Tag «worship»

The Stone Soup Recipe for Vital Small Church Worship

Teresa Stewart says that small congregations have a powerful worship planning option that expands participation, emphasizes lay leadership, ends the burnout of meetings, invites local gifts, and heightens anticipation. It’s called Stone Soup worship planning. Maybe you’ve heard it said that for lavish worship, congregations must have a “Worship Design Team” — experts gathered to […]

The post The Stone Soup Recipe for Vital Small Church Worship first appeared on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

The post The Stone Soup Recipe for Vital Small Church Worship appeared first on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

Blessing of the Animals as Community Outreach

How can a Blessing of the Animals reach new people in your community? Jessica Anschutz shares tips to engage pet owners and community partners as you celebrate all creatures great and small. Many congregations celebrate a blessing of the animals on or around October 4, the Feast of Saint Francis, while other congregations have a […]

The post Blessing of the Animals as Community Outreach first appeared on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

The post Blessing of the Animals as Community Outreach appeared first on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

Do I Really Need to Be a Member of a Church?

This question and its ensuing discussion continues. Do I really need to be a member of a church? We need to first separate the concept of church membership from other types of organizational membership. Church membership is not like civic club membership, even though many civic organizations do have altruistic purposes. Church membership is definitely…

The post Do I Really Need to Be a Member of a Church? appeared first on Church Answers.

Four Functions of a Church Choir

Brian Hehn says a church can have a vital music ministry if its choir focuses on four key functions — leading and enlivening congregational singing, singing music that the congregation cannot, serving as a small group within the church for faith formation, and singing music that glorifies God and edifies the congregation. To celebrate the […]

The post Four Functions of a Church Choir first appeared on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

The post Four Functions of a Church Choir appeared first on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

Top 25 Hymns: 2023 Versus Ten Years Ago

Many of you were definitely eager to share your favorite hymns via social media. We had over 2,000 responses when I finally stopped counting the results. I took your responses and compared them to a similar list we compiled ten years ago. There are some differences between the two sets of rankings. The 2013 hymns…

The post Top 25 Hymns: 2023 Versus Ten Years Ago appeared first on Church Answers.

Know the Psalms as Never Before

For centuries, Christians have turned to the Psalms to teach them to pray, to worship, and to grow as disciples. A new series from Christian Union offers you the opportunity to deepen your experience with God through the words of the Psalms. More than typical Bible study, these volumes offer a devotional commentary that is…

The post Know the Psalms as Never Before appeared first on Church Answers.

4 Ways Preaching Can Boost Worship Attendance

Popular preacher and author Charley Reeb shares four preaching strategies to grow your church, all based on the notion that we have to connect with people’s interests and meet them where they are. To celebrate the Lewis Center’s anniversary, we are highlighting Leading Articles — some of our most popular posts of the past 20 […]

The post 4 Ways Preaching Can Boost Worship Attendance first appeared on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

The post 4 Ways Preaching Can Boost Worship Attendance appeared first on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

Church Leaders Wandering Past the Cross

Many years ago, I visited a rocky hillside in Jerusalem that some scholars believe is the site of Jesus’ crucifixion. On this hillside were three trees that reminded me of the crosses at Jesus’ death, and in front of the hill was a busy bus station. The stench of diesel fuel hung in the air….

The post Church Leaders Wandering Past the Cross appeared first on Church Answers.

Online Worship Services Appeal to Many, but In-Person Remains More Popular

A recent survey by Pew Research Center found that about a quarter of U.S. adults regularly watch religious services online or on TV, and most of them are highly satisfied with the experience. At the same time, Americans tend to give even higher marks to worshipping together in person. And those who do both — […]

The post Online Worship Services Appeal to Many, but In-Person Remains More Popular appeared first on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

4 Reasons Why It Matters that Church Leaders are Praying Leaders

I am convinced that prayer is the most difficult spiritual discipline to develop—even for church leaders. Prayer assumes that we live in dependence on God, and I fear many of us are less dependent than we might admit. Prayer is our recourse for a problem more than an expression of a relationship with God. It…

The post 4 Reasons Why It Matters that Church Leaders are Praying Leaders appeared first on Church Answers.