WorshipGod 2022
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Benjamin Kreps:
Hey everyone and welcome to the Mark Prater podcast where our aim is to connect our global family of churches with our Executive Director. Mark, as you know, but so that everyone watching or reading knows, I am recording this in Louisville because I'm at the WorshipGod conference.
Mark Prater:
Outstanding. It just got started last night. What's it been like so far?
Benjamin Kreps:
It's been fantastic. I haven't been to WorshipGod probably since around 2010. I don't know what year it was. Loved it back then always wanted to go back, never really found the time and just unexpectedly had the opportunity to fly in yesterday. I'll fly out tomorrow night so I'll miss a little bit of it, but so far it has just been deeply edifying, encouraging and equipping. In the limited time that I've been here, I went to a breakout session with Mike Bullmore on biblical meditation, heard a fantastic sermon that Jeff Purswell preached last night, heard Mark Jones earlier. I hadn't heard him before, now I'm a big fan. And so yeah, having a great time.
Mark Prater:
I'm so glad you're there actually, it's the first WorshipGod conference we've had in three years, right? Primarily because of the pandemic. And I'm so grateful to Bob Kauflin and the Sovereign Grace Music team who really put all the effort into pulling this conference off. It's so important because what we do each and every Sunday when we gather as a church is worship, that's one expression of worship. And a part of the desire for Bob is to train worship leaders and bands and vocalists and tech people so that our worship grows and grows in its impact and brings glory to God. And you know, it's one thing to train a worship leader in terms of how to lead through worship, but it's another thing to provide the theological foundations as to why leading is so important.
So for example the theme of the WorshipGod conference is Unchanging God, the immutability of God himself. And to think about that theme and be affected and impacted by that theme through each of the sermons is only going to strengthen all those who are involved in pulling off worship on a Sunday morning. It'll make God grander and bigger, which affects the way we're being led by worship leaders and how those serving on sound teams and those on worship teams are serving us as they lead us in worship.
Benjamin Kreps:
Yeah, I mean, Bob is such a gift to Sovereign Grace and, and beyond Sovereign Grace and in significant ways. Down to the details. I was sitting in a breakout session with him earlier where the whole breakout was about how to do transitions during the Sunday service. Well, "theologically informed transitions" now. Where are you getting that from? Oh getting it from Bob. I didn't mention the singing. The crowd is mic'd. I don't think I've seen that before. And when you're in a room singing with, I think, over 600 people, you're in a room with over 600 people that are involved in leading worship, it's just important to stop singing sometimes and just listen to the glory that's happening, parts and harmonies and everything that's happening.
You wouldn't want the crowd at the pastors conference necessarily mic'd. That's gonna sound different. A lot of enthusiasm, not quite the same musicality. But as you well know and I imagine most guys are aware of the influence of Sovereign Grace Music stems far beyond Sovereign Grace Churches, our small family of churches. This morning we had the opportunity to have a bilingual time of singing together. As we sang in Spanish, I did not do very well with that, but I tried, sang in English. And in fact, this is different than for instance, the pastors conference, because many of the people here are not part of Sovereign Grace Churches, they're coming because they appreciate Sovereign Grace Music and they want to learn from Bob and the other people that are gonna be here. Talk to us about the influence beyond Sovereign Grace of Sovereign Grace Music.
Mark Prater:
Yeah, it's a wonderful favor that God has given to Sovereign Grace Music and to Bob. They have favor with people in all organizations and denominations and movements of churches. You mentioned this morning being led in bilingual worship, and the couple that led was Jonathan and Sarah Jerez. They're not a part of Sovereign Grace, but they are dear friends of Sovereign Grace. In fact, they work with Bob and are recording now our most recent Spanish album that will soon be available from Sovereign Grace Music entitled In You We Hope. And they have a wonderful following and they have the respect of Christians in the Spanish speaking world. And they're partnering with Sovereign Grace and helping us with that album.
So that's a wonderful example. The other example is of folks traveling from Australia that are part of CityAlight. Which I believe are Anglicans if I remember right, who have produced some wonderful worship songs that are so good, I think many have been sung in Sovereign Grace churches. They're gonna be a part of the WorshipGod conference as well. So those are just a couple of expressions of the reach and the influence and the impact that Sovereign Grace Music is having not only in Sovereign Grace, outside of Sovereign Grace and throughout the world. And it's another reason why I thank God for Bob and for the Sovereign Grace Music team.
Benjamin Kreps:
Yeah. It's gratifying to see what we've enjoyed for decades coming out of Sovereign Grace and Bob's leadership. We've been served so well by Sovereign Grace Music and the songs that we sing and then to see that actually spread globally and serve other Christians in other contexts. I believe Bob said this morning that the top 20 YouTube videos of Sovereign Grace Music songs, 14 of them are in Spanish. So it appears Sovereign Grace Music is more popular globally than even here in the states. So what a thrill to, to be a part of all of that.
Mark Prater:
It is. Let me encourage the people that are listening or reading this podcast, that maybe sometime in the future, you should try to get to Worship God. Even if you don't lead worship or participate on a band or as a vocalist, or even do sound, it will be a very edifying conference for you. And until then, just a reminder, Bob has a regular podcast called Sound Plus Doctrine. That podcast is available on Spotify or Apple or wherever you get your podcast. And that is also really, really good for a number of reasons, whether you are involved in leading worship and or not. So just a couple of resources to mention and an encouragement to attend WorshipGod in the future.
Benjamin Kreps:
That's good. Yeah. We brought a handful of people down from our church and they've been enjoying it immensely. I would encourage all pastors to attend at least one. But I think I would suggest that senior pastors make a point of going not only to be edified, but also to help learn how to serve those who lead the singing on Sunday mornings, which you definitely will be equipped to do better. So thanks Mark for your thoughts. Thank you all for watching or reading. We'll see you here next week, Lord willing. Bye for now.