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The communion table stands as an intersection between Word and Sacrament, between memory and hope, between pastor and congregation, between receiving and serving, and between community and individual. Leading from the table, says Paul Galbreath, professor of preaching and worship, is a way of thinking, speaking, acting, and living that grows out of learning to recognize and embody these connections in our lives as a congregation and as individuals.
Developing leadership skills that connect the congregation’s eucharistic practice to the life and work of the church is essential to moving toward unity within congregations, denominations, and throughout the church. This book is not a how-to manual on presiding techniques, however. Rather, this book is a series of reflections about the way the prayer at the communion table provides a pattern for our lives. The goal is to shift our understanding of table prayer from a formula led by the pastor to a road map that highlights intersections between the practices at the table and the daily practices in the life of the community that gathers around the table.
When congregations are grounded in word, water, bread, and wine, then the transformative power of God’s Spirit has room to work among us. Then we are blessed with a community that will sustain us to work for justice and peace in this world.
Gratitude: Why Giving Thanks Is the Key to Our Well-Being
What is gratitude? Where does it come from? Why do we need it? How does it change us?
In Gratitude, award-winning author Cornelius Plantinga explores these questions and more. Celebrating the role of gratitude in our lives, Plantinga makes the case that it is the very key to understanding our relationships with one another, the world around us, and God.
Servanthood of Song: Music, Ministry, and the Church in the United States
'Servanthood of Song' is a history of American church music from the colonial era to the present. Its focus is on the institutional and societal pressures that have shaped church song and have led us directly to where we are today.
Sound Theology
This book surveys the liturgical soundscape during and after the Reformation with regard to the use of instruments in worship in general, and the (dis)use of the pipe organ specifically.
Gratitude: Why Giving Thanks Is the Key to Our Well-Being
What is gratitude? Where does it come from? Why do we need it? How does it change us?
In Gratitude, award-winning author Cornelius Plantinga explores these questions and more. Celebrating the role of gratitude in our lives, Plantinga makes the case that it is the very key to understanding our relationships with one another, the world around us, and God.
Servanthood of Song: Music, Ministry, and the Church in the United States
'Servanthood of Song' is a history of American church music from the colonial era to the present. Its focus is on the institutional and societal pressures that have shaped church song and have led us directly to where we are today.
Sound Theology
This book surveys the liturgical soundscape during and after the Reformation with regard to the use of instruments in worship in general, and the (dis)use of the pipe organ specifically.
Worship and Power: Liturgical Authority in Free Church Traditions
This edited volume models how dialogue among scholars and practitioners can promote worship practices that are faithful and just.
