articles

Kevin DeYoung on contemporary service orders: Every church has a liturgy. Traditional congregations have a general order to worship. So do contemporary congregations. So do funky, artistic ones. Church leaders do not have time to reinvent their services every week. Congregations are not capable of learning new forms, new songs,…

Nic Cook on yesteryear’s worship wars: So you’ve taken that new job and you’re trying to figure out how to make some much needed transitions without causing yourself or your church unnecessary “bloodshed”. I’ve been talking to some worship minister friends of mine who are either in this phase of…

Caryn Rivadeneira, Sharon Hodde Miller and Megan Hill share their perspectives on young people and the church: As a true sign that I am getting old, Rachel Held Evans’s uber-popular CNN post Why Millennials Are Leaving the Church brought about a wistful, nostalgic response in me: Ah, to be young…

Wikipedia explains an Internet meme is an idea, style or action which spreads, often as mimicry, from person to person via the Internet, as with imitating the concept. Here are a few worship leader-themed memes to hit the ‘net:  

Scott Sidusky on burnout: One of the first major lessons I learned in ministry is the importance of remaining intentional about preventing burnout and maintaining a balance between family, work and ministry. This is a lesson, unfortunately, that I had to learn the hard way. A few years ago, I…

from Christian Copyright Solutions Founder and President Susan Fontaine Godwin: The first time I remember hearing a secular song used in worship was at a rural church in northern Indiana. It was “Let My Love Open the Door,” by Pete Townshend, performed by a spunky blond woman from the praise…

This week’s signs put the “fun” in Fundamentalist. At least you know where these churches stand. Ambiguous, they are not. See more. Sign up to receive weekly WorshipIdeas every Tuesday morning in your email: First Name: Last Name: Email:   We guarantee 100% privacy. Your information will not be shared.

Sam S. Rainer on creating the framework for worship: A good worship pastor knows how to lead artists. Indeed, observing a worship pastor lead a group of artists is a work of art in itself. Worship pastors often get labeled as innovate yet quirky, creative but peculiar. Let’s be honest—many…

Along with his half shaved head and slicked back Mohawk, he’s dressed in his usual Sunday attire: black jeans and an unbuttoned denim shirt with a tank top underneath. His tattooed arms, including one with two guns crossed, peek out from under his rolled-up sleeves. His Hillsong Church NYC holds…

Jamie Harvill offers ideas for improving your musicians: Worship bands generally rely on developing their song arrangements organically. Even with a proper chord chart, it’s left to each player to determine their specific parts. Listening skills and musical discipline is a learned-trait for most players, and unless we as leaders…

David Gutekunst on tighter praise bands: I fought it for a long time but finally caved. I am now a proud user of the click-track when I lead. The first few weeks were tough and brought back some painful memories of sheet music, scales and a metronome when I was…

Rich Birch on managing your announcements: Ministry leaders think if they just get their event or program “promoted from the stage” people will flood into it. Church communications people are peppered with requests all the time for people wanting to get “their deal” in the announcements. The urgency from those…

J. Lee Grady compiled a list: 1. Talking during a service. 2. Texting or surfing the web during a service. (One person mentioned seeing people playing video games on their phones.) 3. Sleeping—or snoring!—during a sermon. 4. Clipping fingernails during church. (I was amazed at how many people listed this…