This Christmas, enrich Kids Ministry with often overlooked Bible passages relating to Jesus’ birth. Use Old Testament prophecies and Gospel nativity details to teach children the reason we celebrate – God sending His Son out of perfect love to dwell among us as Immanuel.
Pushing All In On Red
I know what you’re thinking. “What a great Christian T-shirt slogan if it were still the 90’s! I’d print up a thousand of those bad boys with a picture of Jesus wearing the crown of thorns and proselytize on the street corners of Vegas. The masses of gambling addicts who’d lost their fortunes would now bet on red in an eternal way!” Sorry to burst your bubble but I’m talking about a very different “red”.
If I asked you to name a red piece of music gear, what would you say? You might think of a Strat or Tele or perhaps your favorite pedal. But if you’ve been in the worship music world over the last decade the word “Nord” has us all seeing red. I get it! They’re so pretty. They make your worship team immediately look much more like Hillsong or Elevation up there on stage. You almost can’t play a bad note when it’s coming out of that beautiful crimson machine. And with a low, low price of ONLY $3799.99 for a new Stage 3, why not push all in on red!?!?
It’s funny how trends go. I remember when churches had to get an Ensoniq to be on the cutting edge of the synth world. Maranatha and Promise Keepers couldn’t live without them so how could my church? Then in the 2000’s, if you were going to add an electric guitar to your band, he or she would HAVE to have a British Amp! Or at least an American made amp that copied the sound of the British amp. “Don’t come on this stage with a Fender…unless it’s a Tele!” Now, it’s the Nord. I can’t tell you how many large, modern churches I’ve been to that have that beautiful red beast on their stage. I also can’t tell you how many churches have sold me their Yamaha Motif so they could upgrade to that Nord.
Now, let’s get serious for a second. If you took a poll of your congregation, how many of them could tell the difference in sound between a Yamaha Motif and a Nord Stage? I’m guessing most of them wouldn’t even notice. If you had a Motif one week and a Nord the next, would anyone notice? I’m not knocking the Nord at all. I just want to challenge us to think critically about the way we use our church’s funds. A new Nord Stage 3 is an amazing piece of gear. No way around it. But ask yourself and your budget, would a Motif for $1000 do 95% of what that Nord will do. Or, will a used Nord Stage 2 at $2000 less do 99% of what the new one will do? I have two friends in Nashville that I talk keyboards with quite often. They tour with a couple little artists…Steve Miller Band and Garth Brooks. I asked them what their go-to workstation was over the last decade. Their answer??? Whatever is available at the time. Motif, Roland, Nord, Hammond. Each one has pros and cons but they mostly do 90% of the same things.
So, sit down, list your priorities and open your checkbook. If a new Nord Stage is the answer and your church can afford it, go for it! If you need to look for a good deal on a used one, great decision! Either way, having that provocative red box of glory sitting on stage will immediately up your street cred with the other modern worship folk! Now, make sure you leave room in your budget for an upright piano shell to hide it inside of. Oops!
*At ChurchGear, we buy and sell keyboards to churches, studios and music professionals all over the world. Several years ago we got an order for a vintage, late 70’s analog synth from a buyer in Sweden. That buyer’s name? Hans Nordelius. Yes, Mr. Nord himself!
Does your church have a storage space or closet filled with the church’s old music and production equipment…or keyboards? Are you struggling to figure out how to get the funds together to purchase that Nord you’re dreaming of? Let ChurchGear help.
Toby Walters is the owner and founder of, ChurchGear, a small company out of Franklin, TN. They buy your church’s used music & production gear. churchgear.com
Christmas/Advent Survival Kit 2021
Here are a few resources to help you with your celebration of Advent. Some will help you in your worship planning; others will help you in your church and family devotionals.
Top Christmas Worship Songs 2021 [with Tutorials]
Creating a remarkable Christmas celebration for your church community involves a lot of work. Fortunately for you, Josh Kluge is here to assist! He’s put together the top Christmas worship songs for 2023 to make your life so much easier. Here on this list you’ll see Old Christmas classics, modern new worship songs, & generic Christmas worship songs that perfectly fit the message of the season!
Church Trends: Congregations Are Ageing
By Laura Schoenfelder
A report by Faith Communities Today has been summarizing research and findings of religious trends in the United States since 2000. A large focus area of the study has been on that of small congregations and large congregations growing or shrinking. This last year of the study has been particularly important because of the effect the pandemic brought on attending church.
Around 15,000 religious community members across numerous faith traditions and denominations were studied. The Faith Communities Today report said “the majority of congregations are growing older, smaller, and by many measures, less vital”. The average number of senior attenders has risen 5 percent since 2008. Those in the leadership roles are also growing older along with their congregation, with the average age of the leader being 57 years old.
The report notes that congregations with older pastors and a third or more senior attendants are more likely to be an older, established church. These findings also correlate to a lack of desire for change or to look for new members and have not grown in the past couple of years.
The lack of young adults is neither a problem nor solution to a shrinking church, as is having an older pastor or senior members, the study is quick to note. Most America’s congregations have grown smaller, with an average of 65 members attending weekly service.
This is down by over 50 percent from 137 in 2000. The study reports that this means at least half of the faith communities in the country have 65 or less in weekly attendance.
By looking back five years prior, the findings showed that it was the medium sized congregations that were shrinking.
The study also highlights advantages and challenges for the different congregational sizes. The smaller congregations had a higher level or member commitment, participation, and
were more likely to give more money and volunteer more.
Larger congregations typically have bigger budget expenses, increased use of technology, and a wider range of programs for the community.
Faith Communities Today is very careful in noting that their findings and patterns in this study are not to determine whether a church will thrive, but rather it seeks to find what could be responsible for a shrinking community and suggest that religious leaders reflect on them, no matter the cause of the decline.
4 Thoughts on Christmas Services: Don’t Be Afraid to Play the Hits!
- Tell the Christmas Story. Not the one with the leg lamp, the one with the virgin birth of the Savior of the world. People never get tired of hearing that story. I understand you’ve preached it every year for the past ten years. Preach it again. Get creative with it. Tell it in a different way. Tell it from the sheep’s standpoint.
- Keep it Traditional. If you’ve been following this blog for very long, you know that I’m not a fan of tradition. Except when it comes to Christmas. I already encouraged you to stick to the Christmas story. I also want to encourage you to sing Christmas music like Silent Night, Angels We Have Heard on High, Little Drummer Boy. Don’t be afraid to play all the hits. This is the one time of year you can get away with it.
- Include the Kids. If you’re a smaller church in a small town, find a way to involve the kids in the service. Let them sing a song, read a scripture, dress up like a donkey. Whatever it takes to get their family to invite others to come see them. This is a great way to boost your attendance. Keep in mind, as your church grows larger, it’s going to become harder to do this. So, don’t start something you’re not able to stop. I’ve given you fair warning.
- What about the Day? Do what works best for your church. If your people expect and will show up to a Christmas Eve service, offer one. If they won’t, then don’t. Do it on a day they will attend. In the church I serve, we avoid having services on December 24th and 25th. Why? Because people are celebrating Christmas at Grandma’s and Grandpa’s on those days. So, we’ll have church services on the 23rd or the 22nd, or anytime other than Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. But “Church Growth Expert” said we should maximize Christmas Eve. “Church Growth Expert” doesn’t know the culture of your community. You do. So do what works best for you.
20 Best Christmas Worship Songs for the Year
Every year, the search for the perfect Christmas worship song setlist takes place. Sure, we always have our favorites that we love to throw into the rotation, but each year we have an opportunity to mix things up and sprinkle in something different.
11 Reasons The Christmas Season Can Be Burdensome For Pastors
As the holiday season approaches, it’s crucial to remember the unique challenges pastors face during this time, from ministering to those in pain to balancing church and family obligations, and from addressing materialism within the church to coping with fluctuating attendance and personal struggles. Let’s take a moment to reflect on the demands pastors endure and offer them the support and prayers they truly deserve during this bustling season.
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