articles

Ron Edmondson: Before you start signing people up it might be helpful to take a look at why people are NOT volunteering. Do you need more preschool workers to serve children? Do you need more greeters to greet? Do you need more ushers to…ush? If so, you’re in familiar territory.…

Doug Lawrence offers a brief history of worship trends. “Up through the ground came a bubblin’ crude…” Baby-boomer church, Seeker-driven church, Seeker-sensitive church, Purpose-driven church, Worship-evangelism church, Church of small groups, Cell church, Gen X church, Postmodern church, Missional church. Like Jed Clampett’s fortuitous “black gold” finding, the church’s life…

Bud Brown on recovering from “one of those Sundays” when nothing seems to go right: We’ve all had “one of those Sundays” when nothing seems to go right. The sound system was giving you all kinds of trouble. Videos were being fired at the wrong time. Team members didn’t know…

Kevin D. Hendricks on sharing hope in the aftermath of a tragedy: A few months ago tragedy struck and we were glued to social media eager for news. Two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing at least three and injuring more than 150. Before that…

Greg Gilbert on the rarity of praying for other ministries: Every Sunday morning, I lead the congregation of Third Avenue Baptist Church in what we call a “pastoral prayer.” I pray for many things during that time—congregational events, members who are suffering, evangelistic opportunities, various officials in government, missions opportunities,…

Betsy Hall shares ideas for including children in worship in meaningful ways: There are many ways to involve children in worship. You’re probably already getting kids involved with roles like lighting the candles, ringing the bells, and handing out worship bulletins. But the real challenge is involving them in meaningful…

Brad Loser offers helpful tips for being more than a musician: The music stops. The sound of the congregation lifting their voices in a corporate confession of faith through music has ended. The feeling evoked from the text that was just sung has united the hearts of the people as…

The percentage of Americans who say they “seldom” or “never” attend religious services (aside from weddings and funerals) has risen modestly in the past decade. Roughly three-in-ten U.S. adults (29%) now say they seldom or never attend worship services, up from 25% in 2003, according to aggregated data from Pew…

Though churches are normally places where people gather for spiritual fellowship, confession, or for quiet contemplation, these sacred spaces have been abandoned to the elements, their naves and pews standing silent and empty. Nonetheless, they still have a haunting beauty which comes through in these awesome photos. Continue reading. Sign…

Thom Rainer on current church practices: I am a trend watcher, particularly among churches in America. I am not particularly insightful or smart; I simply listen and speak to many churches. In fact, through my travels, blog, and other social media, I hear from thousands of church leaders every week.…

Bobby Gilles on the benefits of liturgy in contemporary worship: Why would, say, a Southern Baptist church follow the Christian Year – especially a Baptist Church that has more 20-something members than members in any other age group? Isn’t the liturgical calendar just for Catholics? Or isn’t it an out-of-date,…

Chris Huff offers practical church sound solutions: In the middle of a severe episode of writer’s block, a tech on Facebook suggested I write on pastor microphone problems. The block was destroyed and the ideas started following. Microphone problems? Oh, I’ve a list of those. The problems aren’t just with…

N. T. Wright wants to see today’s media-saturated church shaped anew by a form of worship and prayer that has shaped the people of God for centuries. Why would anyone need to make a “case for the Psalms”? Over my lifetime, I have watched churches that used to sing the…

David Santistevan offers ideas for a special evening at your church: Most of us spend our time organizing weekend worship services. Typically that involves a time frame of 15-20 minutes. This is great for a weekend, but I also believe it’s great in the life a church to schedule a…

Five Common Areas for Surprises 1. Last-minute requests Conversations concerning last-minute requests can get into debating whether we “allow” these or not. For example, if a musician came up two minutes before the service and said, “instead of in-ears, I want to use a floor monitor.” Let’s push that conversation…