articles

Glenn Packiam says painting with a broad brush doesn’t give us the best picture. It seems to be in vogue to predict the impending demise of modern worship, with some even suggesting we ‘kill megachurch worship’. The subject in question has been variously named ‘modern worship’, ‘contemporary worship’, and even…

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LifeWay Research conducted a fascinating study. By Lisa Cannon Green No sabbatical. No help with counseling. No clear picture of what’s expected. Hundreds of former senior pastors say these were the crucial elements missing from the final churches they led before quitting the pastorate. A recent study by LifeWay Research…

Eric Drew shares his observations of his local mega. You know the one I’m talking about. It’s in your town, or close enough. They have the fancy lights, loud music, and they’re stealing our young families. That’s right, I visited THAT big church recently. Here’s what I saw: The Good:…

Lisa Fife shares tips for youth pastors. If you’re like many other youth pastors, you may sometimes struggle with getting your youth engaged and excited about worship. Here are a few ideas that will help you spark their interest in worship, help them grow in their walk with Christ, and…

Mark J Martin offers simple reminders. 1. Consider the Flow. By flow, I’m not just talking about musical aspects, like tempo (begin with a fast song, move toward slower), although that can be a part of it. I’m also not just talking about theme – again, a good part of…

Andy Chamberlain says don’t sing above top “D.” I can’t help but notice how many worship song album versions aren’t very suitable for small churches. So many songs are either too rangy for small congregations with octave leaps that leave either the men or the women stranded. Or when original…

David Murrow says worship has been entertaining for hundreds of years. Have churches become too entertainment oriented? Many of my readers have been sharing a blog post titled, “The heresy of worship-tainment” on their Facebook pages. The author writes: …we should be concerned that so many people in our churches want to be entertained while…

Chris Denning shares what he could & should have done differently in his new ministry. 1. You Changed Too Much, Too Soon. I know, I know. You feel like you’re walking right into a hot mess and that you have to fix it TODAY. Things are probably disorganized or not…

Brad Bridges notes the seismic shifts sweeping through many different circles. Increasing Numbers of Mini-Denominations Many churches have moved in the direction of multi-site, and with this you start to see a trend. In many ways, these churches are functioning as “mini-denominations.” We could say that multi-site is really nothing…

Travis Brown shares his research and personal experiences. Recently my wife, another Millennial, and I endured the long and uncomfortable journey of looking for another home church. During this more than six-month transition, we visited church after church from nearly every local denomination, hoping to find one that felt right…

Dr. Scott Young explains how in-ears work and how they help in worship: “I can’t hear” is a common theme onstage for all musicians. When worship occurs onstage, musicians struggle with several road blocks outside of just playing their instrument: their voice or instrument causing a physical issue such as…

Clint Archer discusses the regulative principle of worship: I enjoy being challenged to think through why we do what we do in the church worship service. Recently I was asked why our band sometimes plays a brief interlude between songs during which the congregation is silent. To take it further:…