It has been a scorching hot summer in many places in the US. In Texas we are staring at triple digits all week-end long. Clergy tend to get a bit hot under the collar about church attendance in the summertime anyway. However, there are a few ways we might be able to make summer attendance a bit more…
Be the Church: Facing Nominalism
Recently we were told that the Christian Church in America “hemorrhaging members” and that the church is shrinking. It is true that the number of Americans who claim to be Christian is shrinking. But as usual, Ed Stetzer provides some real clarity in his interpretation of statistics. Turns out that people are not so much “leaving church” as they are…
Why Plant Churches Part 2: Worship
“…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11) There are many ideas prevalent today as to just what a church should do. Some will say that…
How to Choose a Church
We walked into the church carrying our colicky, crying three month old baby boy. We had decided that we would try twelve different churches over twelve weeks (not necessarily a recommended practice). As soon as we walked into this particular church we were warmly welcomed but we immediately realized that we had misread their website….
Who is Doing the Worshipping?
When it comes to worship, Christian culture in America has shifted slowly back to a mentality from the late Middle Ages. Theoretically all Christians are called to worship God. We’ve begun to think of worship as something which clergy and music leaders do, and which the people passively observe. Singing is called “worship” simply because it is the…
Is Worship Escapism?
Sometimes people may believe that worship is merely an act of make-believe and that my role as a pastor is to uphold an inspiring fairy tale. Life is busy, life is rushed, life is complex; modern life is debilitating. People die, people suffer, people deal with the cynical corporate world. Come to church to escape that….
Anglican Worship: The Object of Our Worship
Anglican Worship of the Holy Trinity Like other Christian churches, we worship God. This God is identified clearly and consistently in our liturgy as the Trinitarian Godhead taught in the Christian creeds. We gather to pray about, to sing about, and to meditate upon his character and attributes. We speak to him, thanking him, for the goodness…
Anglican Worship: The Center of Parish Life
Worship “Why” & “How” is What Shapes Christians At the heart of every church tradition is one priority that shapes the community’s identity. This central aspect is the source of its energy and vision and becomes the first of all other priorities. This aspect determines much, if not all, of its distinctive traits and eventually becomes…
