15 Churches Creating Influential Worship Music

Here are some churches and organizations, that in my opinion, are writing, creating, singing and releasing great songs for the entire Church around the world to sing. This is not an exhaustive list or a top ten/top twenty list. Just wanted to provide this so you will be able to check out all of their music and maybe include some of their songs into your rotation and put on your iTunes list.

1. Passion/Passion City Church- Chris Tomlin, Kristian Stanfill, Christy Nockels, Matt Redman, David Crowder and more

2. Hillsong Church- Ben Fielding, Reuben Morgan, Joel Houston, Jad Gillies and more

3. North Point- Seth Condrey, Casey Darnell, Todd Fields, Candi Shelton, Steve Fee and more

4. Jesus Culture- Kim Walker-Smith, Chris Quilala, Derek Johnson, Bryan and Katie Torwalt, and more

5. Worship Central/Holy Trinity Brompton- Tim Hughes, Ben Cantelon and the Worship Central band

6. Reach Records/Reach Ministries- Lecrae, Trip Lee, Andy Mineo, KB, Tedashii, and others

7. New Life Church/Desperation Band- led by Jon Egan, and birthed out of Desperation Ministries, the student ministry of New LIfe Church

8. Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church- Charles Jenkins and the Fellowship Choir

9. Elevation Church- Elevation Worship led by Wade Joye, Mack Brock, Chris Brown, London Gatch and more

10. Austin Stone- Austin Stone Worship led by Aaron Ivey, Jimmy McNeal, Kyle Lent, and more

11. Bethel Church- Bethel Music led by Brian and Jenn Johnson, Jeremy Riddle, and more

12. Gateway Church- Gateway Music led by Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes and more

13. Trinity Grace Church- led by Eric Marshall and more

14. Bayside Church- led by Lincoln Brewster and more

15. Lakewood Church- led by Israel Houghton, John Gray, and more

Bonus: Victory World Music, Vertical Church Band (Harvest Bible Chapel), and 12Stone.

Who else would you recommend?

Young Influencers List, May Edition

Here you go, the May edition of the Young Influencers List. You can see all the past month's editions here.

1. Tara Russell- founder and CEO of Create Common Good, a social entrepreneurial venture using food to change lives, and co founded NightLight International.

2. Raechel Myers- Nashville based director and co-founder of She Reads Truth.

3. Chris Galanos- senior pastor of Experience Life Church in Lubbock, TX.

4. Derek Minor- singer, songwriter, producer, and hip hop artist.

5. Victor Ho- co-founder and CEO of Five Stars, a San Francisco based digital commerce company.

6. Marshawn Daniels- Atlanta based speaker, author, former Miss America contestant, and business owner.

7. Tim Terrentine- vice president of Southwest Michigan First in Kalamazoo, MI, and president of Kalamazoo regional Chamber of Commerce.

10 ways to create a Teamwork 101 environment

I love the book of Philippians in the New Testament. The entire book is one of Paul's greatest letters.

Specifically, chapter 2 is a gem. Paul lays out some strong language regarding teamwork and working together.

Verse 2-5: "Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus." (New American Standard)

These verses are not just related to your specific team, but also the "team" you work with in impacting your city, your region, country, and the global large C Church. So try these virtues on for size! In your organization, in your neighborhood, in your community, and across the global church.

1. Be like-minded.

2. Be loving.

3. Be united.

4. Be focused (on one purpose).

5. Be generous.

6. Be selfless.

7. Be humble.

8. Look out for others before yourself.

9. Have a great attitude.

10. Be Christ-like.

Teamwork 101.

A simple call to action from Paul but incredibly difficult to put into action.

Free Book download from my friend Steve Graves

When I know of something useful I am always inclined to share it here on the blog. So I am partnering with my good friend Dr. Stephen R. Graves for the next 3 days to offer you a FREE copy of his new book Flourishing: Why Some People Thrive While Others Just Survive.

This book is a great resource for you and your friends, including incredibly insights on the subject of flourishing. Again, just follow the link to download your FREE eBook today.

Steve is a leadership author, entrepreneur, and executive coach who has been helping leaders flourish for over 25 years.

I am excited to have the opportunity to offer his book to you and hope you will take advantage of this great gift and take a minute to download the book.

And please forward the link on to someone else so they can benefit from it. My hope is that this can be a way for you to share great content with your community as well.

Again, you can download the FREE ebook here. The Free download will expire on Friday.

Enjoy!

10 Simple Ways to be Great

All of us want to be great. Especially as leaders. All of us want to be part of a great team. Have a great family. A great neighborhood. A great church. A great community. A great legacy.

There are lots of factors that go into being great. But ultimately, being great starts with you. And since you are your greatest coach and advocate for yourself, here are a few things to always think about when it comes to being great.

1. Be responsible. Be on time. Get things done. Finish.

2. Be a learner. Read. Listen. Be curious.

3. Be a hustler. Work hard. Whatever it takes.

4. Be a carrier of the organizational vision. Be a role model of living out the values of your company, church, and staff.

5. Be passionate. Be positive. Live with joy.

6. Be self aware and self regulating. Know who you are. Lead yourself.

7. Be Humble. It's not about you.

8. Be someone who "leans in." Be first.

9. Be Disciplined. Stick with it.

10. Be a courageous risk taker. Step out.