How To Build A Thriving Worship Culture in 2026 with Michael Bethany
Release Date: 05/13/2026
How To Build A Thriving Worship Culture in 2026 with Michael Bethany
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
When I accepted my first worship leader position over 20 years ago, I thought worship was all about the stage. Pick the right songs. Have the best musicians. Seamless transitions. Dial in your click and track system to perfection. While there’s nothing wrong with those dynamics - there was something I wasn’t considering. Worship culture. Now…culture has become a cliche - a buzzword, so to speak. But culture is the environment you steward. It’s the conditions you create to shape the people who are a part of your team. And that matters a lot. So today, we’re going to talk about worship...
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The Tension Between Organizational Progress And Pastoral Care Within The Church with Michael Olson
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
Topics Covered: Developing a theology of suffering The highs and lows of growing up Pentecostal What we can learn about Spirit and Truth from Eugene Peterson The diversity of the body of Christ within the attractional mega church, reformed church, and Pentecostal church The tension between organizational progress and pastoral care The story behind Michael's book title, "Daddy Set The Church on Fire" Resources Mentioned: Show Sponsor: by Michael Charles Olson by Michael Charles Olson Show Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Planning Center, helping you sync all your ministry...
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What Native Culture And Indigenous Theology Can Teach Us About Following Jesus with Terry Wildman
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
Part of what I love to do with this podcast is highlight some voices that often get overlooked. Cultures that are often pushed to the margins of influence in the Church but have so much to offer us. Today I’m speaking with Terry Wildman. Terry is the Lead Translator of the First Nations Version of the Bible. Currently there is a New Testament and Psalms and Proverbs available. And the Old Testament is currently being developed. Terry is a man with native ancestry who grew up in Michigan, was saved during the Jesus Movement, and became pastor early on in his life. What’s fascinating about...
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Beating Procrastination with Jon Acuff
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
Humans disagree on a lot of things. Religion. Politics. The best brand of peanut butter. But if there’s one area where we can find some common ground, it’s productivity. Getting stuff done. We all - to a certain degree - have to cross items off our to-do list. Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent, Fortune 500 CEO, pastor, or entrepreneur, you have to take action on the goals that matter to you. That’s why I’m talking to author/speaker Jon Acuff. He’s written a book called Procrastination Proof that simultaneously makes me feel seen and convicted at the same time. You see, I’m a...
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The Bible: How To Read It, Understand It, & Build A Daily Habit Around It with Zach Windahl
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
Topics Covered: Zach's journey of coming to Christ Following Jesus and suffering Why we need to understand the historical context of the Bible How to read the Bible accurately Out of context Bible verses The clumsiness of prayer How to create a habit of prayer and Bible reading Coffee routines Resources Mentioned: Show Sponsor: by Zach Windahl by Cal Newport by Charles Duhigg by James Clear Show Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Planning Center, helping you sync all your ministry details across your whole church. Planning Center has become so essential to how I manage a...
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Worship Leader State Of The Union with Chris Kuti
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
Topics 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: Show Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Planning Center, an all-in-one church management...
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Leadership Lessons For All From The History Of The Black Church with L. Michelle Smith
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
Something I am so grateful for is the leadership experience I received growing up in the church. From a young age, I got involved in worship teams. I led small groups. I developed skills. I was put on stages I had no business being on. Church wasn’t just a weekly service we attended. It was a leadership incubator. L. Michelle Smith has written a new book called Call And Response: 10 Leadership Lessons From the Black Church. In it she discusses how the Black Church has historically developed high level business leaders. The book borrows from culture, neuroscience, and positive psychology to...
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Making Worship Music That Doesn't Sound Like Worship Music with Trip Lee
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
There’s an argument that has gone around for decades and it revolves around the idea of how much worship music do we need? Do we have enough? On the one hand, yes, we have more worship music than we’ll ever be able to use in our Sunday morning services. And there’s also the argument that worship music is the most lucrative music in Christian music. I don’t think that can be debated. So while there are business and industry incentives to make worship music that will always exist at the intersection of Christianity and industry, what is the biblical perspective? What does the Bible teach...
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Uncommon & Creative Ways to Reimagine Your Worship Services with Dr. David O. Taylor
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
Topics Covered: The difference between formation and experience in worship Why our current model of worship experiences isn't wrong, but inadequate The value of silence in our gatherings Why we need artists in the church Creative ways to introduce silence, reflection, and community in our worship spaces The kinds of songs the church needs to be singing today Resources Mentioned: Show Sponsor: by W. David O. Taylor 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...
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Evangelicalism, Justice Work, And Red Letter Christianity with Brittany Packnett Cunningham
Beyond Sunday Worship Podcast
Topics Covered: Brittany's faith tradition growing up The need for liberation theology and what it means for the local church The importance of unlearning and contextualizing theology Noticing how white supremacy undermines the prosperity of black people The defunding of HBCUs and what that means for black thriving in America What it means to be a red letter Christian Politics and faith The prophetic witness of the Black Church Resources Mentioned: Show Sponsor: by C. Eric Lincoln & Lawrence H. Mamiya by Kristen Kobes Du Mez Show Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Planning...
info_outlineWhen I accepted my first worship leader position over 20 years ago, I thought worship was all about the stage. Pick the right songs. Have the best musicians. Seamless transitions. Dial in your click and track system to perfection. While there’s nothing wrong with those dynamics - there was something I wasn’t considering. Worship culture. Now…culture has become a cliche - a buzzword, so to speak. But culture is the environment you steward. It’s the conditions you create to shape the people who are a part of your team. And that matters a lot.
So today, we’re going to talk about worship team culture. My guest is Michael Bethany. Michael is an award winning songwriter, artist, and worship leader. Michael coaches worship leaders and teams all over the world. We talk about how to build a healthy worship culture in 2026, developing leadership pipelines, spontaneous worship, celebrating diversity in the church, and why we need to bring back rehearsals!
Topics Covered:
- Michael's journey to faith in Christ
- Michael's early influences
- The posture of a worship leader
- Developing a leadership pipeline in your church
- What worship leaders are struggling with
- Creating systems in your worship ministry
- Working on your ministry instead of working in it
- How to do spontaneous worship well
- Why we need to bring back rehearsals
Resources Mentioned:
- Show Sponsor: Dwell Bible (Click HERE for up to 50% off)
- Show Sponsor: Planning Center
- Sanctuary by Michael Bethany
- Michael Bethany website
Show Sponsor: Dwell Bible
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