articles

Mike Sessler on purchasing a new mixer for your church: Almost weekly, I receive an e-mail asking for advice on which mixer to buy. The answer, of course, is always the same; it depends. No seriously, that’s the answer. Because there is no “one” right mixer for every church. There…

Kyle Beshears visits a church for atheists in London and discovers they miss music and fellowship: Last month I stumbled upon an article about an atheistic “church service” in London. I didn’t even read the whole thing before I decided I had to go. The Sunday Assembly, as the group…

Russell D. Moore, Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, talks about the Pope’s resignation: With Pope Benedict XVI’s shocking resignation this morning, evangelical Christians might be tempted to see this the way a college football fan might…

Here are seven tips for background vocalists that I’ve learned through years of singing in worship teams and bands. Although my advice is specific to church worship ministries, most of it applies to anyone who sings background vocals (BGV). 1) Allow the lead vocalist to sing the first verse alone……

Stephen M. Newman on paying musicians: Several things to look at when considering whether or not to hire musicians for worship: 1) What is the individual’s motivation for serving? If it’s for a paycheck, you probably won’t get what you need from them. You may get great music, but the…

Today over lunch, I had a conversation with a fellow worship leader that has become recurring. If I’ve had it once over the last year, I’ve had it at least ten times: why is it so hard to find good electric guitar players? As a worship and arts ministry leader,…

Bob Kauflin on theology: When Christian musicians get together, we tend to assume we all have our theology down and we can focus on honing our chops, discovering new gear, and improving our techniques and methodologies. Or maybe we think that theology isn’t that important. Whatever the reason, I wanted…

Anthony Coppedge on why you should be using the wide screen format for your church projection: Back in 2002 I wrote a widely-publicized article about all churches needing to make the move to 16:9 aspect ratio widescreen. Almost 11 years later, it turns out I was almost right. The idea…

Thom Rainer is the president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources: I remember the first time I went to a mall. Raised in a small town in the southeastern section of Alabama, I was amazed when I went to the “big city” mall in Montgomery. All the stores were under…

The following material was presented in the doctoral colloquium at Southwestern Baptist Seminary on October 20, 2012. Do you think there’s hope for organs? I doubt it – they’re too expensive, few musicians can play it properly and, most importantly, the average person simply doesn’t like organ music. What are…

Dr. Thom S. Rainer on paying pastors: In many churches, the pastor’s salary is a quiet issue. There is a sense of discomfort from both the pastor and the members when the topic is broached. Such discomfort is unfortunate, however, because a number of churches will not seek every year…