1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary
© 2024 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
Leading worship requires attending to the specifics of a worshiping congregation, and yet many classrooms tend toward the general. This workshop looked at a new multi-media resource documenting the life of one Chicago congregation and designed to be a kind of “flight simulator” for worship leaders. It explored teaching worship leadership with a dual emphasis on theological content and congregational context.
The Bible is a rich source of dramatic material for worship. From medieval tropes to contemporary sketches, this workshop surveyed the ways people have adapted scripture for performance and then formed groups to create original scripture plays.
This workshop explored celebration as the distinct perspective and genius the African American Church has brought to the preaching task.
Discover ways that the prayer of thanksgiving at the Lord's Supper provides a shape and vocabulary to guide us in lives of gratitude as well as connect our practices in church with the actions in our daily lives.
Our faith formation is marked by certain milestones. One milestone is public profession of faith or confirmation. When this occurs might vary, but at whatever age, this milestone needs to be vital. This session explored how to recapture a sense of the privilege of professing your faith, make it a celebration, and regularly reaffirm it.
The book of Jonah is replete with themes near to the heart of Christian life, worship, and witness.
This panel of Worship Renewal Grant recipients reflected on their experiences with worship renewal and offered practical ideas to help congregations engage all worshipers from youth to the elderly Panelists were from Bridge Street AME, Brooklyn, N.Y.; South Grandville Christian Reformed Church, Grandville, Mich.; St. Luke AME Zion, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Granite Springs Church, Lincoln, Calif.
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."
How can we change our leadership paradigm from directing people to helping them grow?
While we often associate "postmodernism" with the explosion of communications technology or the outlandish claims of "deconstruction," this workshop suggested that postmodernism might also mean a return to symbols, icons, and ritual. With this in mind, this workshop explored the shape of worship as evangelism in postmodernity.
Abraham Kuyper's accomplishments were many and he had a stellar career. He served as pastor, theologian, founder of the Free University in Amsterdam, chief organizer of a Calvinist political party, prime minister of the Netherlands. He is, however, less well-known for another major contribution-his writings on worship and liturgy which are still relevant for the church today and now appear in an English translation as Our Worship.
Practical suggestions, strategies, and resources to encourage vibrant, meaningful worship with teens were presented in this session.
