articles

Last week I ran an article by David Murrow that has been burning up the Internet. This week, a response from Adam Walker Cleaveland: Now, let me start off by saying that I’ve certainly sat through services like Murrow did. A primarily traditional church that had a group of individuals…

Great worship leading tips from Jamie Harvill: When I set out on my professional music career in 1980, the first thing I learned from my mentors was to connect with the audience. I was taught that the stage is not like a fish bowl, where the audience peers statically at…

Excellent advice from Jamie Brown: When you’re in ministry, there are going to be times when you say some really stupid things to people in your congregation. In the moment, you’ll either not be thinking clearly, or not thinking at all, and you’ll open your mouth and say something that…

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David Murrow: don’t try to be something you’re not: I’m a member of Alaska’s largest church. It’s a lot like every other megachurch. We meet in a cavernous, windowless room with stage lighting and two huge projection screens. We’re led by a rock band and a casually dressed pastor. The…

Take a look at your ministry with tips from Brian Howard: Have you carefully thought through a new ministry that you want to start? Have you evaluated your current ministries? Here are 12 planning questions that will help you think through starting a new ministry or evaluating a current one.…

Daniel J. Mathew offers BGV tips: A lot has been said about worship leading, about the responsibilities both musically and spiritually a person has when leading a congregation in corporate musical worship, and whilst most points are relevant to all members of the band and creative arts, often they’re specifically…

Catalyst director Brad Lomenick on team building: So what about when someone completely drops the ball? We all have experienced this as leaders. I know I have. So how do you respond? You give a big assignment or project to someone on your team, and they lay an egg- totally…

Eric Dye on sound levels: My first experiences with church sound level complaints was pretty flippant. I thought, “Seriously? Have you nothing more important to think about?” However, the truth of the matter is, church volume is something that cannot be ignored. If you have people in your congregation that complain about the…

Jaime Brown on song keys: I was recently watching a well-known worship leader lead worship at a church that was broadcasting its service online. His leadership was excellent, the band was playing well, and the songs were really good. There was one problem, though. The keys were all way too…

Kristen Gilles on worship in the midst of tragedy: Our nation was jolted last week by the tragic, civilian “war zone” created at the Boston Marathon after two terrible explosions killed 3 people and horribly wounded nearly two hundred others. The news media photos depicted bloody carnage on the streets…

Jason Hatley compares the Disney culture to ministry: Recently, I was asked to speak to a group of pastors in Orlando and while I was there, I was invited to go on a “behind-the-scenes” tour of Walt Disney World. Needless to say… I was excited! Sure it was going to…

Dr. Thom S. Rainer on a church in decline: I was their church consultant in 2003. The church’s peak attendance was 750 in 1975. By the time I got there the attendance had fallen to an average of 83. The large sanctuary seemed to swallow the relatively small crowd on…

Russ Hutto: What does the word perform even mean? Is it a bad word? Growing up as a kid of the church (my dad was a youth pastor, worship leader, pastor), I’ve heard just about every church cliche you can think of. Being a youth pastor and media/music pastor myself…