The Worship Lab Podcast

The Worship Lab is a podcast for worship leaders. Michael and Sam explore the practical and spiritual aspects of leading a team and a congregation in worship through music.

THE END IS HERE 01/24/2018

THE END IS HERE Well, we had a good run, but all mediocre things must come to an end. This will be the final episode of WLP. Michael explains his transition from Houston's First into his new position, the guys discuss whether or not the show has served it's purpose, and some other final thoughts. We hope you've enjoyed it as much as we have. Please write in and tell us what the show has meant to you. Stay in touch: Michael's email is Sam's email is /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/6180305

Pastoral Care 01/10/2018

Pastoral Care In addition to whining about keyboards being hidden in piano shells, Michael and Sam have a conversation about pastoral care and specifically about hospital visits. /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/6130969

Head, Heart, and Hands 01/03/2018

Head, Heart, and Hands As a part of the ongoing discussion about how to define a "win" for worship services, Sam leads a conversation about worshipping with our head, heart, and hands. www.worshiplabpodcast.com /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/6107886

What key is "Revelation Song" in? 12/27/2017

What key is "Revelation Song" in? This week, the guys give a crash (and we mean crash) course in scales and modes. We hope it helps. /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/6036866

The Worst Christmas Songs of All Time 12/20/2017

The Worst Christmas Songs of All Time Michael and Sam start sounding like Ebenezer Scrooge on this episode where they countdown the top 20 worst Christmas songs of all time. Ho ho ho... Now I have a machine gun. /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/6032851

The Best Christmas Songs of All Time (according to Michael and Sam) 12/13/2017

The Best Christmas Songs of All Time (according to Michael and Sam) Michael and Sam countdown their top 20 favorite Christmas songs of all time. Merry Christmas! /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/6032838

Oh My Gosh, It's Paul Baloche! 12/06/2017

Oh My Gosh, It's Paul Baloche! Paul Baloche joins the guys this week for a conversation that covers a wide range of topics. Paul has a great heart for the Lord and for church musicians. We hope you enjoy it! Check out if you haven't yet and be sure to get a copy of Paul's latest release "For Unto Us (Christmas Worship Live from London)". Info here: As always, reach out to us via our home on the web: /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/6013060

Singers w/ Liz Trask 11/29/2017

Singers w/ Liz Trask Liz Trask joins the guys this week for a conversation about Singers - a small choir that leads with the band at Houston's First. Liz shares her approach to leading that group and some of the benefits of having a vocal ensemble on the platform with a contemporary band. /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5984145

Combating Cynicism 11/22/2017

Combating Cynicism Cynicism is a common problem among church musicians, and Michael and Sam aren't immune its siren song. Here are some practical ways to help protect your ministry from the often-inescapable pit of cynicism. /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5967138

Congregational Pet Peeves About Worship Leaders 11/15/2017

Congregational Pet Peeves About Worship Leaders This week, Sam and Michael work their way through a list of pet peeves - things that congregants find annoying about their worship leaders. Meh, what do they know?! /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5941105

Debrief 11/08/2017

Debrief This week, Michael and Sam talk about how to have a healthy debrief of your worship services. Check out our website below and be sure to leave us an honest FIVE STAR review on iTunes. /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5915379

When and How to Quit w/ Zac Hufty 11/01/2017

When and How to Quit w/ Zac Hufty Everyone wants to quit their job at some point. Michael and Sam are joined by Zac Hufty (who works with Michael at HFBC Cypress) on this episode to discuss when it's appropriate to leave and how one should go about doing that. To be clear though, you might should just stay. Pray about it. Please don't use this episode as an excuse to make a rash decision. Unless that means you hurriedly leave us an honest FIVE STAR review on iTunes. /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5849174

A Reformation of Worship - PART TWO 10/25/2017

A Reformation of Worship - PART TWO This is the second (and final) installment in Michael and Sam's misguided (but well-meaning) excursion into church history. Hope you enjoy it! /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5826185

A Reformation of Worship - PART ONE 10/18/2017

A Reformation of Worship - PART ONE Michael and Sam discuss the significance of the Reformation - does it matter for modern worship leaders? Look for the second part to this episode next week. /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5826124

Things Worship Leaders Want to Tell Pastors 10/11/2017

Things Worship Leaders Want to Tell Pastors Michael and Sam have a conversation this week about some things that may not be totally obvious to some pastors. This episode is based largely on the insightful work of Bob Kauflin from his blog post. Here's a link: Here's our home on the web: /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5775921

BONUS EPISODE: Worship Lab on Average Everyday Worship Leader 10/06/2017

BONUS EPISODE: Worship Lab on Average Everyday Worship Leader Michael and Sam were interviewed by Todd Wright on his show, The Average Everyday Worship Leader Podcast, and so we thought we would gravy-train and release this as a bonus episode. Hope you enjoy it! /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5808290

Some Advice for Older Worship Leaders w/ Todd Wright 10/04/2017

Some Advice for Older Worship Leaders w/ Todd Wright Todd Wright from the Average Everyday Worship Leader Podcast is trying to take over the show this week. Michael and Sam join him for a discussion about older worship leaders. We realize how absurd the idea of two guys in their early thirties giving advice to people with more experience. Also, Todd's new album is about to drop! Pick it up from iTunes on October 6th, which is also Todd's birthday. /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5804565

Advice for Young Worship Leaders 09/27/2017

Advice for Young Worship Leaders This week, Michael and Sam offer advice to younger folks in ministry. /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5775933

Leading From Electric Guitar 09/20/2017

Leading From Electric Guitar We've seen a lot of worship leaders trade in their acoustic guitars for electric guitars. Here's a few tips to keep you from jumping the shark. /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5732780

Can We Create a Movement? w/ Edward Pingenot 09/13/2017

Can We Create a Movement? w/ Edward Pingenot This week, Michael and Sam are joined by Edward Pingenot for a discussion about revival and spiritual awakening. Are we able to manufacture a move of God? /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5732774

The Song Remains the Same 09/06/2017

The Song Remains the Same Nostalgia time. Michael and Sam talk about (mostly) 90's worship songs that they think have held up. /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5710922

Scheduling/Rostering 08/30/2017

Scheduling/Rostering After a delightful listener mail, Michael and Sam attempt to address the topic of volunteer rotation. The key word is "attempt". /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5673685

Bonus Episode - Hurricane Harvey Update 08/28/2017

Bonus Episode - Hurricane Harvey Update Quick update from the guys... Praying for everyone's safety. /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5681021

Work Yourself Out of a Job 08/23/2017

Work Yourself Out of a Job Michael and Sam have a discussion about delegation this week on the show. Unfortunately, Michael couldn't find anyone to delegate writing this description. /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5665495

Modernizing Hymns w/ Johnny Simmons 08/16/2017

Modernizing Hymns w/ Johnny Simmons Veteran guest Johnny Simmons from Church of the Holy Trinity returns for a conversation/debate about the adaptation of hymns for modern congregations. /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5642026

Spiritual Disciplines 08/09/2017

Spiritual Disciplines Michael and Sam have a conversation about spiritual disciplines this week. We hope it's edifying. /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5618042

Introverts/Extroverts 08/02/2017

Introverts/Extroverts Michael and Sam interview each other on this week's episode. Sam is definitely an extrovert and Michael is an introvert... so how does this affect their leadership? /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5545252

Evangelism Ideas 07/26/2017

Evangelism Ideas Responding to a listener mail, the guys discuss how to evangelize better on and off the platform. /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5527270

Wesley's Rules for Singing 07/19/2017

Wesley's Rules for Singing This week, Michael and Sam walk through John Wesley's brilliant rules for singing. Check out our back catalog of episodes if you're new to the party! www.worshiplabpodcast.com /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5545235

Is There an Age Limit for Contemporary Worship Leaders? 07/12/2017

Is There an Age Limit for Contemporary Worship Leaders? Michael and Sam have a conversation about the tendency in churches to replace older players and worship leaders with younger people. /episode/index/show/worshiplabpodcast/id/5527261

The Worship Lab Podcast

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