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Vital Worship
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Kenneth E. Bailey on Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes  Posted 5/07/08
Kenneth E. Bailey has lived most of his life in the Middle East. His books, lectures, and more invite Christians to strip away cultural mythologies and worship the real Jesus of the Middle East.

From Pastor-centered to Participative Worship  Posted 04/15/08
Pastor Eleazar Merriweather and St. Luke African Methodist Episcopal Zion church are on a worship renewal journey. By involving all ages and restoring Wesleyan class meetings, they are changing practices yet remaining true to worship principles.

Postmodernism and Community Memory  Posted 03/25/08
Does your church want to be relevant to postmodern people? If so, how much should your worship community connect or disconnect with memory? Do you need new worship…a more traditional church…a missional place to encounter God?

How to Plan Art Used in Church Worship  Posted 02/29/08
Is your church commissioning liturgical art…creating art for cross cultural worship…or designing a new building? Get tips from worship and arts leaders who’ve learned how to involve more people in planning and creating art for worship.  

In Praise of Small Churches  Posted 02/15/08
All Nations Christian Reformed Church in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is a small congregation that makes the most of its size. Learn how church dynamics shift as All Nations and other churches change size.

Healing in Worship: Hospitality that welcomes everyone as they are  Posted 02/01/08
Though you might associate “heal” with “cure,” healing in worship is broader. Whether through prayer, hospitality, communion, or laying on hands, it helps people become more whole.

Todd Farley on Embodied Preaching  Posted 12/21/07
Todd Farley shows preachers how to use body communication to preach lively sermons. His embodied preaching ideas spring from a theology of restoring arts to ministry.

Digital Storytelling: Use multimedia in worship to enhance, not replace  Posted 11/30/07
Biblical storytellers Tracy Radosevic and Tim Coombs and liturgical media arts expert Eileen D. Crowley explain how to tell God’s stories in a digital age. They show how to add layers of images, sounds, and experiences to enhance worship.

Gerardo Marti on Successful Multicultural Churches  Posted 11/09/07
Whether you say multicultural, multiracial, or multiethnic, churches want to become more diverse. Sociologist and pastor Gerardo Marti shares his research about what’s the same and different among successfully diverse congregations.

Christian Funerals: Going to be with God  Posted 10/26/07
Thomas G. “Tom” Long makes a case for returning to classic Christian funeral traditions. Howard Vanderwell and Leonard VanderZee offer pastoral considerations for planning church funerals and memorial services.

Training Gospel Choirs: Caring for your voice and talent  Posted 10/04/07
A temporary voice problem led Charsie Randolph Sawyer to create a DVD to help gospel choirs protect and improve their voices for more effective ministry. Her colleagues in African American churches say that learning to read music helps congregations deepen worship.

Vertical Habits: Relational words that expand worship language  Posted 09/14/07
Focusing on simple phrases helps develop worship habits that affect our whole lives. Vertical habits expand how people talk with God during church worship and school chapels.

Why Preach Sermons Based on a Catechism?  Posted 08/31/07
It turns out that preaching sermons based on the Heidelberg Catechism (or other confessions) hits home with worshipers, including those from the postmodern generation.

How Church Architecture Affects Lord's Supper Practices  Posted 08/17/07
Does your church visually convey a message that contradicts your theology of communion or mass? Mark A. Torgerson explains how church architecture and sanctuary design can inhibit or enhance a more full and communal Eucharist celebration.

Lord’s Supper Practice in the Reformed and Presbyterian Tradition  Posted 07/24/07
Though John Calvin favored weekly communion, many churches in the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition are just starting to renew Lord's Supper practices...so worshipers fully celebrate the Eucharist.

All Ages Needed for Intergenerational Worship  Posted 06/11/07
Though many churches offer multiple worship options, each pegged to an age or generation, Howard Vanderwell and Steve Burger make a case for intergenerational worship that has families worshiping together.

Robert E. Webber’s Legacy: Ancient future faith and worship  Posted 05/18/07
Ancient future worship, according to the late Robert E. Webber, who coined the term, isn’t about candles.  It’s about rooting our worship as the early church did—in God’s story—so we embody not our culture but God’s mission.

Worship Coordinators: Lead, learn, and let go  Posted 05/01/07
Today’s worship coordinators do far more than sing into a microphone. They lead congregations to broader, deeper worship. They plan, train, and lead worship while learning to let go and let God.

Let Story Form Your Worship: Old Testament and lectionary dramas  Posted 04/05/07
As drama ministry rises in church worship and biblical literacy drops, here are two church worship drama models based on Bible texts.

Old Testament Sermons: The case for preaching the whole Bible Posted 03/16/07
Paul said that all Scripture is God-breathed. Still, when did you last hear a sermon on the Old Testament? Ellen Davis says we can’t truly understand our relationship with God till we dive into the wondrous depths of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Pablo Sosa on Congregational Singing Posted 02/26/07
Songs put words in people’s mouths, knowledge in their bones, and conviction about whose voice counts. Songs shape how a community lives out its faith. That’s why Pablo Sosa thinks congregational singing is so important.

Biblical Storytelling: Learning scripture by heart Posted 02/09/07
Dennis Dewey says that biblical storytelling reconnects worshipers with the communal experience of hearing God together. Telling stories from Scripture changes the people who learn them well enough to tell them—and changes worshipers who hear the old, old story anew.

Church Anniversaries Worth Celebrating Posted 01/23/07
As good as it is to reconnect with former pastors and see old church photos, there’s a lot more you can do to plan a meaningful church anniversary in your congregation or denomination.

Good Taste, Bad Taste, and Christian Taste  Posted 01/05/07
Talking about worship aesthetics need not polarize people. Frank Burch Brown tells how to be more inclusive in arts and worship…yet also more discerning.

Epiphany in Missional Churches  Posted 12/22/06
Learn why missional churches are deciding that Epiphany is a lot more than a fuss about wise men.

N. T. Wright on the Gospel and Meal Jesus Gave Us  Posted 12/08/06
What can people inside and outside your church learn about the gospel from the way you preach and practice the Lord’s Supper? Bishop Tom Wright wrote Simply Christian and a book on communion to explain why Christ’s resurrection is good news for the whole cosmos.

Miroslav Volf: Religious commitment that promotes peace, not violence  Posted 11/28/06
Miroslav Volf knows how difficult reconciliation can be. His books Free of Charge and Exclusion and Embrace suggest new ways to think about worship and living as Christians in a violent world.

Laotian Refugees Start and Join Churches  Posted 11/10/06
Looking back, Laotian refugees and the Christians who befriended them profess surprise at how God has joined together people and churches from different languages, religious assumptions, and life experiences.

Designing New Churches to Build a Sense of Community  Posted 10/27/06
Building a new church lets you rethink the message you send through its interior and exterior design. Good architectural choices can improve worship participation, promote a sense of community, and offer your church as a welcome "third place".

How to Welcome Guest Preachers  Posted 10/13/06
The way your church welcomes (or fails to welcome) a guest preacher also says something about how visitors experience your church. And if you're the pulpit supply, the way you prepare makes a big difference.

Frederick Dale Bruner: Moving from text to sermon  Posted 09/29/06
Good preachers study commentators so they can draw on collective wisdom as they prepare sermons. Frederick Dale Bruner’s Matthew commentaries set a high standard.

Restorative Justice: Prison congregations multiply grace  Posted 09/15/06
Millions of people behind bars are waiting to hear the gospel. Forming congregations in prisons is an important step in restorative justice, say pastors Ed Nesselhuf and Steve Moerman.

Keith Getty on Writing Hymns for the Church Universal  Posted 09/01/06
Keith Getty says that what we sing becomes the grammar of what we believe. That’s why he and Kristyn Getty are writing and teaching modern hymns that all ages can sing together…and remember.

Planning Contemporary Worship Services  Posted 08/18/06
Do you know how to look beyond the style of a “traditional” or “contemporary” worship service to find its worship vision, structure, and theology? Ron Rienstra says it's a question more worship planners should ask and answer.

Renovating Churches to Build a Sense of Community  Posted 08/04/06
Church renovations let you rethink the message you send through the design of your church interior and exterior. Good architectural choices can improve worship participation, promote a sense of community, and make neighbors feel more welcome.

The Case for Talking about Adoption in Worship  Posted 07/21/06
Not talking about awkward emotions, say after infertility, pregnancy out of wedlock, or adoption, may seem kind. But it's better for churches to include adoption and related issues in baptisms, worship, and church life, say Howard Vanderwell and Ron Nydam.

Eschatology: Our hope for a new heaven and new earth  Posted 07/07/06
How does your story fit into God's story? The way you answer this question likely influences what you believe about heaven. And your view of heaven makes a big difference in how you live and worship.

Lead Worship Change, not Worship War  Posted 6/23/06
Though no one wants a worship war, discussions about worship change are often more divisive than divine. Howard Vanderwell explains how to ask questions that focus on worship principles, rather than on passions and preferences.

Accessibility in Worship Architecture: Does your church welcome everyone?  Posted 6/9/06
Becoming an accessible church involves far more than installing a wheelchair entrance. It includes making design choices so anyone can access the platform and lead worship.

Tod Bolsinger on Worshiping as the People of God  Posted 5/26/2006
It's an important distinction, yet one that many Christians miss, says Tod Bolsinger. Here it is: God calls us into a relationship that is intensely personal…but never private.

Baptism and Church Architecture: What message are you sending?  Posted 5/12/2006
Bowl, font, pool. Sprinkle, dip, soak. No matter what age your church baptizes people, ask yourself this: How consciously are you living your baptism as a way of life, not just an event?

Let the Children Come  Posted on 4/28/06
Splitting into age-divided worship each Sunday doesn’t necessarily result in kids who go on to choose worship as adults. That’s why Carolyn C. Brown and several pastors are talking about intergenerational worship.

Uncovering the Blessing of Fixed-Hour Prayer  Posted on 4/17/06
Whether you call it the divine office, praying the hours, or common prayer, this ancient treasure of Christian heritage is hidden in plain sight.

The Case for Reciting Creeds in Worship  Posted on 3/31/06
Albert Aymer believes more churches should use creeds in worship. Given how The DaVinci Code sparks so many questions about Christianity, now is a good time to brush up on creeds.

How Congregations Create Worship Visuals  Posted on 3/17/06
As Catherine Kapikian and other Christian artists have discovered, understanding the visual arts process is key to creating church imagery that builds community and deepens worship.

Eugene Peterson on God's Standing Invitation: Eat This Book  Posted on 3/3/06
Whether translating the Bible from original Hebrew and Greek or writing spiritual theology, Eugene Peterson says he has one aim—getting Scripture into the hearts, minds, arms, legs, and mouths of men and women.

Reclaiming the Promise of Ascension  Posted on 2/17/06
Many Christians skip from Easter to Pentecost because they don't understand why Christ's ascension matters.

Visual Arts in Worship: From either/or to both/and  Posted on 2/3/06
What defines you? Is it what you know and do...or what you see and love? Must you choose? Your answer likely affects how you see the role of visual arts in worship.

The “In Between” Words: How to keep fellow worshipers tuned in  Posted on 1/20/06
As worshipers move from one element of the service to the next, they need help to understand what they are doing and why. Verbal transitions help them stick with the worship dialogue between God and gathered people.

All God’s Children Have Gifts: Disability and worship  Posted on 1/06/06
How do you recognize each other’s gifts and support each other’s needs while avoiding a “you’re not like us” attitude?

Planning Great High School Chapels  Posted on 12/23/05
As Christian school families are learning from their kids and grandkids, high school chapel services are a lot different than they used to be—and often more appreciated as well.

Praying for Christians in Egypt (and elsewhere)  Posted on 12/09/05
It was just a simple email between friends—but now a Canadian congregation prays for Christians in Egypt. Your church can just as easily make congregational prayers more global.

Using More Psalms in Worship  Posted on 11/28/05
Find out why Christians from many traditions are rediscovering the Psalter for singing, prayer, and worship.

Peer Learning Groups: Putting your heads together to change hearts  Posted on 11/11/05
Several Christians learning together as peers will accomplish far more than one enthusiastic reader can do alone—especially when these study groups look for the Holy Spirit's guidance.

Risks and Rewards of Multistaff Ministry  Posted on 10/28/05
“Isn't that what we pay staff for?” is the dreaded question in multistaff churches. Here's advice on involving the entire congregation, not just “the pros,” in worship.

Sermon Help for Every Preacher: New resource available  Posted on 10/14/05
A preacher needs the Word…and the words…to reach people with the gospel. Through its substantive website and continuing education events, the Center for Excellence in Preaching can help every preacher improve.

Hearing God's Voice through Change: The preacher's role  Posted on 9/30/05
As Jesus told the disciples at the Last Supper, in this world we will have trouble. Here's how preaching can remind believers to take heart, because Christ has overcome the world.

Love Globally, Worship Locally: How to do church as members of one body  Posted on 9/16/05
As those who led worship at the Reformed Ecumenical Council Assembly learned, global worship involves a lot more than tossing in a song from another country or culture.

Soaking in Scripture: Memorization and public reading  Posted on 9/2/05
Many churches devote far more planning and worship service time to music, the sermon, and other service elements than they do to public Scripture reading. Nor do they emphasize memorization for spiritual formation. Tim Brown and Clay Schmit suggest taking a second look.

Worship in New Churches: Developing a faith vocabulary  Posted on 8/19/05
New churches attract more newcomers than established congregations do—which means they must go out of their way to help people understand what they're doing during worship. These lessons in how to talk with and about God during worship can benefit any church.

Musical Theology: Past lessons, present perspectives  Posted on 8/5/05
Music shapes belief. It persists. Even people who've lost other memories or speech often remember songs. That's why it's important to choose worship music that fully expresses your church's theology—in words, rhythm, harmony, and texture.

Mentoring Church Musicians: Each one teach one  Posted on 7/22/05
Whether you have musical gifts to pass on or want to improve those you have, you know how important mentoring is for church musicians. And good training helps church musicians enrich worshipers' experiences.

Korean American Churches: From generation to generation  Posted on 7/8/05
Why do so many Koreans convert to Christianity? And why it is so difficult to pass on this faith to children and grandchildren?

Art That Preaches  Posted on 6/24/05
Call it “the preacher's friend.” Certain types of visual art are especially good for helping people worship because they direct attention beyond the artist or artwork to God.

Contemporary Worship Music Matures  Posted on 6/10/05
Theologically serious song writers are acknowledging Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in contemporary songs that unite head and heart.

Fleming Rutledge: Proclaiming God's mighty Word  Posted on 5/27/05
Especially since 9/11, do you believe God has a special task for American Christians? Fleming Rutledge does. But she thinks evangelical Christians won't understand that task unless they return to the Bible and talk with each other.

God's Countercultural Invitation to Sabbath Rest  Posted on 5/13/05
Do you use the words busy, tired, and stressed more than the words peace, rest, and refreshed? If so, Dorothy Bass invites you to receive God's gift of Sabbath.

Hymn Writing Is Alive and Well  Posted on 4/30/05
If you think hymns are so last century, and praise songs are totally where it's at now, well, Carl P. Daw, Jr. begs to differ.

Getting to Know Each Other: Pastors from two denominations share stories  Posted on 4/15/05
Christians sometimes think they must water down their identities to find common ground with people from different Christian traditions. Eleazar Merriweather and John Witvliet offer a refreshing alternative.

Rejoicing at the Lord's Supper  Posted on 4/1/05
Eucharist, mass, communion, table fellowship. Whatever you call this celebration, ask yourself this: Are you receiving all Christ offers through this meal?

Equipping Worship Leaders: More important than ever  Posted on 3/18/05
Equipping people for worship. The priesthood of all believers. Discovering your gifts. Given how many congregations have no pastor, these concepts are more important than ever.

Voicing God's Psalms: How to hear God talking, live, to anyone who will listen  Posted on 3/4/05
Calvin Seerveld says that, just as married people often take each other for granted, Christians take the Psalms for granted. He urges believers to fall in love again with the Psalter.

Church Renovations: Respecting the old, welcoming the new  Posted on 2/18/05
The Calvin Theological Seminary chapel renovation took some surprising twists. But churches considering a renovation can glean good ideas from the seminary's process.

Choral Anthems: Fitting great texts to wonderful tunes  Posted on 2/4/05
It feels off to hear a song about suffering—with upbeat rhythms and in a major key. Other new songs use mixed metaphors or trite emotionalisms. That's why choral directors search for anthems that make a meaningful match between words and music.

Designing Worship Together: Advice that really works  Posted on 1/21/05
Planning worship may have seemed easier when the pastor merely called the organist with a few hymn choices. But a new book—Designing Worship Together—shows how to involve more people in worship planning, so that congregations pour their hearts into worship.

Reformed Churches Worldwide: A common heritage  Posted on 1/7/05
The heart of Christian worship remains the same, whether you worship in Ghana, Nigeria, China, or Japan, according to worship music expert Emily Brink.

Evangelical Christians in Mexico: Believing in Christ alone  Posted on 12/27/04
Evangelical Christians in Mexico have a strong sense of community. It's shaped as much by the beliefs they share as by the beliefs they oppose, according to Rosie and Mariano Avila.

The Worship Sourcebook: An ecumenical guide to planning worship  Posted on 12/10/04
Ever feel stuck in a rut while writing or voicing prayers for worship? Do you wonder whether Advent candles or responsive readings might deepen your congregation's experience of Christmas or Easter? The Worship Sourcebook offers help.

Drumming in Worship: Experiencing God's heartbeat  Posted on 11/29/04
What is it about percussion that appeals to worshipers in so many cultures? How does drumming together help Christians build community?

Children's Choirs Shape Worship Habits  Posted on 11/12/04
Children's church choirs let kids in on the real-time joy of singing and leading worship. But there's more. Many adults find that their children's choir experience instilled a homing instinct that brings them back to church.

Visual Arts in Church: Making the invisible Word visible  Posted on 10/29/04
Rainbows, piles of stones, the Ark of the Covenant, a star, a dove. Isn't it time to follow God's lead and reclaim the visual arts to remind us of God's presence among us?  

Bayanihan: Filipino sense of community  Posted on 10/15/04
Amy and Joel Navarro had prestigious jobs and a caring church. Their children loved their schools. So why did they leave it all behind in the Philippines?

Ancient Christmas Sermons: Making the old, old story new again  Posted on 10/1/04
People look forward to singing Christmas carols at church. Meanwhile, each Christmas preachers struggle to compose yet another sermon that will engage worshipers. A new book offers help. 

Does Your Church Have a Worship Pastor Yet?  Posted on 9/17/04
In the 1980s, churches clamored for directors of education, so seminaries added M.Ed. programs. Now that so many churches are advertising for worship pastors, Calvin Theological Seminary has introduced a Master of Arts in Worship program.

Pastoral Renewal: Everyone benefits  Posted on 9/3/04
Pulled in so many directions, dedicated pastors give and give, risking burnout. Congregations that encourage pastoral renewal—time away for the pastor—will likely see the results in sermons and worship services.

Joy: When all ages worship together  Posted on 8/23/04
Geoffrey, age 7, interrupted the vicar's prayer. Hands on hips, he demanded, “You mean Jesus died?” What happened next reveals how one congregation answered a classic dilemma of intergenerational worship.

Still a Child of God  Posted on 8/6/04
It's heartbreaking to watch age or dementia claim a loved one's mind, body, and spirit. But it's a mistake to think that disease destroys a Christian's desire or ability to worship. Older adults can still encounter God through well-designed worship services.

Where Twenty or Thirty Are Gathered  Posted on 7/21/04
In a world that values bigger and better, rural churches testify that the true measure of worship is how it changes hearts and lives. Rural churches often see each member and define the congregation's role in the community differently than larger churches do.  

New Ethnic Churches: Visit one soon  Posted on 7/9/04
You no longer need a passport or have to sign up for a mission trip to meet Christians from other countries. Hearing other people's faith perspectives or sharing their music and meals is now as easy as visiting the new ethnic churches springing up in your community.

Great Preaching: What blacks and whites can learn from each other  Posted on 6/25/04
Cleophus J. LaRue, an expert on African-American preaching, says that black preachers and white preachers (and their congregations) are too often like ships passing in the night. Yet each could make sermons more powerful by applying the best insights of the other's traditions.

Create Worship Renewal, Not Worship War: Six tips on how to talk about worship  Posted on 6/11/04
Eighteen people. Umpteen differences. For three years, these Protestant Christians talked through worship war tensions to create a book together. Discerning the Spirits, authored by Cornelius Plantinga Jr. and Sue A. Rozeboom, represents each team member's perspective and moves worship discussions forward.

Peace and Justice in Worship  Posted on 5/28/04
For some Christians, turning their eyes upon Jesus makes “the things of earth grow strangely dim.” Is this the best way to worship someone who came “to preach good news to the poor…and to release the oppressed”?

African-American Church Music: Beyond the myths  Posted on 5/14/04
Do you think spirituals and gospel pretty well sum up African American church music? Do you worry you can't “play it right”…or perhaps have no right to sing these wonderful songs? If so, Dr. James Abbington invites you to discover the riches of African American sacred music, no matter who you are.

Are You Selling Youth Short?  Posted on 4/30/04
Do the words “pizza” and “Bible study” define your church's idea of youth ministry better than the phrases “mentoring younger kids” and “leading worship” do? If so, Pastor Trevor Rubingh suggests you take a second look at an underutilized resource.

How One Campus Is Learning to Worship God in All of Life  Posted on 4/16/04
It's not every day that a Baptist professor walks into a Catholic religious supply store and spends over $2,500. Yet, as one of his students said of David Naugle's liturgical purchases, “It's sure not Baptist tradition, but it's not against Baptist theology.”

Unwrapping the Gift of Music from Other Cultures  Posted on 4/2/04
Have you noticed all the clues that God loves diversity, not the same-old, same-old? Iona Community members Alison Adam and John Bell can help you introduce music that reflects the gifts of Christians from “every tribe and language and people and nation."

Technology in Worship: Beyond PowerPoint  Posted on 3/19/04
If “worship” means “music,” and church youth need contemporary worship, then you had better use PowerPoint, right? Many churches already do. Not so fast, advises Quentin Schultze, author of High-Tech Worship? Using Presentational Technologies Wisely (Baker, 2004).

What Makes Songs So Powerful They Won't Disappear?  Posted on 3/5/04
David and Asaph wrote them. John Calvin had French translations set to music. Sixteenth-century German, Dutch, and Hungarian Christians translated the Genevan Psalter. Hungarians who survived persecution and torture in the 1950s and 1960s call these musical poems “our daily bread.” Now young North Americans are experiencing the sustaining power of the Genevan Psalms.


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This article was first published by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship,
www.calvin.edu/worship