Training Course or Retreat

WORSHIP SONGWRITING
Running Your Own Course or Retreat in Your Church - Quick Start Guide
This is your quick start guide to help you run the Worship Songwriting study curriculum live at your church.
Print it off, and refer to it as you plan your Course or Retreat. The Course is divided into 10 SESSIONS. You
may choose to do one session at a time, or you may want to combine a couple of sessions together,
depending on how much time you have.
Course Description
Worship Songwriting is an extensive 10 hour video course put together by veteran worship songwriter Brian
Doerksen (Come Now Is The Time, You Shine, Refiners Fire). Drawn from Brians university teaching, this
Master Class course is designed to strengthen every songwriter with the foundational tools necessary to
write strong, memorable, transformational songs for the Body Of Christ. A must-do for every songwriter of
faith at some point in their creative journey.
How to Run This as s Course
Have a quick look at the Media listed on site for this Course, and at the Sessions below. Determine how many
weeks youd like to spread the course over. If youre not sure, go with 10 weeks, and 1 Session per week.
For each Session, we suggest that you begin with a time of worship together. Then, watch the Media for the
Session. Finally, spend some time discussing what youve seen. Included below are sample questions to get
you started feel free to add your own as things progress. Each Session will run for 1-1.5 hours, depending
on the level of interaction and the size of your group. You could run this course in evenings, or on Sunday
mornings or afternoons.
How to Run This as a Retreat
The material also works great as a worship team retreat. Everything is ready for you to use so you can focus
on logistics of pulling the retreat together your content is now ready to go. For detailed suggestions on how
to run a great worship retreat, flip to the last section of this document.
Note: This particular course is considerably more time intensive than most and will require several additional
sessions to be completed in a retreat format.

Training Course or Retreat

WORSHIP SONGWRITING
SESSIONS FOR YOUR COURSE OR RETREAT:
Session 1
This Session focuses on the special qualities of lyric and sound that are demanded when writing a song for corporate
worship. We begin to learn how to serve other songwriters with effective song evaluation.
Media:
Uniqueness And Evaluation
Discussion Questions:
How many highly used worship songs can you think of right now that go beyond the classic Verse/Chorus structure?
Why does this structure work for so many songs?
Session 2
This Session focuses on the important topic of Song Structure, as Brian encourages us to begin to think beyond the
common Verse/Chorus structure in worship writing.
Media:
Song Structure Beyond Verse/Chorus
Discussion Questions:
How many highly used worship songs can you think of right now that go beyond the classic Verse/Chorus structure?
Why does this structure work for so many songs?
Session 3
This Session focuses on the song structures of the AC and the Verse/Chorus as important ways of arranging songs as
a worship songwriter.
Media:
The AC And The Verse/Chorus
Discussion Questions:
What songs can you think of that utilize the AC structure? Name some worship songs based on the other structures
mentioned thus far, and why they seem to work well.
Session 4
This Session focuses on the lyrics of worship songs, and the meanings they convey. Theology is carried into the heart
of those worshipping in a clear and powerful way through the songwriting medium.
Media:
The Meaning And Theology Of Words
Discussion Questions:
What lyrics in worship songs have most impacted you through the years? Quote a phrase or line that has connected
with you deeply on your spiritual journey.

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WORSHIP SONGWRITING (cont.)
Session 5
This Session continues the discussion on effective lyric writing, and leads us into the art of effective wordsmithing for
corporate worship.
Media:
The Sound And Art Of Words
Discussion Question:
What artful phrases, two or three word maximum, have moved you through their poetry?
Session 6
This Session unpacks the attributes of God, and His Story at work in the world, that are great focal points for fresh
worship songs for the church.
Media:
Epic Themes: Part 1
Discussion Question:
What areas that Brian speaks about in this Session moved you the most?
Session 7
This Session continues to unpack the attributes of God, and His Story at work in the world, that are great focal points
for fresh worship songs for the church.
Media:
Epic Themes: Part 2
Discussion Question:
What areas that Brian speaks about in this Session moved you the most?
Session 8
This Session opens up the timeless question of how to write memorable, strong, and lasting melodies. Motif, melodic progression and more are a part of this session.
Media:
How To Write Powerful Melodies
Discussion Question:
How would you describe melody after watching this, and what is a melodic motif?
Session 9
This Session gives the songwriter a grid for how to use chord progressions to strengthen a song and give it a musical
backdrop.
Media:
Unleashing Chord Progressions
Discussion Question:
What are some fresh ways of thinking about chord progressions that you learned from this Session?

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WORSHIP SONGWRITING (cont.)
Session 10
This Session wraps up the course, and Brian discusses the importance of co-writing and the unique nature of collaboration. He also reviews the content of the course, and gives a final word of encouragement to us as songwriters for
corporate worship.
Media:
How To Co-Write And Review
Discussion Questions:
Have you had an experience in co-writing that would have been better served by some of the ideas Brian presents? In what
ways have you been inspired and equipped in your songwriting through this course?

Training Course or Retreat

Appendix: How to Run a Worship Retreat
Weve done our best to provide you with downloadable, world-class Worship Retreats on many topics that will
encourage your team. Here are some tips, and a possible schedule, for running a great Worship Retreat in your local
church using the material youve downloaded.

Where Do I Start?
1. Choose the Course youd like to do as a Retreat, and download the media content.
Odds are, if youve ever been to a retreat before in your life, youve had either a great experience or a mediocre
experience. Weve had both, and hope we know our way around a bit when it comes to planning an effective
retreat. For that reason, well give you a ready-made, high quality retreat via download, and a schedule template
that has been tried and tested in many settings.
If youre pretty sure you know what youre doing, you can ignore the schedule below and just use the Media as you
see fit. Click on the Courses Tab, find the course youd like to do as a Retreat, and click the Retreat link if you
havent already.
2. Choose a great environment for both laughter and learning.
That big, cold, cavernous sanctuary may be convenient and cheap, but it may not be the best atmosphere for
enjoying one another and learning together. We encourage you to find a space with a comfortable temperature,
relaxing chairs, plenty of food, away from the environment in which the work is done and in a beautiful location.
You wont regret investing in atmosphere go over the top if you can.
3. Bring gifts and plenty of affirmation.
The best retreats in our memory, and hopefully yours, are filled with a spirit of generosity and playfulness. If youre
not the best at organizing those things for your team, find someone who is. Give away gifts (we gave away a guitar
once to someone everyone thought deserved it), and watch a powerful dynamic of friendship grow in the group.
Find little and big ways to bless from baskets to gift certificates. Smile a lot, too.
4. Remember that a great retreat can last for years literally.
The more energy you put into making your retreat amazing, the more you may see lasting impact in how your team
relates to one another, cares for one another, and works together to serve the worship needs of your community.
Your investment will pay off people who feel valued tend to stay and serve for a long time.

Training Course or Retreat

A Suggested 2 Day Schedule
Session 1
Goals: relax, hang out, learn a bit and play.
6:00-6:30 pm - Hangout/Refreshments/Registration
6:30-7:00 - Facilitator Welcome and Icebreaker
7:00-7:30 - Facilitator explains how the retreat will work, gives announcements, the time frames (manage
expectations) and gives any handouts.
7:30-8:30 - View/Listen/Read Session Content
8:30-8:45 - Break
8:45-9:30 - Discussion questions on Session Content
Close in prayer, corporately or in small groups for one another (suggest 3 max in small group).
Session 2
Goals: relax, focus on growth, pray for one another.
9:00-9:30 am - Devotional (10 min.)/Worship (20 min.)
9:30-9:45 - Break (washroom, drinks, etc.)
9:45-10:15 - View/Listen/Read Session Content & Discussion questions on Session Content.
10:15-11:15 - Discussion questions on Session Content.
11:15-12:00 - Close in corporate prayer, or prayer for specific individuals. Receive requests.
*Note: If the retreat is being done over a Friday and Saturday, we encourage you to plan in a few hours (an entire
afternoon if you can) simply for play and naps. Its their weekend keep it restful.
Session 3
Goals: relax, reflect on learning thus far, and finish strong.
12:30-2:30 pm - Long Meal + Free time
2:30-3:00 - Gifts and Freebies; appreciation video from pastor or live call?
3:00-3:30 - View/Listen/Read Session Content
3:30-4:00 - Discussion questions on Session Content
4:00-4:30 - Close in prayer, corporately or in small groups for one another (suggest 3 max in small group).
*Note: If your retreat goes only until Saturday afternoon, end strong and get them home.
If not, change these times to fit.

Training Course or Retreat

Creating Good Discussion Times
It often takes people some time to open up in a smaller group. The following tips can help you have good discussion
times right from the start of the Retreat. You may want to make up your own handouts with your own discussion
questions, or just let the learning unfold in conversation. The following is based on this second idea, and we give you
3 approaches which weve often seen work even with very quiet groups.
Type 1 Discussion Time Opening Evening
Tip: For this first session, youll want a gentle entry to get people opening up. Consider asking everyone, before they
view/listen/read the Media for that night, to write down at least 2 ideas that were interesting to them, or that
impacted them, from the Media. Then, after the Media is viewed, go around the circle and give everyone 1-2
minutes to say what they wrote down. This invites everyone into the learning conversation, and is a great way to
start the Retreat. Ex. After watching Dans talk about becoming a tribe rather than simply being a team, what
ideas most moved you from what he said? After discussion, take some time to pray together.
Type 2 Discussion Time Morning
Tip: This type of discussion time works well for the morning gathering, when people are a little more energetic than
the night before. After the media is viewed, consider breaking them up into small groups of 3-4. Have them go
around that smaller circle, and share what moved them from the media. You may also want to give them large
sheets of paper to take notes on (the massive sticky notes are great for hanging on the walls afterward) and markers
to document their thoughts. Then, if you are the leader of the team or group, when the small group conversations
are over (give a time limit, like 10 minutes), you ask each group to say just a few of the ideas that touched them. A
spokesperson for each group could summarize their discoveries on a sheet of large paper and hang it on the wall as
a visual aid. After that, take 10 minutes to share what you hoped everyone would get out of the Media; lead the way
with insight and encouragement. After discussion, take some time to pray together.
Type 3 Discussion Time Wrap-up
Tip: This type of discussion time is the wrap-up, so youll want to bring a summary of ideas to the group. After they
view the final Media, use one of the previous formats for discussion, or just open up the floor for 1-2 minute
insights. Then, take some time and teach. Reflect on what you hoped your team or group would get out of the
Retreat. Consider ending with a prayer of blessing from you, and appreciation. Also consider ending your Retreat
with communion and/or feasting and the sound of accompanying laughter!