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We are very excited to offer ASK RICK on EncouragingMusic.com! For those who don't know, ASK RICK is your chance to submit a question to Rick. Of course, Rick can't answer every individual question we receive, but we will be selecting questions for him and he will answer them here on the site! Rick may also use your question as the basis for a future article.

Submit your question to Ask Rick Muchow now!

List of publications and web sites that publish the Ask Rick columns...

Archive of all previous Ask Rick questions:

  • Our Praise Team is fully stocked at this time. What do I do about other musicians and singers who might be interested?
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  • I've served as volunteer minister of music for many years at our church under the same Pastor. One of the main musicians for Sunday morning worship is the Pastor's wife. In recent years, her health has declined. We do not practice for service. I think we should but don't know quite how to address it with the Pastor. He is one of her greatest ‘fans.’ How would you handle this issue?
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  • A young couple in my church asked me to perform their wedding. Part of the Groom’s extended family will be coming from a Muslim country. Do you have any input as to what wedding songs we could include to make the service evangelistic?
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  • We are looking at starting a second service. Is there a resource that you would recommend? Do you have suggestions that would help prepare to start this service?
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  • How can I hold separate rehearsals for these in order to have more time and not burn my people out?
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  • How does one have a balance in how they worship on stage when others are really watching?
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  • When do you approach your Pastor/Personnel Committee about pursuing a worship associate?
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  • How to deal with someone who has an influential presence and a controlling personality?
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  • How do you deal with criticism and encourage others to grow in their involvement in ministry?
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  • Could you clarify what "moral failures" would warrant removal and what steps do you take to restore the individual after the fact?
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  • Do you agree with the idea that many of the choruses we sing today are offensive to men and are feminine love songs that men don't relate too? If so where can I find more ‘man-friendly’ music for our worship services?
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  • How can I get people to come to Christ at our Easter services through the music offered in those services?
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  • Do you think it's wise in a 'small' church to have such a diversity in musical style like you do at Saddleback or should the Worship teams try to be aligned and consistent in the same style?
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  • How can we handle the situation where we have a youthful worship team who like different music than our elders, who prefer more traditional music?
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  • Is there an easy way to lead the instrumentalists when I am not using the same written music as them?
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  • How do you go about building community in your worship teams/bands?
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  • Any tips on how to manage the priority of family while you fulfill your calling and career?
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  • Can we use secular, double meaning songs during worship services and fellowship?
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  • Do you teach on what it means to worship in the corporate setting?
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  • What is your thought about Christian bands playing in clubs?
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  • How have you recruited new musicians?
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  • How do I find musicians interested in outreach ministry, not playing in a worship team?
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  • Can you help me with information to help with contemporary worship in a small group setting?
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  • Does the length of time for praise and worship depend on how the Holy Spirit leads you?
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  • What involvement does your worship team play in song selection? What criteria do you use for selecting songs for worship?
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  • How do I begin with just a few players in a contemporary setting?
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  • How do you feel about the use of vocal tracks to 'assist' the choir during a performance?
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  • I'm in the process of developing the children's worship in our church. Do you have any thoughts regarding worship for children?
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  • How can someone lovingly confront someone who is using the church platform to promote himself/herself?
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  • What Makes Music Sacred or Secular? Is it the text/lyric or the musical idiom/style?
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  • How do you address the issue of stage presence without coming across as though you are more concerned about the way things look on stage than authentic worship?
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  • Do you talk much when leading worship services?
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  • When do you retire a song?
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  • Am I qualified to lead worship if I do not have any musical education, but play guitar and can sing, though my voice is not good?
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  • How does one gracefully "lead the leader"?
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  • Can you give us a good clear time frame for transition from traditional music to contemporary music?
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  • Who may play in the band?
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  • How would you go about removing someone from a vocal team who hasn't lived up to the commitment they made at an audition (learning songs, memorizing words, showing up to rehearsals on time, etc.)?
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  • Can you give me some things you pray for during the week or before each service about your leading in worship?
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  • How do you get to the right sound levels and how do you manage sound level problems?
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  • How often do you take time away from the stage/leading worship? Are you expected to lead every Sunday, or do you take time off?
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  • How do you keep the worship team members from becoming "proud" of their spot?
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  • What type of music and instrumentation does your church use for funeral services and weddings?
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  • When an idea for a new song, melody in particular, comes to mind, what is the first thing you do?
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  • Please can you help me differentiate between praise and worship. Is it in the tempo or the content of the song?
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  • As the leader, how do I get rid of the fear in my colleagues in the choir when they have a phobia for facing a large congregation?
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  • How do you know when its time to move on, and then do it without picking up baggage to carry into another ministry?
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  • Do you have any tips on teaching basic vocal techniques like diction, tone, blending, etc?
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  • Gracefully retire senior choir members?
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  • What is Special Music?
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  • Speaking in Worship?
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  • Budget?
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  • How to Prepare?
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  • Blood?
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  • I'm a choir director and am used to a choral format.  How should a vocal rehearsal differ?
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  • Not so special music?
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  • What do you have to do when you are supposed to lead worship and your spirit is down?
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  • What makes a worship song a worship song?
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  • I'm turning 44 later this year. I'm beginning to ask the question of how much longer I can do this gig. Can you speak to me on the subject of future plans options beyond music performance that still keeps a musician at heart connected with worship leadership?
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  • Please share how you introduce new songs to your congregation so they may sing with you during worship services. Do you have a general rule of thumb about how often you use the same songs
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  • Part two of this month’s questions which have to do with what you should you do when the pastor has a suggestion about your worship leading style: During worship, I would like it if the congregation would do all the standing and sitting themselves, but they just sit there and do nothing until you tell them to stand, sit, etc. I want a more free worship. How do we accomplish this?
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  • Part one of this month’s questions which have to do with what you should you do when the pastor has a suggestion about your worship leading style: My pastor has asked me to stop playing guitar while leading worship. I feel like the guitar is part of my niche in leading worship. Any suggestions?
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  • Where do I get started with getting any of my music published? Who owns the music (Me or the Church)? What is the best way to go about this process?
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  • As a songwriter, how do I go about getting my songs heard outside my home church? Do you have any advice regarding connecting with record companies who produce worship CDs?
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  • Every time I begin to train a specific person to be worship leader, something happens, someone leaves. What do you do in these situations?
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  • Could God have put myself and my family in this little traditional church with the skills (and gifts) we posses in order to pull them toward a more contemporary congregation or is that a father's fantasy?
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  • How do you feel about people serving in so many ministries?
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  • How do I help people to develop their talents and get over the self-consciousness that hinders them?
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  • How do you find a gifted worship leader?
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  • Please explain the process that you use to discern how a person becomes a worship leader either vocally or musically
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  • Do you have any resources that could help us with transition from very slow traditional to an upbeat blended service?
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  • Is it unethical to adopt someone else's purpose statement or mottos?
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  • I was wondering which direction Saddleback is going with the post modern generation in mind and how you and Pastor Warren plan to reach, change and develop for the future?
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  • Do you have a defined position on the role of congregational singing in a seeker sensitive service?
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  • How would you address an instrumentalist or a singer to lay out (don't play) on a song without hurting their feelings.
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  • I lead the singing in a fairly new (2 year-old) contemporary service at a small (250 member) traditional United Methodist church... My questions are 1 ) what do you do with talented players who don't read music, 2) how do you gain long-term commitment from musicians, and (3) is it wise to allow non-believers (or seekers) to form a majority of a praise band?
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  • I wanted to ask if you use much secular music in your seeker services, do you change lyrics and things like that?
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  • Do you think these orchestra and contemporary bands can cooperate together?
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  • Auditions: I need from you anything on your selection process, maybe a questionnaire you might use.
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  • If you were to conduct a review, with a view to building a vibrant new worship, where people are ushered into the presence of God, what key things would you look at and what would be your key points of focus in building the ministry?
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  • If you could do one thing different in the beginning of your ministry at Saddleback, what would that be? And, if you would not change one thing, what would that be?
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  • Can you give me some insight behind some of the songs you have written?
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  • What kind of player would I need to get a good quality sound beyond the cheesy computer midi sounds often associated with midi?
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  • What are the requirements for being in your choir? Do you see the possibility for someone to be in the choir as an opportunity for outreach or is everyone who is in the choir required to be a born again Christian? Do you use the same requirements for the praise band/team?
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  • I just wanted to know how you "enforce" your choir attendance policy. I see that each member is required to sign a commitment card at the beginning of each quarter. Are they required to be at every rehearsal and every performance upon signing that card? How do you handle sickness, kid's sickness, traveling for job, vacations, etc?
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  • How do you discern which songs and what types of music your congregation longs to hear? And, what advice would you give me as we try to reach both seekers and congregation members in one service?
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  • Do you have a mission statement for the music ministry (magnification) at Saddleback? Community Baptist Church in Lake Arrowhead is in the PDC process and we are working on a mission statement. It would be helpful to me and maybe your readers also to get your perspective.
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