The Worship Nerds

Apr 04 2025 25 ep. 53 mins 5
The Worship Nerds Podcast artwork

Conversations connecting contemporary worship research with contemporary worship leaders for the life of the church.

  Religion & Spirituality
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


Babies, Theology, and True Praise Beyond Words

Apr 04 2025 53 mins  
In this episode with Debbie Wong, we explore the theological question of babies praising God through the sounds they make -- the _jubilus_, as in the work of Augustine. This leads us to the practical question of how to understand the role the "woahs" and "ohs" in contemporary worship more broadly. Is it good and right to have these kinds of phrases in our praise

Young People and Liturgical Flexibility (w/ Dr. Nelson Cowan and Dr. Emily Andrews)

Mar 05 2025 54 mins  
In this episode with Dr. Nelson Cowan and Dr. Emily Andrews, we discuss their recently co-authored article "Liturgical Gift or Theological Burden? Teenagers and Ecumenical Liturgical Exchange Events" (Religions, 2024). We explore how the worship preferences of young people might surprise those who have long styled worship to "attract the youth" in order to prese

WOW! Worship (ft. Joshua Busman and Debbie Wong)

Jul 02 2024 48 mins  
Which color was your favorite?? In this episode, we take a walk down memory lane to discuss the WOW! Worship discs and their place in the growth of CWM in the late 1990s and 2000s. Dr. Joshua Busman and doctoral candidate Debbie Wong explore with me the marketing of the this series and the "portable affect" of CWM.

CPW is Ecumenical? (w/ Sarah Kathleen Johnson)

May 28 2024 44 mins  
In this episode with Dr. Sarah Kathleen Johnson, we discuss her recently co-authored article "Contemporary Worship Music as an Ecumenical Liturgical Movement" (Worship Journal, 2023). We explore how contemporary praise and worship music has found its way into the hearts and hymnals of a wide variety of Christian traditions as it connects Christians across time and space.

Music as "Small Talk" (w/ Dr. Anna Nekola)

May 02 2024 59 mins  
In this episode with Dr. Anna Nekola, we discuss her recent article "Congregational Music as 'Phatic Communication': Affect, Atmosphere, and Relational Ways of Listening" (Yale Journal of Music & Religion, 2022). We explore some of the social functions of music and how it does more than open of spiritual pathways between us and God but also social pathways to

Kelsey McGinnis: Worship Leader Research Miniseries, pt. 4!

Apr 03 2024 41 mins  
For the past few years, Dr. Kelsey Kramer McGinnis has been covering worship music as a journalist for Christianity Today. Her articles have been stirring up really important conversations among worship leaders! She joins me on the podcast to talk about how the Worship Leader Research project fits into her broader view of whats going on in the worship music world.

Worship Music for Others? (w/ Dr. Nathan Myrick)

Mar 04 2024 55 mins  
In this episode with Dr. Nathan Myrick (Mercer University), we discuss his recent book _Music for Others: Care, Justice, and Relational Ethics in Christian Music (Oxford University Press, 2021). We explore what we are after in making music together -- and perhaps what we should be after in church music in particular. Namely, what kinds of relationships should be the result of makin

Marc Jolicoeur: Worship Leader Research Miniseries, pt. 3!

Feb 16 2024 37 mins  
I chat with my Worship Leader Research teammate Marc Jolicoeur about his role on the research team and how the project is impacting his work as a local church worship leader. He's an avid learner who brings his joy and hope to this important pastoral work.

Elias Dummer: Worship Leader Research Miniseries, Pt 2!

Jan 24 2024 40 mins  
I chat with my Worship Leader Research teammate Elias Dummer to talk about his contributions to the project, his hopes for the future of worship, and his experience in the worship music industry.

Song Stories and Songwriter Inspiration (w/ Dr. Jonathan Welch)

Jan 10 2024 38 mins  
In this episode with Dr. Jonathan Welch (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary), we discuss the legacy of the song story column in Worship Leader Magazine and what it can tell us about how worship songwriters imagine God's participation in the creative act. Welch encourages worship songwriters to know that God is present in the process, even if we aren't feeling some sp