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Worship in the Big Tent

Playwriter and worship pastor Christopher Greco reflects on the effective use of interruption, surprise, spontaneity, narrative eclecticism, motivated participation, and intergenerational collaboration as tools to engage congregants in worship in the face of significant disparities in age, culture, and Christian tradition, or lack thereof.

December 3, 2021
Christian Martyrdom and the Witness of Ordinary Christian Life

In this conversation, theology professors Matt Lundberg and Mary Vanden Berg talk about Matt's new book Christian Martyrdom and Christian Violence and what it means for Christians to be faithful in a world that both experiences and inflicts violence, and how the Spirit is working in and through the church to shape and equip us to follow the way of Jesus in the life of faith.

December 2, 2021 | 39 min video
Multicultural Worship Reflecting All of God's People

In this conversation, pastoral musician Eric Lige shares with Nate Glasper about his passion and calling to draw from the riches of our diverse communities--languages, cultural practices, and more--to honor and worship God together.

December 2, 2021 | 20 min video

Biblical Storytelling and the Drama of the Bible

In this conversation, actor, playwright, and professor Jeff Barker shares with pastor Paul Ryan his journey in Biblical storytelling as way to help students and worshiping communities hear and see the importance of scripture memorization, speaking the text, and reclaiming 'the plays' of the Bible.

December 2, 2021 | 31 min video
Eat This Book: What Eugene Peterson Can Still Teach Us About Loving God, the Bible, and Worship

A conversation with Winn Collier and Mary Hulst.

December 2, 2021
And We Shall Learn Through the Dance

A conversation on the integral role of dance and movement in worship with Kathleen Turner and Paul Ryan

December 2, 2021 | 35 min video

Public Worship and CQ: Formative Practices for Loving God and Our Neighbors

A conversation on cultural intelligence with Kai Ton Chau and Satrina Reid

December 2, 2021 | 28 min video
Worshiping with the Reformers

In this conversation, social historian Karin Maag and pastor Noel Snyder talk about Karin's new book, Worshiping with the Reformers, which invites readers to understand worship practices during the sixteenth-century Reformation, including going to church, praying, preaching, baptism, Lord's Supper, worship around the death bed, and more. It narrates the heart-centered reality of how people worshiped in and among confessional groups, untangles some persistent misperceptions, and invites all of us to be more patient with each other in our communal worship practices today.

December 2, 2021 | 28 min video
Christ-Centered Pathways of Reconciliation in Christian Life & 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. A conversation with Munther Isaac, Ann Kapteyn, Najla Kassab, Kiran Young Wimberly, moderated by John D. Witvliet

December 2, 2021 | 69 min video

Prayers for God's Leading: Luke 1:8-20

Shaping a time of prayer for dwelling with Bible texts, prayer responses, songs of faith, and a concluding benediction.

December 1, 2021 | 3 min read
Navajo Christians Build Relationships through Scripture and Culture

Window Rock Christian Reformed Church used a Vital Worship Grant project to connect with more people by engaging scripture in ways reflective of Navajo cultural practices.

December 1, 2021
The Formative Power of Christian Prayer

A conversation with Neal Plantinga and Rebecca DeYoung

December 1, 2021 | 40 min video