Holy Week has begun. It may not “feel” different from any other week – aside from the frenetic work to prepare for Easter Sunday – but it is indeed Holy because it was Jesus who lived through these events. Most of us will know that Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday and culminates with Easter […]
My first encounter with Ash Wednesday came my freshman year of college. I vividly remember the moment when our NT professor came to class late from a noon service with a smeared black cross on his forehead. I had zero context for his appearance, but as he gave a brief explanation my first thought was: […]
Rediscovering the ‘Call to Worship’: A Better Way to Begin ServiceS
Fifteen seconds into the service I thought, “There’s got to be a better way to do this.” The volunteer entrusted to welcome the congregation had already covered the Broncos and the weather. It went something like this: “Welcome to church. We’re glad you’re with us today, especially with the big game starting in about 45 minutes! […]
Much of the world teaches us that if we’re to succeed, we have to be on the lookout for our chance to shine or get ahead. See an opportunity? Hurry up and grab it! See an opening? Better jump in before someone else does! Quite frankly, it’s exhausting. Don’t you feel that? If you think about […]
Embracing Advent in Corporate Worship
practices for a season of longing & waiting In church ministry, the fall can often feel like one extended sprint from back-to-school through Christmas. But about seven years ago our church discovered Advent and it has truly changed how we approach and experience the holiday season, which is now upon us. If we’re not intentional […]
Practical Tips for Spontaneous Worship (Part 2)
The last post discussed how you can better prepare yourself to facilitate spontaneous moments in worship. But leading a team in spontaneity is a whole different animal that requires a different set of skills and practices. So, what do you do if you feel comfortable leading spontaneous moments, but it’s foreign to your team? Here’s […]
3 Characteristics of a Healthy Ministry Team
If we’ve learned anything by paying attention to the scandals unveiled in the last 10 years it is that health cannot be determined by signs of external success. Systems and organizations are too complex to base assumptions about their health from visible phenomena alone. I have been a part of ministries that appeared to be […]
3 Ways to Design a Better Worship Setlist
When I first started leading worship in my teens and early twenties, my understanding of how to choose a worship setlist was something like: start fast and loud, end slow and low. Oh and pick songs that are in the same keys if possible. Simple! Well. That’s mostly because at that point in my life, […]
3 Ways to Increase Your Congregation's Worship Engagement
Recently I was talking with a worship pastor who wanted to increase his congregation’s engagement in worship. Most worship leaders that I know also want to increase the congregation’s engagement in worship. Why is that? In a perfect world it would be because we want the people under our care to be so deeply convinced […]