Upcoming Event
A Reformation Sunday worship service commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Accra Confession
October 27, 2024, 5:00 PM
Songs for Ordinary Time
Ordinary time, the time of the church calendar that stretches from Pentecost to Advent and Epiphany to Lent, is a good time to consider the life of Christ or other sermon and song series based on a series of Biblical passages.
May 18, 2023
Ken Boer on Scripture Memorization Methods
Memorizing Bible verses and passages can enrich family, school, and church communities. Internalizing God’s Word, whether by music or another method, helps Christians meditate, pray, and grow closer together with God and each other.
May 17, 2023
How Hymnody Can Help Diversify Contemporary Worship
Contemporary-worship congregations are rediscovering hymns as treasuries of theological depth that express the full range of emotions and Scripture. Singing hymns together helps people connect across generations and cultures.
March 13, 2023
Jonathan A. Powers on Teaching Hymns Appropriate to Context
If your congregation experiences hymn singing as dull and lifeless, then try Jonathan A. Powers’ advice on finding, introducing, and teaching hymns that will resonate with your worshiping community.
March 6, 2023
Katie J. Graber on Singing with Cultural Appreciation, Not Appropriation
Some congregations worry that singing songs outside their own tradition might be inauthentic or offensive. Ethnomusicologist Katie J. Graber gives reasons for using worship songs from other cultures and eras—and how to do so with proper appreciation and attribution.
February 28, 2023
Herbert H. Tsang on the Beauty of Low-Tech Connections
COVID-19, “the triple pandemic,” and future universal health threats will continue to prevent many congregants, especially senior members, from attending worship in person. But for those willing to put up with some “holy messiness,” Herbert H. Tsang offers low-tech solutions to connect, sing, and worship together.
February 23, 2023
Guitar Technique for Playing in Worship
Explore a jazz and classical guitarist's techniques for playing in worship. Jason Werkema demonstrates left- and right-hand exercises, fretboard memorization, expanded chord voicings, fingerstyle technique, and much more!
February 21, 2023
Engaging in Communal Worship: Psalms and Psalm-singing
This third session is part of “Experiencing the Contours of Early Modern Worship,” a series of five linked sessions bringing participants into the world of Reformation Europe. What was it like to attend worship in Wittenberg in 1530, Geneva in 1550, London in 1570, or Venice in 1590? When people in different confessional contexts joined in worship and participated in the sacrament in this period, what differences and similarities were there? Join Yudha Thianto [Calvin Theological Seminary] and Karin Maag [Meeter Center] in an encounter with the theory and practice of congregational song in the Reformation era with a particular focus on psalm-singing.
February 9, 2023
Sharing Hymn Stories Invites Worshipers into Experience
Knowing more about the hymns they are singing helps worshipers feel more connected to God and each other in the universal body of Christ that spans all times and places.
February 7, 2023
William Phemister on Lively Piano Accompaniment for Hymns
Church pianists who apply William Phemister’s advice can introduce congregations to hymnody or more deeply immerse them in it. Typical worshipers may be surprised to learn that pianists don’t necessarily play every note as written in the hymnal—and there are good reasons why.
January 13, 2023
Complementary Approaches for Music: Printed, Projected and Orally Taught
Some congregations and worshiping communities sing songs from printed notation, others from projected text and lyrics, others from projected text, and others that are led orally, without anything printed.
December 16, 2022
Mark Doerries on the Formative Arc of Children Leading the Church in Song
In this episode, artistic director Mark Doerries tells the emerging story of the Notre Dame Children’s Choir, now ten years old, and the formative process and unifying vision the choir has built as they learn what it means to sing the sacred story of the church across time and space.
November 29, 2022