1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
The way you structure a worship service is important, in large part, because the structure reveals your theology. This is true whether or not you’ve thought about your worship’s theological revelations.
Do you know how to look beyond the style of a "traditional" or "contemporary" worship service to find its worship vision, structure, and theology? Ron Rienstra says it's a question more worship planners should ask and answer. A feature story exploring the planning for Contemporary Worship services.
While directing student-planned and -led worship services at Calvin College and Fuller Theological Seminary, or while leading worship workshops, Ron Rienstra has sometimes met “worship leaders who get frustrated with other people’s desire to plan carefully. Those frustrated have not themselves yet done much worship leading.”
Good architectural choices can improve worship participation, promote a sense of community, and make neighbors feel more welcome. A feature story exploring how church renovations can build a sense of community.
Not talking about awkward emotions, say after infertility, pregnancy out of wedlock, or adoption, may seem kind. But it's better for churches to include adoption and related issues in baptisms, worship, and church life. A feature story exploring the case for talking about adoption in worship.
Not talking about awkward emotions, say after infertility, pregnancy out of wedlock, or adoption, may seem kind. But it's better for churches to include adoption and related issues in baptisms, worship, and church life. A feature story exploring the case for talking about adoption in worship.
Songs often sink into worshipers hearts and influence how they understand and experience life. As you include more songs that mention heaven, pay attention to the beliefs that permeate them.
How does your story fit into God's story? The way you answer this question likely influences what you believe about heaven. And your view of heaven makes a big difference in how you live and worship. A feature story exploring Eschatology: our hope for a new heaven and a new earth.
Though no one wants a worship war, discussions about worship change are often more divisive than divine. Howard Vanderwell explains how to ask questions that focus on worship principles, rather than on passions and preferences. A feature story exploring ways to lead worship change, rather than worship wars.
Becoming an accessible church involves far more than installing a wheelchair entrance. It includes making design choices so anyone can access the platform and lead worship. A feature story exploring accessibility in churches.
“As religious architects, we have the ability to be holistic and think of the entire church population from Day One,” says Robert “Bob” Nickola, senior principal of Jaeger, Nickola & Associates in metro Chicago.
God calls us into a relationship that is intensely personal, but never private. This is an important distinction, yet one that many Christians miss. A feature story exploring our Worship as the people of God.
