How To Build A Thriving Worship Culture in 2026 with Michael Bethany
Release Date: 05/13/2026
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...
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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...
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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