Resource Search Results

Reynolds Chapman: Local History Matters to God

You might not think often about the land your church sits on or the community beyond your church property. But finding ways to learn local history and include it in worship may help church members become more faithful disciples, more meaningfully draw near to God, and reach people who are disconnected from the church.

Conversation | January 23, 2024

Karin Maag on Prayer in the Reformation Era

Learning from prayer practices of the Reformation era can help congregations and families today deepen their faith, piety, and responses to current events.

Conversation | December 18, 2023

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

Matthew Watson and Justin Fung on Neighborhood Spiritual Histories

Both church planters and established congregations can explore spiritual histories of their church neighborhoods. This helps them better communicate the gospel in the places where God calls them to serve.

Conversation | April 03, 2020

Emmett G. Price III on Studying Black Christian Experience

“If we don’t see each other in the Bible, we get stuck in social perplexities that cause us to not be a good witness,” says Emmett G. Price III.

Conversation | September 25, 2018

Emmett G. Price III on Racial Reconciliation Resources for Congregations

Learning about diversity among Christians is a good way to embrace the ministry of reconciliation entrusted to us by God.

Conversation | September 25, 2018

Mika Edmondson on MLK’s Theology of Unearned Suffering

Jesus’s example of laying down his life for others inspired Martin Luther King Jr. and the U.S. civil rights movement. This theology of how to engage undeserved suffering can help congregations deal with pain.

Conversation | October 10, 2017

Reggie Smith on Theology Underlying Sociology

What churches profess and what they do sometimes clash. Sharing stories, sitting with those who suffer, praying, and listening in silence for God can help churches harmonize theology and sociology.

Conversation | September 01, 2017

Why We Need to Know the History of Our Churches

The fact remains that most American Christians remain startlingly ignorant of critical aspects of their church’s history. Learning this history can help us more faithfully know ourselves, love others, and follow Christ.

Article | August 07, 2017

Why the Church Needs History, Especially Now: A Historian's Vision for Equipping the Church

At a time of increasing cultural and political polarization, the North American church faces enormous challenges in embodying the unity of Christ and living out Christ's mission in this time and place.

Audio | June 28, 2017

Baptist Churches in Belarus

Baptists living in what is now Belarus have experienced war, shifting borders, persecution and the breakup of the Soviet Union. Their history gives them a unique perspective on what it means to follow Christ and suffer for him.

Conversation | September 01, 2015

A History of Worship in the Christian Reformed Church

An article written by Bert Polman about the history of worship practices in the Christian Reformed Church.

Article | March 12, 2014

Introduction to the Christian Year

We are creatures of time. Throughout the history of the church, Christians have in various ways attempted to put Christ at the center of their personal calendars.

Article | March 10, 2011

Why Study Worship Worldwide?

The topic of the book Christian Worship Worldwide is endlessly interesting, profoundly instructive, and unmanageably large. The scope is nothing short of the worship practices of the world's two billion Christians.

Article | March 02, 2011

Worship and Mission after Christendom

As Christendom wanes, worship and mission can be integrated anew. Worship glorifies God and forms the worshippers to participate in the missio Dei.

Audio | January 28, 2011

Christian Worship in the 4th Century Jerusalem

What might an ancient church have to say for renewing our worship today?

Audio | January 28, 2011

The Origins of Contemporary Worship: The Case of John Wimber's Anaheim Vineyard Congregation

Although it has swept across the nation in the last 25 years, contemporary worship didn't just pop out of nowhere. Have you ever wondered where it came from? This workshop reviewed some of its origins with particular attention to the important Anaheim Vineyard congregation in the 1970s and 1980s.

Audio | March 23, 2010

Worship in the Early Church: Unity in Diversity

This seminar explored the history of worship in the early church in the hope that we might learn about, accept, and apply different attitudes and practices in our own times.

Audio | January 01, 2009

Why Read Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) on Worship?

Abraham Kuyper's accomplishments were many and he had a stellar career. He served as pastor, theologian, founder of the Free University in Amsterdam, chief organizer of a Calvinist political party, prime minister of the Netherlands. He is, however, less well-known for another major contribution-his writings on worship and liturgy which are still relevant for the church today and now appear in an English translation as Our Worship.