Have you noticed it recently? The shift away from ‘the church’. We sure have.

We have noticed again and again, and heard similar things from our pastor friends, that their people (and even they themselves) have all of a sudden found themselves questioning the way the local church has been operating. And more than that, they’ve been questioning their part in it all. Many are asking if they have given too much, been taken advantage of, or even worse. For some, there’s a sense that they have been manipulated into serving their pastor’s vision. We have so many friends who have been on staff at their church, walked away from that and then are left wondering if any of it was good or “of God.” Were all the years of giving their all worth it?

Surely ministry is not meant to be this way? Not meant to leave you feeling this way? And to answer those questions, I suggest that, while church leadership should be held to a higher standard, it may also be true that some of the hurt and pain could have been avoided with a stronger sense of understanding and commitment to a personal philosophy of ministry.

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It can be overwhelming to be handed a Worship & Creative Team to lead or pastor for the first time or be tasked with the mandate to grow one from scratch. I know because I’ve been in that position…

In 2023, Rich and I started consulting for a number of churches and organisations, using the knowledge we have to help people in our world lead and grow. Through this, over and over we hear this one question;

To help answer that question, I thought I would share my back story with you.

Let me take you back to around 2007, when I had two babies and an HR degree. I had already worked for our Church at the time in an administrative role in the Creative team. I had started our marketing and events departments from scratch. I had dabbled in stage design because we didn’t have that department, and together with Rich, we ran a zone in the youth ministry overseeing teams of teams. Rich had a theology degree and a passion for teaching the Bible, and we had the heart to plant churches.

Before that, we had grown up in a little Baptist Church in Melbourne of maybe 500 people and done everything from kids ministry to youth, to leading worship, to serving tea and coffee, designing programs, communications, and building home groups (funnily enough, Ben Fielding and Reuben Morgan both came from there too!)

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Ministry often comes at inconvenient times and is disguised in all kinds of endeavors.

• God weaves all our experiences together and has a way of surprising us with what He chooses to use.

• Don’t discount your current season because you don’t know what the Lord is training your hands for in the future.

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In high school, I did cadet training. I enjoyed the break from regular classes and the adventure of getting out in nature. Once a year, we’d travel to a place called “Mount Disappointment” and hike around the bush for a week or so. It was a fitting name because those times didn’t always match my expectations. It would rain there a lot, so we’d get wet, cold, and often lost out in the middle of nowhere.

As a result, I learned the art of leaving a breadcrumb trail. Walking along, I’d leave reminders of where I’d been to avoid getting lost.

The real lesson was in learning to look for the breadcrumb trail and not miss it. It wasn’t easy to see unless, of course, you were looking.

Hold that thought.

I’ve always loved the Exodus story, and the older I get, the more I realize it’s because it’s the framework for everything that is to come later in scripture, but also for our lives. It’s the story of bondage and release, finding worship in the wilderness, and traveling to the promised land.

And again, when I was reading Exodus recently, I was struck by that story. But this time, it was because it made me think about the kind of God we have who provides manna in the desert.

In my imagination, I always think of manna as chunks of bread falling from the sky. But the reality is it was probably something different. The closest English translation of the Hebrew for manna is “What is it?” which I find fascinating! Translators have turned that word into “wafers” to make things easier to understand, which gives an entirely different connotation.

So picture this; each morning, when the people of Israel emerged from their tents, the ground was white with manna. In other words, covered in kindness from God, and when they saw it, they would ask, “What is it?”

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Christmas is loud in our house…

Cousins, board games, reunions, and all the feels from a year of commitments. After Boxing Day, cricket games are left lingering, and there is a moment when we struggle to remember the date and try to remember what day it is.

The hours merge when our brains have time to decompress from the year’s tasks, details, and rhythms. The southern hemisphere encounters the heat of Summer, and our northern hemisphere friends snuggle around the fire - winter has found us retreating.

Most of the world takes some time to reset. It is a sacred time of the year if we choose to slow with courage. The hardest part is surrendering to the sabbath that the season offers, making meaning with perspective from the season that has passed.

• How do we reflect on a season that has carried with it brutal global stories?

• How do we make sense of a season that doesn’t make sense?

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Hi, my name is Cass, and I am a recovering fast food addict and adrenaline junkie. A relentlessly paced life once controlled me, caught on the Instagram and social media treadmill, running from one thing to the next, finding myself consumed by the complex and complicated.

Everyone says, “Hi, Cass.”

(And before you cast too many stones, feel free to introduce yourself in the comments below with your vices and weaknesses. Confess your sins one to another 😉)

Until recently, my family had often found ourselves racing from one thing to the next, particularly on Sundays. We would usually grab breakfast from McDonald’s on our way to church to make it on time for rehearsals. We’d drop past the “chicken shop” on the way home for lunch and then, defeated by the clock, pull into the drive-through of McDonald’s again on Sunday night to down a little burger at the day’s end. Then I’d post about everything on social media. After that, spent and exhausted and unprepared for the new week, I’d collapse into bed knowing I would do it all again the following Sunday.

Does any of that sound familiar? Or is it just me?

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Hey — It’s Cass and Rich.

We’re right smack in the middle of a memorable Advent season. The highs of God at work and the lows of humanities brokenness, right in front of us. We’re hope-filled and yet at the same time feeling the weight of ministry and life! It’s real life hey.

So here’s 2 ideas from us, 2 snippets from others & 1 spark of inspiration!

TWO IDEAS FROM RICH & CASS

RICH WRITES:

Tragedy struck this week in Sydney. Our country rocked by senseless violence. We’re not used to these things happening where we live.

Humanity was never mean’t to suffer such trauma. Yet we find ourselves caught in a spiral of endless pain.

And to this world, and into this pain, Jesus came.

He came and lived our pain and He suffered our trauma.

That’s why I’m anticipating this Christmas in a special way.

I welcome the child born in a manger.

I worship this child like the kings of old.

And I anticipate his return as we celebrate His first arrival.

Maranatha… Come Lord Jesus Come!

CASS WRITES:

Does anyone else feel like the days before Christmas seem to speed up? Time changes, and the days feel different at this time of year. It’s like we’re all hyper focused on getting it all done!! Instead of preparing for Advent, we’re all preparing to get through it all. Or is it just me? My prayer for you is that you’re able to pace yourself, to take a deep breath of heaven, and enjoy real moments of joy and celebration that runs deep into you soul. May Jesus fill you again with hope, life, and a sense of expectation of what He might be up to in your life and the lives of those in your world.

TWO SNIPPETS FROM OTHERS

It’s important, specially at this time of year, to be mindful of your own fatigue levels, and those of your team… after all, as Ps. John Seibling says in this video…

“There’s a direct correlation between your fatigue level and your faith level”

Our advise; Don’t ignore fatigue… and don’t pretend you’re okay… do what you need to do to create a rhythm of input, output, rest, repeat.

Source: AccessMore Podcast

We’ve been reading Darrell Johnsons Advent book this season… it’s been comforting and a strong reminder, as Cass loves to say “that hope is on the horizon!”

He writes:

“Darkness is strong...I know.

But Jesus the Light is stronger.

Sorrow is strong...I know.

But Jesus the Joy is stronger.

Bondage is strong... I know.

But Jesus our Freedom is stronger.”

Source: Awaken Wonder: Daily Devotions For Advent

ONE SPARK OF INSPIRATION

Cook by pictures… check this out…

Ikea has created an innovative way of teaching people to cook their even meals!! It inspires us to imagine new ways to communicate the Gospel with people that don’t know what it’s all about… could we come up with a flat packed Gospel? Not flatten of meaning, but re-packaged in a way that feeds those who need it most. What would that look like?

Source: morozov.ideas

Question of the week…

Grace and peace,

Rich and Cass

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Hey — It’s Cass and Rich.

This week is off to a flying start. Rehearsals, Christmas Parties, 40th Birthdays by the pools amidst Sydney storms, hospitals, house cleaning, visitors arriving, decorating and deliberating. It really is the “silly season”. We’ve been thinking about how to maintain a creative edge and the right perspective in the middle of it all.

So here’s 2 ideas from us, 2 snippets from others & 1 spark of inspiration!

TWO IDEAS FROM RICH & CASS

RICH WRITES:

Do you ever wonder about what it really looks like to do something great?

A lot of talk about changing the world… and have dreams of doing great things… but not many stop to truly work through what that looks like for us as Christians creatives.

This week I have found myself in a random scenario with ministry friends. We’ve travelled the world together, lead services together, sought God together… and cleaned houses together. Yes, that’s right, you read that correctly, cleaned houses… literally on our hands and knees scrubbing floors, toilets and bathrooms for someone in need.

It wasn’t pleasant…

But in the middle of wiping who knows what off the bathroom floor, I kept being reminded of the words of Jesus… “Whoever wants to become great in the Kingdom must be the servant of all”.

Here’s what I tool away with me…

When we serve all, we enter into something great. When we’re helping others, especially those that can’t help themselves, we do great things. When there’s no upside for you, just acts of services for others, it could just be that you’re doing the “greatest” thing ever!!

(And you don’t have to enjoy the expereince for it to be true!)

CASS WRITES:

Recently the team from streams.studio and I sat down and had a conversation around leadership, creativity, worship, and one of the topics it seems everyone wants to talk about at the moment, being hurt.

So here are some of my honest thoughts as a leader in the church… (forgive the intense look!!!!)

To read more around these thoughts, keep reading my lessons learned from a life time of ministry in The Worship and Creative Leaders Academy.

TWO SNIPPETS FROM OTHERS

The simplest of quotes can provide real moments of profound insight. Like this one:

“I (almost) always come limping into Advent, desperate for light, but almost too tired to look for it. Then I remember: the Light came looking for me, and that’s the whole point.”

Source: Annie B. Jones - Instagram

This film was hand drawn and took over a three years to create!! It’s by “Brother Bear” director, Aaron Blaze. It’s won mulitple awards at film festivals, like the Santa Fae Film Festival, and has alot of buzz around it at present.

It’s amazing what one man’s committement to story telling can yield, particulatly around something he’s passionate about. In this case it’s climate change.

But how about you? What fuels your creative output? And how commited are you to seeing those stories come to life?

Source: YouTube

ONE SPARK OF INSPIRATION

Creativity takes focus, and focus takes intention. If you are anything like us, you find yourself scrolling, watching youtube videos, seeking inspiration, reading random things, and instagramming… sometimes for ideas and sometimes because you’re caught in the culture we live in.

I’ve decided in 2026 there will be less wasted time scrolling or fritting away my life on my phone - but how do I achieve that?

To be honest I’m pretty ready to try a new tool, The Brick. It disables apps and allows you time to reset.

We have a friend who has this at her front door. It makes home a space of sanctuary and connection. But for me the possibilities are endless... we could use it at the church office, for times with the team where we need peoples focused attention… or even in church on Sunday’s.

Imagine.

Decrease scroll, increase output.

Source: getbrick.app

Question of the week…

What’s your best tip for staying focused when working on a project?

Leave a comment

Grace and peace,

Rich and Cass

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( PSST… We are going to reference some tools in this article that will help make your brainstorming all the more enjoyable and effective! All of these tools and diagrams are available for PDF download at the bottom of the article. Happy reading! )

The Question Everyone’s Asking…

As I was writing this article, two separate worship pastors reached out with the same question:

“How do you actually run a brainstorming session that works?”

Pastor (Australia):

“Sometimes we struggle in coming up with creative ideas or inspiring our team to be creative. I loved your session at Renaissance Conference 2025! How do you structure a brainstorm so it’s open, but also realistic?”

Pastor (USA):

“We’ve drifted toward isolated work. How do we get back to authentic, face-to-face creative connection?”

Collaboration is either a creative team’s greatest superpower, or its biggest Achilles’ heel.

Get it right, and you unlock:

• beautiful ideas;

• deep connection;

• and true innovation.

Get it wrong, and you end up with:

• groupthink;

• awkward silences;

• or the same tired ideas on repeat.

Post-COVID, it’s gotten harder. Many teams are still stuck in “isolation mode”… squeezing creativity into 45-minute Zooms or relying on AI prompts instead of real, face-to-face dreaming.

Why Most Brainstorming Sessions Flop

Let’s be honest, most “brainstorms” are just regular meetings with a new name.

• The loudest voices dominate.

• The extroverts too often take the gap.

• The best ideas get shut down too soon.

• People play it safe instead of dreaming big.

This is a crazy fact:

We have found that traditional group brainstorming can actually produce fewer ideas than individuals working alone, unless you add structure and safety.

But when you do, group creativity skyrockets.🚀

Unlock the Secret to Brainstorming Breakthroughs

Over the years, we’ve discovered a simple but powerful method that transforms chaotic, unproductive sessions into spaces of creativity, connection, and real progress. It’s not just theory, it’s a step-by-step process, complete with practical prompts, scripts to handle tough moments, and printable tools to guide your team. When you’re ready to lead brainstorming sessions that actually work, the full “Three Chairs” method and all the bonus resources are waiting for you below.

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Hey — It’s Rich and Cass.

We are pouring over songs this week… to turn carols into worship. There’s been gathering our team to decorate the church venue, Christmas service prep, plus an Aussie thanksgiving and gratitude in abundance. We are renovating at home, which along with all the Christmas festivities feels slightly chaotic… and very seasonal.

Now, here’s 2 ideas from us, 2 snippets from others & 1 spark of inspiration!

TWO IDEAS FROM RICH & CASS

RICH WRITES:

“Do you ever find yourself feeling like you’re the different one in the group?

You see the world in a way that others just don’t. And you can’t help but see creative ways to do things… all the while, you question why they don’t see it. Then you ask yourself, “am I the odd one?” … “or are they?”

I recently had that experience… then immediately felt a Holy Spirit nudge that I’m in exactly the right place, doing the thing I’m gifted to do. And that other person, they’re okay too, they have different gifts and talents.

So here’s the encouragement.

We’re all meant to compliment each other. We each add our unique color and flavor. So don’t be discouraged by that leader, pastor, or peer who doesn’t get it… they don’t have to!!”

CASS WRITES:

“I am convinced worship and wonder are intrinsically connected. Stand on the ocean shore and I dare you not to be moved to worship. Look at majestic mountains and consider Gods vastness and your own smallness - surely this moves your heart in God’s direction.

I’ve been thinking all week about Mary and the incarnation of God. Jesus literally is the breath of heaven incarnate. God walking the earth, feeling our pain, sorrow, joy and hope, sharing our oxygen. And as I ponder the wonder of that thought, it keeps inspiring me to worship.

So, how much wonder does it take to spark worship? I challenge you to think about what you could do this weekend in church to lift the sense of awe before we invite people into the mystery of worship.”

To read more around Worship here’s something I wrote for The Worship and Creative Leaders Academy.

TWO SNIPPETS FROM OTHERS

We love this time of year…. but when it comes to worship - working out which carols and how to make carols work in a worship set can take a little deliberate attention. Paul Baloche is a master and while this video is on the older side, his teaching for our younger leaders is invaluable. He talks about how to get vertical worship from horizontal Christmas songs. This is a good one to share with those seeking to lead worship throughout December.

Source: Worship Artistry

Number Four this week is just for fun. We are always looking for those playlists that are just right for this time of year and we think we have found a great one for you. In honor of all things Christmasy, red, green and plaid - we bring you The Ralph Lauren Festive Play List.

Source: Spotify (The Ralph Lauren Festive Play List)

ONE SPARK OF INSPIRATION

Mr Beast can see the potential in church buildings for creativity - can you? Obviously for us church is more than a building, it’s a people. But I wonder if you might be missing what’s right in front of you? The church building you gather in week after week could be the greatest gift that you’re not using to it’s full creative potential. If it’s good enough for Mr Beast, why would you take it for granted?

Source: Podcast Pro

Question of the week… what unexpected Christmas carol will you include in a worship set this Advent season? Let us know in the comments… or hit reply and let us know!!

Leave a comment

Grace and peace,

Rich and Cass

P.S - Welcome to the new Academy members who used this link!!

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I call it the blank page syndrome.

We’ve all been there. You have to write or create something. You can see the deadline approaching. You have the clean, crisp, blank sheet of paper in front of you, yet you can’t quite work out where to start.

Time passes. The more you sit there stressing, the less you feel inspired. And the more the desperation starts to set in.

And this is the reason that the question of…

…comes up again and again when we are working with teams. (Just a little side note: if you would like us to come and work with your team, feel free to contact us for details at rich@thehopefulrhino.com)

How do you stay inspired?

The answer that no one wants to admit is that we all face times when we don’t feel inspired. Yet, some people seem to be continually prolific, which leads us all to believe that other people are constantly inspired and that we’re not.

So what’s their secret?

I have come to learn that their secret is that we have all fallen for a lie about inspiration…

It is so easy to feel like inspiration is something we innately have built into us (or not built in). Or that ideas just “fall from the heavens”.

But prolific people, those that are inspired by good ideas all the time, treat inspiration differently. They work at the art of being inspired, more like a discipline than a skill anyone possesses innately.

With that in mind, here are some thoughts to help you reshape your thinking regarding inspiration. They will reduce your desperation and increase your imagination about inspiration.

Read more

( PSST… We are going to reference some tools in this article that will help make your team better! All of these tools and diagrams are available for PDF download at the bottom of the article. Happy reading! )

When we were first married, Cass and I didn’t have a lot of furniture. There was the old green sofa that Cass’s family kindly donated to us. And someone gave us an old black-and-white TV that mysteriously turned color one day… That was a good day!

We had very few things that we actually bought ourselves. We were just young, we didn’t have much money, and we were okay with that. And as with many other young, married couples, we purchased a few things from IKEA.

The infamous flatpack.

Some people love them, and other people hate them. And the instructions that come with them are self-explanatory to some people and may as well be in a foreign language for others. I’ve heard countless stories of husbands and wives having trouble assembling IKEA furniture together. It’s a cliche of modern preaching.

But personally, I like the process of putting IKEA furniture together. I like following the instructions. I like finding all the pieces and seeing them all come together step by step. But I realize other people don’t enjoy it. They would rather not use the instructions, don’t follow the steps, and find the whole thing frustrating.

We’re all different and uniquely created, which is a very good thing.

If you are following along with the Academy, you have probably read our article ‘The Creative Process: Why We Need It and Where to Start’ (if not, you so should!!).

To be honest with you all, that is one article I second-guessed even posting. I worried that the thought of “systematizing” creativity may be off-putting for you all.

This self-doubt probably started because I’m the type of person who likes to follow the instructions in IKEA furniture, and knowing full well that others don’t (even some people I share my desk with **cough-cass-cough**). In fact, I’m painfully aware that for some people, the idea of creating a formula or a process for creating things is “anti-art” or even “anti-Holy Spirit.” They, or perhaps you, prefer to go with the flow and see what happens.

We’re all unique and have “a way” of going about the things we do. The reality is you can’t help the way you go about things, and neither can I.

For me, it’s easy to embrace systems and processes and to see how they help get things done and create a predictable outcome. The downside is I sometimes find it more difficult to embrace “going with the flow.”

However, when Cass first read my ‘The Creative Process: Why We Need It and Where to Start’ article, she was basically in the fetal position in the corner. She felt I was risking dumbing down creativity into a four-step machine. Or worse, encouraging people to churn out art, following a process, leaving no room for genuine creativity.

I know I can be too rigid, but on the other hand, Cass can be too fluid. So how do we work together? We can find the perfect blend at the intersection of our strengths. Where my strengths end, and hers begin, and where hers end and mine begin, that’s where the magic happens.

I understand that figurative unicorns exist, but an individual rarely has a complete set of skills and talents that an idea needs. Therefore…

We need each other!

It wasn’t easy when Cass and I started working together, overseeing a creative department. Although our hearts were right, we struggled to embrace each other’s creative process. I was frustrated by the meandering and inefficiency, and Cass was frustrated by the rigidity and what felt like squeezing the life out of her creativity.

Ultimately, we found a way forward by allowing each other to play to our strengths. For example, I tried to change my language and approach to getting things done. Cass agreed that a framework for managing all of the outcomes we had on our plate would be helpful, especially for the people we led and who were often impacted by her lack of process and desire to wait for the right ideas to “drop.”

Cass and I didn’t formalize everything, but we did put some guardrails around our creativity to keep us on the road, heading towards our goals and agreed outcomes.

We named our creative process the I.C.E. Flow.

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It was squeezing the joy out of life.

Like the crushing grip of a giant snake that had silently wrapped itself around its prey.

It all seemed okay until it wasn’t.

Have you ever felt like that?

That overwhelming sense of the world starting to lose its color, where the path ahead is disappearing right before your eyes.

I’d had dark times before, but this was different.

I’m probably over-dramatizing it, but all this describes the way I felt at the time.

It was a real sense of hopelessness.

At the time, I didn’t know that’s what it was. But I do now.

Read more

Hey — It’s Rich and Cass.

We’ve a great day sitting talking to Reuben and Sarah Morgan, dreaming and strategizing for 2026… seems hard to believe we are on the verge of “next year”!!

It’s been a big weekend here. We celebrated 29 years marriage, conducted a wedding, baptized our daughter and participated in our annual family “pudding day”… Christmas traditions are almost in full swing!

Now, here’s 2 ideas from us, 2 snippets from others & 1 spark of inspiration!

TWO IDEAS FROM RICH & CASS

RICH WRITES:

“So much art, music and literature has been written around the “End times”. From Dantes ‘Inferno’, Michael Angelo’s ‘The Last Judgement’ …it’s wild! So last week (as we ended our “Scandal of the Kingdom” sermon series) I attempted to put my own words to the Hope we Christians have and the “End of the World as we know it” (thank you R.E.M.).

I’ve been reading a LOT… watching way too many sermons on YouTube and really thinking deeply about how to ground our Churches thinking in truth when it comes to the End Times.

There’s a lot we don’t know… but one thing we do know… Jesus is coming back!!

If you’re looking for an interesting read over the Christmas period - I’d be so interested in your thoughts on this: 666 and All That: The Truth About the Future”

CASS WRITES:

“At our daughter’s baptism this week, I was so struck by the picture of Jesus that the Gospels paint. In Mark we find him on the banks of the Jordan lining up behind sinners, so that we could inevitably line up behind him in response to his call to “follow me”.

A sinless, holy God, incarnate, lined up with us to be baptized and to identify with our sin, in order that through God’s proclamation “This is my son in whom I am well pleased”, the Father would confirm the Son’s identity and his purpose in front of many.

I can’t stop thinking about that… It’s mind blowing!”

TWO SNIPPETS FROM OTHERS

Some times I wonder what the right way to start the day is. Over the years, I’ve had a book I often return to which helps steer my thoughts, devotions and prayers.

This week I thought I’d share it with you, it’s called “Seeking God’s Face”. The good news is I recently discovered it is a website too, so you can work your way through the Christian Calendar here.

“From the very beginning of the church, Christians have found it helpful to pause for prayer during various times of the day. Whether for morning or evening devotions or other fixed-time prayers, such spiritual respites were deemed essential to worshiping God. Over the years, Christians developed a structure for such moments of worship, keyed to the time of day and season of the year. Part of its genius was the seamless integration of Scripture and prayer. This ancient practice, called the “Daily Office,” has experienced a resurgence of use in our time.

Seeking God’s Face is a user-friendly approach to this form of prayer and devotion. Each office includes a psalm of praise, a passage of Scripture, and a brief set of prayers. An introduction to prayer-book use from Eugene Peterson is included to acclimate readers to this form.”

Source: https://seekinggodsface.org/

Erwin was reflecting on the art of Makoto Fujimura.

“You don’t try to moralize through arts. You create great art, and then you get to share your own story in your own space. The quality of your work gives you the platform and the credibility for the authenticity of your message”.

What do you think of this statement?

Source: TheArtofleadership.com - Erwin McManus

ONE SPARK OF INSPIRATION

In honor of family traditions here is a Ted Talk to make you re-think what it is you celebrate and why. Useful for your family, but also as creative leaders, as we build communities the same principles apply. Traditions build connection, and connection builds a team.

For more input on team building check out this article 10 Often Misused Attributes All Creative Leaders Need in The Worship and Creative Leaders Academy.

We always love to hear from you all… hit reply and say hi!! Or leave a comment below…

Leave a comment

Grace and peace,

Cass and Rich

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Hey — It’s Rich and Cass.

We’ve been creating indoor clouds, preaching on the end times, playing pickleball and getting ready for a pretty special baptismal service this Sunday… how about you??

Now, here’s 2 ideas from us, 2 snippets from others & 1 spark of inspiration!

TWO IDEAS FROM RICH & CASS

RICH WRITES:

“I was inspired when Cass showed me the cloud by Dutch artist Berndnaut Smilde on the left… so when our preaching series ended last weekend with a message about people’s misconceptions about eternity being spent floating on clouds, I knew we had to make one!!

Smildes cloud was actual vapour… ours is pillow stuffing and paper lanterns… but the effect was the same, and it definitely got the point across.

The idea here? Just because you can’t replicate an idea exactly doesn’t mean there’s not a way to utilize the concept.”

CASS WRITES:

“When you’re leading a worship or creative department, the messages you bring to your team aren’t just “team talks.”

They are culture-setting moments.
They shape identity.
They become the language your team uses.
They build imagination, expectation, and spiritual formation.

Words create worlds.”

For more on this, here’s something for you in The Academy.

TWO SNIPPETS FROM OTHERS

If you implement these simple functions, your pastoral leadership will be so unexpected and uncommon that people will literally tell all their friends!!

3 Tips for Supporting Your Volunteers

1. Celebrate often. Thank volunteers regularly with handwritten notes, shoutouts, or quick texts that remind them of the impact they are having on eternities.

2. Communicate clearly. Share expectations, schedules, and feedback early so your team always knows what’s coming and how to prepare.

3. Care personally. Pray for one another, check in when life gets hard, and make sure every volunteer feels valued beyond their role.

Source: Life Church Open Network

Don’t be discouraged friends…

“The Church needs artists because without art we cannot reach the world. The simple fact is that the imagination ‘gets you,’ even when your reason is completely against the idea of God.

‘Imagination communicates,’ as Arthur Danto says, ‘indefinable but inescapable truth.’ Those who read a book or listen to music expose themselves to that inescapable truth.

There is a sort of schizophrenia that occurs if you are listening to Bach and you hear the glory of God and yet your mind says there is no God and there is no meaning. You are committed to believing nothing means anything and yet the music comes in and takes you over with your imagination.

When you listen to great music, you can’t believe life is meaningless. Your heart knows what your mind is denying. We need Christian artists because we are never going to reach the world without great Christian art to go with great Christian talk.”

Source: Tim Keller - 2017 (Facebook)

ONE SPARK OF INSPIRATION

Can you believe Advent starts next week!?!? We’re going to be reading through this book… why not join us?

Darrell Johnson is a master communicator and we will all be richer for slowing down this Advent and reflecting on the Wonder of God incarnate.

“Rooted in Scripture and drawn from decades of preaching, these reflections help us see again the surprising beauty of Jesus’ arrival and the way it continues to reshape our lives today.”

Source: Darrell Johnson - Awaken the wonder - Advent reflection

Grace and peace,

Rich and Cass

P.S. We’re adding things to the Worship & Creative Leaders Academy all the time.

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When you’re leading a worship or creative department, the messages you bring to your team aren’t just “team talks.”

They are culture-setting moments.
They shape identity.
They become the language your team uses.
They build imagination, expectation, and spiritual formation.

Words create worlds.

So in our church, when I prepare a message for our creative community, I use a four-part framework.
Below, I’ll outline how I think, and then I’ll show you what I actually spoke at our recent CREATIVE ALL IN Night (with all my slides) …as a real-life example.

Read more

Hey — It’s Rich and Cass.

It’s Creative All-In this week for us… and we could not be more excited!! Gathering with Creatives always leaves us inspired with sparks of energy and fresh imagination for all the Lord could be up to!!

Now, here’s 2 ideas from us, 2 snippets from others & 1 spark of inspiration!

TWO IDEAS FROM RICH & CASS

RICH WRITES:

“This time of year starts to get busy… and if we’re not careful, as worship and creative leaders we can just keep adding and adding, more and more!!

It’s easy to do, but can cause real unrest, deep within your team.

So… before adding another service, song or “amazing” install, stop for a few minutes and assess where your people are really at.

Here’s an easy starting place:

• Who’s carrying too much?

• Who’s declining rosters a lot?

• Who haven’t you seen in a while?

Instead of plowing ahead without empathy or thought, take a minute to audit your team. Get a sense of where they’re at and where the team needs to grow so no one (including you) burns out or checks out.

(And if you need help with that check out this post).”

CASS WRITES:

“I’ve read these verses from Isaiah 55 at least 100 times…

‘Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.’

And I’ve always figured that I was fine. I’ve got money I can buy what I need.

And then this week, I find myself “spent” literally out of steam, out of capacity, out of creativity and out of margin.

Ever been there?

And all of a sudden this promise is overwhelmingly beautiful… when I’ve spent all I have, there is an invitation to come eat and drink… at the request of the Master… for free!

I don’t have to bring anything to the table.

And it makes me take a deep breath in, and relax into dependance on God again rather than depending on myself.

He says “Come, Eat, Drink… it’s on me!”

TWO SNIPPETS FROM OTHERS

Are you looking for glory or God?

Source: A Non-Anxious Presence

Think about this fact in light of your church and team.

Your creative endeavors, the songs, the art, the sound… it all matters more than perhaps it seems!!

Source: The War on Beauty - The Culturalist

ONE SPARK OF INSPIRATION

We’ve long loved this quote… mostly in the context of worship music.

The Lord has definitely used it to wash away the dust of everyday life from our souls!

Why don’t you use this as a prompt… stop what you’re doing… turn on your fav’ worship song of the minute (here’s ours)… and let the Holy Spirit cleanse you again right now.

Source: Attributed to Berthold Auerbach

Grace and peace,

Rich and Cass

P.S. Lead a worship team? You might like this.

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You know you need to grow your team… but where do you start?

Or maybe you think your team is just fine the size it is. How would you know?

And if you do think it’s fine, you must be one of the only churches on the planet that have all the volunteers in every area of worship and creative ministries that you need!

In our expereience, this sounds too good to be true.

The truth is, team health is often assumed rather than known.

We trust that people are coping. We trust that volunteers are handling the load. But assumptions are not a strategy.

When teams are too small or stretched too thin, it shows up as burnout, churn, and disappointment. Not just for team members, but for the leaders trying to keep everything running.

Even experienced leaders often don’t take the time to assess their team’s capacity. We focus on the services, the programs, the music, and the visuals. The people serving become invisible in it all.

If we want our teams to thrive, we need to pause and take stock. We need to intentionally steward what God has entrusted us. Not just the tasks, but the people carrying them.

We need to make strategic decisions about skill levels, combinations, the frequency with which people should serve and assess how many services we need to roster.

That is why we’ve created a simple Team Audit Tool, only available to The Worship and Creative Leaders Academy members.

Read more

Hey — It’s Rich and Cass.

Can you believe we’ve hit November already? We’re planning our next ‘Creative All-In” Night at Church and madly pulling together end of year plans with rehearsal schedules for special Christmas services…. it’s a fun time of year!!

How about you? What are you working on?

Now, here’s 2 ideas from us, 2 snippets from others & 1 spark of inspiration!

TWO IDEAS FROM RICH & CASS

CASS WRITES:

“It was all too much.

Too many burdens held in calloused hands. Too many questions pressed against one worn-out prophet’s back. Too much weight in one wild, beating heart.

And Jethro, the father-in-law, the outsider, the watcher of worn men, simply said:

“What you are doing is not good… You will surely wear out.”

So Moses listened.

And heaven did too.

Later, in the wilderness hush, God gathered seventy. Took the Spirit that rested heavy on Moses, the holy weight of presence and wisdom and shared it.

Like a lantern passed.

Like fire splitting into smaller tongues that did not burn but built.

The burden didn’t grow lighter because the work got smaller.

The burden grew lighter because the joy got shared.

Because leadership isn’t a solo song… it’s a symphony.

It’s harmony. A wild, beautiful chorus of Spirit-filled voices rising up, together.

And maybe this is the whisper for you today:

You don’t have to do this alone.

You were never meant to carry it all.

The fruit is fuller, and the joy is richer, when we lead as one.

So call the elders.

Pass the lantern.

Build the kind of team that laughs a lot, prays deep, and never lets the fire burn out.

Because leading alone wears you out.

But leading together?

That’s where the Spirit multiplies.”

RICH WRITES:

TWO SNIPPETS FROM OTHERS

I (Rich), came across this image while looking for something else. I read it and it stuck with me. The image is simple, yet the piece makes you feel something as I think all good art should… or is it just me?

Source: Somewhere online 🤷‍♂️

Turns out Vincent van Gogh was the son of a preacher…

He preached and ministered in early life.

Later as the storms raged in his mind, his faith seems to have stayed alight and he turned again and again toward God.

May this be our journey too. Through storm and calm, to seek and find the Lord.

Source: Vincent van Gogh Letters & Van Gogh Museum

ONE SPARK OF INSPIRATION

Prayer requests as art!!

Last Sunday we asked our Church to write prayers and we hung them on a tree to symbolize offering them to the One who hung on a tree for us. This one stood out… a piece of art, and a request for a new dog!!

Source: The Local Church Sydney

If you like getting more images than just words give this a ❤️ to let us know. Thanks in advance.

Grace and peace,

Rich and Cass

P.S - Need support pastoring your team? We’ve got you!

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Hey — It’s Cass and Rich.

On Sunday, I spoke about the man who found treasure and sold everything with joy to buy the field. It’s really impacted my own life and I’ve been thinking about how to bring more joy into my world and into the lives of others.

One thing I have thought to do this week is to invite leaders who are struggling to join us in The Worship and Creative Leaders Academy. Sometimes, just knowing others share similar thoughts and experiences to you brings joy. Knowing you aren’t alone can be delightful! (Why not join me in sharing “The Academy” with a friend this week.)

Share The Hopeful Rhino - A More Creative Way!

TWO IDEAS FROM RICH & CASS

RICH WRITES:

“Leadership can easily become all about outcomes, strategies, or solving problems but real leadership is about joy. Not surface happiness, but the deep joy that comes from watching others grow, create, and carry vision further than you could alone.

Hebrews tells us that Jesus endured the cross “for the joy set before him” (Hebrews 12:2). Joy gave him endurance. When we lead from joy, we remind our teams that the work of heaven is not drudgery but it is delight.”

CASS WRITES:

“Sometimes joy looks like that kind of surrender; letting go of comfort, certainty, or even control in order to discover what’s worth everything.

Creativity flows best from that same posture: not striving for perfection, but delighting in the process, relinquishing control in order to create something authentic.”

TWO SNIPPETS FROM OTHERS

I love that in this quote CS Lewis indicates that it is at play - in making art, music, celebrating, and resting that we most partake in eternity.

“Joy is the serious business of Heaven.”

Source: C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer (1964)

God creating with joy, and us emulating that! What a thought! I have often thought through the lense of Narnia of God creating by singing the world into being and this adds another layer of richness to my imagining the Genesis story. God of wonders creating while laughing at all that was taking shape from his words. Isnt that though truly delightful.

“In art, we are continuing the creation, and that’s why it’s so joyful.”

Source: Madeleine L’Engle, Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art (1980)

ONE SPARK OF INSPIRATION

Joy often comes from looking outside yourself like Rich talked about in relation to leadership.

Check out the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation — a site offering simple kindness ideas to spark joy and resource you for everyday life.

Did this spark joy in you? If so tell us your favourite R5 in the comments, or share a great link to something that gives you joy!

Leave a comment

Grace and peace,

Cass and Rich

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Hey — It’s Rich and Cass.

How has your week started? Cass is getting over jet lag (after a great time at Salt Conference!!) and we’re now planning fun December church antics!!

Now, here’s 2 ideas from us, 2 snippets from others & 1 spark of inspiration!

TWO IDEAS FROM RICH & CASS

RICH WRITES:

“I love the idea of a Macguffin.

We’ve written about the concept here in The Academy… but in short, a Macguffin, (especially in movies), is a character or an object that drives the narrative forward. A Macguffin motivates the characters to take action, but ultimately holds little significance to the story.

As Christian creatives, and especially as worship and creative leaders, I think we’re all Macguffins. We’re mean’t to push God’s story forward… but ultimately the story relaly isn’t about us!!”

CASS WRITES:

“I’m preparing a new message about The Pearl of Great Price (Matthew 13:45-46) to speak at The Local this weekend. Yet again I’m finding Jesus and his incredible way of teaching so brilliant and multifaceted. This parable is so simple, but packed with meaning.

Friends, if you need inspiration for your own creativity and for leading creatives, look no further than to Jesus Himself. Study is words… yes!! Observes his ways form all the angles. And dig deep into the pictures he paints… and the way he takes every day circumstances and transforms them into a kaleidoscope of salvation grace!”

TWO SNIPPETS FROM OTHERS

Even if you’re current situation says otherwise…

“Nothing is too hard for God. Indeed, he has already done the hardest thing, in becoming one of us and dying for us; shall he fail to care for us in a thousand lesser ways?”

Source: ESV Gospel Transformation Bible

OK Go are known for their incredible music videos… but do you know how they come up with their ideas? By finding “idea sand-boxes” and simply playing!!

Source: Ok Go Ted Talk

ONE SPARK OF INSPIRATION

The Peak-end Rule is used in marketing… but imagine we applied it to everything we do as Worship & Creative leaders? That new song / service / message / item / moment / worship time… could all be way more memorable, (even life changing), if you think about the peak of the experience… and the way it ends… in other words what you leave them with!

Source: Around The Bonfire

We ❤️ bringing you these fun and inspiring ideas… which is your fav’ this week?

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Grace and peace,

Rich and Cass

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