One thing my wife and I enjoy most about serving at Lancaster Baptist Church is leading the “First Love” Connection Group for young couples. Connection Groups structurally as a place where guests and members can connect with other people in their life-stage. Scripturally, the Connection Group helps us to fulfill the Great Commission by reaching people, teaching people, and ministering…
In part 1, I discussed some considerations when choosing songs that communicate truth in a powerful way. In part 2, I stressed the importance of congregational participation. There is a third, more practical way to develop the praise of new believers in your church. Create a development plan for your music program. Most churches do not have a systematic program…
In part 1, I developed the importance of choosing songs that communicate truth powerfully. Now I’d like to develop the second practice I believe can help to develop the praise of new believers. As a theological backdrop, I’d encourage you to read my post “A Call for Worship Leaders – Part 3.” Prioritize congregational involvement. Many congregations follow a pattern…
Ministering in an increasingly secular culture simply means that the people we reach will often be biblically and religiously illiterate. It is a thrill to disciple such new Christians and to watch God transform their lives. However, unraveling years of wrong thinking can present a unique challenge.
Have you ever heard statements like, “You are the product of your environment” or “You are what society made you”? I would often cringe every time I’d hear someone say that. I would think, “That can’t be all true. My decisions matter to my development. I can control my destiny. Only I am responsible for my behavior.” However, we might…
In this series, I have done my best to lay out a biblical deduction of the purpose of the church, the role or worship, and the problems I see in our worship. Now I’d like to offer a couple suggestions. Time and space could not allow me to develop each point thoroughly, but if you’d like me to develop any…
Let’s take a moment to review… If we are to develop mature disciples for Christ, we must focus on developing the whole of man. Worship is a means by which Christians mature by replacing temporal affections with eternal affections. Worship is an obedient response to the truth of God. We can demonstrate eternal affections through giving, obeying, praying, and praising. The…
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” – John 4:23-24 In Part 1 of this series, we discussed the following points:…
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” – John 4:23-24 DISCLAIMER: This is not another article about methodology or standards. I’m…
Recently, I shared some thoughts with one of our church’s ensembles in order to refocus our attention on some important truths about church music. When consciously put into practice, these truths can help to develop a spirit of excellence in an ensemble or in a small group. The Lord deserves our very best, but if we do not challenge…
One of the many things that inspires me from the book of Nehemiah is the fact that people from all different trades and professions were involved in the work. We read their names, their occupations, and their contribution to the miraculous reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem. In a similar way, we as local church musicians have been given…
When working in Christian education, the work can often seem to bear little or no fruit. Unlike a pastor or missionary who can more readily evaluate the fruit of his labor by measuring the spiritual and sometimes numerical growth of his ministry, the Christian educator will not normally see the result of his influence for many years. In some…