Workshop Track
Worship
Navigate the complexities of worship leading with practical solutions for team building, technical execution, and administrative requirements. Address common pain points and enhance the freedom with which you lead your congregation in worship each week.
Speakers
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Brian Taylor has served and equipped the local church for over 20 years. His background spans various denominations, cultures, and settings as he has led worship ministries in churches of a few hundred to over 30,000 across multiple locations. As a worship and creative pastor, he loves creating worship environments that are transformational and engaging. As a member of senior leadership teams, his mission has been to help clarify vision and strategy, cultivate healthy team culture, and develop strong leaders. As an executive coach and speaker, he is passionate about helping high-performing leaders ditch discontent, maximize potential, and align their performance with their purpose.
Brian and his wife, Lauren, live just north of Dallas, Texas, where they live with their two beautiful kids (five, if you count their two dogs and one cat, as Brian does). They've had the opportunity to lead worship and invest in teams together across the country. Brian also serves as Vice President of Slingshot Group's Worship & Creative Arts division, leading a stellar team helping churches build healthy teams across the country in Worship, Production, and Digital/Communications.
BRIAN TAYLOR
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Robbie Seay serves as EVP of Leader Development + Content at The Worship Initiative where equipping and encouraging worship leaders is his daily focus. He lives in Dallas, TX with his wife of 26 years, Elizabeth. Together they have 4 children. He is widely known for his songwriting, worship leading, and recording career, which still play a big role in his life & ministry. His heart for the church and the men and women who lead worship in local churches has led him to devote much of his time and energy to mentoring young leaders/songwriters.
ROBBIE SEAY
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Adam is a producer, songwriter, and guitarist at The Worship Initiative. He has spent the last 10 years working with artists like Shane & Shane, Phil Wickham, Jimmy Needham, The Newsboys, and Tasha Layton. In addition to his work as a guitar player, Adam works as a counselor. His passion, both in music and counseling, is to help people experience the love of God in the everyday moments of life.
ADAM WESTLAKE
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Sarah Benibo has over 20 years of experience in music ministry. For 18 years she was one-third of a gospel trio called God's Chosen. They released three albums: “Love Ever After,” “1&6," and "God's Chosen.” Sarah graduated from Perkins School of Theology (SMU) where she received a master's degree in Sacred Music. She is currently the worship pastor at Embassy City Church in Dallas, Texas where she lives with her husband and their two children.
SARAH BENIBO
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Bio coming soon.
JACK THWEATT
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Lauren Sloat, born and raised in Detroit, MI, is widely recognized by her artist name Fleurie. She has gained significant recognition for her TV and film placements on popular shows like Grey's Anatomy and Pretty Little Liars. Lauren has collaborated with notable producer Tommee Profitt on a cover of Linkin Park's 2001 single "In the End," which has amassed over 75 billion streams.
Singing all her life, Lauren's greatest passion is to glorify Jesus and help others encounter His love. She actively contributes to her home church, The Belonging Co, by helping write and release music. Now residing in Nashville, TN, Lauren lives with her husband, Jordan and their toy poodle Rosie.
LAUREN SLOAT
“As a first-time attender, I left feeling energized, challenged, and inspired by not only the creativity present but also the spirit of community and helpfulness that was present.”
- Kara L
Workshop Topics
Developing and Deploying Volunteers in Worship Ministry: 5 Keys to Turn Your Farm Team into a Dream Team
Brian Taylor, Slingshot Group
Do you ever find it challenging to bring out the best in your volunteer worship team members? Join us for a conversation on effectively training volunteers in worship ministry. We'll talk through five mistakes worship leaders make that cap their team's potential, learn how to create the appropriate space for developing leaders and discover how to master the art of meaningful feedback and support. You'll walk away with practical steps to nurture a vibrant, connected team ready to help you take your ministry to the next level.
Key Takeaways
Understand a biblical perspective that should shape your approach to developing volunteers, making their serving (and your leadership) more impactful and effective.
Explore practical ways to create environments where great leaders naturally emerge, making leadership development feel like less of a struggle.
Master the art of giving feedback that actually helps your team grow, navigating through setbacks, and keeping your team engaged and committed.
Understanding the Role of the Worship Leader
Many of us became worship leaders believing 90% of the job was leading songs on a stage and 10% was all the other stuff. In reality, it’s completely the opposite for most leaders.
Let’s take a deeper look at the complexities of the worship leader role in the modern church, considering three areas of focus: the MUSICIAN, the MINISTER, and the MULTIPLIER. Understanding this role and knowing how to disciple and equip young leaders is a non-negotiable for the future of worship in the church.
Key Takeaways
Learn to reorient yourself to what a Worship Leader is, does, and what the church is demanding from the role.
Develop a growth plan for worship leaders that meets the demands of the modern church.
Learn to acknowledge that leadership growth AND a plurality of leadership in worship ministry are both essential and overdue.
Take a leadership assessment to identify specific areas of growth within the Musician, Minister, and Multiplier framework.
Robbie Seay, EVP of Leader Development & Content | The Worship Initiative
Developing & Discipling Your Worship Team
There was no greater discipler than Jesus. In this workshop, we will study Jesus' discipleship strategy and apply His method to our modern-day context.
Key Takeaways
Understand the importance of making praying for your team a priority.
Learn effective methods for getting to know your team.
Learn the importance of challenging your team.
Sarah Benibo, Worship Leader & Writer | Embassy City
Music is a language, and learning the grammar of music is vital. Understanding the basics of diatonic harmony will prepare you to more quickly learn and execute the songs you need. Learning Nashville Numbers will make you a more effective, efficient, and flexible musician.
Key Takeaways
Learn the anatomy of the major scale and how this forms a basis for understanding chord structure.
Understand common tones between chords in a given key to create unique voicings and to improve your chord phrasing.
Learn the basics of Nashville Numbers to help you be able to change keys on the fly.
Adam Westlake, Producer | The Worship Initiative
Nashville Numbers System
Choirs have been the cornerstone of church music for centuries. But in a world of modern contemporary worship, and perfectly polished Sunday production, what role, if any, can choir play in our current worship format? Let’s take a dive into the history of Church music, the role of choir in the Church, and the advantages of embracing the choir.
Key Takeaways
Learn the role that choir has played in the history of Church music.
Examine the asset that choir can be to your Sunday gathering and building up the next generation of worship leaders.
Explore practical steps to building a choir, creating a healthy culture, and maximizing the impact through production.
Jack Thweatt, Co-Founder & CEO | Called