articles

Jeremy Smith challenges churches to join the online video revolution. The question in the title of this article can come off as both shaming and challenging. If you felt those two because your church does not have a YouTube account, then GOOD! You need to be on it, if for…

Michael Brown says all too often outward success has nothing to do with discipleship or spiritual growth. There is a myth of church success in America that says, “The bigger the building, the bigger the budget, the bigger the attendance, the more successful you are.” In the sight of man,…

Cliff Lambert lists things he expects from his volunteers. I remember early on in my journey as a worship leader that I never wanted to expect too much from my team musically or spiritually because I thought if I pushed them too hard, they would quit. I wanted it to…

Rick Muchow offers tips for smaller gatherings. Over the years I have led worship for many small groups. I love it! Almost every small group I have led worship for has been grateful for the music as if they had a deep hunger to worship together in their intimate setting.…

Michelle Weger gives guidelines for a great resume. Recently, I have had several recent college grads and friends contact me as they are looking for new ministry opportunities. I’ve spent time tailoring many of their resumes and candidate packages and thought I would offer some streamlined advice on these things.…

Joe Thorn says celebrity pastors have now become “a thing.” The “celebrity pastor” is now a thing. Maybe it’s always been a thing (1 Cor. 1:10-17), but over the past few years it has become a source of concern and consternation for many. On the one hand I do see…

Gangai Victor’s guide to getting better at using words in worship. Speaking is probably the no. 1 pet peeve people have against worship leaders. More specifically—what we speak, when we speak, how we speak, and above all—how long we speak! Now, this doesn’t mean we should stop speaking all together!…

Phil Cooke explains why it’s a mistake for the congregation to watch the rehearsal. Worship leaders are an incredibly important part of today’s church. But from time to time I take them to task, like in this post on What Katy Perry and Taylor Swift Can Teach Church Worship Leaders.…

Stephen Miller offers tips for helping your band play like a team. Every musician has his or her particular style preferences and bents. It’s what makes us who we are. Funk bassists. Jam Band acoustic guitar players. Gospel drummers. Arena Pop Rock electric guitarists. And yet, in the midst of…

Chelsen Vicari reports Sunday morning worship sets lack depth and reverence. Admitting the problem is the first step towards recovery. So let’s admit it: if we swop the lyrics of a Taylor Swift ballad with some of today’s contemporary Christian worship songs, no one would know the difference. Others have…

Commentary by Tom Krattenmaker: It’s not easy being a celebrity pastor these days with that pesky Internet around. Consider the struggles of Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. Faced with mounting accusations circulating online –plagiarism, misusing church funds to prop book sales, silencing anyone in his church with…

David Manner suggests using other elements in worship services. The origin of the idiom “One Trick Pony” goes back to the days of the traveling circus. A trained pony or small horse was often used as a main circus attraction. Without any other acts or animals, these small circuses were often…

David Staal: fresh data shows a valuable trait ascribed to church volunteers: commitment. Kids Hope USA, the national mentoring organization I work for that partners local churches with local schools to run mentoring programs, wanted to know more about volunteer mentors. So we put together a 2014 survey that gathered…

Kenny Lamm says children’s choirs are making a comeback. Over the past years, many churches have cancelled their children’s choirs for a variety of reasons. As some churches have tried to simplify their overburdening schedules, children’s choirs were one of the first things to go in the children’s ministry. As…