3 Church Drumming Mistakes You Have To Stop Making 

Tip #4: If you mess up, don't swear ;)

Been drumming for 12 years, but I'm really nervous getting into drumming for worship, but this definitely helped. God bless, brother.

I find it weird how people have no problem acting like crazies in a secular concert, but when it comes to worship our God they want to feel more dead than alive. Screw being quiet. I'll play with all my passion since I'm playing for my God that saved me. Who cares if people don't want to worship. I'll worship my God with all my strength...

"Our job is not to confuse the Carl's"

That Carl, he's always throwing people off with his clapping XD Gotta love him though. So good with transmissions.

Perfect opening, "It's not about you and it's a group event." More church musicians need to heed this advice, instrumentalists and vocalists alike.

Nothing like a full worship team ! Love and Praise God 💕

"Carl doesn't know that he is supposed to clap on 2 and 4! He claps on 1 and 3!" hahaha

Maybe there should be a video on overplaying the guitar in church? That dude killed it!

When singers get out of tempo even when they have the metronome on is unforgivable LOL

i love it when worship leaders speak and encourage the congregation before set. At my church nothing is said but songs just commence. The worship leader in this vid is passionate and fully engaged to communicate his passion. fantastic stuff

My tip would be to keep it simple. Make it easy for people to clap along. Some people in the congregation don't sing, but they love to clap. Don't get all Keith Moon and show off your chops. Be more like Bun E Carlos or Ringo - solid and steady. 2nd tip is to be sensitive to the elderly people who do sit in the front. You want them to enjoy the worship.

Im so blessed by you steph. I thought you're just an ordinary drummer,but you use your talent to glorify our God. Keep it up. Godbless. I'm also a church drummer here in the philippines.

I've been playing drums in my small Lutheran church for 7 years (since 6th grade). My ego always gets the best of me. Thank you for this video. I'm going to try harder to fit the music and lead the congregation rather than show off the latest John Bonham-esque triplet fill I've been working on.

This Is Amazing Grace is definitely one of my favorite worship songs! Really good tips for church drumming. it's all about discipline!

I know this is a drum channel....but that was the greatest church guitar solo i've ever heard in my life!!!!

I've been a worship drummer for about 15 years and I very much agree with what you've said here! I was moved to laughter and tears. This is a great piece of work and hits spot on!

Your church drumming tips are right on! Its exactly what I have learned in my 30+ years of church drumming. Nice to know someone as talented as you has a similar philosophy on church drumming.

I grew up playing punk/metal at home, but worship with my family in church. I started playing with them in church at the age of 10. Growing up playing worship along with other genres has really helped me as a drummer. I'm 18 now, and still learning and always looking for tips (Hence my interest in this video). Great tips and great playing. Would love to attend your church once!

Well, you're right. The real reason why we play is to worship God, everything is for him, you're right, it's not about the musician. But we have to do it excellent for Him, it means we also need to improve our skills. In my church we play different kinds of genres, we love to do it as well as we can, we are not experts, but we try to be better every time and we give the glory to God. it's amazing to see the church dancing and singing to the Lord, we connect each other to worship God

Great tips Stephen! May God keep blessing you in your ministry and in your RU-vid channel. Thanks for being a blessing to the rest of us who seek to become better musicians.

Incredible! I have come to the same understanding about Church playing. I had to simplify some of the more innovative 'displaced beat' grooves in favour of a more straightforward approach in some cases. And I get more compliments from people because I'm not too loud for them. It doesn't mean you have to play without passion. I have seen Steve Jordan lay down a 2 and 4 beat with such a deep pocket that it blew me away. That is how I get inspired to keep it simple. Also I let the drums breath by not filling every cavity with a lick. When you come in from a 2 count of space it is very dramatic. Thanks for the tips. Great to know other drummers experience the same challenges as I did coming into Church drumming after 35 years in the club scene.

Great worship I can feel the team working to keep the flow of each other in harmony the beat is steady.

Ive been saying alot of these things to drummers who play in church. The way you explain it in this video is spot on. great video & amazing worship. i watched the whole thing. Love the way the cymbals sound, theyre very shimmery. God bless you man.

Amen brother, 100% agree! Always let The Holy Spirit be your guide, its never wrong as we know. Calm reflective worship is always helpful to the fellowship, and i always stay with the worship leader to keep time, and keep the heart of worship moving in God's grace and time. Thanks again bro, and every continued blessing!

Yours playing in thr church is full of feel n im so touch! The sound quality is amazing+ keep drumming brother in Christ😃

Awesome video bro Thoroughly enjoyed it.I ended up watching the whole thing. Great tios. Loved it man. Praise God brother

I love seeing instrumentalists playing, it's pretty amazing. I appreciate it so much.

This is a fantastic video. I can relate immensely. Drumming in church for 7 years has made me a better drummer/musician, and more self aware of what I contribute behind the kit.

Good tips given. I been drumming church band 11yrs now, I totally agree with you. Wish there was a love button, great video! thank for sharing and using you gift for God:).

Great video- thanks for sharing! It was a blessing to get a glimpse of the worship service at another church. Also got some good ideas for This is Amazing Grace, which we are playing this Sunday! Thanks!

Very good advice. Great job. I have been a rudimental drummer for 50 years and many drummers do not understand their place in a worship service. Keep up the great work!

Well explained and putting into practice with the example song! You also said something I sadly never hear drummers and other instrumentalist for that matter say while talking about playing in their churches Praise and Worship bands. “It’s NOT ABOUT YOU, it’s about Christ and using our talents that he blessed us with to sing His praises” we aren’t up there to gain glory and recognition for our playing, but instead to be part of an organic machine praising and worshipping the creator of our universe, the one who shed blood to cover us because God can not look directly at sin. Oh the glorious wonders of his name!! I’m glad I ran across this video while drinking my coffee because it has me excited and ready to enter His presence with thanksgiving in our hearts and into his courts with praise Amen!! I’m blessed to be part of a very humble and talented band at the church I attend. Everyone works well and feeds off each other and are open minded to suggestions so we can be that group that leads all those hearts into worship. God has given us a massive responsibility and entrusted us with peoples souls. They know when it’s sincere and if it’s not they will spot it from a mile away! Thank You again for this video and God Bless you on this beautiful day of rest to praise and worship him!!

Really love this vid Stephen! Subscribed to you for a long time now and this is the video I love most. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! :D Awesome knowing you're drumming for Him too :)

Hey Steve! Great tips bro! Your videos are awesome! I have been playing drums(usually play electric guitar) only in church services and your tips are so true! Hey, that is so cool that you actually made a video giving tips of playing drums in a church. Keep up these great vids man!

Ah man I love that first song I've been wanting to play it for a long time and you killed it bro. And your guitar player too.

Heck yeah man.. This post is right on the pointe! Just had church! Awesome. Amen, brother! Amen.

I loved how you guys started that worship set from instrumental to spoken word/prayer then into the set it was awesome!

I’m 15 and have been drumming in worship since I was 11 thanks for the tips man really helpful

Awesome Stephen! thanks! I really love your work! keep on and thanks to choose teach to others!

Cool cool cool. Glad to see others teaching these same principles. I watch as much Steve Goold as I can when it comes to church drumming. Add this one to the list.

Watched this before I went to drum at church this morning. Great reminder of what we do and it really is going to affect how I play this morning. Thanks for and awesome vid

Glad to see you are a fellow Christian. This was great and needed. I am passing this along. God Bless and Thank You

Amen brother!!! Its a great thing to Make Joyful noise to him!! :D

This is really awesome,I'm really glad you shared this with us! Stay blessed -SG

So awesome to see/hear you playing worship Stephen. Love it, thank you so much. Where can I see more of you playing in Church?

Thank you for this video. It really is not about us, it is about serving others and serving God. I love to rock for the most part but when I am playing in church I look and listen to play what is appropriate for the music and God is doing. A good drummer will adjust his/her playing to the situation they are in and blend in with what is going on in the music. Sometimes the worship leader gives me a chance to shine with a cool fill, but for the most part I try to stay solid for the band and those attending church that day. Again thanks for the cool video.

Totally agree with all the tips you gave! I've played in church for years and learned all these things the hard way XD

I too am a Church Drummer. I do try to keep it upbeat but under control. Totally agree with all points! Nice job too!!!

Thanks for this encouraging video Stephen. I'm in the UK and I've just started playing drums in my church. Totally agree with everything you've said here. God can use even my small amount of skills at present to help me and others praise Him and bring glory to Him. I've subscribed to your channel and look forward to developing my drumming over time by watching some of your videos. God bless!

Such a misunderstood topic as I've found playing with many "professional" musicians in a church setting. Really appreciate you sharing your work, faith and skills.

No word of a lie; years ago I saw a guy playing in a church with an orange perspex Ludwig kit, double bass drum, with 4 toms, two floor toms and about 7 cymbals. He was accompanying a guy on acoustic guitar and a keyboardist. It went pretty much exactly as you imagine it went...

love this video, and very helpful. Thanks for sharing

earned a sub. + like! our Pastor in church wanted me to play the drums next year. currently taking formal drum lessons. Then give back to God for the talent that he gave me. Peace everyone!

Fellow drummer here. I love how straight forward you are. Thanks and God Bless. Keep rocking the flock, bro!

Stephen, these tips are SO HELPFUL. Also, I think it's awesome that you play in church and use your talent for the Lord! God bless!

just bumped into this post. Thanks Bro! Blessings to you!

Dude what an awesome way of teaching these tips and then not only adding adding examples but adding the worship service as well. I've always focused on being humble while playing. Sometimes the passion takes over and I get a little carried away if I'm honest. Have to remind myself I'm a worshiper first and a drummer 2nd...I see the worshiper in you bro as well. Keep it up the great work man!

Great tips brother Stephen. Keep making those vids. God Bless you brother. Great worship BTW :)

loved that preface at the beginning of the video. so true! but kinda hard to keep in mind when you want to play hard and fun

Thank you Stephen for your input. I appreciate it. And I give you a huge like.

Love these songs. Holy Spirit is one of the best for learning the "Church jungle beat"

Thank you Steven for blessing us with the songs of worship at the end. Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”

Really great tips right here, and it's just funny how every quirk you mentioned when it comes to playing during services has happened to me ( the "Carls" and the "singer that drifts off" really had me lol!). Thank you so much, and I will be sharing this to our worship team as well. Thank you and God bless!!

Spot on. Thanks for the video. Great resource.

I learned alot from you Sir Stephen God Bless you more🥁🙏🙏🙏😇

Thank you for this! I need to here this.

Thank you for ALL of that - I really enjoyed it.

You are a very good drummer and I’ve played drums in a small church with only piano, bass guitar and drums. Listening to this music here is very good but to me it’s a little bit overpowering not much but just a little. I’m 70 years old now, I’ve been playing drums off and on since I was 16 . A lot of years in my working career I didn’t play but recently started back since 2017 . I played with a gospel group with my brother on bass guitar for about 3 years. They sorta disbanded and now I am playing with some old classmates who have been playing in a group who play to track music with 3 very good vocalist and a lead guitar and vocalist himself. We are the ( COMEBACK KIDS) 60’s and 70’s rock and roll and some country. I really enjoy it. God bless you and keep on keeping on . Louis Spike’s , Georgetown , La.

You are so blessed sir. I am culturing my skills with your help, so I will be able to play drums for Jesus.. God bless!

Nice band, I can sense the kind of atmosphere the music creates. Awesome!

The Lord just visited me on those songs you played. God bless you and the brothers on this video. Great atmosphere!

Yo, tell Skid Row on the electric guitar to settle down! LOL Great video, and great lessons for a newbie church drummer. You rock!

I am a drummer from Africa, and we play a very different style of music, but i think these tips would still apply... though the type of music would probably allow for more complicated fills to be applied without disturbing the 'Carls' too much...:D so thanx really helpful...

love it man! helps a lot!!

By far the best church drumming teacher... I wanna be a church drummer wish me luck!

Came here for some drumming tips, left with some drumming tips + some top shelf worship... Score.

This is such a great video, thanks for this!

I would love to in future be playing in a Church. Thank you for this video, I think it's perfect to get me prepared :)

thanks sir stephen for this video, this is a really big help for us :) God bless you :)

I did not know u played in church! Cool! u r really good ! Thanx for the tips

Sick! This is amazing grace aswel! god bless! great video

Very useful and helpful. Thank you so much!'

Love this church video man....I played this morning at my church.

I love your tips, they apply to every type musician that plays in a church setting. Especially the first tip. Its a group thing, its not about the individuals leading, its about the group

More great info Stephen! Thanks!

And thank you for not playing that messed up Tom groove in the second verse of This is Amazing Grace! I’ve never heard it work in a church setting.

Thank YOU! I've been learning as much as I can to help my son who has decided to go into Music Ministry. Me, I work on Cello's and the like. So when he asked for drums. guitars, 5 string bass ect. to do this, well it's been a steep learning curve to find good information. We will be linking to your information. Thanks again and keep up the good work.

Thanks for this video Stephen, let praise ring out for the Creator of all creativity.....and, bring the RAWK!

From playing guitar in worship teams for 14 years, these were so hilarious to hear! haha. You hit it all right on the head. Great advice. Thanks very much. God bless

Great groove on the opening song. Wow your guitar player is a beast! I bet you guys have had some fun in rehearsal. Been playing drums in church for over a decade now. Your tip on helping with time when we aren't officially in on a song with a shaker or hats is spot on. We use in-ears, a click track via Ableton Live, and the group still benefits from a nice pulsing beat on the hats when I'm out on a down verse, or quiet intro etc. Great video. Thanks

"clapping on 1 and 3" ...so true

Your guys team sounds great! The drums are on point man!!!/Godbless

Thanks for this video Stephen

Really good help. Thanks a lot. I feel like there needs to be more useful content like this for all the volunteer drummers in churches around the world, because most of the time the drumming role just falls on our laps. Could you provide some covers for those slow church songs and hymns that need that soft grace touch drumming. Appreciate it. Blessing 🙌

Solid stuff! Thanks for doing a quality video for Church players :-) Spot on!

Brother, where have you been all these years??? Your videos have answered almost every question I have had for drumming that no one else has been able to answer. I feel like you're in the drumming room in my head!

Thanks so much for this Video, you absolutely have my full respect as a musician and a worshipping drummer, I myself am the campus drummer at my church, Amen to everything you hit on, I definitely fall guilty on this encouraging word! God bless you sir, and thanks so much for sharing this worship service, it absolutely ministered to my Spirit man!

Good stuff... Church drumming is a different animal for sure.

Thank GOD and Stephen Taylor I enjoy playing guitars but means best understand this My passion is drums and I'm only starting taking lessions but I'm taking it a in.I love aying drums I have five drum beats down and three of I can keep timing with metro one My Boss drum machine and aying along with some worship songs on internet.Thank You Stephen for being My Drum teacher You great at it.to.