By Bill Wilson I recently spent a memorable and meaningful few days with a group of music ministers. Throughout our times of worship, breakouts and social interaction, I had many significant conversations with these men and women about their life…
Even Westboro loves its friends
By Corey Fields A young woman described her experience of moving to a new community and finding a new church home. She wrote of how the church made an inspiring first impression on her: “Everybody was super-accommodating, bending over backward to…
London calling: Baptist wins song contest
By Bob Allen The minister of worship at CBF-affiliated Snyder Memorial Baptist Church in Fayetteville, N.C., is London-bound after winning a worldwide worship music contest. On Tuesday Integrity Music Europe named Giles Blankenship’s “You Are There” winner of its 2013…
Thinking inside the boxes
By Bob Burroughs Every church has multiple boxes. There is the Worship Box. This box is very large, for it must accommodate a wide variety of people. The Worship Box often has “dividers” that are called such names as “Traditional,”…
Megachurch trends we small churches must face
The appeal of the megachurch is undeniable: big building, large worship setting, youth and children’s programs, and a semi-celebrity pastor. Yet many smaller churches have not learned from their large counter parts. There are some things megachurches are doing well…
Desperately seeking 20-somethings.
If you’re a long time reader of my work (thanks Mom!) you’ve likely come to the not-so-startling conclusion that a great deal of my ramblings are primarily concerned with my struggles, disagreements, dissatisfactions, and overall existential and sometimes very physical inabilities to be…
What is traditional? What is contemporary?
Just what makes a church “traditional” these days? As someone who has written extensively and spoken to religious gatherings on the subject of “traditional” churches, I’m increasingly finding it hard to draw an exacting definition. But by the same token,…
A prayer for peace
In his recent lament over the Trayvon Martin tragedy, evangelical leader Jim Wallis implored: “If there ever was a time that demonstrated why racially and culturally diverse congregations are needed — that time is now.” For the past 4 1/2…
Does your church look like a warehouse?
For the last 30 years, it has become popular for new churches to build their worship and ministry space to look like a warehouse or storehouse (or use an actual warehouse). The “Emergent” or “Emerging Church” and ultra contemporary church…