Beyond Sunday Worship Leader Podcast

Part of what I love to do with this podcast is highlight some voices that often get overlooked. Cultures that are often pushed to the margins of influence in the Church but have so much to offer us.

Today I’m speaking with Terry Wildman. Terry is the Lead Translator of the First Nations Version of the Bible. Currently there is a New Testament and Psalms and Proverbs available. And the Old Testament is currently being developed.

Terry is a man with native ancestry who grew up in Michigan, was saved during the Jesus Movement, and became pastor early on in his life. What’s fascinating about Terry’s story is he wasn’t exposed to the history of indigenous people until later in life.

That knowledge led him down a path of decolonizing his faith, becoming a missionary to native peoples, and learning how to disentangle what is the way of Jesus and what is not.

This is a deep conversation. Some hard topics. Difficult history. But a challenge we all need.

Topics Covered:

Terry’s journey of discovering his Native ancestry and culture

Why what we’ve learned about Indians in American history is wrong

Why we need exposure to indigenous Bible interpretation

What makes unity between Native Peoples and the church challenging in our political moment

What Christians in America can do today to help Native people

Why we need to decolonize the Bible

The history of Native Bible translation

Terry’s favorite Indigenous names for God the Father and Jesus Christ

Why native people view their tribes through the lens of a matriarchal, rather than patriarchal system

Resources Mentioned:

Show Sponsor: Planning Center

First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament

First Nations Version: Psalms And Proverbs

Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: An Invitation to North American Indigenous Interpretation

One Church, Many Tribes: Following Jesus the Way God Made You by Richard Twiss

Rescuing the Gospel From the Cowboys: A Native American Expression of the Jesus Way by Richard Twiss

Birth of the Chosen One: A First Nations Retelling of the Christmas Story by Terry Wildman

Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask

Show Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by Planning Center, helping you sync all your ministry details across your whole church.

Planning Center has become so essential to how I manage a team, that it’s almost impossible to consider local church ministry without it anymore.

Today, I want to leave you with a PCO pro-tip.

Does this sound like a familiar situation? It’s the end of the week. You’re about to leave the office when you suddenly think: Did all of our volunteers confirm for Sunday? You scroll through the schedule and sure enough—there’s a gap.

Instead of allowing yourself to spiral into a panic, try this:

In Services, Planning Center has gap alerts. Turn them on, and you’ll get a heads-up days before service if positions are still unfilled or unconfirmed. No more end of the week scrambling.

Speaking of less scrambling, did you know you can access everything you need for rehearsals right from the Service media player on your phone? Lyrics, chord charts, arrangement notes—it’s all right there, so you’re not hunting for files in the middle of hitting those power chords.

To see what else you can do to make your Sundays easier, go to planningcenter.com/blog.

The post #388: What Native Culture And Indigenous Theology Can Teach Us About Following Jesus with Terry Wildman appeared first on Beyond Sunday Worship.

Humans disagree on a lot of things. Religion. Politics. The best brand of peanut butter. But if there’s one area where we can find some common ground, it’s productivity. Getting stuff done. We all – to a certain degree – have to cross items off our to-do list. Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent, Fortune 500 CEO, pastor, or entrepreneur, you have to take action on the goals that matter to you.

That’s why I’m talking to author/speaker Jon Acuff. He’s written a book called Procrastination Proof that simultaneously makes me feel seen and convicted at the same time. You see, I’m a serial procrastinator. When I don’t know what to do next, I assume doing nothing will solve it. Problem is, it never does.

If you’ve ever heard Jon speak or read any of his books, it’s a fun ride. He’s hilarious and practical. In this conversation we talk about procrastination and how to beat it. We talk about Jon’s journey as a PK and his perspective on leading a church. We talk about how to deal with criticism, small churches and mega churches, and even some worship leader jokes at no additional church.

Topics Covered:

Worship Leader jokes

How to deal with criticism

Why successful leaders develop bad habits

One thing every pastor needs

The four frameworks for becoming procrastination proof

The validity of small churches and mega churches

Resources Mentioned:

Show Sponsor: Planning Center

Procrastination Proof by Jon Acuff

Jon Acuff website

Show Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by Planning Center, helping you sync all your ministry details across your whole church.

Planning Center has become so essential to how I manage a team, that it’s almost impossible to consider local church ministry without it anymore.

Today, I want to leave you with a PCO pro-tip.

Does this sound like a familiar situation? It’s the end of the week. You’re about to leave the office when you suddenly think: Did all of our volunteers confirm for Sunday? You scroll through the schedule and sure enough—there’s a gap.

Instead of allowing yourself to spiral into a panic, try this:

In Services, Planning Center has gap alerts. Turn them on, and you’ll get a heads-up days before service if positions are still unfilled or unconfirmed. No more end of the week scrambling.

Speaking of less scrambling, did you know you can access everything you need for rehearsals right from the Service media player on your phone? Lyrics, chord charts, arrangement notes—it’s all right there, so you’re not hunting for files in the middle of hitting those power chords.

To see what else you can do to make your Sundays easier, go to planningcenter.com/blog.

The post #387: Beating Procrastination With Jon Acuff appeared first on Beyond Sunday Worship.

It’s impossible to make an argument for a more important book in the history of the world than the Bible. I’ve grown up reading it. I’ve spent my life studying it. The BIBLE yes that’s the book for me. But the Bible is also a complicated book, full of various kinds of writing, from various authors, across many years. I’ve had my fair share of moment over the years in Leviticus, Numbers, and Song of Solomon where I’ve wondered…what is going on?

We all know we’re supposed to read it. But how are we to make sense of it? How are we supposed to read it?

Today I’m talking with Zach Windahl, author of the Book The Bible, Simplified.

This is a conversation about the Bible – what the arc of Scripture communicates, how to read it, and strategies for building habits around prayer and bible reading.

Maybe you’re a pastor or a worship leader who opens the Bible to get a word for you congregation or ministry team, but struggle to read it or understand it consistently. This conversation is for you.

Topics Covered:

Zach’s journey of coming to Christ

Following Jesus and suffering

Why we need to understand the historical context of the Bible

How to read the Bible accurately

Out of context Bible verses

The clumsiness of prayer

How to create a habit of prayer and Bible reading

Coffee routines

Resources Mentioned:

Show Sponsor: Planning Center

Get Brick

The Bible, Simplified by Zach Windahl

Deep Work by Cal Newport

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Glitch Coffee Roasters

DAK Coffee Roasters

Black & White Coffee Roasters

Show Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by Planning Center, helping you sync all your ministry details across your whole church.

Planning Center has become so essential to how I manage a team, that it’s almost impossible to consider local church ministry without it anymore.

Today, I want to leave you with a PCO pro-tip.

Does this sound like a familiar situation? It’s the end of the week. You’re about to leave the office when you suddenly think: Did all of our volunteers confirm for Sunday? You scroll through the schedule and sure enough—there’s a gap.

Instead of allowing yourself to spiral into a  panic, try this:

In Services, Planning Center has gap alerts. Turn them on, and you’ll get a heads-up days before service if positions are still unfilled or unconfirmed. No more end of the week scrambling.

Speaking of less scrambling, did you know you can access everything you need for rehearsals right from the Service media player on your phone? Lyrics, chord charts, arrangement notes—it’s all right there, so you’re not hunting for files in the middle of hitting those power chords.

To see what else you can do to make your Sundays easier, go to planningcenter.com/blog.

The post #386: The Bible: How To Read It, Understand It, And Build A Daily Habit Around It With Zach Windahl appeared first on Beyond Sunday Worship.

Topics Covered:

How Chris got started in Worship ministry

How the explosion of a worship industry has malformed us for local church ministry

Why we need Worship Pastors in the church

What unique challenges Worship Leaders are facing today

The downsides to the seeker sensitive movement in the American Church

How worship leaders and lead pastors can develop a healthy partnership

Leadership skills every worship pastor needs to develop in a multisite context

Resources Mentioned:

Show Sponsor: Planning Center

Chris Kuti Instagram

Multitracks

Show Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by Planning Center, helping you sync all your ministry details across your whole church.

Planning Center has become so essential to how I manage a team, that it’s almost impossible to consider local church ministry without it anymore.

Today, I want to leave you with a PCO pro-tip.

Does this sound like a familiar situation? It’s the end of the week. You’re about to leave the office when you suddenly think: Did all of our volunteers confirm for Sunday? You scroll through the schedule and sure enough—there’s a gap.

Instead of allowing yourself to spiral into a panic, try this:

In Services, Planning Center has gap alerts. Turn them on, and you’ll get a heads-up days before service if positions are still unfilled or unconfirmed. No more end of the week scrambling.

Speaking of less scrambling, did you know you can access everything you need for rehearsals right from the Service media player on your phone? Lyrics, chord charts, arrangement notes—it’s all right there, so you’re not hunting for files in the middle of hitting those power chords.

To see what else you can do to make your Sundays easier, go to planningcenter.com/blog.

The post #385: Worship Leader State Of The Union with Chris Kuti appeared first on Beyond Sunday Worship.

Something I am so grateful for is the leadership experience I received growing up in the church. From a young age, I got involved in worship teams. I led small groups. I developed skills. I was put on stages I had no business being on. Church wasn’t just a weekly service we attended. It was a leadership incubator.

L. Michelle Smith has written a new book called Call And Response: 10 Leadership Lessons From the Black Church. In it she discusses how the Black Church has historically developed high level business leaders. The book borrows from culture, neuroscience, and positive psychology to describe the power of the Black Church and why it has produced so many high level leaders .

Whether you’ve grown up in the Black Church or have never even visited, we all have something to learn here.

Because if the church stops developing leaders in favor of merely hiring out a professional, performative workforce, we could be in some trouble.

This is David Santistevan. You can reach me anytime at [email protected] As always, thank you for listening.

Topics Covered:

Why the history of Call and Response in the Black Church matters to us today

Leadership development in the local church

Leadership lessons learned in the Black Church

What it’s like being a successful Black women in corporate America

Why The Black Church is seen as inferior in both white and black spaces

Resources Mentioned:

Show Sponsor: Planning Center

Call And Response: 10 Leadership Lessons From The Black Church by L. Michelle Smith

The Black Church: This Is Our Story This Is Our Song by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Show Sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by Planning Center, an all-in-one church management software made to help churches help people. You can organize your ministries and keep everyone on your team communicating and aligned around what’s going on.

As a worship leader, good communication is key to building a strong worship team. You can cultivate relationships while ensuring everyone has what they need to successfully prep for your services.

But why not take it up a notch using the chat feature?

Built right into the Services mobile app—which, by the way, you should totally download if you haven’t already—chat helps you coordinate all the service details with your team. Plus, you can have fun while doing it!

No more juggling emails, group texts, and multiple apps to ensure your whole team is aligned. Chat will simplify your communication in one convenient place through the Services mobile app. And everyone can ask questions, request prayer, or join the banter in real-time with one another.

The really cool part about chatting with your teams? Team members are dynamically added or removed from conversations as availability changes!

So if your original bass player suddenly declines (why is it so hard to find a bass player, anyway?), your newly scheduled bass player is automatically added to the chat conversation.

All of your chat conversations stay in sync. No more outdated group threads or irrelevant messages! So what are you waiting for? Download the Services app and start chatting!

The post #384: Leadership Lessons For All From The History Of The Black Church with L. Michelle Smith appeared first on Beyond Sunday Worship.