Songwriting for the Church with Greg Sykes

Songwriting Master Class

I had the chance recently to interview Greg Sykes, worship leader and songwriting/recording artist with Integrity Music for a Master Class inside of Worship Workshop.

It was too good to keep inside of the members-only area, so I'm sharing it here on the blog.

Not only is Greg a gifted songwriter and a musician, but he's also real. He opens up about his own mistakes and shortcomings as a way to teach and encourage.

Through our conversation, he give some amazing advice about songwriting in general, but also songwriting for a local church. If you're a songwriter or want to build songwriting community in your church, make sure you watch or listen to this interview.

Free Song From Greg

One of highlights for me in this interview was talking to Greg about his new project, and how he worked to make every song something he could lead in a worship gathering. By the way, you can download one of those songs for a limited time. Scroll down for more information.

Also below the interview video interview you'll find the questions and topics we talk about along with the time marker.

Enjoy my conversation with Greg Sykes!

Watch the Interview:

Listen on The Go:

Download the audio of this interview: Interview MP3  (right click and save as)

The Free Song:

Download the Free MP3 - No Greater Love (right click to download)

Connect with Greg:

Connect with Greg and learn more about him and his music at gregsykes.com.


Questions/Topics

Getting to Know Greg: 0:28

What are some common mistakes you see from songwriters? 5:13

How to deal with "hard to hear" constructive feedback. 7:10

What are some disciplines and practices for writing songs? 14:17

What are the benefits to co-writing? 17:39

Is it difficult to make the transition to co-writing versus writing alone? 19:26

Can you share a story about a co-write situation gone bad? 21:40

How do you approach songwriting for your local church or for a congregation? 28:30

When do you know a song is "congregation-ready"? 32:00

How do you build a songwriting community in your local church? 37:05

How Greg approached his new project to make it more congregational. 39:20

 


Want More Training for Your Team?

If you want more practical training for your team, explore what Worship Workshop could do for your team.

Right now, you can take your team through a Worship Workshop class for free. Go here to get access to the on-demand video course How To Be A Healthy Team Member.

Jon Nicol