By Bob Allen A North Carolina Baptist worship minster’s song is running a strong second in fan voting midway through a month-long contest leading to a top-prize billing alongside some of the biggest names on the contemporary Christian music scene….
Eva and the evening
With anticipatory excitement, we sat huddled at the end of the driveway – Eva, my husband Mark, and me. It was summer, it was near dark and we were sitting in fold-up metal and plastic-webbed chairs, almost in the street. …
White to black — or black to white
A lady called some weeks ago saying that her church was in deep trouble. No surprise here — many churches are “in deep trouble” for various reasons. She said the pastor decided to fire the part-time music director who had…
A recipe for blended worship
By Bob Burroughs I prefer to call the “worship wars” by another name: “worship preferences.” This, to me, better describes the situation in the vast majority of churches in our country today. We are really not at “war” over worship…
The stress of the movable Sabbath
Someone at church once asked me, “When is your day off?” I replied, “Friday.” “Wow.” He said. “I wish I could have Friday’s off. Must be nice.” “Well, I don’t get many Sundays off. That must be nice to have…
Is giving an offering — as an expression of worship — dying?
With online giving through a congregation’s web site, or texting a contribution, or bank drafts, or offering boxes in a corner of the worship space or narthex, or discouraging visitors from giving an offering at seeker services, or giving through…
Learning from monks
Recently, I spent a few days at Mount Saviour Monastery and it was an incredible time of reflection, prayer, and spiritual enrichment. I also instituted a social media blackout. I must admit, I didn’t know what to expect. My friend and follow pastor David…
Fifty years from now
What might it mean to be a Baptist Christian at the mid-point of the 21st century? I’m hesitant to try and answer such a question. In my experience, actual developments over time usually take unanticipated forms. If someone 50 years…
Managing time in worship
By Bob Burroughs Recently, I’ve been thinking about time, specifically issues concerning “time” leadership in the church. Time is the 21st century’s new currency. Think about it. People most often these day do not ask, “How much will this cost?”…