It’s one thing to want to see your church grow. It’s entirely another to position your church structurally so you can accommodate growth. If you structure bigger, you can grow bigger. If you don’t, your structural constraints will stifle and hinder your growth.
Five Questions for Churches as Worship Gatherings Become Smaller
The trend toward smaller gatherings was slow but perceptible prior to the pandemic. That trend is much more noticeable now. Church worship gatherings are getting smaller. Two major factors are contributing to this trend. The obvious factor is an overall attendance decline in churches. Many congregations have fewer members and attendees each year.
Revolutionize Your Mix with These Game-Changing Tips
Kade Young from Collaborate Worship shows how to create a pro mix from scratch, using some easy techniques. He starts with gain levels and low-cut filters, then moves on to compression and EQ tweaks to make everything sound clear and dynamic. Plus, he talks about blending reverb just right for that extra depth in the mix.
Rekindling Faith through the Beautiful Tradition of Palm Sunday Celebrations
We’re all familiar with Palm Sunday and most have celebrated it, but do you know why churches observe this occasion? Let’s take a journey through history and uncover the reasons behind this special Sunday.
First things first, what is Palm Sunday? It’s an annual Christian feast that takes place on the Sunday before Easter Day. Marking the beginning of Holy Week, it commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. According to Biblical accounts, as Jesus rode into town on a donkey (symbolizing peace), crowds laid palm branches and their cloaks in his path as a sign of respect and adoration. Let’s dive deeper into why churches celebrate this event.
1. Fulfillment of prophecy: The events surrounding Palm Sunday hold significant meaning for Christians because they fulfill ancient prophecies found in the Hebrew Scriptures. One such prophecy comes from Zechariah 9:9 which reads: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey.” By celebrating Palm Sunday, believers honor Jesus as the Messiah who fulfilled these age-old predictions.
2. Symbolism of palms: Palms play an important role in both Jewish and Christian traditions. In Judaism, they symbolize victory and joy – think Sukkot celebrations when Jews gather palm branches with other species to rejoice before God. For Christians too, palms represent victory; however here it signifies Christ’s victory over death through his resurrection on Easter Day. So when churches distribute palm fronds during Palm Sunday services (which are often later turned into crosses), they remind worshippers of Jesus’ ultimate triumph over sin and death.
3. A reminder to be humble: One crucial aspect of the Palm Sunday story is Jesus’ decision to ride a donkey, which showed his humility and desire for peace. This act symbolized multiple aspects: it fulfilled Zechariah 9:9’s prophecy of a humble, peaceful king; contrasted with kings on horses representing majesty and war; demonstrated Jesus’ divine kingship through the use of a lowly yet loyal animal; and resonated with the common people who sought salvation and justice.
4. Preparation for Holy Week: As mentioned earlier, Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week – an intensely spiritual period leading up to Easter Day. This week includes Maundy Thursday (commemorating Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples), Good Friday (remembering Christ’s crucifixion), and the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. By starting Holy Week with Palm Sunday celebrations, churches set a tone that focuses on reflection, penance, and anticipation of Easter.
5. Connection to the world-wide Christian community: It’s important to remember that celebrating Palm Sunday isn’t just a local tradition; it unites Christians from all over the world who gather in their respective places of worship to honor this significant event. Participating in these celebrations helps believers feel connected not only with other worshippers but also with centuries-old traditions kept alive by generations before them.
As we reflect on the profound significance of Palm Sunday, let’s embrace its message of hope, humility, and victory in our own lives. By following Jesus’ example of peaceful leadership and genuine connection with others, we can strive to bring light into the world around us!
How Hillsong Church Wasted Thousands of Dollars on Luxury Gifts and Trips
Phil Dooley, the new global senior pastor of Hillsong Church, has pledged to reform the church’s culture and structure after shocking allegations of financial misconduct by its former leaders. He said he was committed to a higher level of accountability and transparency during a Sunday service in Sydney, following an announcement by the board chair that a forensic audit of church spending under Brian and Bobbie Houston, the founders of Hillsong, would be conducted.
Dooley’s statement came after an Australian MP from Tasmania revealed leaked documents that showed how Hillsong funds were used to lavish church leaders with expensive gifts and trips. Andrew Wilkie told parliament that Hillsong members were deceived into thinking that their donations went to help the poor, when in fact they were used to fund extravagant lifestyles for church leaders.
Wilkie claimed that the documents showed that Bobbie Houston received a $6,500 Cartier watch and $2,500 of Louis Vuitton luggage as gifts from the church, and that the Houston family spent $150,000 of church money for a three-day luxury retreat in Cancun. He also accused Brian Houston of using private jets like Ubers, costing tens of thousands of dollars per trip. He said that another couple who worked for Hillsong also enjoyed shopping sprees with church money, including $16,000 for custom skateboards. He added that the church gave out cash gifts to pastors, including $15,000 for one pastor’s birthday and $36,000 for another’s 30th anniversary. He also alleged that two external pastors who investigated allegations of inappropriate texts sent by Brian Houston to a female staff member in 2019 received $10,000 each from Hillsong.
The amounts are unclear whether they are in Australian dollars or US dollars or both.
Wilkie said he obtained the documents from a whistleblower who was part of a court-ordered mediation in a federal case brought by a former Hillsong employee.
The accusations made headlines around the world and shocked some of the estimated 150,000 people who attend Hillsong’s 30 locations worldwide. But they were not news to Hillsong’s inner leadership. The information was part of an ongoing legal process involving Hillsong.
Dooley said he could not change the past but he could play a significant role in changing the future. “Our structure and culture is changing and needs to change more to ensure we are held to a higher level of accountability,” he said.
The Bizarre End of Worship Leader Magazine
Last week’s social media kerfluffle came courtesy of the bizarre actions of the aged rag Worship Leader Magazine. Back in the day this publication had real clout – every church I knew subscribed to it and got their monthly “Song Discovery” CD featuring the latest hot worship songs (I almost got one of my more popular worship songs called “Every Day” on it but alas, they didn’t like the tempo for some odd reason and wouldn’t include it unless I re-recorded it.)
Evidentaly Worship Leader Magazine (or more specifically, their parent company called “Authentic Media”) has been pulling this trick for literally years: they’ve trademarked the term “worship leader” and have taken action against people/compaines with those two words in the title.
I know, it sounds ridiculous but it’s a thing and they’ve been getting away with it. But that’s one of the (few) plusses of social media – in this day and age you can’t get away with it.
You can read more details about their shenanigans in Christianity Today’s article. Of course, any company has a right to defend their trademark and should. However in this case, their justifications smack of entitlement. This isn’t really about the money – Worship Leader Magazine is shutting down social media accounts (are they upset that Rogue Worship Leader is making a few bucks on merch?)
Worship Leader Magazine’s Facebook page is getting flamed as well it should (the comments are gold) and they’ve been removing posts and articles that defend themselves nearly as soon as they’re posting them. They seem quite taken aback by the pushback.
Unfortunately, nothing gets deleted from the Internet since the Wayback Machine archives everything.
Here’s the now deleted post defending the enforcement of their trademark. WLM editor Joshua Swanson writes:
With the passing of our founder and the new partnership that we formed, we’ve been a bit behind, but we’re now getting caught up and plan to continue to defend our trademark, as we have for decades.
In other words, get ready, we’re coming after ya!
Here’s the post from the founder’s wife, Stephanie Fromm. She writes:
Let’s go back to the beginning of the coining of the phrase ”worship leader” by my husband and his peers to address the calling on the lives of those that wanted to be more than just song leaders and music ministers.
Did Chuck Fromm actually coin the term “worship leader?” One person on Facebook posted several instances from the late 1800s that supposedly used the term “worship leader.” I researched each and found them NOT accurate. One claim was that the 1871 hymnal “The Service of Song for Baptist Churches” has a section titled “The Worship Leader.” You can find a digital copy of this hymnal online, but a search for “worship leader” returns no results.
The the writer of the Christianity Today article mentioned above found this:
A quick search of American newspaper archives reveals the term was in use to describe music ministers and church leaders across Christian denominations throughout the 20th century. A 1959 article from the Sunday Times of Bridgeport, Connecticut, refers to the “Rev. Joseph Church, worship leader” at First Methodist Church. A 1958 article in the Lewiston Daily Sun (Maine) detailing plans for ecumenical Lenten services gives six different individuals the title “worship leader.” It’s also not difficult to find hymnals from the early and mid-20th century that occasionally use the term.
Whether or not he did coin the term is irrelevant as they do indeed hold the trademark. The problem here is that the term “worship leader” is so ubiquitous that it’s laughable (and petty) they’re trying to defend their rights – especially in this relatively tiny worship industry. Perhaps “worship leader” will suffer the same fate as Band-Aid, Kleenex and Xerox – something called brand genericide. Do they truly believe the dumb populace is having trouble distinguishing between Rogue Worship Leader and Worship Leader Magazine?
There’s a great lesson to be learned here. Perhaps you can be technically and legally correct, but enforcing your rights might not be a great look. I doubt this is something Worship Leader Magazine will ever recover from.
12 Things That Can Discourage Congregational Singing
We love new songs and as a band, we enjoy learning them. However, our congregations don’t tire of songs as quickly as we do. For many, they only hear the songs once on Sunday morning, or every now and then on Christian radio.
Attracting and Keeping Great Players On Your Worship Team
The ability to attract skilled musicians to a worship team requires strong leadership. Worship leaders must create an environment of give-and-take among the musicians, courageously confronting problems when needed. They should get to know each player personally, supporting their families and valuing every team member’s contribution. When the leader can inspire musicians in these ways, the worship service will come alive through their combined and passionate playing.
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