever eliminate it fully from our rehearsals? Probably not… But is it worth working on the way we run rehearsals to keep things cohesive and productive? Absolutely!

it seems like ‘toxic’ is a buzz word in today’s Christian vocabulary when it comes to describing leaders and Church culture. But we do really know what we mean when we describe someone’s leadership as toxic?

Your church is not an audience singing popular songs that they like — or don’t like — back to a band that is playing through parts. Your church is a collective expression of individual believers, joining together to worship the Lord and have their lives shaped into His image. Too many worship cultures suffer from an ‘us versus them’ mentality when in reality you can encourage a more participative, engaged and wholistic expression of worship with some simple word changes.

Looking for a unique way to disciple your creatives, call your musicians to a new level of buy-in and bring a unique expression of worship to your gatherings? Have you ever thought of writing your own music?