I’ve been receiving an increasing number of questions about WorshipGod13. Are we having one? Where will it be? Are you still alive?
Yes to questions 1 and 3. And here’s the scoop on question two.
The big news is that we’re actually planning not one, but TWO WorshipGod events in 2013. June 27-29, 2013 we’re hoping to hold a conference in Orange County, CA. For years individuals and teams have traveled across the country to attend WorshipGod in Maryland. I’ve been amazed and humbled by their commitment. But we’re finally holding a conference in a location nearer to where they live. Eric Turbedsky, pastor of Sovereign Grace Church OC, has graciously volunteered to be the “feet on the ground” in preparation for the conference. We have a few leads on a location, but we haven’t nailed down the details yet. I’d appreciate your prayers, as well as any substantive possible locations in Orange County!
We’ll also be hosting a WorshipGod conference in Louisville, KY, Aug. 1-3, 2013 at Highview Baptist Church East. While Covenant Life Church has been a superb location for the past 10 conferences, the Sovereign Grace Ministries staff has moved with its offices to Louisville, and that also happens to be where I live now. Both factors will make hosting the conference in Louisville easier.
Both events will start on Thursday morning (rather than Wednesday night) and go through Saturday noon. That way people will be able to fly/drive in on Wednesday and check in on Wednesday night (or early Thursday morning). We’ll only be dropping one main session from previous years. I hope that will make it a little easier for some people to come.
As far as a theme, I’m leaning towards something of a “back to the basics” focus. In the midst of a dizzying number of new technologies, methodologies, meeting structures, and church philosophies, it seems wise to remember why we’re doing what we’re doing. Just getting started on speakers and musicians.
We started doing WorshipGod conferences in 2006, although we had hosted conferences since 1999. I chose that title because in our culture we use the word “worship” so frequently without specifying what we’re actually worshiping.
“I’m going to worship. I liked the worship. Who’s doing the worship? Worship was slow this morning.”
Over time, using the word “worship” like that obscures the rich, amazing, life-changing reality and activity that worshiping the living God actually is. The WorshipGod conference is intentionally focused on how to use music, the Word, and our lives to magnify God’s glory in Christ. It’s for pastors, music leaders, musicians, tech personnel, and anyone who wants to grow in the theology, heart, and skill of leading congregational worship.
Registration will most likely begin some time shortly after the start of the new year and I’ll post more details as I receive them.
Please pass this info on to anyone who might be interested. Thanks!
Oh wow! This is great! We live in Orange County and were actually asked if we could help with this.
On the other side….we were figuring it would be in KY this year and were looking forward to going to a state we’ve never been to! :) We might just do both!
Thanks for the update, Bob!
Can’t wait!
Thanks for bringing the worship conference out west Bob! Excited that it’s close enough for a big roadtrip.
Thanks for the update, Bob! Can’t wait!
Looking forward to bringing my team to Louisville.
Awesome.
How big of a facility are you looking for at the Orange County conference?
Thanks for asking, Dana. Hoping for between 1200-1500 in the main auditorium. Seminar rooms, I’m hoping for one of about 750 (in addition to the main auditorium), two about 400-500, and three about 200.
We’re looking forward to coming out to KY! Thanks for the info!
This is amazing, because some of us (Dominicans) were chating about this, and I was thinking this year you will canceled, but you dont, so that’s such a good Knews, and in this time that our latin church (ibi) have a relationship with you, I will pray that Gods gives you a refresh and annointing word to His people, with love,
Fatima Salcedo
Awesome! I would love to be able to attend the conference in Louisville… hopefully things will work out to where I can make it :) excited to hear more as info becomes available!
wish we had a facility that large. EV Free Fullerton might be a great option for you. They have a facility in the OC that would possibly fit what you need.
Finally, one in the west and a “full” conference at that. :-) thanks, Bob. Now, no excuse for the whole team not to come. Looking forward to this. Funny thing is, me and another guy for church were talking about this the day you posted this. The Lord has heard our prayers, hehehe.
Jun, so glad we’ll be able to serve you and the other westerners better this year!
Thanks for the update. I’ve been attending WorshipGod since 2008 and will definitely try to make it next year even though it’s a lot further for me.
I’m a little disappointed though to hear there won’t be a Wednesday evening general session for those that are able to arrive in time for it. I always enjoyed the first night as a kick-off for the days to the follow with the backyard hangout, etc. Also, the number of sessions and speakers, I felt, contributed to the overall value the conference provided in comparison to others. Thirdly, the past two conferences I appreciated the options available for pre-conference intensives, which if it starts Wednesday, I assume would no be available this time around.
Denny, thanks for the comment. It was a hard decision, for sure. I think it will actually enable more people to come. We haven’t made a decision on the pre-conference intensives yet. They might still be an option. Thanks for letting us know your thoughts! And thanks for coming to WorshipGod since 2008!
Super excited to serve from our home church – Sovereign Grace OC!
This is great news! We look forward to having you closer to us in OH! Thanks for your work!
Roger, great to be nearer to you all! Thanks for your encouraging words.
Hi Bob,
My name is Diane and I attend Coast Community Church in Orange County. I volunteered with your Sovereign Grace Orange County members at the Worship God day event last year at Calvary Baptist Church in Huntington Beach, and was planning to help out again this year.
Someone from our church has attended all of your worship conferences in Maryland since 2006. I was blessed by our church sending us to be able to attend once in 2008. I was thrilled that you came this way last year and am thrilled your are doing it again this coming year here in Orange County.
However , that last weekend of June is the weekend of an annual counseling conference here in Southern California that several members from our church attend. A few of us who attend this counseling conference are also are on the worship team or affiliated with it. My heart dropped when I saw the date chosen for Worship God would contend with this conference and we would have to make a choice between the two.
So I was just wondering if this date is set in stone yet? And if not, I would humbly plea for the another weekend. However, I completely understand if this cannot be the case.
Thank you again, either way, for bringing the conference this way! It is a blessing to all of us who can’t get out that way!!
http://www.ibcd.org/summer-institute/
Diane, thanks for emailing! Yes, unfortunately, that date is set. It has to do with the time between conferences I’m working with. Sorry we won’t see you there! But you can always make it out to the Louisville WorshipGod…
Ha! I didn’t say I wasn’t coming… just that I will have to make a choice between the two (which I haven’t done yet)! Wanted to get all the facts first. :)
Thanks so much for your quick reply! I will be praying for this new endeavor both here and in Louisville!
~Diane
Diane, thank you so much for your prayers!
Bob, hopefully you’ll also push through with the one for the Philippines? :-) ‘coz we’re trying to schedule our vacation there when “supposedly” that will happen. But if not, then at least there’s already one here in O.C.
Bob, will the conferences be identical? If not, what would be the difference(s) between them? I would really like to go to Louisville, but CA is closer.
Jeremy, thanks for asking. I’m not sure yet, as the details haven’t been worked out. I’m hoping they will be very similar.
Very exciting! 2013 can’t get here fast enough!
Bob!
How exciting! The WorshipGod conferences have had such a huge impact on the music ministry at our church in Vallejo, CA. Now that we will be traveling 300 miles instead of 3000 miles I anticipate being able to bring a larger portion of our team.
I will be praying that Christ will be honored our time together as we worship in song, through the preaching and hearing of the word, and through our fellowship. Did I mention how excited we are!?!?
Julian
Julian, I’m excited that you’re excited! Thanks for your encouragement.
Hey Bob!
Really excited that you’ll be holding it in Louisville. Never could make it out east (from KC). I’m going to make it a priority to get there this year.
I think the ‘back to the basics’ focus is a great idea.
Looking forward to it! Just a short drive from Lexington. I will be praying for you and your team as you make a decision on content, speakers, etc. As far as back to basics I appreciate that very much. I have been teaching recently through a worship class and came across John MacArthur’s book called the ultimate priority. In it he discusses a preparedness for worship from Hebrews 10:22-25 (sincerity, fidelity, humility and purity). I think you would be encouraged by this. I attended the last conference in Maryland with some from my team and we were so blessed. One of my guys said that he could function as a translator if needed (spanish). One more thing I was encouraged by in my studies was Abraham’s example in Gen. 22. “stay with the donkey and I and the lad will go yonder and “worship”. He looked beyond the barriers and worshiped. He focused not on his own personal sacrifice, but on the one whom he would worship. O that all the saints would have this kind of devotion. Though we have never met, I appreciate the fellowship available through our commonality in Christ.
Thank you, Bob and team for making these conferences happen! They’ve been such a good time to remember why we do what we do. Living in the middle of the country, the music team at our church will probably always have to travel somewhere a ways away, but the benefits far outweigh the travel expense.
I know the deadline for feedback from WG11 is long gone, but the idea of “back to the basics” made me remember an idea that I had thought of after the last conference. I love the opportunity to sing to one another accompanied by Sojourn, Enfield, and all the other quality bands that have led music at the conference. However, most of us attending WG conferences lead musical worship at churches that simply don’t have musicians of that caliber playing together. I was thinking of how encouraging and helpful it could be to have one of the large corporate music times led by just one or two people singing with maybe just a guitar or piano or something like that. In reality, this is what many of us do weekly and it would be very helpful to see it done well. Though we have a full-band’s-worth of great musicians right now at our church, stripping it down like this occasionally helps our musicians and congregation to remember that quality of worship is not exactly proportionate to musical details.
Of course, I look forward to bringing the team to WGOC no matter who is leading music. Thanks again for all the thought, energy, and resources you all put into this stuff!
At which conference will Mark Altrogge do the announcements? That is the deciding factor which trumps trivial issues like geography and cost. I bet folks from Orange County would fly to Louisville if that was the only venue at which the “great one” delivers announcements. I’d get this settled quickly, Bob. Please don’t leave us hanging…
Craig, that is an important question. We’re working on it right now. Hopefully he will be at both!
This is very timely and hope to make it to the conference.
Dear sir I have great desire to attend your conference meeting. I will bear all necessary expenses of this visit. pastor shahzad arif karachi pakistan. Waiting your favoruable reply from you soonest.
Shahzad, we would love to have you at the conference. Which one do you think you’d be able to attend?
Bob, this is great news. For the past 3 years, my wife and I have been celebrating our wedding anniversary at the Resolved conference. When they had the final conference this year we were kind of bummed as we enjoyed spending time together listening to great preaching and singing great hymns. It is very exciting to spend our anniversary next year listening to great preaching and singing gospel-centered songs together. It’s just great that you thought of us when picking the dates.
Rhey
Rhey, thanks for wanting to spend your anniversary with us!
The blessings I received from WG11 have made such a major impact on my walk with Christ and my service in our music ministry. I cannot wait to attend this years conference.
Thank you for your leadership and ministry, sir.
Hi Bob,
I just wanted to second the earlier comment about appreciating the Wednesday start. I was in the choir intensive at ’11 and loved it. I also really appreciated watching the piano intensive online after the conference. And, though I haven’t decided which one to try to go to yet, OC is WAY easier to get to from Hawaii. Also, the earlier dates help keep clear of back-to-school stuff like teacher in-service training.
Can’t wait!
-Joel
Bob – is Worship God 2013 still being planned for the West Coast?
I’d love to attend/register, but can’t find any information about it other than your blog.
Mike, thanks for asking. Yes. I’ll be posting on it shortly. Registration will open around Feb. 1.
Great news – thanks ! I’m looking forward to attending.
This is great news! Thanks for updating Bob.
Registration still around the first of February??
Don, I think it will open next week. You’ll hear about it here or on Twitter. Thanks for asking.
So..not to be pestering, but, registration starting soon?
Don, thanks for your patience. We hope to get the full site of Monday, and hopefully registration will start Tuesday or Wednesday. We’re definitely working on it!
Thanks for the info!
Are there any dates in mind for WorshipGod 2014?
Rob, we’re planning on holding WorshipGod West at Calvary Church, Santa Ana, July 16-19. WorshipGod East will be in 2015. Thanks for asking!