Worship Leader State Of The Union with Chris Kuti
Release Date: 03/10/2026
The Hopeful Alternative to Christian Nationalism And Deconstruction with Pastor Brian Zahnd
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
A question I have wrestled with is…what makes the CHURCH different in the midst of our modern culture? What makes our local churches different than what other organizations have to offer? What happens when our local churches become oriented merely towards pragmatism? That’s what I talk about with Pastor and Author Brian Zahnd. Brian is the pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, MO and is no stranger to the Beyond Sunday Podcast. He has a new book called Unseen Existences: Of Heaven, Earth, and the Divine Mystery in All Things. This is a conversation about the church. About the Bible....
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The Worship Industry, Christian Music, & Rediscovering Faith with Gable Price
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
If you’ve listened to this podcast at all in the past, you probably have some connection to either Christian music or worship music. Maybe you love it and worship music and Christian radio helps you get through the day. Maybe you’re a worship leader, always on the lookout for great worship songs for your church to sing. But maybe you have a love/hate relationship with the Christian music industry. You’ve been burned by it. You’ve seen how the sausage is made. This is a tension I hold. I love worship music. It’s been deeply formative in my life. But there is a current that exists...
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Christian Resilience, Women In Ministry, And The Attractiveness of Anglicanism With Tish Harrison Warren
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
I think so many of us are longing for a faith that meets us right where we are. A faith that we can practice in school car line. At work. On a hospital bed. During a pandemic. A faith that is not merely escapism or triumphalism but a real faith in Christ that works not for the benefits it gives us, but for the ways it opens us up to the mystery of God. A faith that leaves room for questions, doubts, and one in which we don’t have to perform to perfection. That’s why I love the writing of Tish Harrison Warren. Listen to these book titles: Liturgy of the Ordinary. Prayer In The Night. And...
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Why We Need Anabaptism And The Black Church with Rev. Dr. Drew G.I. Hart
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
Not all spiritual formation is created equal. Just because you read your Bible, pray, and go to church every Sunday does not mean you are being renewed - as Colossians 3:10 says - in the image and knowledge of your creator. A very good litmus test for us as followers of Jesus is…do we look like Jesus? Do we love what Jesus loved? Do we love whom Jesus loved? Do we speak as Jesus spoke? Do we embody what Jesus lived and died for? That has been the historical definition of a Christian for generations: little Christs. With the rise of Christian nationalism in our present day, many outside...
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Jesus And Therapy, Psychology And Theology with Kate Willsey
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
When I was a young teenager, I heard a traveling evangelist say the best form of therapy was speaking in tongues. The preacher at the time was criticizing modern therapy as unchristian and, ultimately unnecessary. We don’t need to sit in rooms and endless unpack our problems and our past trauma. What people need more than anything - he said - is the presence of God. I understand the sentiment. I love the presence of God. I believe there is tremendous value in spiritual disciplines, practices, and experiences with God. But what happens to our formation as people when we are trained to be...
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The Unimpressive, Faithful, And Authentic Worship Leader With Paul Baloche
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
I remember my days as a young worship leader. There was always this unspoken tension between being performative and pastoral. Is it my job as a worship leader to provide a powerful, exciting experience or to guide them in a healthy practice for their spiritual formation? When we say worship was really good this week, what do we mean? If you lead worship, you know the tension. When you put a singer or musician on a stage, under the lights, it is by definition a performance. Performance is not a bad thing,but we, at the same time feel uncomfortable talking about performance when it comes to...
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Empire, Resistance, And Faith On The Margins With Kat Armas
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
If you’re like me, a child of the 80s, you grew up watching Star Wars. I understood a lot about Star Wars but what I didn’t understand at the time was how political it was. The empire and the rebellion. Resistance. Fighting for the underdog and the oppressed. Fighting for an alternative way of being that is not dictated by empire. One of my goals with this podcast is to create a diverse platform of voices within the church. Voices on the margins. Artists on the margins. Theologians on the margins. One of those important voices is author and Cuban-American theologian Kat Armas. One of my...
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The Uncomfortable Intersection Of Business And Worship with Anna Golden
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
The idea of worship is simple. Uncomplicated. When you think about it, worship is ascribing worth to someone or something. As people of faith, we ascribe to God the worth, praise and adoration that He is due. But worship that intersects with industry and organizations is inherently complicated. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong. That the worship industry is wrong or all mega church worship is unbiblical. What it means that it’s complicated and it’s worth the wrestle. Today’s guest is Anna Golden - a worship leader, songwriter, and artist. Anna is a worship leader at Shoreline City Church...
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Spiritual Formation, Art, And The Beauty And The Tragedy of Worship Music with John Mark McMillan
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
Throughout church history there has always been an interesting tension between creativity and functionality. What is more important? Creating beautiful things or getting a certain message across? What is more important to worship? Right theology or beautiful art that displays the glory of God? Do we need better theology in our songs or more honesty? We intuitively know this is a tension to manage, not a problem to solv e. No one would argue that theology doesn’t matter. But has our pursuit of rightness caused us to lose some imagination? Some humanity? Has our church culture fixation...
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Pastoring Border Patrol Agents And Immigrants With Evan Wickham
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
I’m not a Lead Pastor, but I can’t imagine anything more difficult than pastoring in today’s political climate. We feel that these days are unique, but in reality they are not. History has much to teach us. Occasionally I like to bring Lead Pastors onto the podcast to talk about how they’re navigating cultural issues. My guest today is Evan Wickham. Evan is the older brother of Phil Wickham, also a worship leader and songwriter, and the pastor of Park Hill Church in San Diego, California. Here’s what’s interesting: In his very church, he has a Christian Border Patrol Agent and...
info_outlineTopics Covered:
- How Chris got started in Worship ministry
- How the explosion of a worship industry has malformed us for local church ministry
- Why we need Worship Pastors in the church
- What unique challenges Worship Leaders are facing today
- The downsides to the seeker sensitive movement in the American Church
- How worship leaders and lead pastors can develop a healthy partnership
- Leadership skills every worship pastor needs to develop in a multisite context
Resources Mentioned:
- Show Sponsor: Planning Center
- Chris Kuti Instagram
- Multitracks
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, good communication is key to building a strong worship team. You can cultivate relationships while ensuring everyone has what they need to successfully prep for your services.
But why not take it up a notch using the chat feature?
Built right into the Services mobile app—which, by the way, you should totally download if you haven’t already—chat helps you coordinate all the service details with your team. Plus, you can have fun while doing it!
No more juggling emails, group texts, and multiple apps to ensure your whole team is aligned. Chat will simplify your communication in one convenient place through the Services mobile app. And everyone can ask questions, request prayer, or join the banter in real-time with one another.
The really cool part about chatting with your teams? Team members are dynamically added or removed from conversations as availability changes!
So if your original bass player suddenly declines (why is it so hard to find a bass player, anyway?), your newly scheduled bass player is automatically added to the chat conversation.
All of your chat conversations stay in sync. No more outdated group thre