What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Worship Pastor | Conversations With a Worship Pastor Part I
Release Date: 02/04/2026
How to Disciple Your Team When You're Always On Stage | Conversations With a Worship Pastor Part II
Churchfront Podcast
Follow Churchfront on Instagram or TikTok: @churchfront Follow on Twitter: @realchurchfront Musicbed SyncID: MB01VWQ69XRQNSN How to Disciple Your Team When You're Always On Stage - Part 2 Episode Description In part two of this worship pastor conversation, Matt and Sean Bennett tackle the practical realities of leading volunteers, building sustainable systems, and avoiding burnout. They discuss how to disciple a team of 30 people when you can only really pour into 5 or 6, why production should enhance worship without becoming the focus, and why planning doesn't limit the Holy...
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What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Worship Pastor | Conversations With a Worship Pastor Part I
Churchfront Podcast
Follow Churchfront on Instagram or TikTok: @churchfront Follow on Twitter: @realchurchfront Musicbed SyncID: MB01VWQ69XRQNSN What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Worship Pastor - Part 1 Episode Description Matt sits down with Sean Bennett, one of the newest members of the Churchfront team and a 16-year worship ministry veteran, to talk about what it's really like to lead worship and production teams. In part one of this two-part conversation, they discuss what to look for when stepping into a new worship pastor role, navigating the tension between excellence and authenticity, and...
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From Solo to 10+ Staff: Leadership Lessons for Church Leaders
Churchfront Podcast
Follow Churchfront on Instagram or TikTok: @churchfront Follow on Twitter: @realchurchfront Musicbed SyncID: MB01VWQ69XRQNSN Podcast Notes: Leadership & Scaling from Solo to 10+ Team Members with Jake Gosselin Overview Matt interviews Jake Gosselin about growing Churchfront from a one-person YouTube channel into a 10+ person church AVL systems integration company. They talk through leadership growth, hiring, delegation, and how to maintain vision while scaling, with direct parallels to church leadership. Key Topics & Timestamps Vision as the Foundation (00:00–05:32) ...
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Carey Nieuwhof - Churchfront Leadership Podcast
Churchfront Podcast
Follow Churchfront on Instagram or TikTok: @churchfront Follow on Twitter: @realchurchfront Musicbed SyncID: MB01VWQ69XRQNSN Carey Nieuwhof Interview - Podcast Notes Overview Conversation with Carey Nieuwhof about the shift in modern church worship from entertainment-focused to encounter-focused experiences, live streaming strategy, and church growth in the digital age. Key Themes 1. The Shift: Entertainment vs. Encounter The Problem with Modern Church Production Social media created a "copycat phase" where churches could suddenly see what megachurches were doing Churches...
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The Surprising Connection Between Online Views and Church Growth
Churchfront Podcast
Follow Churchfront on Instagram or TikTok: @churchfront Follow on Twitter: @realchurchfront Musicbed SyncID: MB01VWQ69XRQNSN Episode Title The Surprising Connection Between Online Views and Church Growth Episode Description Matt and Jake dive into The Unstuck Group's Q3 2025 report analyzing 252 churches to uncover surprising connections between worship style, online streaming, and church growth. Discover why declining churches juggle multiple worship styles, how online views predict growth, and why the cost barrier for quality streaming has never been lower. Key Takeaways 76% of...
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Leading with Thick Skin and a Soft Heart with Kent Morris
Churchfront Podcast
Follow Churchfront on Instagram or TikTok: @churchfront Follow on Twitter: @realchurchfront Musicbed SyncID: MB01VWQ69XRQNSN
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Live Streaming Mix SECRETS with Kent Morris
Churchfront Podcast
Follow Churchfront on Instagram or TikTok: @churchfront Follow on Twitter: @realchurchfront Musicbed SyncID: MB01VWQ69XRQNSN
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How to Have HARD Conversations with Your Worship Team
Churchfront Podcast
Follow Churchfront on Instagram or TikTok: @churchfront Follow on Twitter: @realchurchfront Musicbed SyncID: MB01VWQ69XRQNSN
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A Conversation with Josh Howerton and Chris Kuti of Lakepointe Church
Churchfront Podcast
Follow Churchfront on Instagram or TikTok: @churchfront Follow on Twitter: @realchurchfront Musicbed SyncID: MB01VWQ69XRQNSN Podcast Show Notes: The Future of Church Leadership with Josh Howerton and Chris Kuti Guests: Josh Howerton (Senior Pastor) and Chris Kuti (Worship Pastor) from LakePoint Church Hosts: Jake Gosselin and Matt Woltjer from Churchfront Key Topics Discussed AI in Ministry (00:02:15) Josh's approach: Uses ChatGPT weekly for sermon prep as a "high-powered research assistant" Prompt strategy: "Give me 20 interesting facts about [passage] that are historical,...
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Churchfront Talks: Modern Church Architecture
Churchfront Podcast
Podcast Notes - Jesus Image Church Construction Discussion Episode Overview Jake and Matt discuss Jesus Image Church's impressive $44 million building project in Orlando, featuring traditional Gothic-inspired architecture and innovative tilt-up construction techniques. Key Discussion Points Traditional Church Architecture Revival Jesus Image Church building actually looks like a church (rare in modern construction) Gothic architecture elements with arched windows Stone facade reminiscent of historical church construction Departure from typical strip mall/warehouse church designs Tilt-Up...
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What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Worship Pastor - Part 1
Episode Description
Matt sits down with Sean Bennett, one of the newest members of the Churchfront team and a 16-year worship ministry veteran, to talk about what it's really like to lead worship and production teams. In part one of this two-part conversation, they discuss what to look for when stepping into a new worship pastor role, navigating the tension between excellence and authenticity, and how to lead a production team you can never actually be with.
Both Matt and Sean have led in large churches, small churches, and multi-site churches. They've both been the worship pastor who also had to somehow lead the tech team. This conversation pulls back the curtain on the real challenges worship pastors face and offers practical wisdom for anyone in church production or worship leadership.
In This Episode
- What to look for when interviewing for a worship pastor role - Why you need to see people at their worst before taking the job, and the red flags Sean wishes he'd paid more attention to
- Excellence vs. authenticity - How to define excellence in a way that doesn't lead to perfectionism, and why "doing the best you can with what you have" changes everything
- The worship/production leadership dilemma - Why churches should stop hiring one person to do both roles, and what to do if you're already in that position
- You're a pastor first - Why your primary objective is discipleship, not musicianship, and how that changes the way you lead your team
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction: Meet Sean Bennett
03:27 - What I'd Do Differently Stepping Into a New Role
08:04 - The Tension Between Excellence and Authenticity
13:16 - Leading a Production Team You Can Never Be With
18:15 - You're a Pastor First, Leader Second
Key Quotes
"Excellence is doing the best you can with what you have. That starts with being honest about what you actually have."
"If you're leading people, you are a pastor. Your primary objective is discipleship - helping someone become more like Jesus."
"There are some churches that could not pay me enough to work for them. And knowing that ahead of time is a good thing."
Resources Mentioned
- Working Genius Assessment by Patrick Lencioni
- Churchfront free courses at churchfront.com
Connect With Us
Visit churchfront.com for free church production training and resources
This is part 1 of 2. Watch part 2 for more on discipling your team, building sustainable systems, and avoiding burnout.