Better Together: The Call for People with and without Disabilities to Worship, Serve, Learn, and Live Alongside Each Other
This presentation addressed practical ways congregations can have a real impact on the lives of people with disabilities and their families living in their community and to make worship more accessible to everyone.
Resources for Acknowledging Our Military Members in Worship
A set of resources for acknowledging military members in worship.
Sunday Morning Worship: Who's not there and why not?
As churches work toward full, conscious and active participation in liturgy, some are noticing patterns of worship attendance. They're reaching out to those absent from Sunday morning worship. A feature story focused on Sunday worship attendance.
Church Military Support that Any Congregation Can Do
Even if you agree that churches should reach out to armed forces members and their families, you might think your church isn't up to the job. But don't discount what your congregation can do in military ministry.
Becoming a Veteran-friendly Church: Pacifists can do this too
How can churches follow the Prince of Peace and yet minister to warriors? Military chaplains and veterans say that this dilemma keeps many congregations from including war concerns in worship or ministering to soldiers and families. A feature story exploring how churches can become veteran-friendly.
Bringing Our Pain to God: Michael Card and Calvin Seerveld on biblical lament in worship
Lament is an essential ingredient of honest faith, but what does biblical lament look or sound like in real congregations? A feature story exploring how Christians can bring their pain to God in worship.
Interview with C.R. “Kees” van Setten about the Power of Musical Lament to Reconcile Jews and Christians
In this email interview from spring 2008, van Setten tells how the music of lament has helped heal European Christians ashamed of how they’ve treated Jews and helped Jews feel God’s presence. He explains how combining lament and praise can enrich evangelical worship.
Healing in Worship: Hospitality that welcomes everyone as they are
Though you might associate "heal" with "cure," healing in worship is broader. Whether through prayer, hospitality, communion, or laying on hands, it helps people become more whole.
Overcoming Challenges to Racial and Ethnic Diversity
By looking at successfully diverse churches across the nation, this session revealed critical attitudes for cultivating a hospitable church, perspectives on recent immigration and the neighborhood church, and experiments on musical variety and global awareness.
Reclaiming Funerals as Christian Worship
While funerals have often been seen as family affairs or private activities, the fact is that death impacts entire communities: both the faith community and the community at large.
War and Religion in America
American historian James Bratt will explore the alternative destinations in style, ritual, and spirituality which the antebellum pilgrims sought and found on the road out of revivalism. Liturgical scholar Lester Ruth will respond and discuss analogies on the worship scene in the 21st century, especially noting the recurring popular impulse for alternate forms of worship.
Where the Love of God Goes: Dealing with Disasters
"Where is God when it hurts?" "Why me, Lord?" For worship leaders, the time to prepare yourself and those who you love for times of disaster is before the disaster strikes. We will examine the impact disasters can have on people's lives and the spiritual preparation necessary to help you plan worship in ways that help you and your congregations face disasters in your own lives and the lives of those whom you love.