Blog – Page 2 – Motion Worship – Video Loops, Countdowns, & Moving Backgrounds for the Christian Church

Help Students Transition from Middle School to High School

The transition from middle school to high school is an exciting yet challenging time for students. As a youth pastor, you have a unique opportunity to help make this transition smoother for young individuals who are navigating significant changes in their lives. By providing support, guidance, and a nurturing environment, you can help them thrive during this crucial period of their spiritual and p...

Plan a Church Picnic That Meets Everyone’s Dietary Needs

With warmer weather and longer days, Summer is the perfect time to take your community events outdoors. Outdoor potlucks and picnics are a fantastic way to gather as a community; there’s food to share, wide open spaces for the kids to run around, and minimal prep and clean up required. Chances are, however, there are people in your congregation with dietary restrictions that sometimes make it ha...

Talking About the Theology of Worship Lyrics

As worship pastors, we know that leading our congregations in worship is not just about playing music and singing songs. It’s about creating a space for people to connect with God, and one way we do that is through the songs we choose to sing. However, from time to time, people can and will take issue with the lyrics of worship songs and claim they have bad or harmful theology. Some of these can...

Tips for Your Summer Movie-Based Sermon Series

Over the past couple of decades, it's become extremely popular for churches to lean into summer blockbuster season by creating whole sermon series in which their pastor uses clips from popular movies to connect people's hearts with scriptural and spiritual truths. For most churches, this is seen as an easy outreach invitation opportunity for church attenders. It also gives a reason for folks to de...

Practical Tips for Training Your VBS Volunteers

Vacation Bible School (VBS) is an exciting time of the year for many children and their families. As a children's pastor, it can feel like a lot of pressure to ensure that VBS runs smoothly and to craft a meaningful experience for everyone involved. One of the key components of a successful VBS is a well-trained group of volunteers. Here are some tips on how to best train your volunteers for VBS: ...

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Keeping Summer Fun and Meaningful for Your Youth Ministry

Summer is a time when students get to relax, unwind, and have fun. But for youth pastors, the summer season can be challenging as it means changing schedules and programming for their student ministry. With so many options available, it can be overwhelming for youth pastors to decide what to do with their youth group over the summer months. As a youth leader, it’s important to balance fun with p...

3 Low-Cost and Cost-Free Ways to Make Your Church Coffee Better

Let's face it. The term "church coffee" is basically synonymous with terrible coffee. When you think about church coffee, you probably picture coffee that's too weak, too burnt, and just plain tastes bad. There are exceptions to this. I've been to several churches that have a bit more of a coffee-centric atmosphere in the lobby with a coffee shop, some going as far as making pour overs and espress...

7 ways to Follow up with First-Time Easter Visitors

On Easter Sunday, it’s likely you saw many new faces join you for worship. Did you know that more people in the United States conduct an online search for “church” around Easter than at any other time, even Christmas? Easter is a fantastic opportunity to connect with members of your community that aren’t yet plugged into a church home. You shouldn't have to wait until next year to see thes...

6 Tips for Budgeting for Your Next Youth Group Retreat

Youth retreats are fun and formative experiences for the students in your youth group. They provide exciting opportunities to connect with their peers, grow in their faith, and explore activities that help them stretch their comfort zones. Planning for and pulling them off, however, can feel like an overwhelming assignment. One of the biggest challenges you may face is budgeting for the event. Wit...

Preparing for Easter Services as a Worship Pastor

Easter is a great day for celebration in the church! It’s also a great day for a gallon of coffee, nerves, anxiety, and stress... If you’re a worship pastor of course. We kid, but if you are a worship pastor, you can probably relate on some level. The only reason those of us in the church get stressed about Easter is because we recognize how important of a holiday it is. There’s going to ...

Low Cost Ways to Honor Your Worship Team Members

Churches often work on tight budgets, so it can be difficult to find ways to thank and honor your worship team volunteers. However, there are plenty of low cost, high impact ways to show your appreciation for their hard work and dedication. Let’s take a look at some of the most effective and budget-friendly ways to honor your worship team volunteers. As a quick caveat, most of the suggestions in...

How to Jumpstart a Sermon-Based Small Group Curriculum

As a teaching pastor, creating sermon series that will serve your congregations is an important part of your job description. From finding the right scripture, narrowing in on salient themes, and constructing messages that will build meaningfully week after week, the time and intention that goes into crafting these series shouldn’t have to end after everyone leaves the sanctuary for Sunday brunc...

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Should Your Worship Team Start Using a Click Track?

Every worship pastor wants their band to sound tight, consistent and precise. But how do you get there? The answer might be a click track. So what exactly is a click track and why should your team consider using one? In this post, I’ll discuss the pros and cons of using a click track with your worship team so you can make an informed decision on whether it’s right for your church. Is a Cli...

How to Plan Your Church Calendar A Year in Advance

New year, new you! Ok, maybe not a completely new you. But January 1st offers a fresh opportunity to set your church calendar up for success in the new year. Building out an entire calendar advance can feel intimidating, but it can help reduce overwhelm and scrambling later on in the year. Looking at your content from a bird’s eye view can also help you avoid obvious holes or redundancies in you...

Give Helpful Feedback in Rehearsals

Everyone who leads rehearsals has a slightly different style, from how the whole rehearsal is organized to how he or she communicates musical changes. One of the trickiest things as a band leader is attempting to give feedback to band members about their playing. If you don’t play the instrument they’re playing, you may run into an added layer of “imposter syndrome” as you try to commu...

A New Sound System Won’t Make Your Musicians Better

I love new gear, don’t get me wrong. Diving into a new piece of equipment is inspiring, both creatively and technically. Whether it’s a new instrument, a new light fixture, or simply some new hardware, new gear opens new possibilities. Herein lies a common trap. While new gear may create renewed creativity and encourage you to spend more time honing your craft, it won’t inherently make y...

When Should You Start Planning Your Christmas Church Services?

What if I told you that it’s possible to relax during the week leading up to Christmas, even as a senior pastor, worship pastor, or tech director? I know, I know, sounds crazy, right? While December 22nd is traditionally reserved for crippling anxiety and last-minute service planning, I’m here to tell you that it’s possible to be prepared and give yourself space to soak in the holiness of th...

How To Equip Your Ministry For Kids with Disabilities

Our children’s ministries are intended to be safe places for our kids to learn about God’s love and their own identities as God’s beloved children. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: children’s ministry is more than a glorified daycare while parents attend the “big service.” It’s not somehow lesser than ministries for youth or adults. This is precious time to pour into ...

When Someone Says The Music Is Too Loud

If your church plays modern, pop/rock style worship songs, you’ve likely heard this complaint: “The music is too loud”. For those of us who are musicians and tech team members, this can be frustrating feedback. You’ve put hours into preparing the service and the environment, and instead of focusing on the impact the service is having, you’re staring down what can feel like an endless st...

Tips for Getting Worship Team Volunteers to Prepare

A lot of musicians from the church draw a strange line between worship and performance, as if the two are mutually exclusive. There’s often this presumption that if you’re worried about the music, you’re not worshiping, and that performance always pales in comparison to the importance of being engaged in worship. And while this is an incredibly “noble” intention behind why many volunt...