I didn’t think I’d be writing that four months before the conference began, but it’s true. Registration is at 1/3 capacity and already four seminars are 80% full and one has reached capacity. Now begins the fun process of determining whether we need to move the seminar locations around. We got creative this year, and are holding one workshop outside under a tent and another workshop in a large hallway. That’s given us more room, but we’re expecting more people to attend this year.

All that to say, the sooner you sign up, the better the chance that you’ll be able to go to the seminars you want. At some point soon, I’ll post which seminars are going to be recorded. We plan on recording as many as possible, but some don’t translate well due to a lot of interaction or visuals.

On April 1, the rates to attend WorshipGod08 for students, individuals, and groups all go up. But it’s not that bad…only $25 more starting in April. Still, you could save some money by registering this week.

Registration for WorshipGod08 has been moving along, but we’re still four and a half months away from the conference. If you’re planning on coming, I wanted to remind you that registration rates go up $25 each on April 1, and again on July 1.

But here’s a way you can come for free. We’re giving away a free registration to the person who sends in the best answer to this question:

What is the most awkward/embarrassing moment you’ve ever experienced as a worship leader or part of a team?

Here are the guidelines:

1. Answers have to be 150 words or less. Really.
2. Your answer must be something you personally experienced or were part of.
3. Answers should be sent to bob@worshipmatters.com.
4. You have to respond by midnight EST on Saturday, March 15.
5. If you’ve already registered, you can still play. Your registration cost will be refunded.

There you have it. Here’s a video that might inspire you.

We had to work through a few bugs to get the registration open today. Thanks for your patience.

Now that it’s open, here are a few things to remember as you register:

• You have to choose your five seminars at the time of registration (out of the 45 that are offered). Seminar descriptions can be downloaded at the “Who Should Attend” page and the registration form.
• Groups can register individuals at the lowest price. So if you have a student who is part of your group, they can pay the student rate.
• Bring as many people from your team as possible. That will enable you to attend more seminars, keep everyone on the same page, and enjoy some great fellowship.
• Whenever possible, pastors should attend with their worship leaders, for the reasons I just cited in the previous point.
• Set up this blog on your RSS feed to keep track of updates, interviews, and important information.
• The cheapest time to register for the conference is before April 1. At that time all prices go up $25.
• Administrative questions about the conference should be sent to worshipconference@sovgracemin.org.

Please let us know if you have any needs, questions, or comments. We look forward to interacting even before the conference starts.

We moved the original date for opening registration for the WorshipGod08 conference from January 14 to January 28 because we’re still nailing down the logistics for all the seminars. You’ll choose the workshops you want to attend when you register, so before registration starts we have to know what and where all the seminars are going to be. I’m excited about the diversity of the seminars, especially in the tech area. At the last WorshipGod conference we ended up not having enough room on the workshops for all the tech personnel who came. This year we plan to offer two tech seminars during each slot, so space won’t be a problem.

When registration opens you’ll be able to download a pdf of the seminar descriptions to help you decide which seminars you want to attend. Obviously, the sooner you sign up, the better the chance that you’ll be able to attend the seminars of your choice.

Twenty years ago worship conferences were rarely heard of. That’s no longer the case. We’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of conferences put on by churches, ministries, and music companies, devoted exclusively to the topic of worship.

As I’ve attended and participated in different events over the years, it’s made me think hard about why we’re putting on a worship conference. I mean, does the church really need one more worship conference? Should we put all the hours, energy, and prayer into hosting WorshipGod08 when there are so many other worship conferences to attend? Obviously, my answer is yes. So I thought I’d share a few of the reasons we’re sponsoring this conference.

1. Content and Context: We attempt to combine biblical depth, musical training, leadership expertise, heart issues, and Spirit-led creativity all in a gospel-centered, local-church context. Sometimes we have well known speakers and musicians, but the popularity of a speaker isn’t our main concern. Our goal is to help church musicians serve their churches more effectively and we try to bring in people we think will serve that end. They include pastors and leaders we’ve known for years in Sovereign Grace.

2. Doctrine and Devotion: We teach on and model congregational worship that is both Reformed and charismatic. In other words we believe in the absolute sufficiency and authority of Scripture, but also believe all the gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12 have continued to today. We think corporate worship should be both theologically rich and emotionally expressive.

3. Select Exhibitors: All the exhibitors at WorshipoGod08 will be invited. We stand behind and support all the ministries and companies you’ll be interacting with.

4. Free Materials: We like to give away a lot of stuff, because we want you to go home encouraged, enthusiastic, and equipped.

5. Books and More Books: We stock a bookstore not only with books that will help you lead worship, but also with ones that address your devotions, your marriage, your family, your finances, and all the other other areas of life we can glorify God in.

6. A Heart to Serve: While we still have a great deal to learn, and continue to benefit greatly from other churches and ministries, we feel God has enabled us to make a small contribution to equipping leaders and musicians to serve their churches more biblically, faithfully, skillfully, and joyfully.

There are other reasons, but this post is already long enough.

I’d love to hear from you if you have thoughts on a previous WorshipGod conference, or a question about the upcoming conference. Feel free to leave a comment.

And thanks for stopping by.