Three Streams Worship Training

01/13/2026

Has leading worship ever made you question your integrity or devotion?

You’re not alone, and you’re probably doing better than you think.

01/07/2026

As the Church gathers to sing, worship planners are putting words in people’s mouths.

The songs we choose shape the prayers a congregation learns to pray.
As you plan each weekly service, consider these variables when choosing songs. (Keep in mind, instances of these variations could be achieved in a single song.)

Something OLD
Draw from the deep well of 2,000 years of Christian faith. Include a hymn, prayer, or chorus older than you. Newer is not always better—older songs often carry a weight and wisdom we still need.

Something NEW
A “new” song might be original to your community, sung for the first time, or simply not used in a while. Refresh familiar songs with new arrangements—varying voices, tempos, instruments, and grooves—to awaken the collective heart of the congregation.

Something CONTINUOUS
Sing a song from last week. Think beyond a single service. Build continuity week to week and season to season. Keep a smaller, well-loved pool of songs rather than pulling from the endless ocean available to us. Thoughtful key choices and musical flow help the congregation stay engaged.

Something HAPPY
Make room for joy, praise, and celebration. The Church should know how to rejoice out loud—to sing with gratitude, confidence, and delight in who God is and what God has done.

Something BLUE
Leave space for lament, longing, and honesty. Not everyone arrives ready to celebrate. Some come weary, grieving, or uncertain. Give the congregation language for sorrow, waiting, and hope that hasn’t fully arrived yet.

Something for TODAY
Pay attention to the seasons of the Church—Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost. Keep your pulse on what’s happening locally, regionally, and globally. Give the congregation language for the moment they are living in.

👉 What does your congregation need to sing right now?

10/30/2025

Most worship leaders spend hours preparing songs - but far less time feeding their minds and hearts with worship-centered wisdom. This list curates essential reads that will stretch your theology, refresh your imagination, and deepen your love for God and the church. Get the church card, grab a few, and keep learning.
(affiliate links — they help fund more worship training resources)

Shop recommended products from Mike O'Brien on www.amazon.com. Learn more about Mike O'Brien's favorite products.

10/06/2025

02/13/2025

11/11/2024

{TRAINING YOUR TEAM in 2025} Worship leaders, you only have a couple weeks before your church members and volunteers take a 2-month break 😬 Kinda joking, but kinda serious. Caring for your team in 2025 means planting a few seeds NOW before the Christmas daze sets in.

I have booked several events for 2025 but I have room for a few more. The best events are planned months in advance so we can prepare your team. We customize worship team training for your big, medium, or small-sized church.

MESSAGE ME if you are interested in learning how I can partner with you and your music ministry next year. I am grateful for these clients and endorsements.

06/14/2024

{MUSICIANS IN THE CHURCH} Most church musicians don't PLAY or SING their instrument much during the week. Life is busy.

When they get to church, many will play on EVERY beat of EVERY song. It feels good to play; it feels wrong NOT to play. I mean, "Why did you put me on the schedule?".

To complicate things, shame and nerves are uniquely pervasive when you play righteous rock music before noon on a Sunday. Our best defense is to "look busy"!

I've been trying to get folks to lay out sections of worship songs in my workshops for years. Many agree that the space is nice, but they just don't know what to do with their bodies. My advice: Sing. Sway. Let the music do its work. Feel the groove. Look at the other musicians. Join the congregation in worship.

Drummers, this post applies to all four of your limbs at once, but it mostly applies to one to three of them. Find fewer things to hit. Study Charlie Watts. Make it a game to leave things out while still holding it down.

Bass players. Lay out for complete verse sections every now and then. Like, enough time to text your wife about the crazy storm last night. Also, there should be little microsecond pauses between many of the notes. If you saw a .wav file, it would look like a series of mountains and plains.

Keyboard people. Every finger is an instrument. Play sustained whole notes often. Also, turn off the pad completely every once in a while. The pad's job is to make you feel better about not practicing - adjust accordingly 😬.

Guitarists. You can probably do less if the drummer is drumming and the singers are singing. Ask yourself, "What is helpful?".

What's great about all this advice is that it works in bars and clubs too (for the most part). Once you learn this discernment thing, you can passively and aggressively look at the people who are overplaying, and when they ask you why you are not playing, you can say, "You're taking up all the notes."

Final note. Jesus perfects our imperfect worship (and musicianship). Have fun and enjoy the process. Everything done on the stage is a bonus anyway, the most important instrument in the congregation.