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Peggy Goetz is a communication arts and sciences professor at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Observing her speech pathology students in Calvin’s stroke clinic sparked her to research the experience of stroke survivors in their church communities.
Stroke is a leading cause of disability in adults around the world, so your congregation probably includes—or will soon include—stroke survivors. And about a third of stroke survivors suffer from some form of communication impairment. Peggy Goetz researches the experience of stroke survivors in their church communities.
Sally Ann Morris is the chapel musician at Wake Forest University School of Divinity in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She’s involved with each of Wake Div’s twice-weekly, 45-minute chapel services.
The lessons learned at two seminaries that renewed their chapel worship services can make a big difference in your congregation.
Kendra Buckwalter Smith is the worship coordinator at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. PTS has chapel four days a week, and Smith meets with every person or team that plans a chapel service.
Two seminaries seek the sweet spot among worship classes and chapel services. They aim to produce ministers ready to lead worshipers in full, conscious, active participation.
John Huizinga is pastor of Lombard Christian Reformed Church in Lombard, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. He works to develop leaders within the congregation to take ownership of various church ministries.
C.J. Newendorp is a pastoral intern at Emmanuel Reformed Church in Paramount, California, and an MDiv student, class of 2015, at Fuller Theological Seminary.
Lombard Christian Reformed Church in metro Chicago used to have both a traditional service and a contemporary service. Now everyone attends a single, Sunday-morning service. It’s not blended worship. Instead, the worship renewal results from slowly and yet actively responding to the Holy Spirit.
Jeremy Zeyl is an award-winning singer-songwriter and the director of worship at Talbot Street Christian Reformed Church in London, Ontario.
Whether you want to go simple or elaborate with these photo ideas, you can follow three steps to get people talking about worship and faithful living.
Two ideas borrowed from visual sociology researchers—photo elicitation and photovoice—are helping Christians and congregations picture their lived experiences with God.
