worship online

Nikki and Craig start season 2 with a very open and raw conversation around trust issues within global church life and leadership. They invited Adrian in as a guest for this conversation. The first half of the conversation is spent asking some hard questions, and the second half discussing answers.

They discuss a recent Instagram post from Nikki that sparked some controversy but also started an interesting conversation both online and offline. They talk about the context behind the post and step back to consider the bigger picture and the issues at heart.

Some questions raised in this conversation are - What is the impact of celebrity-driven pop-culture within the modern-day church? How have recent revelations of Ravi Zacharias, Carl Lentz and other celebrity Christian leaders impacted our trust in the church and outside the church? Do we have trust issues? Have we created a culture of being Christian consumers rather than disciples accountable in real relationships? What is God is saying to us through this moment?  What we can do to rebuild trust in our own hearts, but also with people who don't trust the church? 

Do we need to repent? Do we need to forgive? Do we need a big dose of humility? They reflect on key stories in the bible that speak into what the church should be known for and how we might see revival in our hearts and in our communities.

They talk through expectations, processing pain, and letting the joy of our salvation being restored.

We'd love to hear from you so please email us here: podcast@theartofworship.com.au

In this episode Nikki and Craig discuss the issue of identity and what the identity of a Christian, a worshiper and a leader should be built on.

They converse over all the copious ‘identities’ the world offers and encroaches on the emerging generation. They also talk through Christian culture and how that shapes our identity. Nikki talks about how easy it is in the church to build our identity on culture rather than Christ.

They both look at key scriptures that have framed their identity over the years, as well as asking the question of whether it is possible to lead our corporate contexts with any authority or freedom if we have not developed our character and identity in Christ privately and consistently... 

Nikki and Craig intend on unpacking the specific outworkings of the cultural identity crisis and how that relates to worship leading, in following episodes. This conversation is a general preface of why we believe our identity should first be founded in Christ. 

You can find the mentioned podcast episode with about culture and identity with Tim Keller here - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/carey-nieuwhof-leadership-podcast-lead-like-never-before/id912753163?i=1000474312976

We'd love to hear from you so please email us here: podcast@theartofworship.com.au

How can you support our podcast?

1. Apple users, please subscribe and review our show on Apple Podcasts, we make sure to read them all. Spotify users, be sure to follow our show on Spotify. Followers never miss any of the action 

2. Tell a friend about The Art of Worship Podcast. They will surely thank you later. You can use the envelope button below to email a friend or tell them about it in person.

3. Follow our adventures on our favourite social media platform, Instagram - Nikki Fletcher, Craig Hindman

5. Follow Nikki on Facebook or Website. Follow Craig and the conversation in the Facebook group you ca 

6. Share using the buttons below.

In this episode Nikki and Craig welcome guest host Adrian Smith, worship Pastor of Northside Church in Crows Nest, Sydney. In this late night discussion we have a very honest and fun conversation about life as a worshiper through COVID-19. 

With Church gatherings being prohibited many worship pastors are working over time to get worship services online while other worship leaders have been made redundant!

We talk about the struggles for both - Craig and Adrian have been adjusting to their new roles as online editors and producers, working all hours trying to pull an “online worship experience” together. Nikki has been figuring out how to lead worship at home with kids at her feet and how to engage with “church online”.

In this episode Craig and Nikki debate whether we really need songs to worship, Adrian wonders whether we have done the worship an injustice in the gathered context. So, what really is the heart of the issue?

We reflect on the Matt Redman song “When the music fades, and all is stripped away, and I simply come… I’m coming back to the heart of worship and its all about you, its all about you Jesus…”

It certainly is open heart surgery for many of us and an opportunity of a century to find solitude with God and come back to the heart of worship.

We'd love to hear from you so please email us here: podcast@theartofworship.com.au

In this special episode, Nikki and Craig cross digital borders to discuss the ever changing landscape of local church worship in Australia in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic. We talk about our experiences leading church services online and smaller gatherings over the last 2 weeks. We ask, but don't always answer questions like: How does the church respond? How is our traditional model of Church being disrupted and is that good for the church? How can Worship leaders and teams best support the church right now? How do we lead online and what does it look like. We also realise by the time you listen to this it will already be outdated!