articles

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 Or isn’t it an out-of-date,…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…

If your drummer refuses to use a click track give him or her this article by Josh Ebersole. I first started using a metronome about 2 years ago and at first I was completely against it. The thought of having something dinging in my ear for 30 minutes didn’t sound…

Before you jump at that new leadership position you’ve been offered, consider three reasons you should consider staying right where you are. You see, there are certain elements in a leader’s development that only accrue when one has remained in the same organization for six, seven, eight years or more. When you…

Rick Muchow answers the question: “Do you think it’s wise in a “small” church to have such a diversity in musical style like you do at Saddleback or should the Worship teams try to be aligned and consistent in the same style?” Continue reading.

Alan Danielson on ministry expectations: Most people, pastors and laypeople alike, become disappointed with their church. It’s inevitable. People are flawed and since churches are made up of people, churches are flawed. If we’re not careful, though, this disappointment can turn into discouragement, frustration and anger. So if disappointment is…

Dan Leverence on crafting your praise set: Several months ago, I attended a large gathering of worship leaders and during one of the sessions, someone introduced themselves by saying, “Hi, I’m __________ and I’m a recovering thematic worship planner.” I didn’t realize that thematic worship planning had become taboo and…

Jon Nicol on starting your services promptly: We aren’t naive about what it takes to change something that’s not only ingrained in the culture of our church, but in the broader culture of our community. So we’re taking a long, slow, multifaceted approach to changing our culture of tardiness. 7…

David Manner on part time worship leaders: Now that I have your undivided attention, I do believe that full-time worship ministry is indeed a worthy calling and vocation that requires preparation, education and skills. And yes, it is a real job. But what if opportunities were no longer available for…