.jpg)
Joining the Worship Service of Heaven with Jeff Flint
Podcast Episode #155
Jason and Daniel kick off a new season of the podcast with new segments and a new guest focus.
They start things off with a dive into I Am They's "Faithful God" and discuss if it's a congregational song and where it fits. Then, senior pastor/worship pastor Jeff Flint joins the podcast to discuss dealing with struggling team members, our responsibility to our congregations, the worship service that really matters and playing to the strengths of our team members. Finally, the guys close it down with some shout outs to the players who help make it happen every week.
Podcast Highlights
What keeps Jeff inspired to lead
Worship does not begin when we start the service. Worship does not end when when say the benediction. Worship does not begin or end with us. We are entering into a worship service already going on in heaven. We are adding our voices to that song of creation and we are along for the ride. When I enter into a Sunday morning with that mindset, it’s not on me. When I get my eyes on the bigger picture and on who we are singing about and the kind of God He is. The kind of Savior we have. The kind of Father we have. It makes it a lot easier to enter in.
Our responsibility as worship leaders
If we are responsible for how people respond in worship we are fighting a losing battle. If we are responsible to bring our best, to be prepared, to have songs that honor God and are about Him, then we can trust that God is going to do what He needs to do no matter what we see on the outside. We also need to keep in mind that every congregation has a personality. Some are more expressive while others are more reserved and we can’t get upset because they are not engaging in the way we want them to.
Preparing worship sets
The worship sets I’m agonizing over are one where I’m thinking about other people besides myself. What song is going to connect with my congregation? There are songs that I really love but if I’m up there singing a song I love but it’s too unfamiliar then it becomes more of a performance than a communal worship gathering. I want to bring songs that I know will touch individuals or that I believe God wants to move through.
Playing to the strengths of your worship team members
I will find ways to help my team members excel, even if it’s at my expense. So if I’ve got a female vocalist with a low voice, I might lower the key so she can sound great leading if it’s not necessarily the key that I’m most comfortable in. We need to find ways to set up our worship team members for success.
On how Jeff uses Worship Artistry
“The vocal tutorials are incredibly helpful for my team. Solo acoustic arrangements empower me to catch the melody and learn to think about songs in my own context. Then I use my own musical background to arrange further."
If you want to shout out one of your worship team members, do it here and we’ll let you know if we read it on the podcast!