Upcoming Event
A Reformation Sunday worship service commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Accra Confession
October 27, 2024, 5:00 PM
Environmental Justice and the Practices of the Church
A presentation by Noah Toly
November 18, 2021
Christ-Centered Pathways of Reconciliation in Christian Life and Worship
What can ministry and worship look like among people who are bitterly opposed to each other? Around the world, congregations gather for worship every week, defining themselves by how they’re different from other nearby Christian worshiping communities. Sometimes these communities carry with them memories of violence, genocide, and the resulting immeasurable trauma. Reflect on insights from Christian leaders in Rwanda, Ukraine, and Hungary about their call to walk in step with the Holy Spirit on journeys of Christ-centered reconciliation, noticing the significant role public worship plays in announcing, praying for, and modeling renewed patterns of Christian life. This is a YouTube Video Premiere panel discussion.
November 15, 2021
Anti-Racism in the Renewing of Christian Worship.
May God give us grace and strength to resist lies, arrogance, injustice, racism, and oppression in all forms. In worship, we are called to confess sin, to lament brokenness, and to pray for the end of these travesties, even as we are called to preach and celebrate sacramentally the gospel of Jesus Christ—in which power is made perfect in weakness, in which each person and culture is cherished as God’s gift, in which our hope is based on the life, death, resurrection, and continuing ministry of our ascended Lord, Jesus Christ. We long for a seamless connection between faithful public worship and vital Christian witness in every sector of society and in every cultural context.
July 6, 2021
Two Pastors on Christian Worship in Politically Divided Times
Many preachers and congregations claim that politics have no place in their worship. But pastors Meg Jenista Kuykendall and Katie Ritsema-Roelofs say that addressing public issues in worship is essential for congregations to become to Christlike communities.
June 9, 2021
Christine McAteer on the Coronavirus and Bus Chaplaincy
During the COVID-19 pandemic, bus drivers and other public transport workers have been praised as essential workers. Yet they remain largely invisible to those with the option to travel by private automobile. Your church can include bus drivers and other essential workers in congregational prayers.
May 12, 2021
Faith Communities and Safe Dwelling Places
Philosopher and author Lee Hardy noticed derelict buildings near his church for decades before realizing that faith-based communities have valuable resources to address the affordable housing crisis.
March 1, 2021
Lee Hardy on Housing, Justice, and Worship
Completing a grant project on faith communities and affordable housing convinced Lee Hardy that justice and worship are internally linked. That’s why he says worship services should include housing justice, and Christians and congregations should advocate to change unjust systems.
March 1, 2021
2018 JJ Thiessen Lecture #1 - Prayers of the People and a Cruciform Pastoral Imagination
Violence, Injustice, Trauma, and the Ordinary Practices of Christian Worship in a Social Media Age, a 3-part lecture series with Dr. John Witvliet
February 11, 2021
2018 JJ Thiessen Lecture #2 - Praise Beyond Cliché and Other Practices of Transfigured Cruciform Engagement
Violence, Injustice, Trauma, and the Ordinary Practices of Christian Worship in a Social Media Age, a 3-part lecture series with Dr. John Witvliet
February 11, 2021
Forgiveness and the Worship and Witness of the Church
This conversation with Célestin Musekura and Satrina Reid will engage the topic of forgiveness and its role in the worshiping community and how forgiveness and reconciliation affects our witness to the world.
January 22, 2021
Six Earthkeeping Conversation Tips
Since Christians disagree on climate change, you may think it’s best to agree to disagree. But these six tips can help you find common ground for taking positive action. It all starts with conversation.
January 5, 2021
Creation’s Sabbath
Economic lockdowns and pauses during the coronavirus pandemic offer glimpses of a renewed world. Despite COVID-19’s horrific effects, Christians can choose to reframe their lives in light of the sabbath rest that God intends for all creation.
January 5, 2021