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David Leonard on Creating in Community, Corporate Worship, & the Challenges of Being an Artist

Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast

Release Date: 03/10/2025

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...

info_outline The Truth About the American Church's Complicity in Racism (And Where We Go From Here) show art The Truth About the American Church's Complicity in Racism (And Where We Go From Here)

Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast

Today’s conversation is with historian, author, and activist Dr. Jemar Tisby. Early in 2025 I decided to read more history. Call it curiosity or wanting more context to our current political moment, I started to devour books about the Civil War and eventually more books about the Civil Rights era. One of those books was The Color of Compromise: The Truth About the American Church’s Complicity in Racism. And to be honest, I was blown away by this book. Mainly because I had never learned this stuff growing up. I’d learned history…but I hadn’t learned this history. Why does this matter?...

info_outline Church Styles, Worship Styles, & Multi-Generational Setlists with Lizzie Morgan show art Church Styles, Worship Styles, & Multi-Generational Setlists with Lizzie Morgan

Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast

Today’s conversation is returning to our roots at BSW - talking with a worship leader about worship. We’ve been talking to academics and historians - which we will continue to do - but sometimes it feels good to throw it back and have a good ole worship leader conversation. Lizzie Morgan is a gifted young worship leader who grew up in the church and has been singing her whole life. She auditioned for Lauren Daigle, sang with Lauren, and has since been a part of tours with Maverick City, Red Worship, and various other groups. I loved this conversation because of where it went. If you know...

info_outline Why The Early Church Didn't Have Worship Services: A Conversation with Dr. Tom Wadsworth show art Why The Early Church Didn't Have Worship Services: A Conversation with Dr. Tom Wadsworth

Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast

As a young worship leader, I used to ask myself the question: “Why is worship such a big deal?” Not in the sense of “God isn’t worthy of it…” but I realized there were no worship leaders in the Bible. Lots of singing. And our church gatherings are built around worship. And there’s a worship industry. And a constant stream of songs and songwriters. It’s a big deal in our modern church culture. I consoled myself with the thought that God is worthy of it. We sing so much because he’s worthy. We write so many songs because he’s worthy. We have so many services because he’s...

info_outline The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy with Dr. Matthew D. Taylor show art The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy with Dr. Matthew D. Taylor

Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast

Topics Covered: C. Peter Wagner and the alliance between church growth and charismatic theology The New Apostolic Reformation and why it's important we understand it A definition of Dominion Theology The Seven Mountain Mandate and how popular this ideology is Why not all charismatic/pentecostal movements and theology are dangerous Paula White and the prosperity Gospel The proper context of Mathew 11:12 The problem with partnering American politics with Christian extremism How we got to where we are today with "apostles" and "prophets" Why charismatic Christianity is so fixated on revival Che...

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Topics Covered:

  • The story behind David's new studio
  • The importance of creating in community
  • The challenges of being a Christian artist in 2025
  • What is exciting about worship music today
  • Challenges with worship music today

Resources Mentioned:

Show Sponsor:

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.

So go to planningcenter.com to use People for free.