It seemed like déjà vu. I was sitting in a worship planning meeting with several other church staff when someone said, “I got another email asking about why the flags are no longer in the sanctuary.” And then the next…
When it comes to leading corporate prayer, are we really all in this together?
Let’s talk about corporate prayer. Houston, we’ve got a problem. Yes, I know it is dangerous to hold oneself out as an expert on anything related to prayer. My true confession is that I’m a whole lot better at praying…
The air of gathered worship: A 12-Sunday challenge
My mother tongue is not church. However, I have been intimately engaged in the church since my mid-20s. Thus, I am now not only fluent in church, but can speak a couple of different dialects. Perhaps my 20-year deficiency is…
I’d rather swim than worship
It was a haunting statement by a pastor. She was asked how her church had rebounded from the impact of COVID upon live worship attendance. Like most, she reported that only about 65% of the pre-COVID attenders had returned to…
Yes, I like the ‘old’ hymns too, but not the ones you may think
Yesterday, a friend agreed with an article about liking old hymns more than much of today’s worship music. This is right where I live. With 50-plus years of music ministry under my belt, and as a bit of a self-proclaimed…
A cautious case against livestreaming worship
I want to share with you a handful of reasons I am not on the worship livestream bandwagon. Many congregations now livestream, or record and post later, their entire worship services from beginning to end. Our church is out-of-step with…
A response to Tish Harrison Warren about livestreaming worship
“I think it’s time to drop the virtual option,” says Tish Harrison Warren in an op-ed for the New York Times, arguing that churches should stop livestreaming their services. She explains: “Bodies, with all the risk, danger, limits, mortality and vulnerability…
The church and a future worth fighting for
Martin Luther King Jr. famously remarked that 11 a.m. on Sunday was the “most segregated hour in America,” This has been an enduring truth, and the reasons for it are both noble and ignoble. Sunday morning became the most segregated…
Think your kids aren’t paying attention at church? Consider this …
Last week, I caught my children playing “church” in the backyard — a game I used to play as a child, too. I watched inconspicuously so they wouldn’t see me. My son Benjamin was pretending to be Pastor Stephen, who…