History

Glenn Packiam on Songs that Bring Hope in Worship

What do contemporary Christians sing about when they sing about hope? Do they experience hope when they gather to sing in worship? If so, what sort of hope is it?

July 1, 2019
Andrea C. Hunter on Contemporary Worship Music’s Thou-to-I Shift

Her wide and deep experience with contemporary worship music gives Andrea C. Hunter keen insight on how it can form—or malform—Christians and congregations.

May 29, 2019
Andrea C. Hunter on Contemporary Songwriters and Scholars

You might think of scholars as looking back and contemporary Christian songwriters as looking forward. Songwriter Andrea C. Hunter says that scholars can help remind musicians and congregations of what to aim for in worship. Scholars also mine treasures from Christian traditions in many eras and places.

May 29, 2019

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.

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.

September 25, 2018
Eddie Espinosa on Changes in Contemporary Worship Music

Eddie Espinosa, composer of “Change My Heart, O God,” explains why those who lead worship need to cultivate heart holiness.

August 22, 2018
Storytelling and Testimony in 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.

June 26, 2018

Hidden Secrets from the History of Contemporary Worship

Led by Lester Ruth, this workshop investigates little-known but significant details about the rise and development of this style of worship. Come ready to be surprised about contemporary worship’s complex history.

May 9, 2018
Serious Play: Insights from Augustine and Other Friends from the Early Church on Leading Worship and Administering Sacraments

Led by Lester Ruth, this workshop explored insights from Augustine and others in the early church that can break open playful, Scriptural imagination for leading in worship.

May 9, 2018
The Future of Latino Protestants in America

Latino Protestantism is growing in the United States due to a combination of immigration, birth rates, and conversion. This expanding stream of American Christianity will foster shifts in the liturgy and worship of churches in unexpected ways.

April 10, 2018