One of March’s media stories has been the success of the History Channel miniseries, The Bible. The first episode, which premiered on March 3, had 13.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen, making it the highest entertainment (read: non-sports) broadcast of 2013.

The interest in a cable series makes it clear the American public is certainly interested in the Bible. But what do Americans actually think about the Bible? Do they believe it to be sacred, authoritative or merely nonsense? Do they try to follow its exhortations, or do they regard the Bible as antiquated literature? Does the Bible still matter—besides television ratings—to Americans?

A recent survey from the Barna Group, commissioned by the American Bible Society, provides some insight into these questions. From the results, it’s easy to see why the Bible remains a cultural force in the United States. Yet, its future role looks very different than its past.

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Almost every church in the world will see an attendance spike this week. In the this-is-really-obvious-research-finding, we found that Easter was the highest attended day of the church year. (OK, really, it was about Mother’s Day, as USAToday reported in a front page story on our data, but Easter was number one.)

If you work in ministry, you already know this and did not need LifeWay Research to tell you. You’ve been planning for it. But are you planning for next week, too?

Nicola Menzie, a reporter for the Christian Post, asked me some questions for her story, “How to Keep the ‘Chreasters’ Coming: Experts Say Preparedness and Follow-Up Are Key.” The story has lots of helpful information, and the subtitle gets it right, “While Churches Look to Make Converts for Christ on Easter Sunday, Many Fail to Make a Connection.” Her good questions got me thinking– so I turned my comments to her into a full post here.

Let me share some thoughts on what your church can do to follow up its Easter guests.

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Do you ever stop and ask yourself, “Why do people visit my church?” Do you ever ask yourself, “Why don’t they come back?” Why is it that churches across the country see people coming in the front door only to have them exit the same door and never return? I know of churches that will draw a 1,000 visitors a year and yet average under a 1,000 in worship. What is behind this unfortunate phenomenon?

There are many reasons why people do not return to our churches after visiting for the first time. Some can’t relate to the style. Others never make a connection with people. Many do not feel welcome. The list is endless. Today there are so many different types of churches that they have become a literal smorgasbord. People will hop around until they find something that satisfies their appetite.

To get an answer from any given situation there has to be a question asked. In this case, we have to ask the question, “Why don’t people return to our churches after the first and even second visits?” To answer that question we have to ask another, “What are we doing that causes people to leave as quick as they enter?” and “What can we do to keep them coming back?”

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In the mid to late 1990s, the “Modern Worship Revolution” was in full swing. I was finishing up college and the very first Passion album (Live Worship from the 268 Generation) was being released. Rock bands were becoming increasingly common in churches and the church music landscape was evolving significantly. We were being introduced to the likes of Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Charlie Hall, Lincoln Brewster, and Hillsong. It was a good time to be an aspiring worship leader.

Fast forward a few years. EVERY mainstream Christian artist was releasing a worship album. The market was being saturated with church music. At the same time, the accessibility of technology was (and still is) making it much easier (and less expensive) for artists to record albums. Church worship bands like Gateway, Elevation, Bethel, and many others (ours included) have become artists who write and record their own original music, adding to the cacophony that continues the modern worship revolution.

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Hey my name is Peter aka NUBSY and I spend my days working for Hillsong Church as a production designer working on the way our church buildings and conferences look. I thought I’d try (as succinctly as possible) to explain why I’m so passionate about what I do.

When I was thirteen years old a friend at school invited me along to our youth ministry. I remember walking into the foyer and being so blown away by the scale and splendour of the place. All I had known of church was small, derelict old buildings, half empty and cold. So for me to walk into a building full of life and noise and colour instantly blew all my preconceptions out of the water. My walls were down and I was receptive and open to what God was trying to do in my life. Lots of people ask why we would put so much time and effort into the staging, lights and design of our buildings. The answer is something I think about a lot. We are all about reaching and helping as many people as possible and we want to remove any obstacles people might have between them and God. Creating a space where people feel comfortable to come as they are is huge when your mandate is to reach the lost.

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CCM artist Shaun Groves on worship songwriting:

Songwriting is a craft. As in any craft – ice skating, painting, public speaking, cooking – there are best practices that border on being rules.

These standards sometimes define the craft. For instance, if an ice skater glides into the spotlight carrying a stick and hitting a puck she’s no longer ice skating but playing some form of hockey.

At other times these best practices determine what is “good” or “bad” craftsmanship. Painting without regard for composition, for example, may still be called “painting” but it is also likely to be called “bad” painting.

The university I visited last week asked me to teach a class on songwriting. They didn’t, however, tell me the students would be worship music majors. As I taught what little I know about the craft, the students kindly rebutted: “But what about when Chris Tomlin…”

The frontrunners in worship music do not adhere to most of the best practices that have long defined the songwriting craft. So is what they do even songwriting? Is it bad songwriting? Or is it a new thing altogether, defined by a set of best practices all its own?

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