better food options for the ticket meals. There was no way to know what would be served when you purchased the meal tickets. I love the many ways to participate and not just spectate.
I am overwhelmed by the break-out choices. I have enjoyed and learned in the ones I have attended. However, a suggestion for future years would be capturing more of the break-outs on CD or DVD that can be purchased. I have at least 5 break-outs EACH SESSION that I would like to attend. Probably more. I would definitely purchase some of the sessions that I could not attend.
Also, the Annie Moses Band does some really cool fusion of classical, and contemporary. For your consideration for future conferences.
Hey another idea for next year, and maybe this year. I am familiar with a lot of the songs that we have sung in worship and in the concerts. However, some of the ones I know, I am not sure of the names. And the ones I don't know I don't know the names. Furthermore, when I am worshipping, I don't want to sit down, pull out my book and write down the name of the song. Could there be a list of the worship sets with composer names and/or copyright info posted on the blog or on the web or included in the notebook? That would be awesome for me. There are definitely some new songs that I would like to use at my church. Thanks for an awesome conference!
Some of the breakouts are good, but I honestly ge a bit tired of listening to talking heads all week long. There is a wealth of knowledge at this conference with all these worship leaders.
How about a number of breakouts that are not just teaching but intended to be moderated and facilitate discussion, brainstorming, and exchange of ideas and philosophies.
Perhaps there could be larger classrooms used for the guitar sessions. The teachers are truly incredible, but people were getting turned away at the door because the classes were too full. I don't know if this was a problem for other venues, but there are a ton of guitar players who lead worship and the knowledge these guys shared (Rich Severson and Tom Strahle) is priceless. I thank God for having them be a part of the conference.
First, less music and more talk. By that I mean that I (we) can attend concerts and worship services any time, but we don't often get to hear the heart and the teaching of great leaders all that often. I love to worship, but my aim in coming here was to learn and network. I really want to hear the hearts and minds of people like Tim Hughes and Abe Laboriel and Lincoln and Tommy rather than their music. How about substituting music in the 11am slot for an hour of teaching.
Second, I would love for every breakout session to be recorded and made available shortly afterwards, either on CD or by podcast. The reason is that some of the breakouts follow on naturally from previous breakouts, and it would be good to get up to speed on those sessions. Also, there were probably 5 or 6 breakouts at each timeslot I would like to have attended, so to have access to recordings of those would be great.
i dissagree with James post! Actually, more music and less talk! Come on we're musicians!!!!
I would have some couples stufff and encourage more WL's to bring their wives!!! That would be nice to attend a session with our spouse and letting them the chance to hear the wife of Tommy, Lincoln, Rick etc.
I kind of agree with James. I would like to hear more from the different worship leaders. They are obviously gifted musicians... we've heard their albums. It is nice to hear them play them and see how they lead, but I don't think we need anymore music. We Are All musicians, and though we do need to be challenged musically, I personally would love to hear more from the heart of these amazingly gifted worship leaders.
Just wanted to respond a bit to the last few posts.
Yes, we are all (or most of us at least) are musicians, but our talent is meaningless without the heart and character that makes it worship. Attending a [insert worship artist here] gig does nothing for that. An hour with Rick Warren on Integrity, Humility and Generosity does. And in my mind, that's the entire purpose behind a conference of this nature; to take a hold of something that I can apply in my life, and not my instrument, that is going to make me a better worship leader.
First, and most importantly, this conference was fantastic, inspiring, and encouraging. Totally worthwhile.
Just a few things I think could have gone more smoothly: -All of the Tech workshops were over-full. The teachers/leaders were really accomodating, but I could tell they were a little exasperated trying to make the workshops applicable for a larger audience then they expected. The workshops were still awesome, but I think next year, each Tech-type workshop should be offered more than once -- especially the "Tech Tour". -I agree with the posters who have said they wanted to attend more than one of the workshops that were offered at a time. There were many sessions I feel sorry to have missed out on. To me the workshops are the main attraction of a conference like this -- more important than the general sessions. Seeing Lincoln Brewster shred was great and all, but my church got a lot more bang for their buck in me attending one session w/ Bruce Smith (former Tech.Director of Willow Creek) than the all of the worship sessions, messages, and programming combined. I now can go back to my church inspired, encouraged, and equipped to do my job better. And that's why they paid for me to attend the conference in the first place. So... just make sure the workshops aren't an afterthought. I'd much rather have every workshop offered at multiple times so that I could learn more, rather than have more general sessions. -Also, workshops seemed to be scheduled at conflicting times. For instance, the "Cut Capo" class was offered at the same time as another guitar class. What's a guitarist to do? I know that's partially unavoidable, but again... multiple workshop offerings at different times would help. -I agree w/ the previous post that musicians besides guitarists and vocalists deserve more consideration. Our church's drummer didn't have much geared towards his needs.
That's all I can think of. On the positive side: -All of the Saddleback staff and volunteers were amazing. Huge thanks. -I thought the food was pretty good. Thanks especially for the snacks. They make a big difference in keeping us awake and alert. -The giveaways were fun.
THANKS SADDLEBACK! Jeff Marbut Tech.Director, Grace Church, Reno, NV
Someone had mentioned making the Breakout Sessions available for Podcast or CD would be great. Particularly, if there is only one time slot for a given session. There were times I was conflicted in having to weigh which session to attend.
Knowing that a recording of a session would be available a day or week afterwards makes it possible to not miss anything. At least from an audio point of view. Much like a recording of a weekly sermon. How about a DVD to get the visual as well?
I thought the worship throughout the conference (ie. General sessions, concerts etc.) were awesome. While I thought for the most part the style of music for worship was more or less the same, I really believe having a black gospel group lead worship one night would provide a different flavor. Please don't take this as a racial comment because first of all, I'm not black. I just happen to be a musician whose musical taste is pretty diverse. If I could pick the gospel artist it would be none other than Fred Hammond.
On another note, I was blessed to be at the 2nd breakout session for the Superband clinic with Abe Laboriel and friends. This was one of my highlights at the conference in addition to the worship. Hearing these musicians who are considered some of the best on their respective instruments share their testimonies of their faith, was so encouraging. Their transparency was so inspirational. And those who were lucky enough to be at session were truly blessed.
P.S. I really enjoyed the different styles of jazz performed around the campus (ie. Greg Vail, Tom Guerrero, Bill Cantos)
Yes indeed... the amount of music can always be more...we can go to a breakout session to hear the talking :)... Not sure how many others who have attended in the past would agree with me, but i felt the schedule was better in the past, esp in regards to starting and ending times. I would rather be able to arrive more casualy on Tuesday as in the past, and then finish Friday morning with our final worship/general session before going home. Cant agree more with making the breakout sessions available on CD or MP3...its almost impossible to get to all of the breakout sessions that you want to. What a great tool that would be!! This is my 3rd year attending...looking forward to the 4th already!! Keep up the great work!! You guys will never please everyone, but you sure do a great job in what you do!! Craig Conner-Sunrise Church-Rialto, CA
What I observed is that Saddleback Staff spend much time and prayer on determining the balance of each dynamic of this conference. There IS sharing, teaching, talking in each portion, INCLUDING the music presentations in the mornings. My desire is to leave the balance of music and talking in place. IF IT WORKS DON'T FIX IT! I think it works.
First of all, God bless all the Saddleback staff and volunteers for your hard work and dedication to make this conference a success. Your love for the Lord is obvious. I have to agree with David and James. I loved the music and the workshops, but I really loved hearing the heart of Rick Warren, Buddy Owens, Irwin McManus and Rick Muchow. Next year it might be nice to hear some testimonies from the musicians. It was uplifting to hear Rick Muchow's take on worship and what it really means!
While I am a vocalist and am on staff as the assistant to the Worship Minister, it was difficult to choose the right breakout sessions (due to such great choices). The only thing I can suggest would be sessions that deal with the graphic design element. My church doesn't have a "communications" person yet, so this falls mostly to the Worship Staff to be the creative ones in our slide design or in-house signage. And by Worship Staff, I mean me. I would've loved the opportunity to pick the brain of Saddleback's communications/graphic design staff to collaborate and share resources. One or two sessions in this vein would've been tremendously informative and creatively inspiring for someone in my unique position.
Thanks for a wonderful experience overall, the corporate worship was such a moving experience for me every time. Great job!
Bring back the gospel late night venue...missed it this year! The only thing I can suggest would be sessions that deal with the graphic design element. I would've loved the opportunity to pick the brain of Saddleback's communications/graphic design staff to collaborate and share resources. Thanks for a Great Conference!
I attended two conferences in Green Room #1. I really enjoyed the sessions but was distracted by the bright sunlight bouncing off the building next to the Green Room. As the light came through the window it was almost impossible to see the leader's face because the sunlight was so bright. Any chance some blinds could be installed on the windows?
Also, I would love to see workshops for specific instruments like keyboards, bass guitars and drums(percussion).
Would like to have workshops that show us how to work out the finer issues of preparing for a worship service, how to effectively pull it all together between the preachers, servers, ushers, sound techs, lighting techs, vocalists, and musicians (show us how you prepare for your worship services), physically as well as through communication and actions/follow-up. How to handle those who don't follow through with their committments to the service.
Any chance of getting the complete conference schedule out a little earlier next year on the website so that our worship team can do some advanced planning before the conference?
The highlights for me were all the venues with Rick Warren, Rick Muchow, David Pack, Abe Laboriel, Sheila E., Lincoln Brewtster, Benton Brown, Tony Erwin and The Urban Poets - Scribble That!, and also meeting Bill(the bass player with his own style)!-- Thanks! :)
(Where can we get t-shirts with "Scribble That" on them?)
My comments here are only meant to help.....I loved the conference! Planning on coming back again next year!
It was great to hear the hearts of so many wonderfully talented musicians!
Thank you so much for all your hard work...and to the Saddleback support staff for keeping the campus looking great!!
This was our 4th year attending. We will continue to attend as long as we learn and grow. I think this may have been the best year yet. Shawn did a great job filling Susie's shoes. Thanks. 4 years ago you did a Saddleback and Friends concert that was really amazing. It included Charles Billingsley, John Tesh and Sheila E. I would love to see an evening like that again. You gotta bring back Charles please. Thanks again for another awesome Conference.
25 comments:
BRING ABE AND FRIENDS BACK AGAIN!
better food options for the ticket meals. There was no way to know what would be served when you purchased the meal tickets. I love the many ways to participate and not just spectate.
I am overwhelmed by the break-out choices. I have enjoyed and learned in the ones I have attended. However, a suggestion for future years would be capturing more of the break-outs on CD or DVD that can be purchased. I have at least 5 break-outs EACH SESSION that I would like to attend. Probably more. I would definitely purchase some of the sessions that I could not attend.
Also, the Annie Moses Band does some really cool fusion of classical, and contemporary. For your consideration for future conferences.
Hey another idea for next year, and maybe this year. I am familiar with a lot of the songs that we have sung in worship and in the concerts. However, some of the ones I know, I am not sure of the names. And the ones I don't know I don't know the names. Furthermore, when I am worshipping, I don't want to sit down, pull out my book and write down the name of the song. Could there be a list of the worship sets with composer names and/or copyright info posted on the blog or on the web or included in the notebook? That would be awesome for me. There are definitely some new songs that I would like to use at my church. Thanks for an awesome conference!
Some of the breakouts are good, but I honestly ge a bit tired of listening to talking heads all week long. There is a wealth of knowledge at this conference with all these worship leaders.
How about a number of breakouts that are not just teaching but intended to be moderated and facilitate discussion, brainstorming, and exchange of ideas and philosophies.
Would make for more networking also.
Perhaps there could be larger classrooms used for the guitar sessions. The teachers are truly incredible, but people were getting turned away at the door because the classes were too full. I don't know if this was a problem for other venues, but there are a ton of guitar players who lead worship and the knowledge these guys shared (Rich Severson and Tom Strahle) is priceless. I thank God for having them be a part of the conference.
Kudos to the team that organized this event. Great job as always.
I have been really enjoying the teaching ministry of John Piper. Have you considered bringing him in to teach at one of the general sessions?
Couple of thoughts.
First, less music and more talk. By that I mean that I (we) can attend concerts and worship services any time, but we don't often get to hear the heart and the teaching of great leaders all that often. I love to worship, but my aim in coming here was to learn and network. I really want to hear the hearts and minds of people like Tim Hughes and Abe Laboriel and Lincoln and Tommy rather than their music. How about substituting music in the 11am slot for an hour of teaching.
Second, I would love for every breakout session to be recorded and made available shortly afterwards, either on CD or by podcast. The reason is that some of the breakouts follow on naturally from previous breakouts, and it would be good to get up to speed on those sessions. Also, there were probably 5 or 6 breakouts at each timeslot I would like to have attended, so to have access to recordings of those would be great.
i dissagree with James post! Actually, more music and less talk! Come on we're musicians!!!!
I would have some couples stufff and encourage more WL's to bring their wives!!! That would be nice to attend a session with our spouse and letting them the chance to hear the wife of Tommy, Lincoln, Rick etc.
Agreeing again with anonymous...
More music less talk!
I kind of agree with James. I would like to hear more from the different worship leaders. They are obviously gifted musicians... we've heard their albums. It is nice to hear them play them and see how they lead, but I don't think we need anymore music. We Are All musicians, and though we do need to be challenged musically, I personally would love to hear more from the heart of these amazingly gifted worship leaders.
Just wanted to respond a bit to the last few posts.
Yes, we are all (or most of us at least) are musicians, but our talent is meaningless without the heart and character that makes it worship. Attending a [insert worship artist here] gig does nothing for that. An hour with Rick Warren on Integrity, Humility and Generosity does. And in my mind, that's the entire purpose behind a conference of this nature; to take a hold of something that I can apply in my life, and not my instrument, that is going to make me a better worship leader.
First, and most importantly, this conference was fantastic, inspiring, and encouraging. Totally worthwhile.
Just a few things I think could have gone more smoothly:
-All of the Tech workshops were over-full. The teachers/leaders were really accomodating, but I could tell they were a little exasperated trying to make the workshops applicable for a larger audience then they expected. The workshops were still awesome, but I think next year, each Tech-type workshop should be offered more than once -- especially the "Tech Tour".
-I agree with the posters who have said they wanted to attend more than one of the workshops that were offered at a time. There were many sessions I feel sorry to have missed out on. To me the workshops are the main attraction of a conference like this -- more important than the general sessions. Seeing Lincoln Brewster shred was great and all, but my church got a lot more bang for their buck in me attending one session w/ Bruce Smith (former Tech.Director of Willow Creek) than the all of the worship sessions, messages, and programming combined. I now can go back to my church inspired, encouraged, and equipped to do my job better. And that's why they paid for me to attend the conference in the first place. So... just make sure the workshops aren't an afterthought. I'd much rather have every workshop offered at multiple times so that I could learn more, rather than have more general sessions.
-Also, workshops seemed to be scheduled at conflicting times. For instance, the "Cut Capo" class was offered at the same time as another guitar class. What's a guitarist to do? I know that's partially unavoidable, but again... multiple workshop offerings at different times would help.
-I agree w/ the previous post that musicians besides guitarists and vocalists deserve more consideration. Our church's drummer didn't have much geared towards his needs.
That's all I can think of. On the positive side:
-All of the Saddleback staff and volunteers were amazing. Huge thanks.
-I thought the food was pretty good. Thanks especially for the snacks. They make a big difference in keeping us awake and alert.
-The giveaways were fun.
THANKS SADDLEBACK!
Jeff Marbut
Tech.Director, Grace Church, Reno, NV
Someone had mentioned making the Breakout Sessions available for Podcast or CD would be great. Particularly, if there is only one time slot for a given session. There were times I was conflicted in having to weigh which session to attend.
Knowing that a recording of a session would be available a day or week afterwards makes it possible to not miss anything. At least from an audio point of view. Much like a recording of a weekly sermon. How about a DVD to get the visual as well?
I thought the worship throughout the conference (ie. General sessions, concerts etc.) were awesome. While I thought for the most part the style of music for worship was more or less the same, I really believe having a black gospel group lead worship one night would provide a different flavor. Please don't take this as a racial comment because first of all, I'm not black. I just happen to be a musician whose musical taste is pretty diverse. If I could pick the gospel artist it would be none other than Fred Hammond.
On another note, I was blessed to be at the 2nd breakout session for the Superband clinic with Abe Laboriel and friends. This was one of my highlights at the conference in addition to the worship. Hearing these musicians who are considered some of the best on their respective instruments share their testimonies of their faith, was so encouraging. Their transparency was so inspirational. And those who were lucky enough to be at session were truly blessed.
P.S. I really enjoyed the different styles of jazz performed around the campus (ie. Greg Vail, Tom Guerrero, Bill Cantos)
Yes indeed... the amount of music can always be more...we can go to a breakout session to hear the talking :)...
Not sure how many others who have attended in the past would agree with me, but i felt the schedule was better in the past, esp in regards to starting and ending times. I would rather be able to arrive more casualy on Tuesday as in the past, and then finish Friday morning with our final worship/general session before going home.
Cant agree more with making the breakout sessions available on CD or MP3...its almost impossible to get to all of the breakout sessions that you want to. What a great tool that would be!!
This is my 3rd year attending...looking forward to the 4th already!! Keep up the great work!! You guys will never please everyone, but you sure do a great job in what you do!!
Craig Conner-Sunrise Church-Rialto, CA
What I observed is that Saddleback Staff spend much time and prayer on determining the balance of each dynamic of this conference. There IS sharing, teaching, talking in each portion, INCLUDING the music presentations in the mornings. My desire is to leave the balance of music and talking in place. IF IT WORKS DON'T FIX IT! I think it works.
@anonymous: 1 Corinthians 9:5 - "Do we not have the right to bring a believing wife with us when we travel...?"
First of all, God bless all the Saddleback staff and volunteers for your hard work and dedication to make this conference a success. Your love for the Lord is obvious. I have to agree with David and James. I loved the music and the workshops, but I really loved hearing the heart of Rick Warren, Buddy Owens, Irwin McManus and Rick Muchow. Next year it might be nice to hear some testimonies from the musicians. It was uplifting to hear Rick Muchow's take on worship and what it really means!
While I am a vocalist and am on staff as the assistant to the Worship Minister, it was difficult to choose the right breakout sessions (due to such great choices). The only thing I can suggest would be sessions that deal with the graphic design element. My church doesn't have a "communications" person yet, so this falls mostly to the Worship Staff to be the creative ones in our slide design or in-house signage. And by Worship Staff, I mean me. I would've loved the opportunity to pick the brain of Saddleback's communications/graphic design staff to collaborate and share resources. One or two sessions in this vein would've been tremendously informative and creatively inspiring for someone in my unique position.
Thanks for a wonderful experience overall, the corporate worship was such a moving experience for me every time. Great job!
bring back the gospel late night venue...missed it this year
id say better meals for next year would be a improvment. because my lunch one day made me really sick.
Bring back the gospel late night venue...missed it this year! The only thing I can suggest would be sessions that deal with the graphic design element. I would've loved the opportunity to pick the brain of Saddleback's communications/graphic design staff to collaborate and share resources. Thanks for a Great Conference!
What would I love to see next year?
My whole worhip team here!! Of coarse!!
I attended two conferences in Green Room #1. I really enjoyed the sessions but was distracted by the bright sunlight bouncing off the building next to the Green Room. As the light came through the window it was almost impossible to see the leader's face because the sunlight was so bright. Any chance some blinds could be installed on the windows?
Also, I would love to see workshops for specific instruments like keyboards, bass guitars and drums(percussion).
Would like to have workshops that show us how to work out the finer issues of preparing for a worship service, how to effectively pull it all together between the preachers, servers, ushers, sound techs, lighting techs, vocalists, and musicians (show us how you prepare for your worship services), physically as well as through communication and actions/follow-up. How to handle those who don't follow through with their committments to the service.
Any chance of getting the complete conference schedule out a little earlier next year on the website so that our worship team can do some advanced planning before the conference?
The highlights for me were all the venues with Rick Warren, Rick Muchow, David Pack, Abe Laboriel, Sheila E., Lincoln Brewtster, Benton Brown, Tony Erwin and The Urban Poets - Scribble That!, and also meeting Bill(the bass player with his own style)!-- Thanks! :)
(Where can we get t-shirts with "Scribble That" on them?)
My comments here are only meant to help.....I loved the conference! Planning on coming back again next year!
It was great to hear the hearts of so many wonderfully talented musicians!
Thank you so much for all your hard work...and to the Saddleback support staff for keeping the campus looking great!!
This was our 4th year attending. We will continue to attend as long as we learn and grow. I think this may have been the best year yet. Shawn did a great job filling Susie's shoes. Thanks.
4 years ago you did a Saddleback and Friends concert that was really amazing. It included Charles Billingsley, John Tesh and Sheila E. I would love to see an evening like that again. You gotta bring back Charles please.
Thanks again for another awesome Conference.
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