Resource Search Results

Disability and Inclusion: An Annotated Bibliography

Books that Tom Hoeksema believes give a deep understanding of the theology and practice of inclusion and extend the ability to operate from a universal design perspective as you plan worship and other dimensions of life together in faith communities.

Conversation | May 16, 2016

Worship in Times of Tension

We’ve all been there or will be—planning worship when things just aren’t the way they are supposed to be. Tension and even conflict will happen in every church at some point.

Video | April 25, 2016

Worship and Public Engagement

That corporate worship must equip us for serving God’s purposes in the world, certainly means that we must attend to the social-political-economic dimensions of our lives as citizens. How do we structure our congregational patterns with this in mind without making our worship “too political”?

Video | April 25, 2016

Suffering Servant

2016 Calvin Symposium on Worship | Service. Led by Hope College worship leaders and Reggie Smith is preaching.

Video | Worship Service | April 25, 2016

New Heavens and New Earth

This final worship service is based on the text of Isaiah 65, where we look toward the new heavens and new earth. By celebrating communion together in this service, we anticipate this glorious day.

Video | Worship Service | April 18, 2016

What You Can Learn from Visiting Churches

College and seminary professors offer church observation guides for their students. You can use their insights to learn more when you visit other churches. This process can also help you understand how people experience liturgical practices in your own congregation.

Feature Story | April 13, 2016

Sandra Van Opstal on The Next Worship

While some U.S. politicians play on fears about ethnic minorities, changing demographic trends actually offer churches a huge opportunity to create new forms of worship.

Conversation | April 07, 2016

April is Autism Awareness Month: Delighting in the Patterns of Worship

Many people with autism spectrum disorder find joy, security, and comfort in familiar patterns. We can also take great delight in the perfect match that exists within many of our corporate worship patterns. Take an individual who delights in patterns, structure, and “sameness,” and you have a recipe for a joyful worshiper.

Article | April 01, 2016

My Soul Finds Rest in God

Join with singer-songwriter Sandra McCracken for contemplative songs and liturgical prayers, while making space within this worship service for both lament and joy.

Video | Worship Service | March 31, 2016

Stroke Survivors in our Worshiping Communities

This workshop presents an ethnographic study describing the experiences of stroke survivors in their church communities and two worship services planned for these participants.

Audio | March 04, 2016

The Church Behind Bars

This session explores the growth of the church behind bars in several Michigan prisons and in Angola Prison in Louisiana.

Audio | March 04, 2016

How Ritual Training Overflows into Expressive Worship

Lay training in both formative and expressive liturgy helps Catholic adults and youth live out their identity in the universal priesthood of all faithful believers. Protestants can learn from this.

Feature Story | February 09, 2016

Dale Sieverding on Cultural Differences in Recruiting Youth

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles launched a summer camp to train young Catholics to lead in local liturgical ministries. They discovered that finding gifted youth requires different approaches in different cultures.

Conversation | February 09, 2016

Olivia Stewart on Young Children and Worship

It sounds counter-intuitive, especially today. But it turns out that helping children learn to get quiet in their own ways is huge for helping them encounter God.

Conversation | January 21, 2016

Reading in Worship from the Book We Love

Even Christians who profess to love the Bible sometimes zone out when scripture is read aloud in public worship. Here is help for readers, worship planners and the congregation to experience the living Word.

Feature Story | January 12, 2016

Joy-Elizabeth Lawrence on Choral Bible Reading

Assigning different voices to different phrases can be an effective way to convey meaning in public scripture reading. This is known variously as choral reading, scripted scripture and enacted scripture.

Conversation | January 12, 2016

Children and Worship: Helping Them to Experience God

This video provides information on the Children & Worship program and why it is so effective in the spiritual development of young children.

Video | January 05, 2016

Sandra Van Opstal on Multicultural Millennials in Worship

You might be surprised to learn what matters in worship to multicultural millennials in this urban Chicago church.

Conversation | December 17, 2015

Share Your Stories of Inclusion

How does your church include persons with disabilities in corporate worship? The CLC Network and Calvin Institute of Christian Worship invite you to submit your story of including persons with disabilities in a corporate worship setting, so that we may learn together.

Article | November 20, 2015

Maria Eugenia Cornou on the Myth of Hispanic Culture

Maybe you want to welcome Spanish speakers into your church community. If so, then don’t stereotype people who identify as Hispanic or Latino as all belonging to a single monolithic culture.

Conversation | November 03, 2015