Kent Shaffer has highlighted a provocative list of things people hate to see worship leaders do. WARNING: This list is not for the easily offended or closed-minded or convinced-they’ve-got-it-all-figured-out people. I don’t necessarily agree with everything on the list. But I must admit I have been (still am) guilty of some of the “gripes” mentioned here.

I challenge us to read through these, carefully asking ourselves if we ever do these things in services. The point is not to change our ways just to please this one guy. The point is to evaluate why we do what we do. Are we willing to change something if it is unnecessary or if it might hinder our effectiveness to lead others?

Go to http://churchrelevance.com/top-10-pet-peeves-about-worship-leaders/ and read the list if you dare…

–Dwayne

Hey everyone!

Just a quick note to let you know where we are this week. We are at the InnovateChurch Conference in Lynchburg, VA with a thousand pastors! It’s been a fabulous week of encouragement and challenge thus far. Rick Warren, Chuck Colson, Jim Cymbala and Jonathan Falwell are among the featured speakers. My dear friend, Charles Billingsley, is leading the praise times and teaching some workshops on worship.

The conference graciously featured a sample of our book, Pure Praise, in every conference folder! So we’ve been able to share about the study with a lot of the folks up here. Charles has also recommended it to the worship leaders here at the conference, which I greatly appreciate!

Hope you are doing well! Please drop us a note to catch us up with what God is doing in your ministry and life. We’d love to hear from you! We are blessed with so many wonderful friends, and hearing from people in the family of faith is always encouraging!

Blessings,

Dwayne

“Pure Praise is a refreshing and greatly needed tool in the Body of Christ for both worshippers and worship teams.  The goal of this study is NOT to help us fall more in love with worship; rather these daily, intimate encounters with God can help us fall more in love with our Father–which is the very essence of Biblical worship.  One of the most compelling aspects is Dwayne’s emphasis on musicians being ministers through music. This study has the potential to transform entire worship teams to see themselves first of all, not as musicians and performers, but more importantly, as servants to other people and to the Most High.” — Darlene Zschech, Hillsong Church, Australia 

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER PURE PRAISE AND SAVE 40% OFF THE RETAIL PRICE!

This is Part 1 of the audio teaching from Dwayne’s workshop at the 2008 National Worship Leader Conference. This 30-minute session explains the 4 levels of effectiveness among worship leaders and musicians. Dwayne shows us that they are: 1. Song Leader, 2. Music Director, 3. Minister of Music, and 4. Minister through Music. 

Dwayne repeated this workshop three different times during the conference, and the room was full every time! This demonstrates the great need for teaching on spiritual growth among worship teams. Enjoy!

Click here to download the notes.

Download Link Ministers through Music - 4 Levels of Effectiveness Dwayne Moore

These are a few of the artists Dwayne got to interview while he was at the National Worship Leader Conference in Austin, TX last week.

Clockwise: Dwayne with Ron Kenoly, Phillips, Craig & Dean with Dwayne, Katherine Scott and Paul Baloche with Dwayne, Lincoln Brewster and Smiley

Dwayne and our team will be in Austin, TX this coming week for the National Worship Leader Conference. Next Level Worship is the sponsor of the Spiritual Growth track, which includes 3 workshops taught by Dwayne.

If you are going to the conference, be sure to attend Dwayne’s workshop, Developing Your Team to Be Ministers through Music. (BTW, we’ll be posting audio files from Dwayne’s workshop in the next few days!)

Also, be sure to stop by our booth and preorder your copy or copies of Dwayne’s forthcoming book, Pure Praise! The conference special is %50 off or only $7.49 per book! What a deal!

This amazing conference includes personalities like Chris Tomlin, Lincoln Brewster, Ron Kenoly, Gordon McDonald, Tommy Walker, Phillips, Craig & Dean, Matt Redman, Laura Story, John Tesh, Joseph Garlington, Don Moen, Rush of Fools, Leeland,  Ross Parsley, Fernando Ortega, and many, many more!

Imagine your church leaders saying you don’t need a traditional series of meetings because your church is already IN revival! That’s exactly what happened this past Sunday to a pastor friend of mine. Listen to what he wrote me: 

Revival Already Happening!

We had a great service with many responding to the altar this morning and one profession of faith!  I asked the deacons this morning in deacon’s meeting about their thoughts on a fall revival and all of them agreed that they felt the church was already in revival and that we did not need a series of meetings!

Still Feeling the Effects of 30 Days!

Some exciting things are beginning to happen and I feel that we are on the verge of a breakthrough.  I still think that we are seeing some things taking place that are a result of our journey through 30 Days of Praise back in the spring!  We are starting the class “Share Jesus Without Fear” this afternoon and I had almost 20 to sign-up for it!

Thanks!

John

Please let us know if you have any questions about 30 Days of Praise, our church-wide teaching emphasis on worship. You can call our toll-free number at 1-877-261-4303. You can also go to www.30DaysofPraise.com for more information on how your church can experience this amazing, revitalizing ministry resource!

In Him,

Dwayne

Download Dwayne’s notes for his workshop at the 2008 National Worship Leader Conference. His workshop is “Developing Your Team to Become Ministers through Music.” This will be a powerful 45-minute session taken from Week 6 of Dwayne’s forthcoming book, Pure Praise: A Heart-focused Bible Study on Worship.

Click here to download the notes.

Hello Everyone!

We at Next Level Worship are proud to be a sponsor of this year’s National Worship Leader Conference in Austin, Texas.  Dwayne will be a speaker at this “superbowl” of worship conferences. We know the team at Worship Leader is diligently getting things ready for this year’s guests.  It looks like there will be a full house this year, so don’t wait too long to register. (For more information, click here.)

There have been many new additions to this year’s conference… Read the rest of this entry »

Those who go through the Pure Praise worship study are challenged to take a day and get away for a personal spiritual renewal retreat. The following is a recommended guide to use on that retreat. Of course, this guide will work for anyone, whether you are doing Pure Praise or not.

My Day Away
Preparing to Go
Take your Bible, journal and pen and your copy of Pure Praise. Find a quiet, secluded place outside where you can write. Be sure you clear your schedule for the rest of that day so that nothing is pressing upon you immediately following this time away. It’s important
that your mind be free from clutter and concerns about your day’s responsibilities and schedules. It is also imperative that you plan for at least four hours of alone time before the Lord.

When You First Arrive
Take off your watch now and set it aside. Don’t think of time. Think only of connecting with the Father and staying until you hear everything He has for you. Because you’ve cleared your schedule today, you have no reason to think of time. Review the characteristics of God’s voice and contents of His words that are summed up in Week 4 of Pure Praise. The priority is to listen throughout this exercise. Determine now to do more listening today than talking. According to Charles Swindoll, developing “Intimacy with the Almighty” requires four disciplines. Our goal today is to experience all four of these: solitude, silence, simplicity and surrender.

Recommended Plan Read the rest of this entry »

John Martin, our VP of Development at Next Level Worship, discovered this incredible dramatic sketch online yesterday. What a powerful way to illustrate the change Christ makes in people’s lives! This is a compelling tool for presenting the Gospel–and a great way to easily involve several people in your church!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ

We just received this powerful endorsement from the executive editor at Worship Leader Magazine for our worship study, Pure Praise! (For more information and to pre-order Pure Praise, please go here.)

Filled with practical insights, relevant and helpful studies, and tied directly to Scripture, Pure Praise is a resource that has been developed with the worship leader and worship team in mind. Dwayne Moore has a writing style that makes you feel like he’s right there with you, walking you through each devotional. It is highly relational and delivered in a way that will minister to you in your personal worship journey as well as find its way into your worship training resource library. Pure Praise will help you understand not only the meaning of worship, but also provide you with real tools for leading and ministering in your role as the worship leader.

Julie Reid
Executive Editor
Worship Leader Magazine