Planning Worship

Growing in Grace: A four-week series to get your church education plans off to a great start

Another September rolls around. If you’re a typical worship and liturgy planner, you’re probably thinking, We really ought to highlight the beginning of another season of education. On the heels of that thought comes another: We need to commission our education leaders. Where do we find a liturgy for that?

August 13, 2014 | 1 min read
Combining Two Worship Services Renews Congregation

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.

August 4, 2014 | 8 min read
C. J. Newendorp on Ancient-Future Church Renewal

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.

August 4, 2014 | 4 min read

John Huizinga on Worship Change Accountability

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.

August 4, 2014 | 5 min read

Dale Cudjoe, Andy Park and Cindy Rethmeier on Deepening Worship Conversations

You might picture COCHUSA and Vineyard congregations as too different to find common ground. But Cudjoe, Park, and Rethmeier found productive ways to discuss worship together.

April 17, 2014 | 1 min read

How to Discuss Church Worship Calmly and Productively

These case studies of worship in other times and places will give your congregation the freedom and framework to deepen your discussion of worship.

March 31, 2014 | 7 min read
Links in the Liturgy

Are all of the elements of the worship liturgy independent stand-alone items? If so, no effort is needed to tie them together. However, if they are all parts of a continuous worship journey, then flow from one to the next is critically important. What we think of as "transitions" are key. If they are done poorly the flow of the worship journey is broken. If done well they enhance the richness of the entire worship experience. In this sectional we'll explore how to link the liturgy into a smooth flowing journey.

March 4, 2014 | 60 min listen