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On the campus of Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary
© 2024 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
Though no one wants a worship war, discussions about worship change are often more divisive than divine. Howard Vanderwell explains how to ask questions that focus on worship principles, rather than on passions and preferences. A feature story exploring ways to lead worship change, rather than worship wars.
Carolyn C. Brown talks about intergenerational worship. A feature story exploring the inclusion of children in worship.
Some helpful tips that congregations are using to encourage people of all ages to worship together
As Catherine Kapikian and other Christian artists have discovered, understanding the visual arts process is key to creating church imagery that builds community and deepens worship. A feature story exploring how congregations create worship visuals.
How to plan for the Christmas service.
The way we talk in worship affects the way we talk in the rest of our lives, and vice versa. Worship and daily life are integrally connected—a connection which is fundamental for developing healthy approaches to both worship and preaching.
In this Symposium session, we explore cultural and liturgical issues our brothers and sisters are addressing, especially in Africa and Asia - for example, intergenerational and multicultural worship; use of indigenous songs, instruments, and dance; use of technology; challenges of religious pluralism. We explore how God is building his church in ways that move us all closer to the unity we have in Christ even as we celebrate the gifts of cultural diversity.
Christ is the same "yesterday, today, and tomorrow."
The rhetorician James Winans once wrote, "A speech is not merely an essay standing on its hind legs." Yet many speakers—including preachers—write their messages in a style better suited for reading rather than hearing. To be an effective oral communicator, one must learn to write for the ear, not the eye.
Preaching extemporaneously, without a manuscript, can enliven delivery and improve communication. This session will explain and demonstrate how to carefully make the transition from text to outline, and then from outline to embodied delivery.
The small choices preachers make provide hearers not only with a better understanding of the text, but also with a keen understanding of the preacher.
As Jesus told the disciples at the Last Supper, in this world we will have trouble. Here's how preaching can encourage believers to take heart. A feature story exploring how congregations can hear God's voice despite change and trials.
