1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
Celebrating its 150th anniversary led First Baptist Church of McMinnville, Oregon, into a practice of storytelling and testimony in worship. They learned how stories cross boundaries and time and connect people with God’s big story.
How and where a church choir enters, stands, and moves can make a difference in how deeply a congregation engages in singing and other parts of worship.
Not everyone feels called to their job or experiences it as way to use their gifts to accomplish great things for God. There is a more satisfying way to think about how God calls each of us.
Daily work, paid and unpaid, consumes our lives, energy, and minds—even when we are in church. Here are ways to plan worship so people see themselves and their work as instruments of God.
Small church choirs can do far more than sing anthems. Despite perceived challenges, small church choirs can successfully help lead and enliven worship.
Kai Ton Chau is well acquainted with unique challenges faced by small church choirs. He has gathered a wealth of tips and resources to help choirs nurture worship in small congregations.
What we sing in worship shapes our vision of who God is and what God cares about. One college chose a list of 50 worship songs to help its students sustain a life of faith.
Considering the “Joseph question” and the “Jonah question” can help congregations overcome fear of talking about race, culture, and how God might be calling them to change
To worship in line with the Lord’s Prayer—on earth as it is in heaven—requires making room in worship for stories, songs, and gifts from many cultures. Doing so depends in part on how churches form their views about refugees and immigrants.
Some churches think of beauty - apart from nature - as superficial, or a distraction from how God calls us to live. Cameron Anderson makes a case for how beauty and visual arts can help us encounter God more deeply.
Seeing violence and racism up close is ugly. Two Presbyterians discuss how to help congregations prepare for and respond to divisive events.
Churches often shy away from conversations about white supremacy or which lives matter. A Presbyterian elder and a worship leader explain how to pastorally move toward effective reconciliation ministry.
