Unlimited+Conference

=﻿__Opening Session__= The opening session consisted of a welcome from Dr.Michael Sharp, a time of musical worship led by Brett Younker, a time of teaching by Rory Noland, and a brief overview of the conference schedule. All of the conference participants gathered in the worship center of North Metro Baptist Church for worship and teaching that started the day.

Brett Younker's band was a minimal praise band including two electric guitars, bass guitar, and drum kit. Chris Tomlin's new song "Our God" acted as their theme for the day. The musicality for of the band was excellent, and they stayed together very well. The songs were keyed close to their original keys but were sometimes a little high for the general congregation. Brett Younker is a tenor or high baritone, and the keys were a little high as a result. His singing was not heavy or strained and appropriate for the contemporary style of the music. His spoken transitions between songs led well into the next song and had appropriate music in the background. Were the words clearly displayed on the screen for people to follow?

Rory Noland, the author of numerous books for worship leaders, started the day off with an introspective overview of the role of worship leader and the challenges that worship leaders may face. His goal in the first general session of the day was to approach the wide field that is "worship leadership". Rory used his wealth of personal experiences to address the direction of worship and challenges of leading worship. Rory communicated his understanding of biblical worship leadership and how culture defines worship, both positively and negatively. =__Music Breakouts__= The conference offered breakout sessions in the areas of general worship band, percussion, keys, guitar, vocals, general technical, audio, and visual components. Each of these breakout sessions was offered as a part of both the youth track and the adult track. The general band session was led by Mike Ashburn, the associate for music ministries at the host church, North Metro Baptist, located in Lawrenceville, GA. Keith McBroom, the minister of music for NMFBC, and a NOBTS grad also led one of the music sessions. The vocal workshop was led by Lisa Jones, a vocalist formally with the group "Truth" and who currently serves as the vocal director for NorthStar Church in Kennesaw, GA. Brandon Sharp, currently attending Liberty University, led the workshop on keys.

Lisa Jones' session was entitled "Leading Worship Music Effectively." It seemed to be a very generic leadership presentation than one concentrated specifically on vocal issues. She made good points for general application, such as spending time with God through studying the Word, listening to the Spirit, and being still before Him. She provided a handout with blanks to be filled out by the attendees for later reference and to secure attention during the session. She reinforced the necessity or preparation in leading God's people in worship, but did not provide any guidelines or suggestions on proper preparation. She stated that leading vocalists should know their lyrics, harmonies, and the flow of worship and emphasized that the goal of leaders of worship is to get out of the way and not cause a distraction. She also made the point that leaders should be acutely aware of their body language and facial expressions.

=__Leadership Breakout__= The Unlimited Conferece offered leadership breakout sessions for both student and adult worship leaders. Several of the workshops had direct and practical implications on worship ministry. Author and worship leader Rory Noland, of Heart of the Artist Ministries, offered a timely discussion on "Conflict Resolution" within the church. Lori Kennedy, of Alpha and Omega ministries, discussed the role of "Women in Worship". Daniel Hoover, of NorthStar Church in Atlanta, gave advice on "Making the Most of Your Rehearsal Time". Jake Summer, Student Life Worship Coordinator at Sugarloaf United Methodist Church, offered instruction and "Tools for Creating Worship Experiences". Dr. Greg Woodward, of NOBTS, offered a short course in "Creating a Cover/Using Loops". In addition to the more technical leadership classes, Dr. Michael Sharp, of NOBTS, offered a class on the "Devotional Life of the Worship Musician" and Keith McBroom, Minister of Music at North Metro Baptist Church, offered an introspective look at the role of a worship leader as either "Servant or Rockstar?". James Teally offered a session at lunch to student of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary giving insight into song writing. Would like to hear more about the quality and content of one or more of these sessions. =__Closing Session__=