A songwriter’s future is precariously balanced on the hope that our songs will become classics, to make their way onto “greatest hits” packages or collections. For a new song catalog, writers must stay viable in a fickle market where changing fancies rule. We must stay on top of trends, styles and musical fashion to keep writing what artists want to record. The chances of making a continued income on songs for years, even decades, is an honor for a fortunate, single-digit percentage of songsmiths. I have been extremely blessed over the past twenty years as a songwriter in the Christian music field to see income steadily streaming in from songs written long ago. I am currently an active songwriter with new cuts slated for production on recent projects.

I received my quarterly royalty statement Saturday. Most will grab the check and leave the rest of the reading material from the publisher in the waste bin. This time, however, I read the cover letter from the head honcho, (not before eyeing the amount on the check!). The message from the president of the company who sent the royalty made some interesting remarks about the realities of songwriter income and the music industry.

In 2011, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, the revenue generated from digital music sales (50%+) surpassed the sales of physical music. The purchase habits of music consumers have shifted over the years and change continues today.

In 2012, it was reported that 15% of music consumption was from streaming, through companies like Spotify and Pandora. You see, it’s no longer a matter of music ownership that is important to consumers, but rather the accessibility to songs. According to ASCAP (a royalty collection and distribution company like the aforementioned competitor,  BMI), the song Someone Like You, written by Adelle and Dan Simpson, had a total of 169,000,000 streams of play on Pandora. The writers only received $9,000. People aren’t buying records anymore, they’re streaming! Record companies have lost the goose that laid the golden egg, and are scrambling (pun intended) to find new ways to profit.

My point in all of this is: a successful songwriter isn’t necessarily rich, and if your motivation to write songs is to make it big, then you’ll most likely end up disappointed. I still get giddy when I hear my songs on the radio, or on outlets like Pandora. The fickleness of music for me is still overshadowed by the fact that I am making a living doing it. Rich or poor, I, like Paul the Apostle, am content…blessed is a better word. What we are challenged to do as an industry, and what Integrity Music’s C. Ryan Dunham said in the cover letter from my royalty statement, “…we must look at new economical ways to bring music to the market.” It’s time to reinvent the wheel, folks!

Church music has made an astonishing transformation over the past fifty years. This revolution can find its roots stretching back to the hippie days of the ’60s and early ’70s, when after becoming Christ-followers, these counter-culture castaways began attending churches like Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa in California, writing their own praise songs, and forming bands to spread the Gospel. Maranatha! Music then became the unofficial record company of the Jesus Movement on the west coast of the United States, and Chuck Smith from Calvary Chapel, along with a handful of others, became the de facto pastors of the movement. 

Over the years, this phenomenon surged into a worship music tidal wave that eventually flooded the entire country. By the ’80s, the deluge led to the creation of an out-of-the-mainstream, independent record company, Integrity Music in Mobile, Alabama. They began their ascent by distributing tapes of new worship songs every six weeks to subscribers. In the decades since, worshipers have seen thousands of these new songs transform people worldwide through their pop music-stylings, singable melodies and conversational lyrics.

The history of congregational singing goes back even further to the days of the early church, when liturgical texts were chanted. The Greek cultural influences of the time were borrowed and incorporated into songs of praise. Before the Reformation, congregational singing was not allowed by Catholic laypersons, but instead was performed in Latin by the clergy.

The invention of the printing press led to a proliferation of hymnals, out of which percolated some 250 ubiquitous hymns that would eventually bare an ecclesiastical “thumbs up,” deeming the selections proper for the flock. Congregations sang these songs in churches everywhere, and everyone knew these hymns by heart. Then, as if slamming on a huge air brake, with the use of desktop computers in worship, and with advancements in projection, American churches all but ditched the hymnal, in trade for praise songs displayed on a pull-down screen.

 When thousands of pastors from various denominations began attending Promise Keeper rallies in the 90s, many who were skeptical about the new worship choruses were eventually won-over by the power of experiencing heart-felt worship first-hand. As a result of this life-changing experience, many pastors began allowing guitars, drums and rock music styles into their services, in hopes of capturing the same emotional and spiritual results they witnessed at the rallies. In time, they either augmented the ever-present choir, or began to dismiss the large vocal ensemble altogether.

 As a cumulative result, there has been a significant decline in the market of printed music for church choirs. On the other hand, though, as a result of this bourgeoning new music genre, mainline recording companies–known for promoting Christian performance artists–began promoting worship songs, sung by “worship artists,” who then helped propel this new music in a steady upward trajectory.

 Probably the most significant shift in worship music popularity happened when Michael W. Smith made his debut in “praise and worship” with his CD “Worship.” It was fatefully released on September 11, 2001, and included such classics as “Open the Eyes of My Heart,” “Forever,” and “The Heart of Worship.” Soon after, and probably due in part to a spiritual reaction to the 9/11 attacks, praise and worship started to become a popular radio format. Church attenders were hearing songs on the radio, as were the worship leaders and music directors, and this led to a barrage of  more worship songs being introduced to the church through radio. As a result, new songs continued to find their way into the church.

Since its launch in October of 1988, the copyright licensing organization, CCLI, has grown to represent 200,000 churches with its stated mission (from the website): “a ministry of the Church and a service to the Church, to educate the Church about copyright laws, to protect the Church from the consequences of copyright infringements and to encourage greater utilization of copyrights in Church services.” Through the services of CCLI,  ”The Church Copyright License is a contractual agreement with songwriters and publishers from around the world. For an annual license fee, a church receives legal authorization to copy from over 200,000 songs for congregational use.” A popular CCLI song has the potential to generate handsome revenues for all involved. For song writers like myself, CCLI provides a major portion of my income.

According to an article entitled “A Brief History Of Congregational Song”  (Liturgies, Sonreign Media, Inc.), “Since 1950, there has been more music published for congregational singing than at any other time in the history of the church. Nearly every major denominational body, as well as many independent congregations and publishing companies, have produced official and supplementary hymnals and related collections of songs. 

In an interesting blog post called, “Why Men Have Stopped Singing In Church,” David Morrow observes that the overwhelming amount of worship songs we feed our congregations may have a negative effect, and that our congregations are over-saturated by way too much. He wryly adds, “In short order we went from 250 songs everyone knows to 250,000+ songs nobody knows.”

 In response to this dilemma, Morrow states that men “…are doers, and singing was one of the things we used to do together in church. It was a chance to participate. Now, with congregational singing going away, and communion no longer a weekly ordinance, there’s only one avenue left for men to participate in the service – the offering. Is this really the message we want to send to men? Sit there, be quiet, and enjoy the show. And don’t forget to give us money.” 

 Morrow goes on to suggest that if we are going to teach new songs to our congregation, we must be sensitive and allow time for the songs to permeate into the soul, for the worshiper to become emotionally connected with the material. 

“Years ago, worship leaders used to prepare their flocks when introducing a new song. ‘We’re going to do a new song for you now. We’ll go through it twice, and then we invite you to join in’…There’s nothing wrong with professionalism and quality in church music.The problem isn’t the rock band, or the lights, or the smoke machine. The key here is familiarity. When that super-hip band performed a hymn, the crowd responded. People sang. Even the men.”

As the praise and worship phenomenon continues to be a generally positive move forward in congregational singing, we must continually check our motives and methods to assure that Christ is the true focus of our singing, and that our congregations are given the opportunity to make that connection. 

Our family friend Beth came to own one of Duane Allman’s glass guitar slides. One day she brought me the 4″ x 2″ x 1″ box containing the slide and graciously gave it to me.

Beth intrigued me when she spoke of an earlier association with the Allman Brothers Band, and told me that, at one time, she had been engaged to the band’s tour manager, Twiggs Lyndon. She made a huge life-change in the following years. Beth felt the need to make a break from her past, so she gave me the Coricidin bottle as a gift. Beth told me she had visited Macon, Georgia, a few times with her former fiance, who had given her the slide. Here’s Beth’s story in her own words:

“Upon one of those visits to Macon, Twiggs and I went to Greg’s house to deliver his car in trade for Duane’s guitar. Greg had shown an interest in the car and Twiggs knew he could always get another car but Duane’s guitar was a rare treasure to keep safe. Our visit coincided with a first time visit from Cher who was also part of our little meeting. The next time Twiggs visited me in my home in Mobile, he set out to remove the frets himself and implant them onto the back. He was seated at the kitchen table and took much time laying out the frets on the back until he was ready to pound them in. He replaced the old frets himself and often played the guitar.

Twiggs was a great story teller and enjoyed nothing more than to be occupied with a project and tell stories related to his colorful experiences with the music industry. Having started out with Little Richard, he had fond memories of being the only white boy traveling with the otherwise all black band. Anyway, he gave me the slide then and told me I should hold on to it as it would be worth something someday. So I tucked it away with my personal keepsakes in Mobile. I pulled it out when you helped with me deal with issues from that past as I knew you would appreciate it. I can only imagine that Steve Morse came to own the guitar as Twiggs managed the Dixie Dregs. Not only did he inherit the guitar but my engagement ring diamond as well that Twiggs wore in his ear as seen on the cover of the Freefall album.” 

Brenda and I toured the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2011, and came across this very guitar that Twiggs transformed years ago. Over time, the guitar made its way back home to Duane’s daughter, Galadrielle. She has generously given permission to display the it in Cleveland.

I feel very blessed to have this slide in my possession. I have been asked since to donate it to the Hall of Fame Museum. I guess its selfish, but I don’t want to part with it. Maybe I will in the future. I cherish my slide and Duane’s yellow hair band that accompanies it.

I guess I relish the fact that I have the missing piece.

Looking around the sanctuary, every other seat was taken by a musician. It was obvious–just like most Nashville audiences . The bride selected celtic-styled songs straight out of the hymnal, and the instrumentalists played the ancient melodies on fiddle, mandolin and piano. Everyone seemed to enjoy the pre-wedding entertainment.

Then the wedding party started their stroll down the aisle.  The groomsmen were clothed in Converse All Stars, white shirts without ties, and bluejeans, held up with black suspenders. The bridesmaids wore very simple mint green dresses—with not a hint of extravagance that a previous generation might have chosen for their wedding ceremonies.

Then all of a sudden, it hit me…

With the hipster-style clothes,  the austere decore (not a flower in sight), and Avett Brothers-style music, I saw the Millennial Generation in full display. Being of the Baby Boomer Generation myself, I made an interesting observation as the pastor asked us to “stand and turn in your hymnbooks to page number…” Having come from a generation that all but ditched the hymnal–and boxed them up to be stored in the church basement–I was surprised to see these twenty-somethings pull the old books out, almost in a cutting-edge move, in a rebellious sort of “in-your-face” play.

It’s proof that many young believers are embracing tradition. They’ve seen their mom and dad run from traditional church hymns, toward choruses and pull-down screens, filled with lyrics of a thousand praise and worship songs that, because of an over abundance, no one has had a chance to memorize. Instead, these Millennials are running back to the solid foundation and familiarity of the hymns that many of us have abandoned.

I was reminded at the wedding Saturday that maybe its time to get back to simplicity. Maybe my kids have watched me chasing after the next fad, the newest song, way too many times. I am about ready to follow their lead.

1. Easy to read and write (no music reading skills necessary)

2. Most songs can be typed or written out in their entirety on a single sheet of paper

3. The song’s layout (roadmap) can be written in shorthand at the top of the page

4. A good, quick reference guide to the song during performance

1. Doesn’t accurately include time durations between chord changes

2. Doesn’t offer intricate details of musical rhythm, dynamic expression, written melodies or specific  instrumental cues

3. Chords must be rewritten if a key change is necessary

4. Not an effective detailed representation of a song, especially when cataloging and creating a formal library of worship music

1. Offers a comprehensive, detailed representation of a song

2. If composed with a software program like Finale®, a song’s key can be quickly and easily transposed on the fly; several songs can be put together by cutting and pasting different documents into one single chart

3. Instrumental cues can be documented and written out for quick reference

4. The proper lyric and melody can be notated together on the chart—eliminating disputes

5. Everyone on the team can reference the song, including sections and measure numbers

6. A single master chart is used for each song during rehearsal and performance, representing the “DNA” of the song

1. Takes some musical training to read and compose charts

2. Notation software is expensive and involves a significant amount of time and effort to learn

3. Many songs require more than one page

4. Difficult for worship leaders to use during performance

1. Great system for calling out chords for a new song

2. Song can be contained on a single sheet of paper

3. Ideal for making key changes

4. Useful for jotting down chords from a recording

1. Takes effort to mentally transpose from key to key

2. Lack of synchronized rhythmic notation further complicates the simplicity of the system

3. Alternate chords, outside of the normal seven, can prove to be challenging, especially on the fly, with flat-6 and flat-7

4. Like the chord-over-word charts, its not the most effective detailed representation of a song, especially for the purpose of creating a formal library of worship music

1. Forsake chords-over-word sheets and make the transition to chord charts and lead sheets

2. Offer training for a team member, or learn how to use notation software in order to make custom charts for your team

3. Offer musical training for those who cannot read music. At the very least, train your team how to read rhythms and chord changes on a staff

4. Many popular songs have several versions, so clearly list the name of the artist and the CD from which the recording originates on the chart and other corresponding resources

5. Encourage players to use master charts for songs in rehearsal, and discard outdated resources attached to songs that don’t match the master chart and recording (this includes lyrics)

6. Use a great resource like Planning Center Online, where all your resources are conveniently available in one location

7. Go to the next level with your team! Pursue excellence

   I’m busy writing an instructional book for worship leaders, and I hope you enjoyed this installment from one of the sections. Please stay tuned as I round the bend toward it’s completion. Thanks for reading!

    

It’s Monday, and you look over your shoulder to Sunday’s service, making the observation that nobody sang along with you the during the worship service you led yesterday. It’s so easy to blame the congregation–after all, the songs you chose were top-charting worship choruses, and you even sprinkled in a few hymns. But they just stood there looking at you, mute and seemingly uninterested. Of course it was the congregations fault: they are spiritually immature and musically unsophisticated…or are they?

Diagram 1

Diagram 2

Brenda is a serious disciple: she reads the Word, prays often and shakes the heavens with her faith. I am encouraged by her solid commitment to the Lord. Her greatest mentor in life is someone she has never met: Edith Schaeffer. Brenda acquired her book, L’Abri, early in our marriage. The way Edith and her husband, Francis, lived–which was portrayed in the book–made an early impression on Brenda, and through osmosis, on me. I am sad to write that Edith went to be with the Lord a few days ago on March 30, 2013.

The book L’Abri tells the story of how the Schaeffers started a ministry to college-aged students in the 1950s in Switzerland, a community that welcomed people who were seeking intellectually honest
and culturally informed answers to questions about God and the meaning of life (L’Abri means “The Shelter” in French).

The couple’s faith to start the L’Abri ministry in Europe became a huge influence on our lives. We were impressed most at how the Schaeffers placed complete trust in God to provide everything. Through their example, we have taken a similar road in complete reliance on God. As a result, Brenda and I have witnessed incredible miracles financially, personally, in our career and in ministry. Glory to God!

When one personally witnesses God move in amazing ways, it’s quite motivating, and stirs the heart to believe He can do even greater things!

I liken the walk of faith to a jaunt across a chasm on a tightrope. There are two things to be concerned about while making one’s way across: 1) to make it to the other side, and 2) to not fall in the process! If I look down, I tend to freeze in place, and my walk across the wire ends right there–hanging on for dear life. But if I look forward, trusting and focusing my eyes on the Lord, and carefully walk to the other side–ignoring the fact that one wrong move could end my life–I can make it!

God calls His beloved to extraordinary things. I guess I’m one of the crazy people who take what the Bible says at face value. Because Brenda and I have walked across several tightropes over the years, we’ve gotten better at it each time. Believe me, it doesn’t get easier, it just doesn’t surprise us anymore when a valley or a canyon appears to block the trail. God engineers these “faith opportunities” to draw us closer to Himself.

Like the Schaeffers, it’s our goal to teach others, mostly young people, about the faith-walk through life–in marriage, parenting, finances and ministry. The L’Abri experiences Edith wrote about have helped generations of young people. Edith wrote other works while she was alive. One in particular was The Life of Prayer. In it she spoke of touching lives, even future generations with her faith. Here is one example:

“[W]e need to remind ourselves that although prayer is a very personal and private communication with God, pouring out our repentance and sorrow for sin, it is also to be a constant connection with God, an unbroken communication, a means of receiving assurance as to how to go on in this next hour in our work, and our means of receiving guidance. Prayer is also to be our means of receiving sufficient grace and strength to do what we are being guided to do. This reality is to be handed to the next generation, not to end when we die.”

I want to be in the business of teaching others about God and to walk the tightrope of faith. It could be the greatest gift I leave to my children and their children’s children. It all starts with saying “Yes” to God!

_____________________________________ 

References

• Schaeffer, Edith;. 1969. L’Abri. Worthing (Sussex): Norfolk P. ISBN 978-1-85684-025-5  

• Hankins, Barry (2008), Francis Schaeffer and the Shaping of Evangelical America, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, ISBN 0-8028-6389-2, pp. 5–59.

•  Schaeffer, Edith. 1992. The Life of Prayer. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books. ISBN 978-1-85684-046-0

 The first five traits of an effective worship leader:

1. Serves the local church with excellence

5. Facilitates a God-focus in corporate worship

Here are the four remaining traits:

Trait 6: Assists the leadership in fostering spiritual growth of the congregation

The ultimate goal of a worship leader is to assist the pastor and staff in leading the congregation toward maturity in Christ. The weekly worship service–though the biggest and most time-consuming–is only one aspect of that goal. It is also our duty to create a nurturing environment within the teams we lead and in smaller group settings within the church. Many of our worship team members consider the worship ministry their primary point of personal and spiritual contact within the church. Therefore, it’s important to implement “member care” as an vital part of the worship ministry. Member care involves ministering to each other, just as any small group or Sunday school class would.

We may not think about it too much, but the songs we teach and sing with our congregation each week are important tools in learning about God. They are also helpful during private prayer time, and to simplify memorizing Scripture. That’s why it’s important to scrutinize each song we use in worship, to make certain they are theologically sound (…just because it sings well, is on the radio and sounds cool, doesn’t mean the song is Biblical).

Although it’s impossible for the worship leader alone to meet all of the spiritual needs of each member, it’s important to set up a system of volunteers within the team to help with things like hospital visitation, organizing meals (for those who are sick, going through a family crisis, or mourning the death of a loved one),  prayer, service projects for those inside and outside the team, etc. Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.(NIV)”

Trait 7: Makes Christ known to the local community

Each community has a unique culture and history. Understanding these important aspects will better help us minister to our neighbors. Rick Warren, founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, implemented “targeted evangelism” when he did a study several decades ago for his first church plant in Orange County. He created “Saddleback Sam” as a profile for the likely “Mr South Orange County,” listing his attributes, preferences and tendencies. Some have come to criticize this approach, feeling that it excludes others. But a good understanding of the community in which we minister is the first step in reaching it’s citizens for Christ.

Also, many have neglected taking into account the history of a church or community; their preference may be to start from scratch with new ministries, programs, etc.. It’s always wise, though, to get to know the personality of a church, to discover the assets and victories in it’s history. The church may have had an important niche in the community that set it apart from other churches. Maybe it was a solid choir program, a strong children’s music program, a yearly event, etc., that helped distinguish it.

As a new minister, tearing out the old and replacing it with the new–all for the sake of “modernizing” the place–may be throwing out the baby with the bath water! So, get to know the history of the church and community you are serving–honor it, seek to understand it, and build on it’s strengths.

Trait 8: Makes Christ known throughout the world

Matthew 28:19-20 describes the Great Commission clearly: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

As the local church, we have an opportunity to enlist our worship teams to reach beyond our community for Christ. Music is a powerful tool in evangelism, and planning for evangelistic opportunities will help fulfill the Great Commission that Jesus imparted to each us, maybe through a mission trip to another state or a foreign country. Whichever the case, reaching out beyond our walls, borders and continent to the world will always bless those who receive the Gospel, and will surely bless those who carry the message.

Trait 9: Does all for the glory of God

It’s amazing how much effort we put into our worship services each week. It can be so daunting that, so many times, we forget that it’s all for the glory of God. An offering, be it great or small, is measured by the heart of the giver. So many churches have insufficient means to produce big Sunday morning extravaganzas, while other churches splurge on incredibly expensive tools and world-class events. It’s my desire to always consider that we are doing this for the glory of God–from the earliest conception of an idea to the final product. In the end, what we do for God won’t be remembered as much as our attitude of worship in the process.

In Luke 21:1-4, Jesus spoke of the widow and her offering: “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had. (NKJV)” 

It doesn’t matter how large the ministry, how many people attend, or how magnificent the buildings, in the end, its all about GOD. Our efforts, while attempting to please people–like the flowers in Isaiah 40– will fade away.

A Prayer:

God, may You alone be praised and glorified. Help me to remember that my pursuit of musical and technological excellence is fleeting if I don’t have a personal relationship with You, and a love for Your people.  As I purpose to be relevant in this modern culture, may my heart have an even greater zeal to please You. AMEN!

In 1999, we were living in Rutherfordton, North Carolina. I had been working in a band that, at that point, had recorded three CDs with Maranatha! Music. I felt it was time to leave the group and, for some reason, was also dealing with
personal struggles in the form of self-doubt and a lack of confidence. I made it a matter of prayer, and offered my troubled heart before the Lord. I randomly came upon the “Garments of Praise” passage in Isaiah 63. Through the hope gained through reading and applying the Word, God eventually led me out of that dark place.

I thought it might be a great passage to put to music. I was aware of the popular praise song with the same name, but I wanted to make my own version and start it out as a prayer–slow and in earnest–leading up to a point of a “hallelujah” celebration.

At the time, I heard of the Robin Mark project that Integrity Music (my publisher at the time) was developing; it was to be recorded in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and I submitted “Garments of Praise,” thinking the song suited the Celtic style they were looking for. It was accepted and added to the CD’s song list. I was surprised to hear that it ended up being the first song on the record, preceded by a long bagpipe intro.

My friend, Kelly Willard, surprised me one day, soon after the song’s release, on a road trip we were taking with her husband to a retreat in Arizona. She kept talking of a certain song she had heard recently, and wanted to play it for me. After starting the CD, the familiar bagpipes flowed out of the car speakers as “Garments of Praise” began to play. Kelly smiled at me through the rear-view mirror as we cruised along the highway toward our destination.

That was a significant moment for me. I first saw Kelly in concert when I was 15 years-old in 1975 at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, CA. She was singing solo at the grand piano. Her songs and voice have inspired me to write worship songs ever since. I eventually met her after I signed with Integrity Music in 1992, and began doing studio sessions with her at Integrity’s Mobile, Alabama studio. I am a big fan of Kelly Willard to this day. Her wink in the rear-view mirror was a fulfillment of God’s
promise that He would carry me through the struggles I had at the time “Garments of Praise” was written.

I recently did a worship concert in North Carolina with my buddy and co-writer, Gary Sadler. I told the story that the song was written right down the highway from the church. The song brought down the house that night! The song continues to bring out shouts of praise, and usually incites dancing in the aisles from churches who feel the freedom to do so.

I am truly blessed to have been the vehicle through which God birthed the song.