Planning Worship for a Seven Deadly Sins Series
So many churches have recently done a series of worship services on the seven deadly sins that you can find ample ideas for your setting. You can plan the whole service to help worshipers frame their experience of vice within the overarching story of God’s forgiveness and reconciling grace.
Parables: Reflecting Their Multiple Meanings in Preaching and Music
Jesus told parables that were far more than simple stories with one heavenly meaning. Here's how preachers, musicians, and worship leaders can plan parable-based worship that lingers in people's lives.
Pastoral and Worship Excellence: Becoming more like Christ
A feature story exploring Pastoral and Worship excellence. David J. Wood and Paul Ryan offer a biblical framework for cultivating congregational conversations about pastoral excellence and standards for worship excellence.
Music and Worship Help Heal Northern Ireland
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland is using music and worship to overcome the legacy of "the Trouble" in Northern Ireland. You can apply their insights to political and other differences that divide Christians in your context. A feature story exploring the role of music and worship in healing.
Good Preaching Takes Good Elders
When preachers and churches talk about improving the quality of preaching, many approaches are considered, but one is frequently missing: the participation of elders. This workshop explores both the why and how questions of involving elders in supporting and encouraging preachers in their congregations.
Too Deep for Words? Preaching in the Language of the Spirit
This session explored the possibility of discerning the presence of the Holy Spirit in preaching and then discussed some manifestations of the Spirit in sermons, particularly focusing on the expressions of lament and celebration.
Preaching As Celebration
This workshop explored celebration as the distinct perspective and genius the African American Church has brought to the preaching task.
Multi-Media Preaching: Body, Voice, Sound, Screen
A key part of preaching is having something to say. Another key part is saying it well.
Getting Past the Fish: The Book of Jonah for Christian Worship
The book of Jonah is replete with themes near to the heart of Christian life, worship, and witness.
Sermon on Luke 18
This sermon on Luke 18, The Heart of Faith, was part of the Calvin Symposium on Worship 2009.
When God Speaks Through You
Based on his book, When God Speaks Through You, Craig Satterlee explored how "holy and active listening"—listening for God's voice speaking in and through the faith community can occur when church members talk to one another and to their pastors about preaching—and especially the faith convictions they bring to the sermon, which influence both the preaching and what is heard.
Preaching to Expose the Principalities and Powers
Church leaders and other saints in our congregations frequently find themselves struggling with money, technology, politics, the institutional church, etc. - what the Bible calls "principalities and powers."