Ascension Resource Guide
This list of Ascension Day resources, including songs, reflections, visual arts, and readings, will help you plan worship for Ascension Day, traditionally celebrated 40 days after Easter. Ascension Day worship services celebrate Jesus Christ ascending into heaven after giving his disciples the Great Commission.
Pentecost Resource Guide
This list of Pentecost resources, including hymns, songs, visual arts, books, and sermon ideas, will help you plan worship for Pentecost Sunday, traditionally celebrated 50 days after Easter. Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit on Jesus’ disciples, marked by a strong wind, tongues of fire, and manifested in the disciples’ speaking in foreign languages.
Opportunities and Challenges for Pastoral Ministry in 2023
Seven pastoral leaders—pastors, reconcilers, preachers, and scholars—offer insights from their unique contexts on the greatest opportunities and challenges for ministry work now.
Developing Leaders Every Pastor Wants in the Congregation
Calvin University’s Ministry Leadership Cohort offers pathways for students of all majors who want to live out their faith in all of life. This practical program helps them learn how to build community, love the church, and practice leadership no matter where they eventually work, worship, and serve.
‘By the People for the Good of the People’: A Conversation with Matthew Sigler
In this edited conversation, Matthew Sigler discusses how contemporary youth can find their place in worship by exploring historical church practices.
Artistic Engagement and Leadership Formation: A Conversation with Stephen Martin
In this edited conversation, Stephen Martin discusses the role of creativity, collaboration, and intergenerational connections in empowering young worship leaders.
Equipping Youth for Church Leadership: A Conversation with Chason Disheroon
In this edited conversation, Chason Disheroon of Baylor University discusses the joys and challenges of empowering youth to lead worship in their local congregations.
Bridging the Gap Between Youth Ministry and Worship Ministry: A Conversation with Emily Andrews and Mallory Johnson
In this edited conversation, Emily Andrews, executive director of the Center for Worship and the Arts at Samford University, and Mallory Johnson, a student at Beeson Divinity School, discuss the role of mentoring and training in promoting teen leadership in public worship.
Nikki Toyama-Szeto on Hoping in God Despite Injustice
Individuals and congregations sometimes despair while working for justice. Sometimes they forget that although God invites us to join in justice work, God remains in charge of changing the world. That’s why it’s crucial for justice seekers to stay rooted in Christian community and worship.
Rebekah Eklund on Practicing Lament
Congregations become more relevant and biblical when they follow the Bible’s lead in bringing lament into worship. Rebekah Eklund’s book "Practicing Lament" shows churches, small groups, and individuals how to voice penitential lament and protesting lament. Learning to practice lament can reconnect people with God and help churches grow in “members of one body” solidarity.
Let the Children Come
Splitting into age-divided worship each Sunday doesn't necessarily result in kids who go on to choose worship as adults. That's why pastors are talking about intergenerational worship.
Healthy Collaborative Leadership: Principles and Practices for Pastors and Worship Leaders
How can church leaders work well together, support each other, hold each other accountable, and share power, all in healthy ways? How do differences in church polity and governance affect these roles and relationships? In this panel discussion, we will discuss a positive vision for healthy collaborative leadership and best practices for church leaders engaged in mutual support and accountability. This is a YouTube Video Premiere panel discussion.