Worship Leader Cohort 2026

TABLE SONGS COHORT

Many believe in growth, but few invest in themselves and find it. Local church worship leaders carry significant challenges, even when things go well. Here’s the thing. We can face the pain of those challenges as they come and learn much that way. Or we can prepare ourselves and let the lessons of leadership pull us forward instead of pushing as back. Here is what an investment in a cohort with Table Songs hopes to offer.

IDENTITY: Maturing our character gives us stability. If you know better who you are in Christ, your identity rests on a solid foundation.

TOOLS: Tools and practices exist that, if learned and applied, reinforce our ministry.

LEADERSHIP: Understanding what leadership is and isn’t defines how well we serve our church.

COMMUNITY: Transformation is better than transaction. Peers and mentors create a deeper, authentic self-awareness. Don’t go it alone.

Here’s a bit more about the cohort structure and content.

10-month Commitment
Monthly coaching workshop sessions for all participants.
Weekly small-group meetups with peers and a coach.
Annual fall in-person retreat and experience.

The sessions reinforce all four themes or lenses: identity, tools, leadership, and community. These will engage you in the cohort with 9 online workshops, weekly small groups, and the annual Table Songs in-person retreat.

Online workshop sessions deliver fresh wisdom and inspiring mentoring, which include off-line materials such as books and useful worksheets to be discussed individually and with your small group. There will be relatable stories to set the stage, leadership principles to stretch your thinking and practical tools to wear on your belt.

All of which is anchored in relationships and community.

THE FOUR LENSES

Identity: Who am I in Christ?

We learn we are more than a church role or our gifts and skills. Our first identity is as a child of our Creator and a follower of Jesus before our roles as worship and ministry leaders. Each workshop brings to mind our spiritual formation and encourages each of us to build our character and warm our hearts towards God and each other.

Tools: How do I do it?

We strive to turn natural talent into honed skills. We will learn to acquire and apply practical tools to help worship leaders and songwriters hone their craft. From systems to technologies to best practices, we will ask this: “How can I improve in wearing or delegating any of the hats a worship leader wears?”

Leadership: What is leadership?

We work to embrace the skills and mindset of leading others. If you are a worship leader, you are a leader. If you write songs, you lead as a contributor to an artistic process that takes people somewhere deeper in the faith. You likely have to form teams, lead volunteers, and even come up with budgets. From theology to creativity to leadership, we will gain a stronger foundation to lead well.

Community: Who am I with?

We find transformation within the company of brothers and sisters. When you write a song, the hope is to engage your church community to be together and in one voice. It then makes sense for the process of creating and leading people to arise out of an authentic community. The goal is to foster real-life relationships that help transform us within a safe space at The Table.

WORKSHOP SESSIONS

Rich Kirkpatrick, Erik Gaylo and special guests will host 60-90 minute monthly sessions. Each will include dialogue and Q&A and is also designed to stimulate small group interactions.

SESSION 1 | Character: Who Am I?

There is a difference between a role and a calling. We build character from our identity as God’s children, not through title, skill, or talent.

SESSION 2 | What to do when things go wrong.

Dealing with people includes difficult and messy situations. The secret is to prepare a strategy for how to handle these.

SESSION 3 |Worship Planning: How to Break Creative Blocks and Barriers

As God’s image bearers, God designed us for creativity. There is a time for more ideas and a time for getting things done. The creative process shows us how and when best to do these.

SESSION 4 | Leading Up: People, Boards, and Budgets

Spreadsheets aren’t as fun as chord charts, but learning to master certain admin skills is a game changer. And learning to lead your leaders is a must.

SESSION 5 | Mental Health and Self-Care

Our minds and bodies are gifts from God. If we learn to take better care of them, we build the resilience needed to lead for the long haul.

SESSION 6 | Volunteer Development: Motivation & Recruitment Creating a healthy way to lead and motivate volunteers is critical to any ministry. Learn new and better ways to motivate and lead people.

SESSION 7 | The Six Hats of the Worship Leader

The Six Hats model shows you how to expand your team through delegation. You can wear a hat, share a hat, or give a hat away.

SESSION 8 | Leading Through Suffering and Disappointment

Not everyone who comes to a service will find joy in singing louder and longer. Learn the healing power of the pattern of laments found in the book of Psalms.

SESSION 9 | Community: The Gift of the Table

It is a gift to find an authentic community, especially living in the bubble of worship leadership. Discover how to experience, build and share community within healthy boundaries.

SESSION 10 | Songwriting For Worship

In a sea of songs being written, what makes a good one? Songwriting myths will be busted.