The Ancient Formula for Determining Easter: How a 1700-Year-Old Decision Still Affects Us Today

We’re going to tackle an intriguing question many of us have wondered about: why does Easter Sunday fall on a different date each year? It’s one of those things that can catch us off guard, especially for worship leaders planning our worship services (I’ll ask Alexa several times in late December and January “When is Easter?”)

First things first, it’s important to understand the significance of Easter for Christians. This special day is all about celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead – a cornerstone event in our faith. But unlike Christmas, which falls on December 25th every year, Easter seems to be hopping around (pun intended) our calendar.

The reason behind this lies in history and tradition. Early Christians wanted to celebrate Easter around the time of the Jewish Passover since it was closely linked with Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Interestingly, Passover doesn’t have a fixed date either because it depends on the Jewish lunar calendar.

To accommodate both traditions, church leaders came up with a formula during an important gathering called the First Council of Nicaea back in 325 AD. The goal was to bring unity among Christians worldwide. They decided that Easter should always fall on the first Sunday following the first full moon after March 21st (the vernal equinox).

Now you might be thinking: “Why don’t they just use our regular calendar?” Well, here’s where it gets interesting! Our standard calendar is called the Gregorian calendar (introduced by Pope Gregory XIII), which is based on solar cycles rather than lunar ones like its Jewish counterpart. Therefore, determining Easter based solely on solar dates would result in inconsistencies.

While having Easter Sunday change dates each year may seem strange at first glance, there’s actually an incredible historical connection between Christianity and Judaism at play here – reminding us how interconnected these two faiths truly are. As we approach this season dedicated to celebrating Jesus Christ’s resurrection, let’s cherish the opportunity to come together with our fellow believers.

Make sure to carve out some time this week for reflection and prayer, asking God to guide us through this special season. And while you’re at it, why not share this fascinating piece of trivia with your friends and family during your Easter gatherings?

Easter Attendance Boost: Transform Your Church Website with These Simple Tricks

As Easter approaches, churches gear up for a potentially huge influx of first-time visitors. While there are various ways to promote Easter services, such as through social media, direct mail campaigns, and word of mouth, the church’s website remains one of the most valuable tools for attracting new members year-round, especially during Easter. Therefore, it’s essential to optimize your website to capitalize on this opportunity.

First impressions matter

Since your homepage is typically the first page that most people will see when they visit your website, make sure it’s making a strong impact. A few weeks before Easter, put information about your Easter services front and center on the homepage. If you have space for an image, design a simple yet appealing graphic featuring your Easter Sunday events and service times. The aim is to quickly provide visitors with all the basic details they need.

Help them find you

Make it easy for potential visitors by including your address and directions either on a contact us page or a specific page dedicated to newcomers. To make things even smoother for them, embed a Google map directly onto this page. And don’t forget to double-check that it’s working correctly – sometimes mapping services update their systems which can cause glitches!

Kids are important too

For children who aren’t used to attending religious gatherings or events at new places can be daunting – especially during busy times like Easter Sunday. Help parents prepare their kids by giving them some insight into what they can expect from your children’s programs that day. On an appropriate webpage (perhaps one aimed at new visitors), provide basic info about classes and activities available for kids during worship time – this should help alleviate any pre-visit jitters both parents and children might have.

Promote other events while you’re at it

With increased web traffic expected leading up to Easter, why not take advantage of the opportunity to promote other upcoming events at your church? Are there small groups starting soon, or perhaps a special sermon series in the pipeline? Make sure you mention these on your homepage too – this could lead to greater engagement and participation in your ministry.

It’s time to put your best foot forward and ensure your church website is ready to welcome newcomers. By making a great first impression, providing clear directions, keeping kids in mind, and promoting other events at your church, you’ll be well on your way to maximizing visitor engagement this Easter season. So spruce up that website and get ready for a fantastic celebration!

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.

Read the full article.

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.

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