Worship Online Podcast (For Worship Leaders)

He walked into his new church in Nashville, watched the worship team, and his first thought was: good, nobody needs me here.

That is the American Idol runner up talking. He had just come off a national stage, and what he felt was relief.

So he served on the parking team instead.

In this conversation Clark Beckham talks about the tension of getting pulled onto a platform before you are ready, why he calls himself an octagon peg in a round hole, and how he got free of the guilt of not being...

Every person on their worship team has an expiration date. 

At Southeastern University, students audition, get developed, lead for a couple of years, then graduate. The team rebuilds itself constantly. It still works. 

Chelsea and Austin, who everyone calls Shuff, lead SEU Worship, a campus ministry of sixty to eighty college students leading chapel three and four times a week. 

In this conversation you'll hear how they frame excellence as 'prepare the offering,' a holy practice instead of a performance standard. 

How five staff develop thirty-plus student leaders, who then deve...

Paul Baloche has been leading worship for over thirty years. He will also tell you there were many, many weeks he never sat down with the Lord on his own, then stood on a platform anyway and said, "Hey guys, let's worship the Lord." 

He borrows his wife's line for it: busyness is the enemy of intimacy. 

Paul wrote "Open the Eyes of My Heart," "Above All," and "Hosanna," and spent twenty five years as worship pastor at one church of a few hundred people while turning down offers from much bigger ones. 

He...

The best piano player in your church might be the wrong person for your team. 

Keith makes the case that an audition is not American Idol. It's the first thing that teaches someone what kind of team they're joining, before they ever play a note. 

You'll hear how to build an application that asks about someone's story and not just their instrument, the everyday conversation questions that quietly reveal character, starting with what song they listened to on the way over, and the four honest ways to respond after audition day so nobody walks out gu...

Put a bunch of similarly gifted people on one worship team and something quietly goes bad.

Jordan Howerton calls it poison: the jealousy and comparison that takes root when you start wondering why someone else got that campus, that song, that recording.

He also thinks celebration is the antidote, and his teams practice it out loud at every huddle.

In this conversation: why CCV sings the same songs at all 18 campuses but lets each leader arrange them for their own room, why he tells anyone stepping into a new church not to change...

A hole on the platform is easier to fix than a hole in your team's culture. 

Keith Elgin learned that one the hard way, and he made a list of the other nine things he wishes every worship leader knew. 

You'll get his case for why your worship ministry doesn't need its own vision, only a clear read on your church's. Why the hard conversation you're avoiding right now becomes next year's crisis. And why eventually you shouldn't be the best musician in the room, plus how insecurity quietly keeps you there. 

He also pushes o...

The song that broke him out is called Slow Me Down.

He posted it on Instagram, and his life hasn't been the same since. Which is a strange thing to build a career on, because everything about a platform says go faster.

Charles Weems is 23. He started leading worship at 14, and he still leads Sundays at a church of about 100 to 150 people while he travels the rest of the week.

In this conversation he talks about the year and a half he spent setting up sound gear in a middle school with one...

She got to her sister's apartment right behind the paramedics. She prayed with more faith than she had ever felt in her life, and the miracle didn't come.

Bethany Wohrle kept leading worship anyway. Then she opened a note on her phone, wrote down every angry, honest thing she was feeling, and that note became the bridge of a song.

Inside: Josh Baldwin's yellow light analogy that changed how she leads a room, the older man who could only lift his hands to his shoulders and felt God for the first time, and how she...

"You don't ever need to get up there and feel like, I got this."

That's DOE Jones on leading worship, and she means it as a good thing.

She grew up a pastor's kid, earned Grammy nominations with her family group Forever Jones, spent 12 years in youth ministry, and just made a record called Shiloh with three generations of her family on it.

In this conversation she unpacks what she calls posturing yourself like a landing strip: the space between having prepared hard and still asking God mid-set if he wants to change...

He gave the stage away on purpose. He still says it hurt more than he expected. 

Heath Michael Bottomly led worship for years before moving into senior leadership, and he is honest about what happened when the platform went away: he had no idea how much of his identity was sitting on it. 

You'll hear the one regret a mentor handed him about holding onto the stage too long, why churches keep hiring an artist when they think they are hiring a pastor, and what changes when a leader's real job becomes clearing roadblocks so th...

If your team can only be healthy when you're in the room, then your team isn't healthy yet.  

That's where this one starts. The unprepared team, the rehearsal that runs long because people showed up late, the communication lost somewhere between texts, email, and Planning Center. Somehow you end up being the solution to all of it. Keith makes a different case.  

A lot of your frustration isn't the people. You're frustrated that someone isn't doing something you've never actually clearly taught them to do. So he walks through 10 resources every worship team needs. Not 10 things to buy. Docu...

"You can sing the gospel and still not live it."  

That's the line that stopped Justin Roethlingshoefer cold when Brandon Lake and Phil Wickham told him they'd surrendered everything to God except their health. It was the one thing they were resisting, and the place their growth kept stalling.  

In this conversation you'll learn why your habits are just your identity made visible, and how that changes what you actually do on Monday. You'll hear the simple evening rhythm Justin uses to fix the wrecked sleep most worship leaders run on, the three-two-one rule that gets you into th...

Red Rocks Worship didn't start with an artist dream. It started with a disagreement over song sets. When the church opened a second campus, the worship leaders couldn't agree on what to sing. So they started meeting to pray together, and songs came out of that room.

In this conversation, Tyler Roberts unpacks how a logistics problem became a songwriting movement, how a church with campuses in Colorado, Texas, and Belgium manages the tension between creative freedom and alignment, and why he stays open handed with a team where people come and go.

Tyler is a...

You've seen a lot in ministry, and you think you have to choose between shutting down or running away. There is a better option.

Brett Younker has led worship at Passion City Church for more than 15 years, writing songs that have lived on Passion Music albums. His new record, Keep the Faith, came from one question: what is actually essential?

In this conversation you'll hear how Brett picks keys for a real room instead of chasing the highest note. Why a producer saying "sing to me like you're in your bedroom" reshaped the whole album...

Posting the setlist late doesn't just stress you out. It costs your drummer a Friday night with his kids.  

Teel Merrick spent 17 years as a music director and worship pastor before turning worship admin into his full time job. Now he lives inside other churches' Planning Center accounts all week, cleaning up chaos most leaders never see.  

In this conversation he breaks down his volunteer triangle: the three things every volunteer needs before Sunday (resources, information, expectations) and what goes wrong when one is missing. He walks through his Monday to Friday admin rhythm that l...

Your team is becoming whatever your decisions repeatedly produce. Not your best Sundays, your most consistent choices. 

Worship leadership doesn't happen when you stand up front. It happens Monday through Saturday, in five decisions you're making every week whether you realize it or not.  

Keith walks through all five: what winning looks like, who you develop, what gets celebrated, what gets corrected, and what gets reinforced. 

You'll hear why the biggest problem in most worship ministries isn't talent, it's a lack of top down clarity. Why unspoken expectations become resentment.

Somewhere along the way, worship leaders started believing they had to sound exactly like the recording.

Matt McCoy lived in that pressure too. He admits there was a season he cared more about the music than his band, hard on volunteers for missing a fill, and he says he burned people out doing it.

In this conversation, you'll hear why tracks quietly became a way to replace people instead of free them, and how to fix it.

You'll get the one band conversation that changes everything: asking your guitarist what they actually worked...

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You can play the same song a hundred times and still lose the plot. Or you can play it like it is the first time someone in the room has ever heard it.

That shift does not happen by accident. It is a posture. And it is something you can actually build.

Daniel Carson spent 24 years as the electric guitarist in Chris Tomlin's band. In this conversation we talk about what keeps a musician grounded, purposeful, and genuinely present no matter what stage they are standing on.

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This episode started as a conversation about vocals. It became something every musician on your worship team needs to hear.

In this episode of the Worship Online Podcast, Keith sits down with Shelby Rollins, founder of Master Vocal, to talk about what it really means to steward your instrument well. We start with the voice: sleep, diet, Sunday morning prep, and why training on a treadmill might be the most underrated vocal habit you've never tried.

But the deeper conversation is about something every musician on your team...

Kristian Stanfill has been leading worship at Passion Conference for a long time. He's seen God move in ways most worship leaders only read about. And yet, the thing he keeps coming back to isn't the stage. It's the secret place.

In this episode, Keith Elgin sits down with Kristian to talk about the new Passion album Just That Good, what it looks like to prepare for something as massive as Passion Conference while still staying open-handed, and how Kristian's personal journey of healing changed the way he leads — at home, on his team, and on the pl...

What happens when a worship leader finally stops hiding?

That is the question underneath everything Jordan Colle shares in this conversation. He is a worship leader and songwriter with Bethel Music, currently touring with Phil Wickham and carrying a multigenerational ministry legacy that started long before anyone knew his name.

But the most honest moment in this episode is not about the tour or the songs. It is about what shifted when he finally laid everything at the feet of Jesus and stopped pretending some of it was not there.

In this episode...

When you step onto the platform, it is easy to think about the setlist, the key changes, the vocal parts, the transitions, and whether the moment is landing. And of course we focus on Jesus.

But what if we miss this very important thing?  Everybody in the room is carrying something.

In this episode of the Worship Online Podcast, Holly Brand shares her story of growing up in Mississippi, competing as Miss Mississippi, joining Team Kelly on The Voice, and now writing Christian music that is connecting with people in deeply personal ways. She talks a...

Philippa Hanna grew up singing in social clubs across Yorkshire, England, raised in a family where music was everything. She was pursuing a professional music career by her early twenties, but something was missing. Then at 21, she walked into a small church and a fearless, unpolished worship leader named Godfrey Birtle changed everything.

Not because he was impressive. Because he was free.

In this episode of the Worship Online Podcast, Philippa shares what that moment taught her about what worship leaders actually carry, why fearlessness matters more than polish, and why she believes her job...

You might be leading worship for the wrong reason… and not even know it. 

Andrew Holt has been leading worship since he was 12 years old. He built his life around it. And then one day he realized he had no idea who he was without it. 

In this episode of the Worship Online Podcast, Andrew shares how chasing ministry became a substitute for simply being a son of God. He talks about the season that broke him open, what he learned pouring lattes at a coffee shop at 5am, and why he could not be trus...

Most worship leaders know how to lead a room.

But what happens when no one's watching?

In this episode, worship leader and winner of The Voice Australia, Bella Taylor Smith shares honestly about her personal rhythms with God, the struggle to stay consistent, and how private worship shapes public leadership. From her salvation story at a worship night to navigating platform after winning The Voice, Bella brings both depth and practicality.

We also dive into her two-part project—FOR THE HOUSE and FOR THE HOME—and why she believes worship isn't just for chur...

What if everything you've been told about "excellence" in worship is actually holding your church back?

In this episode, Stephen Brewster shares a perspective that might challenge everything you've built your ministry around: excellence isn't the goal—authenticity is.

From leading creative teams at high-impact churches to working with groups like Elevation Worship and SEU Worship, Stephen reveals why chasing production value, trends, and comparison can quietly disconnect you from what actually matters—ministering to your people.

If you've ever felt the pressure to "measure up" to what you see online, this conversation will...

You can lead worship every week… and still feel like something's off.

Not the sound. Not the songs. Something deeper.

In this honest conversation, Alexander Pappas pulls back the curtain on what many worship leaders quietly wrestle with —identity, pressure and the fear that what we're doing isn't actually changing anything.

After decades in ministry, he shares:

The transition period after Hillsong's big shift

Why tying your identity to the stage will always fail

The difference between leading moments vs. building faith

What worship is actu...

Most worship leaders think their problem is skill, confidence or pressure.

It's not.

In this episode, Alexandra Osteen from Lakewood Music reveals the deeper issue most leaders never address: identity.

Because when you don't fully know who God created you to be, everything else feels harder—leading, preparing, even showing up on Sundays.

Alexandra shares how her journey—from growing up in the church to leading at Lakewood—helped her move from uncertainty to confidence in her calling.

You'll learn why identity shapes everything you do on stage, how to stop...

Most people think worship is about their personal connection with God.

But what if that's only part of the picture?

In this conversation, Trip Lee joins Keith Elgin to break down a biblical vision of worship that many churches have lost—one where we are not just singing to God, but shaping each other.

You'll learn:

Why singing together is part of discipleship

How modern worship culture drifted toward preference and performance

What happens when we remove participation from the room

How to lead worship tha...

What if you've been thinking about worship leadership all wrong?

In this episode, Brandon Coker, drummer, songwriter (Death Was Arrested), and longtime member of North Point Worship, shares what it looks like to lead worship without ever holding a mic.

This conversation goes beyond platform and spotlight.

It's about:

Serving the song instead of showcasing skill

Staying rooted in the local church

Leading with consistency, not visibility

And shaping worship moments from behind the scenes

Whether you sing, play, or lead—this will ch...

Most worship leaders focus on building better teams by improving skill, tightening transitions, and raising the level of excellence.

But what if the real issue isn't what you see?

In this episode, we uncover the hidden problem that quietly weakens worship teams—even the talented ones—and why it has nothing to do with ability.

If your team feels healthy on the surface… but something still isn't clicking, this conversation will open your eyes.

You'll learn:

The hidden issue that turns teams into "just a band"

Why most l...

What happens when obedience to God costs you the dream you spent years building? 

In this episode of the Worship Online Podcast, Keith sits down with worship leader, songwriter, and author Brooke Nicholls to talk about the unexpected reality of following God when it leads somewhere you didn't plan. 

Brooke shares the deeply personal story of leaving a thriving career, moving across Canada to pastor a church, and wrestling with the painful feeling that everything she had built was being stripped away. 

But what she discovered on the other side completely changed how she und...

What does it actually look like to build a new sound in worship ministry?

In this episode, Keith sits down with Josh Holiday to talk about the creative journey behind Elevation Rhythm, the story behind songs like "Goodbye Yesterday" and the challenge of building something fresh inside an already established ministry.

But this conversation goes deeper than music. Josh shares why community has to come before platform, how to develop young worship leaders with grace and why courage matters so much when God is asking you to create something that people do not understand yet.<...

What happens when your platform grows faster than your character can hold it… and the thing you dreamed of starts costing you what matters most?

In this episode, Keith chats with Andy Cherry, a seasoned worship leader, songwriter, and current touring musician for Brandon Lake, for a raw conversation on identity, shame and calling. Andy shares his whirlwind early career—signing a record deal in his 20s, walking away to fight for his marriage, and the painful (but formative) season of learning to lead when nobody's clapping.

Then it gets personal: the moment Andy realized he w...

Michael Bethany was leading worship, building wells in Sri Lanka, writing songs, and serving the church—but something was missing.

Then in 2017, he watched a Francis Chan YouTube video about Isaiah 6. And everything changed.

That night, he felt guilty praying from his bed. He got on his knees, humbled himself, and started waking up 1.5 hours earlier for a daily prayer closet—even though he "didn't know how to pray that long."

What happened next reshaped his entire ministry.

In this powerful conversation, Michael shares:
✅ Why intimacy with God is the ENGINE...

David Leonard co-wrote one of the most-sung worship songs in the world—"Great Are You Lord."

But last year, he almost walked away from music entirely.

After doing an entire tour where the promoter never paid (yes, a completely free tour he didn't know about until the end), David had to ask himself a brutal question:

"Would you do this again for nothing?"

His answer will challenge the way you think about worship leadership, success, and what it really means to serve.

In this raw, honest conversation, David also sh...

Ever feel frustrated with your worship team—even when nothing's technically wrong?

In this solo episode, 22 year Worship Pastor and new host Keith Elgin shares a hard lesson that changed everything:

Unspoken expectations lead to premeditated resentment.

Keith tells the story of a 7:00 AM call time that completely backfired—and the humbling conversation that reshaped how he leads. 

You'll learn why, "They should have known," doesn't cut it, how clarity actually protects relationships, and why your personal health leaks into team culture (for better or worse).

You'll also get pract...

You sound great on Sunday, but is your team actually healthy?

You've probably felt it before. Sunday afternoon hits and instead of feeling energized, you're frustrated. Something didn't go the way you planned. Someone didn't show up prepared. A transition fell apart.

And now you can't stop replaying it. Sunday bleeds into Monday. Monday into Tuesday. One rough service and your whole week feels off.

If that sounds familiar, you're not alone.

After 20+ years of leading worship, our new podcast host Keith Elgin hit that same wall. And what he discovered...

What if your team actually showed up excited, prepared, and ready to bring their best every single service?

Colony House has built one of the most legendary team cultures in the music industry, where crew, band members, and opening acts all feel like they're part of something special. What they've learned directly applies to worship teams, too.

In this episode, their guitarist, Scott Mills, shares the intentional practices that create high-energy, all-in cultures where people want to show up and give their best.

You'll discover:

Why the 6-8 hours around the...

Many worship leaders quit within a few years because they never learn the systems that create sustainable ministry. 

Joey and Kelly Thompson know this all too well! In this conversation, they share the game-changing systems that transformed their ministry from survival mode to sustainable impact. 

Imagine walking into Sunday morning calm and confident, with prepared teams and organized systems that actually work. Picture leading worship for decades without the constant stress and burnout that sidelines so many leaders. 

Listen now to discover the pillars that create sustainable worship leadership. Your future self will tha...