Every two years, Sovereign Grace Ministries hosts a conference for pastors, worship leaders, instrumentalists, vocalists, songwriters, and tech team members. But, as their website indicates, “anyone who wants to grow in their understanding and practice of biblical worship will benefit.” Having attended WorshipGod 06, I knew early on that this year’s event would be on my schedule. Here are some things I took away from the conference.
Rediscovering the Psalms
This year’s conference was themed, “Rediscovering the Psalms.” The organizers’ goal was to (re)ignite a passion for what we read in the ancient song book by pointing out that life is lived out in all its pleasures and heartaches in the psalms. In fact, while many people focus on the psalms of praise, approximately sixty percent of the psalms are laments, or psalms of sorry. The speakers at the six main sessions succeeded in fulfilling this purpose. Craig Cabaniss, Thabiti Anyabwile, Mark Dever, David Powlison, and Bob Kauflin (who led two main sessions) all provided clear and compelling teaching that both praise and hardship permeate the psalms. You can download the audio from the main sessions at the Sovereign Grace website. (At the time this article was posted, Friday night’s audio had not been posted because Bob Kauflin’s teaching was interspersed with congregational singing. Editing the files will take more time than the other sessions.) Just a bit of personal reflection: if you choose to listent to the sessions, with only one exception, you will find it easy to stay engaged with each of the speakers. Dr. Powlison, however, is an author much more than he is a conference speaker and that comes across in his delivery. Don’t let his dryness lull you to sleep; his content is excellent.
My “Take-Aways”
My first take-away from WorshipGod 08 is likely one that Bob Kauflin and the other organizers of the event never intended. The congregational music in one session was led by Pat Sczebel and his two sons. In another session, Devon Kauflin (Bob’s son) led worship with his band. And in another session, Bob’s daughter was one of the singers on stage. We have a great responsibility as parents to raise our children in the way of the Lord. I think that hit home for several of us in the group I was traveling with. My children may not ever be on a platform leading worship with me, but my greatest responsibility for discipleship is at home.
Singing about Christ’s work on the cross never gets old. I’ve mentioned before in reviews of their recording projects that all of the music Sovereign Grace publishes is theologically full and Christ-centered. Some songs are songs of high energy and some are ballads. But they all point to the salvific work of Christ. And that never gets old.
Good planning is well worth the investment of time and energy. I’ve always been one who could be accused of over-planning events. I would rather over-plan and relax if necessary than be struggling to overcome a disaster that could have been avoided with better forethought. Planning is apparently important to the folks at Sovereign Grace Ministries. Although registrations were up roughly 60% over 2006 (1050 registered attendees in 2006 vs. 1650 in 2008), the logistics came off without any noticeable glitch. Bob and his team should be commended.
Conclusion
I usually try to attend a couple of conferences a year to stay fresh and charged in my ministry. WorshipGod now has a permanent place in my line up of conferences. You know the feeling you get when you eat too much at Thanksgiving? You have a feast set before you and you eat until you think you won’t be able to eat again for days. In many ways, WorshipGod is like that; it’s a feast of spiritual nourishment. Only with this feast, the more you partake, the more you want.
Impacting the Kingdom Through Worship,
