86 – Learning New Skills: Starting to Lead Worship series
A weekly blog of Creative Ideas for Leading Worship
2 – Learning New Skills
Starting to Lead Worship
This is the second of 10 updated posts that aim to give people new to leading worship the tools and confidence to get started. Experienced worship leaders will also find useful information in these posts.
The first 3 posts explore What’s in Your Toolbox? The last 7 posts provide guidance for Constructing a Service.
2 – Learning New Skills
This post focuses on the importance of lifelong learning for worship leaders, exploring how to acquire new theological, technical, and creative skills. I share personal experiences with learning through books, podcasts, YouTube, online news, eBooks, audio books, and digital tools, as well as practical tips for self-directed study. I encourage you to reflect on your preferred learning methods and experiment with new ones in preparation for integrating all your skills in the next post.
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Introduction
This is the second of three posts about assessing, acquiring, nurturing, and using your talents and skills when leading worship services.
In education circles, there’s a popular mantra: be a lifelong learner. I’m living proof that learning doesn’t stop after school – I’m 66 and still learning. Most of what I’ve learned has happened since I left formal education at 17.
During my Lay Preacher training, I took Old and New Testament papers by correspondence through EIDTS (Ecumenical Institute for Distance Theological Studies). I passed, but I’ll admit – I’m not a great student. I have huge respect for those who pursue formal education.
So, where and how do I learn new theology, skills, and ideas today?
Books
Books are miraculous. An author writes their story or ideas, and years – or even centuries – later, we get to engage with them in conversation. As worship leaders, all books, even fiction – mysteries and thrillers included – broaden our empathy by helping us see the world through someone else’s eyes.
My theological reading has taken me on a 35-year journey. I began with one question: Did the miracles in the Bible really happen? After a few false starts, I discovered writers whose views resonated: John Dominic Crossan, John Spong, Bart Ehrman, Diana Butler Bass, Marcus Borg, Richard Rohr, and Brian McLaren. These voices helped shape my identity as a progressive Christian.
I’ve also learned that changing our theology is rarely quick or easy. Respect for others’ perspectives is vital – no matter how brilliant you think your latest sermon was, you can’t expect instant agreement. And we should always remember there’s more than one way to interpret the Bible, and we could be wrong.
Podcasts
Podcasts – free, downloadable audio interviews and presentations – are a favourite learning tool for me. I listen while walking to the shops or doing the dishes.
For years, I enjoyed John Shuck’s Progressive Spirit podcast, often borrowing or buying books by authors he interviewed. While that podcast has ended, there’s a list of similar Progressive Christianity podcasts on Feedspot (https://podcast.feedspot.com/progressive_christianity_podcasts/)
I also recommend the BBC History Extra podcast (https://www.historyextra.com/podcast-series/) which often covers church history and theology. One fascinating episode featured Irving Finkel discussing a Babylonian clay tablet from around 1850 BCE with a flood story like Noah’s Ark, which fuelled a sermon on how Jewish exiles in Babylon writing down Old Testament stories for the first time were influenced by local myths.
Another excellent source of thoughtful podcasts about contemporary ministry is the Lewis Centre for Church Leadership (https://www.churchleadership.com/category/podcast/).
YouTube Videos
We’ve ditched broadcast TV and now watch YouTube and other documentaries on our TV via a computer. This freedom from scheduled programming gives us access to a vast range of content – on our terms.
Online News Sources
I keep The Guardian UK, Radio NZ, Google News, and Flipboard apps on my smart phone, browsing regularly for stories that spark ideas or help me track social trends.
Audio books & eBooks
I borrow audio books from the public library, listening to them just like podcasts. On my Kindle eReader, I’ve amassed over 400 eBooks. They’re cheaper than print, take up no shelf space, and make note-taking easy. Highlighted quotes and notes become a goldmine, when I think, “What did Crossan say about this?” months later.
Learning New Technical & Multimedia Skills
I’ve been using personal computers since the late 1980s. The are vital for both worship preparation and my publishing business. When I started with computers, learning how to use software meant wading through the thick printed manuals that came in the box with the disks. Now, I search Google or YouTube for tutorials – nearly always finding exactly what I need for InDesign, Photoshop, Word, or Excel.
AI Tools
In the last year, I’ve been exploring AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Notebook LM
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Your Homework
Reflect on these questions:
1. How do I learn new ideas, skills, or techniques?
2. Which methods work best for me?
3. What new learning approach will I try next?
In the next post, we’ll explore how to bring all your skills together to serve your church and local community.
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The full content of this series and lots more worship ideas are included in my book The Creative Worship Leader’s Toolbox, available in print and eBook formats.
Ngā Mihi
Philip