Respond Worship Podcast Respond Worship Podcast

Like the people of God in the 400 years of scriptural silence between the end of the Old Testament to the birth of Christ, we are all longing to hear God speak, but do we realize that every week when we gather for worship, God is speaking and waiting for us to listen? In this episode, Ryan is joined by special guest Dr. Dinelle Frankland to talk about the responsibility of a worship pastor to be a watchful prophet. As we wait to hear from God in our gathered worship, people speak God's Word as they speak scripture, people talk to God in prayer, and sometimes, people are called to be God's mouthpiece as a prosecutor against heresy, idolatry, and complacency. If you have ever struggled with how your calling to worship ministry relates to the bravery and struggle of the prophets in the Old and New Testaments, this is the episode for you.

In Ephesians 6, as Paul is giving his final encouragement to a church that he loves and prays for, he charges them to cover themselves in the armor of God for this purpose: "..so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." There is no doubt in his, Jesus', John, or Peter's mind that in our pursuit of the living and active spirit of God, we will have to struggle against the living and active spiritual forces who are against that. This has clear implications for all Christians, but what does it mean for those serving in worship ministry in their local church? In this episode, join Ryan and special guest Dr. Shane Wood as they illuminate the struggle we have in following Jesus in the midst of constant spiritual warfare.

If you had to summarize God in one sentence or blurb, how would you explain Him? That task seems borderline impossible, but every Sunday that we serve in our local church's worship ministry, this is what we are trying to do. Just like God reminding His people of who He is and their history together before giving the 10 commandments ("I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt."), we are tasked with reminding people of who God is every week. God is so big, grand, and multifaceted, and that means that the task ahead of us in our worship planning is equally large. This is why we called in some help for this episode. Join Ryan and special guest Josh Huckabay as they offer their best experiences, guidance, principles, and practices behind leading their congregations in the worship of our multifaceted God.

What happened?!? We were preparing for the Respond Worship Retreat to be on the first week of February all year, and now it was moved to November? Don't worry--Corey and Ryan are here to talk about the decision to move the retreat and what doors God is opening from this new Fall date, as well as the value of planning worship experiences in a group setting. This is not an episode to miss!

Daddy God, would you just help Ryan and Jeremiah prepare a good podcast to just guide us as we lead our congregations in prayer. Amen.

What do people say when they lead prayer at your church? How long does your congregation spend in your weekly worship gatherings in prayer? What sort of things do you pray about as a group? Whether it is spontaneous or written, poetic or concise, prayer is a major part of our Christian faith, but can easily be overlooked in people’s demands on our music. In this episode, Ryan, Jeremiah, and special guest Matt Stafford (sadly not the LA Rams Quarterback) discuss the worship pastor’s role in leading corporate prayer and influencing the people in their own prayers.

When you close your eyes and think of someone who serves with production at a church worship gathering, who do you picture? What are they like? In this episode, Ryan and special guest Michael Hester discuss the stigma tech people have, the standard they should strive for, and how a deep love for the church should drive what all of us do as we serve Sunday after Sunday. This is a conversation about production in worship gatherings, but more than that, it is a conversation about the heart, so no matter where you serve in the church or what your services look like, this is a conversation for you.