How far in advance do you plan your Sunday services? Doug Lawrence has been working with churches for 30 years and says a failure to take our worship more seriously, like planning well in advance, is one of the big reasons churches flounder.
Doug is a consultant, author and blogger who’s got an extensive resume in evangelical music and worship-leading at big churches like Hollywood Presbyterian and Menlo Park Pres. In addition, he’s had a career working with major orchestras and their directors, including Leonard Bernstein. Doug knows how to plan and implement worship that honors the Lord and touches people.
Watch the Full Program:
The Synopsis
I was first drawn to Doug when I started reading his
blog entries on www.churchcentral.com. Doug’s experience in helping transitioning churches and his devotion to quality worship immediately made me a fan. He’s an evangelical who has served in mainline congregations and has acquired a wisdom and respect for God’s move in a myriad of church contexts.
Here are my notes from the interview:
Plan Worship in Advance
Doug says every minister ought to have a white board (or similar) in the office with a minimum of 6 weeks of worship services outlined. This includes theme of the day, behavioral outcomes (he explains this in the interview) as well as music selections.
Debriefing is Crucial
Doug says that nearly every one of the 5,000 worship services he’s been a part of has been debriefed – and he’s never sick of it. He says the debrief is invaluable at helping us keep from making the same mistakes over and over again.
The Three Keys
Doug says growing congregations possess these three attributes 1) mission outlook, 2) actively solicit feedback from the community in which they are located, 3) care deeply about worship quality and integrity.
About Doug Lawrence:
Doug Lawrence sang in the Hollywood studios for many years in dozens of Oscar winning movies and supplied the singing voice for many of Hollywood’s “musically impaired” stars. His influence in the church world has been as a seasoned ”transition specialist” who, for over 30 years, has coached prominent mainline churches. He’s available for consultations at dlawrenceconsult at mac dot com
Books Doug Recommends:
Going Deep- Gordon MacDonald
Who Stole My Church? – Gordon MacDonald
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni
Simple Church – Thom Rainer
Sponsors I Mentioned:
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