Articles for tag: Worship Planning

November 22, 2017

Christian Standard

The Night Before Christmas

By Kelly Carr  “Twas the night before Christmas, when all through church houses, every creature was stirring, all the staff and some spouses. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, but peek inside the church building””you”ll find everyone there. While others are restful, sugar-plums in their heads, on Christmas Eve church leaders are busy instead. Ministers across the country confirm what you already know: Christmas Eve is one of the best attended services of the year. Large and small congregations, suburban, rural, and city locations all welcome folks who rarely darken the doorway of a church building other

January 12, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Should Musicians Plan Our Worship Services?

By Mark A. Taylor Here”s why a church should recruit excellent musicians to lead worship: The people we”re serving as well as those we hope to reach are hearing professionally produced music everywhere they go. Many of them love music, and they listen to “their music” in their car, at the gym, when they walk, and sometimes at work. But even nonmusical people encounter music every day. Music creates the emotion and signals the mood in everything from Star Wars to sitcoms. The most memorable TV and radio ads include music. (I heard an interview the other day with a

April 11, 2014

Christian Standard

Seven Attributes of a Healthy Worship Planning Team

By Lise Caldwell 1. Debate and disagreement are encouraged. People are willing to (respectfully) express concerns or offer alternatives to ideas that are presented. 2. No one “owns” an idea. Often one suggestion sparks another, which sparks another, and in the end, no one knows who had the idea in the first place. Emphasis is placed on collaborative brainstorming, not bragging rights. 3. Laughter and play are encouraged. Provide Slinkies, Legos, or Play-Doh during planning meetings. People who are able to laugh with others (and at themselves) will be more creative. 4. People are more important than products. Offering creative

April 10, 2014

Christian Standard

We Plan, They Respond

By Lise Caldwell Worship is a response to who God is. Can you plan to respond? Maybe not, but we find great satisfaction in crafting experiences that lead people to worship God. We huddle around 8-foot round tables strewn with laptops and iPads, soda cans and pizza crusts. The whiteboard that dominates the front of the room is ominously blank. The dates of our upcoming weekend services throb in the corners, pulsating in their urgency. I scribble on my notepad. Someone coughs. The room grows quiet. Time to plan our worship services. “Planning” worship sounds counterintuitive. We don”t “plan” to

February 7, 2012

Christian Standard

The Lodge and the Lord”s Supper

By Mark A. Taylor I”m not sure now why I attended the monthly meeting of the local lodge. I had been invited by someone, maybe to pray or see him installed into some office. I don”t recall who he was or any specifics about the evening. I only remember my reaction to being there. The whole service was meaningless to me, in spite of the sober demeanor of the lodge members who participated in it. They somberly went through the motions, careful to complete the program “decently and in order.” But none of it communicated anything to me. Many of

September 22, 2011

Christian Standard

Doing Nothing Is Doing Something

By Mandy Smith The first 35 years of my life I honored God by doing. My plan for the next 35 years is also to honor him by not doing. Exodus 34:21 helped bring me to this turning point. It says: “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.” Around my 35th year I found I had worked myself out and had nothing more to give. My plan to single-handedly save the world was failing miserably since I could barely manage the grocery shopping. So

November 10, 2010

Christian Standard

Worshipping . . . or Watching?

By Mark A. Taylor David Faust touched a bigger issue when he asked, “Whatever happened to congregational singing?” In his September 26 column in The Lookout* he reflected on a recent worship experience in a congregation he visited: The worship leaders” skill and preparation were obvious. Every guitar riff was well played, every vocal note well toned, every PowerPoint slide properly displayed. The band members played with personality and passion, and there was no reason to question their sincerity or motivation. But hardly anyone in the congregation sang. . . . My concern is not about “traditional” versus “contemporary” music.

October 26, 2008

Christian Standard

Keys to Teamwork (Part 2): Communication

By Stephen Bond Steve Bond and his wife, Pam, launched Summit Christian Church in March 1998. The church met in the Sparks YMCA for 3½ years before moving to a new permanent facility on a 36-acre site. Summit”s vision is to “Love God, Love People, and Serve Others.” Over the past 10 years the church has grown to more than 2,000 people in weekend worship attendance. Approximately 1,000 adults are also involved in life groups. One of the keys to this growth has been a high level of teamwork among Summit”s staff and elders. This is the second of four

September 14, 2008

Christian Standard

Honoring God in Weekly Worship

By Shockley Flick When I transitioned from teaching college to serving in church ministry, I asked a fellow music minister who had traveled that path before me what I should expect. He said, “Well, it will seem like Sunday comes every three days.” Most of us who plan worship services would agree. The demand of weekly planning is a taskmaster that never lets up. And with everyone a “worship expert” these days (that”s someone who wants you to plan services meaningful to him), it”s sometimes hard to know when you”ve put together a God-honoring, church-edifying service. The framework for my

September 10, 2008

Christian Standard

Interview with Gary Johnson

By Brad Dupray Indian Creek Christian Church (“The Creek”) in Indianapolis, Indiana, has a well-earned reputation as a church committed to expressing the truth of the gospel in creative ways through worship experiences. Gary Johnson has served as senior pastor at The Creek for 20 years, leading it from a church of 250 to 4,000 in weekend worship. Gary has been on more than 50 mission trips to foreign countries, teaching pastors and church leaders in cross-cultural settings. He has earned two master”s degrees from Cincinnati (Ohio) Christian University, a master”s degree from Lincoln (Illinois) Christian Seminary, and a DMin

December 31, 2007

Christian Standard

Worship Ideas from The Creek

Laura Dingman has shared a few examples of worship services and worship elements from gatherings her team has planned at The Creek in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Creek-Download contains orders of worship, monologues, and responsive readings to stimulate your creativity, and even to use where you worship.

October 14, 2007

Christian Standard

TRIED & TRUE: Traditional Worship

By Don Seevers II Our congregation seems to have found its niche in the greater Lexington, Kentucky, area. Our congregation is enjoying good growth in both worship services, but our traditional worship service surpasses the blended/contemporary service in size on many Sundays. Why do some worship styles work in certain locales and not in others? I”m not sure, but I believe striving for excellence in all we do can make the difference. In some churches, the traditional service has been de-emphasized as other worship styles have developed. Unfortunately, it has been relegated to the position of providing a worship option

July 22, 2007

Christian Standard

Behind the Music

By Jennifer Taylor CCLI”s database covers more than 150,000 songs, and iTunes features more than 3 million. Inexpensive equipment allows almost anyone to create a video, and thousands of DVDs offer clips (and inspiration!) for the latest Heroes or Desperate Housewives sermon series. In this media surplus, effective worship leaders get their bearings with things found singly: a ministry philosophy, a cohesive team, an efficient process. These elements, so much bigger than a song or a Sunday, make service planning more intentional and less difficult. From this foundation, these worship leaders work successfully with senior ministers, craft a variety of

July 22, 2007

Christian Standard

10 Things any Church Can Do to Enrich Worship

By Shockley Flick Here are 10 suggestions that may bring a fresh spark to your worship services. As you read through them, choose one or two that appeal to you and plug them into this Sunday”s service. New additions to your service or even slight changes will help trigger the mind to be open to a fresh look at the Savior. Pray Each week ask the Lord to change lives. Recruit volunteers to walk through the seats before the service, praying for those who will be coming. Ask the choir/praise group to pray for the first four people they see

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