articles

Chuck Lawless suggests bivocational ministers are often more connected to non-believers. “I didn’t come to seminary to be a bivocational minister, to have to get another kind of job,” my student told me. I may not have agreed with my student, but I did understand his thinking. Back then (almost…

‘Worship Wars’ Have Died Down But Some Christians Are Focused on ‘Coolness’ Instead of Genuine Ministry Fierce battles over whether classic hymns or contemporary tunes should be the linchpins of Christian worship may have subsided, but the arena is still messy, according to worship pastor and recording artist Lincoln Brewster.…

Jon Nicol asks if you really love the people in your church. Early in ministry, I had a senior pastor say to me, “You know, Jon, you do a good job leading worship, but I’m not sure that you really love the people of this church.” My first thought was,…

Steve Caton offers seven ways to ensure that your data is telling the right story. We have no shortage of information. We are surrounded by data, but data alone doesn’t tell a story. An individual star in the sky may be beautiful, but only when you connect the three in…

Jesse Gruber discusses the free/cheap tech that church planters can start using now. Planting a church from scratch nowadays is a difficult undertaking, but I can’t imagine what it was like in the book of Acts! Technology is widely available and cheaper than ever here in 2014. This article is…

By Dr. L. Lavon Gray and Dr. Frank S. Page Excerpted from Hungry for Worship: Challenges and Solutions for Today’s Church (New Hope Publishing, 2014) Imagine for a moment you arrive at the church house this Sunday, Bible in hand and family in tow, ready for a great day of…

Chris Huff hates microphones with power switches. There are four wireless microphone mistakes that get a sound tech in trouble.  The first mistake is one I’m often asked about.  I will be upfront and say that I’ve made two of these mistakes. Two, maybe three.  No, two.  Forgive and forget,…

Russ Hutto cites John Wesley’s 7 guidelines for corporate singing. In 1761, John Wesley penned 7 iconic guidelines for corporate singing for church congregations who would be singing out of the Select Hymns with Tunes Annext hymn book. Believe it or not, in the 18th century it was fairly cutting edge to sing the classic…

David Santistevan encourages musicians to mimic what they love. If you’re a musician, you want to be original. To have your sound. To be unique. The problem with being original is that it’s a myth. We are all a product of our influences. Those who are considered the most original…

Kenny Jahng says Instagram is one of the best social media platforms he uses for his ministry. An interesting transition is happening in the world of social media, Facebook is undoubtedly the king of the hill and Twitter is up there as well but the popular new kid on the…

Karl Vaters says not all small churches are created equal. Not all small churches are created equal. Sure, some are small because the leadership doesn’t have a strong vision for reaching their community. But Karl Vaters believes that the pressure to raise numbers has kept many small churches from becoming…

Clint Taylor says vision is key. How Loud is too loud? This is actually a very reasonable question in todays worship arena, especially when we fill our set lists with songs written for arenas. Before I go much deeper I do want to say that not every worship leader will…

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,…