Perhaps it's not the most thrilling subject matter, but the students were surprised to learn about how copyright law affects the use of worship music on Sunday mornings.  Most were surprised to hear that if a church wants to copy a chart or lead sheet, or project the lyrics for the congregation, they must actually have permission from the copyright owner to do so--and that the fines for not having permission can be steep!

We also talked through the benefits of obtaining a CCLI License for protecting your church against copyright infringement, and what that license does and does not allow the worship leader/church to do with the songs which are covered under CCLI.  You can check it out if you're curious: http://www.ccli.com.

Though not as heady as a good discussion about theology or as thrilling as learning a moving new worship tune, these kinds of discussions do prepare our students for life in the church, where budgets, copyright issues, and administration go hand-in-hand with theology and worship.  This week's topic was a great life lesson!