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On the campus of Calvin University
© 2025 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
Some parents asked our Worship Ministry team to consider ways of drawing children into our worship services, and as a parent of two school-aged daughters and a toddler, I concurred.
Several well-known hymn writers “reappeared” recently for one hour in Bloomington, Minnesota. They were our guests at a hymn festival that was planned to build appreciation for the hymnody of the church among our children—and adults.
Seminaries are the academic institutions where scholars study theology, and where pastors and other leaders are formed and trained for professional ministry in the church.
Resources for worship planning within a seminary campus.
In the spring of 2007, a questionnaire was sent to all ATS-accredited Protestant seminaries in the USA. The purpose of the study was to begin to map the range of practices and policies at the nation’s seminaries surrounding community worship. Thus, the questionnaire asked simple questions and invited reflection and feedback. The questions were divided into four primary categories: Leadership, Liturgy, Community, and Curriculum.
This list is a select review of items of interest found on seminary worship websites, organized according to common themes: Customaries, Denominational Diversity, Stylistic Variety, Curricular Integration, and Other issues.
Nearly every seminary in North America worships together during the week. These services are central to a seminary’s communal life and work, for worship is deeply formative – spiritually, educationally, and institutionally. Yet there is significant variety in the ways in which seminary communities plan for, lead, and learn about worship.
Surveys are wonderful – though limited – tools for gathering data on worship priorities and practices. The survey used by the CICW/Brehm study group asked broad questions in four categories: Leadership, Liturgy, Community, and Curriculum. Many other research goals and strategies might suggest other questions and/or analytical data-gathering mechanisms.
Entering the biblical narrative requires looking at the story you actually live by and pondering why God gave the Bible as a sprawling story.
There is a rapidly growing cultural expectation that buildings must be crafted to be environmentally friendly and sustainable for future generations. At the same time, many Christians are realizing that environmental issues are not merely political or technological but also spiritual, especially in terms of stewardship and social justice.
Meeting the 'invisible' people who help put food on their tables helped Westminster Presbyterian middle schoolers see how Scripture, life, and worship connect.
After decades of ministry in hard places, Joel Van Dyke recommends asking beautiful questions and giving away power to experience a deeper unity with all in Christ's body.
