Resource Search Results

The 'Jazz' of Worship Planning

Convictions and suggestions for planning public Christian worship services that welcome and make room for all

Article | January 20, 2022

Navajo Burials and Christian Hope

The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated death-related issues in the Navajo Nation. Even so, affirming all that's good about "walking in beauty" gives Navajos on the Jesus Way a bridge to comfort people bound by fearful Navajo taboos about death.

Article | December 01, 2021

Christ the King Sunday Worship Planning

Marking the kingship of Christ makes a healthy transition that leads directly from Ordinary Time into Advent, the Christmas cycle, and the remainder of the Christian year.

Article | November 17, 2021

Ten Core Convictions

On the tenth anniversary of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship in 2007, we identified ten core principles and practices to present as our central convictions about vital Christian worship.

Article | June 22, 2021

Sermon Series and Study Guide on Belonging for All Abilities

Your church can use new resources, such as a sermon series and study guide, to help your congregation move from including people with disabilities to becoming a place of belonging for all abilities. Then you can pass on what you've learned to other congregations.

Article | June 21, 2021

Top Songs for Pentecost

Six pastors and church musicians list their top songs for Pentecost. You can find most of these songs on Hymnary.org or YouTube.

Article | May 20, 2021

Consider the Snail: Teaching and Learning Online

Teaching and learning in a digital classroom, while having some benefits, also highlights the modern need to intentionally step back from completing to-do lists with maximum efficiency so we can simply be: to contemplate, to marvel at creation, to breathe.

Article | September 18, 2020

Creative Scripture Reading for Virtual Worship

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many churches still gather through virtual worship. Finding creative ways to read the Bible for online worship services can help worshipers experience what Romans 15:4 promises: “The Scriptures give us strength to go on.”

Article | September 09, 2020

CICW Global Psalm Gallery

A crowd-sourced collection of Psalm interpretations from worshiping communities across the spectrum of Christian traditions that premiered at the 2021 Calvin Symposium on Worship.

Article | September 01, 2020

Preparing to Reopen Churches for Worship during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic means churches planning to reopen will have to consider not just how to keep congregants safe, but also how to make them feel welcome. Consider these thoughtful recommendations from Yvette Lau, a pastoral musician, scholar, and teacher serving in Hong Kong.

Article | June 15, 2020

Worship Resources for Pregnancy Loss and Infertility

Many church members stay silent about miscarriages and other common reproductive losses. Yet Christian traditions contain many helpful books and worship resources to aid those who have experienced reproductive loss. Your church can start with these resources to engage this issue more directly and care for those who mourn.

Article | June 02, 2020

Transitional Worship During COVID-19

A safe return to familiar forms of Sunday worship services is still a long way off. But the historic church offers a way to frame in-person worship in the meantime.

Article | May 19, 2020

Intergenerational Youth Ministry During COVID-19

Congregations looking to keep their members connected as the body of Christ could organize a “mail buddy” system, pairing children and youth with other church members homebound because of COVID-19.

Article | April 14, 2020

Shaping Worship During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Ministry of Presence at St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church, Roseville, California

Greek Orthodox Christian worship is consciously embodied. Christopher Flesoras, a Greek Orthodox priest, discusses pastoral discernment for serving the faithful when public health needs require social distancing, also known as physical distancing.

Article | April 07, 2020

Shaping Worship during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Reviving Wesleyan Discipleship at Grant United Methodist Church, Fairmount, Indiana

Not every church has the capacity to move worship online when pandemic public health directives require social and physical distancing. Pastor Constance Cherry explains how her small rural Methodist congregation is drawing on its Wesleyan heritage to help members worship and disciple each other.

Conversation | Article | April 06, 2020

Palm Sunday: Another Advent

Noticing and celebrating Palm Sunday’s allusions to Advent can enrich your congregation’s understanding of Holy Week and how Palm Sunday reflects both Christ’s humble first coming and his glorious return.

Article | April 01, 2020

Church Polity and Online Sacraments in the Christian Reformed Church

Kathy Smith, Adjunct Professor of Church Polity at Calvin Theological Seminary, reflects on the administration of sacraments in the unique context of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. She advises Christian Reformed churches to practice pastoral flexibility while still abiding by church polity, and provides a historical example from World War II, related by her predecessor Henry De Moor.

Article | March 27, 2020