Christmas will be here before you know it! And for many of you, the Christmas season officially started yesterday.

But, where do you start? You've got songs to pick out, volunteers to schedule, special elements to create, and a team to lead through the whole process…

Starting in December, worship teams rush to learn a bunch of Christmas songs. They play them for a few weeks and then throw them back in the closet until next year rolls around. So the question is: how long should you use Christmas songs in your worship services? Is it okay to sing Christmas songs after December 25?…

It's the week after Christmas and you're wondering to yourself, "Is it okay to take some time off? Or should I keep pushing until the end of the year?" Or maybe you've already tried taking the past few days off and felt guilty about it because there's still so much to do at church.

Let me assure you, it's okay to take some time off right now! Your church isn't going to fall apart. In fact, most people in your church are on break right now too (the Sunday after Christmas is one of the lowest attended Sundays of the year). So take some time off - this isn't the week to "just finish one more project." If you're responsible for leading this coming Sunday, make sure you have things in order, then take a few days off!…

How'd you feel in your preparation for Christmas this year? Were you overwhelmed? Did you feel like you didn't have enough time? Not enough help? Are you rushing to get things done last minute? Use this year's Christmas planning as a learning process. Think about what went wrong, what went well, and what you can do better next year…

Christmas carols are great because everyone knows them and can sing along with them. However, along with that familiarity comes a sense of nostalgia that sometimes overshadows the fact that we are worshiping God when we sing these songs. Instead of thinking "here are some worship songs," it's easy for your congregation to just think "here are some Christmas songs that we always sing this time of year…"

There's no other way to put it: there ARE going to be people who come to your church this week who only come once a year. The question is: how are you going to respond to them? Are you going to ignore them and only focus on the people who regularly come? Or is there a better way where you can serve everyone who shows up? There are a few things you can do to engage the people who come to your church this weekend!…

Christmas carols are an important part of the Christmas season. They tell the story of Jesus coming to earth! In addition, they are typically familiar songs that people who don't regularly come to church can sing along with…

Christmas is a time of joy and happiness. There's lots of good things going on. But, when you're in ministry it doesn't always feel that way. Your schedule is loaded with events at church which you not only have to go to, but you're in charge of them as well! There's a lot going on and it's easier to be stressed out than joyful during the Christmas season. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to stay joyful during the Christmas season…

I challenge you to practice a song you'll be leading at your church this Christmas season…

It's important to sing traditional Christmas songs during the Christmas season. But, it's also good to incorporate some more modern songs during the season too. The problem is: a lot of newer Christmas songs were written for the radio and not necessarily for congregational worship. So it can be hard to find the best songs to lead in your church. That's why we've put this list together (with YOUR suggestions) - problem solved!…

Christmas is coming! That means it's time to start planning your Christmas services. Don't wait until the last minute to figure out what you're going to do. If you want to lead well, you've got to plan early. When you plan early, you aren't stressed about what's going to happen. Plus, planning earlier allows you to do more and do it all better. So get to planning!…

It's the most wonderful time of the year!... at least that's how the song goes. But it definitely doesn't feel like it sometimes if you're a worship leader. There's a lot to do during the Christmas season. You've got special events to plan for, extra services, and let's not even think about all those chords you still have to learn for those classic Christmas songs. There's no doubt Christmas can be a stressful season for worship leaders. But, there are a few things you can do to remove that stress…