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Nikki Lerner on Life After Full Time Ministry, Worship Culture Conundrums, & Fostering Multicultural Churches

Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast

Release Date: 02/05/2025

Ministry For The Down & Out, The Discarded, And The Underdog with Calvin Nowell show art Ministry For The Down & Out, The Discarded, And The Underdog with Calvin Nowell

Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast

Topics Covered: Calvin's journey as a worship leader The reality of starting music later in life Why we shouldn't be afraid of frequent new songs Why diversity is important How the Christian music industry needs to change Why God still has a plan for you The struggle of weight and image as a worship leader Resources Mentioned: Show Sponsor: Show Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Planning Center, an all-in-one church management software made to help churches help people. You can organize your ministries and keep everyone on your team communicating and aligned around what’s going...

info_outline When Worship Gets Political with David Gate show art When Worship Gets Political with David Gate

Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast

Topics Covered: When David first noticed the politicization of American worship music What David liked and disliked about the worship industry, as an insider The musician similarities and differences between worship music and Wagner How Hitler co-opted Wagner to serve his political agenda Why it's not crazy to consider how worship music can serve authoritarian regimes Paying attention to how worship music can manipulate a room The difference between empathy and worship Healthy and unhealthy triumphalism in church Debrief of the Charlie Kirk memorial and what we can learn from it Pro...

info_outline Why It's OK To Simplify Our Worship Experiences with Martha Munizzi show art Why It's OK To Simplify Our Worship Experiences with Martha Munizzi

Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast

What is the future of worship leading? How important are worship leaders and how will that role continue to develop in the future? No one really knows, but it’s worth reflecting on. My guest today is Martha Munizzi - veteran gospel artist, songwriter, worship leader and co-pastor at epic life church in Orlando. This is an interesting conversation because Martha has the perspective of a worship leader and a pastor. We talk about the tension of excellent worship experiences as it relates to church growth and simple congregational worship where the voice of the people take center stage....

info_outline How The Western Church Has Been Shaped to Resist Justice (And What We Can Do About it) with Joash P. Thomas show art How The Western Church Has Been Shaped to Resist Justice (And What We Can Do About it) with Joash P. Thomas

Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast

Justice - when you hear that word what do you think of? The word carries some baggage in the church today and has become highly politicized. Too much justice talk and you can be dismissed as Marxist, woke, or a proponent of the “unbiblical” social justice gospel. But if you can remove yourself from cultural baggage, read the Bible with fresh eyes, and look at the life of Jesus, you see justice everywhere. Justice was central to the life and mission of Jesus. And it should be to his followers as well. One of the best books I’ve read on the topic is a new book by Joash Thomas called ....

info_outline An Honest Look At The Systems That Shape The Church in America with Phillip Joubert show art An Honest Look At The Systems That Shape The Church in America with Phillip Joubert

Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast

One of my goals with this podcast is not simply to talk about the spiritual but also the systemic. One could argue that the two are actually intertwined. Can Christian spirituality thrive in the midst of a toxic system? Is it possible to be formed opposite the ways of Jesus while using the name of Jesus? These are important questions to wrestle with and hold up to cultural Christianity today. We must talk about the cultural systems we are shaped by. That’s not divisive or an attack of the enemy. The truth always shines a light. And the truth will always lead us to greater unity, even if some...

info_outline Music & Ministry After Hillsong with Matt Crocker show art Music & Ministry After Hillsong with Matt Crocker

Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast

Topics Covered: Matt's early years of punk band drumming How Matt connected with Joel Houston and Hillsong Church Staying childlike as a worship leader How to overcome insecurity The making of Matt's first solo project Matt's favorite Hillsong song he's been a part of Resources Mentioned: Show Sponsor: by Matt Crocker Show Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Planning Center, an all-in-one church management software made to help churches help people. You can organize your ministries and keep everyone on your team communicating and aligned around what’s going on. As a worship leader,...

info_outline What We Can All Learn From The Theological And Musical Tradition Of The Black Church with Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III show art What We Can All Learn From The Theological And Musical Tradition Of The Black Church with Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III

Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast

Part of my desire with this podcast is to highlight voices - important voices that may not break through into the Christian mainstream, but powerful and necessary voices nonetheless. One of those voices is the Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Dr Moss is a pastor, author, theologian, filmmaker and one of the very best preachers in America today. And I say that without hyperbole. In this interview I talk with Dr. Moss about the black theological tradition, the black church, black music history, black worship, and what the global church can learn from...

info_outline How Charisma Has Shaped American History and Church History with Molly Worthen show art How Charisma Has Shaped American History and Church History with Molly Worthen

Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast

What happens when Americans lose faith in their religious institutions - and politicians fill the void? As you study the scope of American history - and church history in America - you see an interesting connection to charisma. Charismatic leaders rise to prominence and galvanize a following. From the puritans and Andrew Jackson to black nationalists and Donald trump, the saga of American charisma stars figures who possess a bewildering power to move crowds. Charismatic leaders address spiritual needs, inviting followers into a story that gives them knowledge, power, and heroic status, whether...

info_outline How To Pastor Your Church Through Polarizing Political Times show art How To Pastor Your Church Through Polarizing Political Times

Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast

Topics Covered: The journey from Worship & Creative Pastor to Lead Pastor Transitioning from a white, suburban, homogenous church to an inner city, multicultural environment The cliche answer to ministry fruitfulness that shouldn't be a cliche The troubled and difficult history of ACAC and how they began to embrace diversity as a church How to address racism as a multicultural congregation How to pastor republicans and democrats in the same church Resources Mentioned: Show Sponsor: ACAC by Scott Sauls Show Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Planning Center, an all-in-one church...

info_outline Worship And Songwriting Trends Of The Last 15 Years show art Worship And Songwriting Trends Of The Last 15 Years

Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast

Topics Covered: Why many have a difficult time evaluating worship industry realities Worship trends in the 2010s How worship movements dominate a market Why influential worship movements may not write the best songs Why small songwriters and movements should feel empowered Worship songwriting trends in the 2020s Why songwriting has become more of a "family" endeavor What we can learn about the rise of Brandon Lake Why so few women are involved in the top worship songs The "Billy Graham rule" as it applies to songwriting Resources Mentioned: Show Sponsor: Show Sponsor: This episode...

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"We've made the list of everything that could go wrong. It's time to make the list of everything that could go right." - Nikki Lerner

Topics Covered:

  • What it's like to leave full time ministry after 20+ years
  • The challenge of doing ministry when you're paid to do it full time
  • The importance of creative outlets outside of the church
  • What to do when you're bored with worship music
  • Nikki's philosophy of worship
  • How to become a multicultural church
  • The difference between multi colored and multicultural
  • Mono-ethnocentricism and the worship industry

Resources Mentioned:

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My goal in this podcast is to help you grow as a worship leader. Of course that includes your formation, but it isn’t limited to that—it’s also with practical tools to help you in your ministry.

It’s hard to talk about being a worship leader without mentioning Planning Center. As you know, I’m a huge fan. A lot of you are already using Planning Center Services to schedule your volunteers, plan your worship services, and give your team the tools they need to learn their music. But with Planning Center People, you can stay even more engaged with your volunteers and anyone looking for how to get plugged in.

First, some good news: People is completely free with any Planning Center subscription. No, you didn’t hear me wrong—it’s free. Second, some better news: you can use People to add new volunteers to your teams quickly and automatically.

In People, you can make forms for anyone interested in volunteering, put them in a step-by-step training workflow, and then automatically add them to Services to schedule them for the right team. And that’s just one way you can use People. From sending automated emails and seeing church-wide engagement to organizing your member database and keeping information up-to-date, there’s tons you can do.