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Going for Moments with God

Worship ConferenceI work with artists and bands on their live shows, helping them to capture and engage their audiences and create special moments for the people who come to see them.

But when I work with Christian/Gospel artists, I have to deal with the stigma of it being “wrong to entertain” the audience. Creating a moment sounds a lot like “entertaining.” Is that wrong?

That’s the million dollar question for Christian artists.

I remember when I first got involved with the contemporary Christian music industry. I was teaching a class for GMA in the Rockies. I walked up and many people said “no, no, no – we don’t need you; because we don’t entertain – we minister.” Over and over, I’d hear the same thing.

Well, what does that even mean? I asked if someone could show me biblically where this makes sense. And no one could.

Entertainment means capturing and keeping people’s attention. Wouldn’t it be a good idea, particularly if you have a message to bring, that your audience would be captured and you kept their attention?

Communication is 15% content (the words you sing). In every part of the music industry people have the idea that the words are everything; but, particularly in Gospel music, it just isn’t true! Only 15% of your communication is the words.

30% is the tone or emotion you bring it with. How many times have you heard a singer that really brings it emotionally, and you can’t even hear the words. But you’re captured by it – you’re saying “yeah, I dig that!…what are they saying?” You’re caught in their emotion because they’re passionate. And, hopefully, as a Gospel artist you’re passionate about your message.

55% of communication from stage is what the audience sees. So, you tell me, knowing all that, what does that mean? You better bring it, and you better bring it all the time! And that doesn’t necessarily mean movement — the visual part, I mean. It has to do with confidence, the authority people see, and also the creativity onstage.

Let me ask this: do all your songs sound exactly the same? No? Well then, why do they all look the same? With so many artists, that’s the case. And with 55% of communication being what the audience sees, then after 3 or 4 songs the audience has “seen” the whole show, and they start checking out mentally.

Our offering to God is our talent. When I worked with a praise team from New Zealand, I asked them “If Jesus was coming to dinner at our worship, our concert,… what kind of plates do we put out for Him?” (This video is part of my Expressive Worship DVD set.)

We need to work on more than just the musical part of what we do. We need to work on how to communicate with the people who see us, on creating moments for them to not only hear what God has for them, but to see what God has for them.

So the key is, get creative. And now we’re into “entertainment.” Capturing and keeping people’s attention. That’s not wrong. You can keep the integrity of the song with what you do onstage. Just keep it appropriate for the song.

A good analogy for what you do is to think about movies. If you’re doing an action scene in a movie, there’s going to be a lot of action. If you’re doing a love scene, there’s not much action – it’s tender and gentle. If you’re doing a scene with a lot of dialogue, there’s not much action – no running around and shooting guns at each other. It’s the same idea with your songs. What you do visually needs to be appropriate for what the song is.

Think football. It’s third and one in the fourth quarter, seven minutes on the clock and you’re up by 14 points. Are you going to throw a long pass? No. You’ll run a play and run the clock down, because that’s the right strategy for that time. Now if it’s third and seven, and you’re 10 points behind, that’s when you pass.

If you understand the strategy, you know what to do. You’ve worked on the fundamentals, you understand what the appropriate thing is at the appropriate time in the appropriate place.

Run everything you do through this grid: the people who are listening to you want to 1) be captured and engaged, 2) experience moments, and 3) be changed. Not one person in the audience is thinking about it consciously; but when those things happen they are fans forever.

That’s how you build a career. It’s how you build a ministry!

Tom Jackson

Tom is uniquely talented and skilled at transforming an artist's live show into a magical experience for the audience; helping artists at every level create a live show that is engaging and memorable, teaching them to exceed their audiences' expectations and to create fans for life. Tom has taught indie and major artists of every genre. He has worked with Taylor Swift, Le Crae, Home Free, The Tenors, Shawn Mendes, The Band Perry, Francesca Battistelli, Jars of Clay, & many more. Tom also teaches at colleges, conferences and events worldwide.

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Greenroom Comments

  1. Tom,

    Thanks for the great insights. I came across you through Derek Sivers’ link to the indie max exposure message from Ariel Publicity. I appreciate your generosity with your knowledge and expertise. You are impacting many people in a positive way. Blessings!

    Chuck Elmore
    Albuquerque, NM

  2. great stuff. very helpful. i wish i could attend one of your workshops.

  3. Tom, good words! We love your Expressive Worship DVD. It’s been a huge boost for our worship team.

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