Resource Search Results

How Hymnody Can Help Diversify Contemporary Worship

Contemporary-worship congregations are rediscovering hymns as treasuries of theological depth that express the full range of emotions and Scripture. Singing hymns together helps people connect across generations and cultures.

Feature Story | March 13, 2023

Sharing Hymn Stories Invites Worshipers into Experience

Knowing more about the hymns they are singing helps worshipers feel more connected to God and each other in the universal body of Christ that spans all times and places.

Feature Story | February 07, 2023

Developing Leaders Every Pastor Wants in the Congregation

Calvin University’s Ministry Leadership Cohort offers pathways for students of all majors who want to live out their faith in all of life. This practical program helps them learn how to build community, love the church, and practice leadership no matter where they eventually work, worship, and serve.

Feature Story | November 28, 2022

New Worship Songs for Climate Change and Creation Care

Our 2017 annotated list of worship songs about care for creation remains so popular that we have compiled a new list of worship songs to lament climate change and encourage creation care. Many of these songs and hymns have been released since 2018. Others are new to various English-speaking audiences because they come from international hymnals and organizations.

Feature Story | November 07, 2022

Let the Children Come

Splitting into age-divided worship each Sunday doesn't necessarily result in kids who go on to choose worship as adults. That's why pastors are talking about intergenerational worship.

Feature Story | August 03, 2022

Pandemic Worship Changes Worth Keeping

So much has changed about church worship since the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, soared, waned, and resurges. Those pandemic-forced pivots have created worship opportunities that have helped congregations adapt, find unity amid division, and pursue justice.

Feature Story | June 16, 2022

Mary Aluel Garang: The Charles Wesley of South Sudan

Since the mid-1980s, Mary Aluel Garang's theologically rich hymns have helped Sudanese Christians maintain faith and hope in God despite decades of war, conflict, and hardship. Her songs are known and sung beyond her Dinka people, her Episcopal tradition, and her nation of South Sudan.

Feature Story | March 31, 2022

Dinka Christian Infrastructure: Song and Prayer Ministries

During decades of Sudanese civil war, the Jol Wo Lieech song ministry and Thiec Nhialic prayer ministry gave refugees and refugee congregations a sense of family and purpose. Both still work to unite Christians, whether or not they belong to the Dinka tribe or still live in South Sudan.

Feature Story | March 28, 2022

Navajo Christians Build Relationships through Scripture and Culture

Window Rock Christian Reformed Church used a Vital Worship Grant project to connect with more people by engaging scripture in ways reflective of Navajo cultural practices.

Feature Story | December 01, 2021

Visio Divina: Sacred Seeing to Encounter God

Just as lectio divina invites people to meditate on scripture, visio divina helps people pray with art. Visio divina, which translates as “divine seeing,” uses silence and images to help worshipers reflect and respond to God in ways other than listening to a sermon or singing praise songs.

Feature Story | November 03, 2021

Becoming People of Refugia

Extreme weather, declining church influence, and environmental protests affect Christians around the world. Debra Rienstra explains why the biological concept of refugia offers a metaphor for seeing the Spirit at work despite deep disturbances in God's creation and among God's people.

Feature Story | August 30, 2021

Chaplaincy Changes during COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has raised the profile of chaplains and profoundly affected how they do their work. Learn how you and your congregation can pray for chaplains and those they serve.

Feature Story | May 12, 2021

Lucie Eddie Campbell: A Mother of Gospel Music

James Abbington was inspired to insert an old gospel song before the eulogy at the funeral for baseball star Henry “Hank” Aaron. The reaction prompted him to honor the heritage of Lucie E. Campbell, an influential Black gospel musician whom many people have forgotten.

Feature Story | May 11, 2021

Faith Communities and Safe Dwelling Places

Philosopher and author Lee Hardy noticed derelict buildings near his church for decades before realizing that faith-based communities have valuable resources to address the affordable housing crisis.

Feature Story | March 01, 2021

Creation’s Sabbath

Economic lockdowns and pauses during the coronavirus pandemic offer glimpses of a renewed world. Despite COVID-19’s horrific effects, Christians can choose to reframe their lives in light of the sabbath rest that God intends for all creation.

Feature Story | January 05, 2021

Six Earthkeeping Conversation Tips

Since Christians disagree on climate change, you may think it’s best to agree to disagree. But these six tips can help you find common ground for taking positive action. It all starts with conversation.

Feature Story | January 05, 2021

Psalm 9 (and others): God’s Grand Story and the Communion Cross

This interpretation of portions of Psalm 9 and various other psalms was created and submitted by Barbara Sartorius Bjelland and focuses on how God’s grand story of redemption of all creation is woven into the psalms.

Feature Story | Image | December 23, 2020

How to Learn Well in Online Courses: An Invitation to Conversation

Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary offer short-term online courses for lifelong learners. Besides engaging content to address key ministry challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the courses invite students and instructors into a culture of curiosity where they can learn from each other.

Feature Story | November 09, 2020

Church Responses to Infertility, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy Loss

After decades of silence, church leaders and congregations have begun accompanying people who mourn losing children before or soon after birth or letting go of dreams to form a family.

Feature Story | June 02, 2020

Intergenerational Worship Model Based on Scripture and Story

Residents of senior living communities often feel cut off from church life. Meanwhile, congregations often feel segregated by age. This participatory intergenerational worship model brings people together around Scripture and life stories.

Feature Story | January 06, 2020