I have devoted most of my posts over the last week to exploring an important topic: "What's Holding Christianity Back." Using a list of five items proposed by Christian Piatt, I considered church buildings, denominations, worship, church boards, and fear. So What? These factors are quite real. They must not be ignored. Reading these posts, pondering your own church experiences, and considering how an awareness of these issues may prove helpful as you live in the Read More …
worship
WHCB: Worship (#1190)
Christian Piatt includes worship on his list of five things that are holding Christianity back. He suggests that we have "gotten off track" in several ways, including the tendency to continue to see worship as a primary entry point into a faith community. Reality Check In my experience, the first way folks prefer to encounter a local community of faith varies widely. While no one factor can adequately serve as an across the board filter, age is perhaps the best option. Read More …
What’s Holding Christianity Back? (WHCB) (#1186)
Christian Piatt is the author of multiple books, including Banned Questions About Jesus and Banned Questions About the Bible. Recently, he shared a list of things he feels are holding Christianity back: church buildings, denominations, worship, church boards, and fear. So What? Piatt labels these items as "the five biggest things I’ve seen that tend to keep us from doing our best work as the living, breathing body of Christ in the world today." While Read More …
Valuing Diversity: The 75% Rule (#1137)
Corey Widmer, associate pastor for outreach at Third Presbyterian Church (Richmond, VA), recently wrote about something known in his congregation as the 75% rule. He explains: When we gather together to worship on Sundays, everyone should be happy with no more than 75% of what is happening during the worship service. Why such a strange rule? Because we realize that in our culturally diverse congregation, if you are happy and comfortable with more than 75% of what is going on, it most Read More …
No Verbal Announcement for ____ (#1133)
At some point during the worship service most congregations include a time for verbal announcements. This content is often reinforced by printed material in the bulletin/worship guide and/or data projected on a screen. While those responsible for the success of just about any and everything that happens on the church campus often desire a verbal announcement, most opportunities simply do not deserve to be highlighted in that manner. Phil Bowdle, Communications Director at West Read More …
Living the Overflow (#1053)
Preparing Nearly everyone knows that more people attend worship in churches on Christmas and Easter than at any other time. Many churches add services to welcome the larger than usual crowds. Regardless of congregational size, most leadership bodies opt to do whatever is possible to make all who come feel welcome (including ensuring each guest has a seat). At Naples United Church of Christ, we opted to take a rather traditional approach by adding: Services - expanding from two Read More …
Worship Swap (#1038)
Earlier this month, the Pew Research Center reported that data from the General Social Survey shows a role reversal in worship attendance when comparing Catholics and Protestants. More specifically: In 1974, Catholics were more likely than Protestants to report attending religious services at least once a week (47% vs. 29%). By 2012, the situation had reversed: Protestants overall were more likely than Catholics to say they attend church weekly or more often (38% vs. 24%). So Read More …
Praise Songs = ? (#1007)
I appreciate a variety of music styles in general and in worship. I do not, however, like praise songs that are little more than a musical excuse to repeat a few lines over and over again or sound like something anyone could have written in five minutes or less. The following video makes fun of what can be seen as the worst of so-called contemporary praise songs. So What? Developing a Christian service of worship around a key theme or Scripture in ways that all elements Read More …
Memorable Moments in Worship (#0938)
Some church services are more memorable than others. While many faithful churchgoers have heard hundreds or even thousands of sermons, most can only recall a few in any detail. The following video from Hickory Grove Baptist Church illustrates what I imagine was the most memorable moment for almost everyone present in that service. Catch The Kid from Hickory Grove Baptist Church on Vimeo. So What? Pastor Clint Pressley likely prepared for many things, but apparently not Read More …
Announcements in Worship (#0912)
Alan Rudnick, pastor of First Baptist Church (Ballston Spa, NY), recently wrote about constructing a theology for announcements in worship. He suggests that announcements belong in worship if they "serve a greater purpose: to connect people into greater opportunities of Christ-like community life." Additionally, Rudnick encourages people to reconsider announcements as being made in non-verbal forms, delivered by a solid communicator (ideally the same Read More …