Heavenly Worship in Revelation In its own complex way, the Bible presents several facets of worship. As we behold the breadth of Scripture and the story of God and his people, we can witness five modes of worship that facilitate the meeting of God and his people. Join us for the next few posts to unpack these following five modes of biblical worship.* Tabernacle / Temple Worship Davidic Worship Synagogue Worship New Testament Hymns Heavenly Worship in the book of Revelation Worship leaders today can embrace characteristics of worship from these biblical modes and prayerfully implem ..read more

New Testament Hymns In its own complex way, the Bible presents several facets of worship. As we behold the breadth of Scripture and the story of God and his people, we can witness five modes of worship that facilitate the meeting of God and his people. Join us for the next few posts to unpack these following five modes of biblical worship.* Tabernacle / Temple Worship Davidic Worship Synagogue Worship New Testament Hymns Heavenly Worship in the book of Revelation Worship leaders today can embrace characteristics of worship from these biblical modes and prayerfully implement them wi ..read more

RHYTHMS OF WORSHIP (PART 2) The church needs good rhythms - healthy, weekly and repetitive corporate actions that invite us into worship and form us into a redeemed community over time. In Part 1 of this blog, we explored the God-given rhythms found in scripture and how these patterns make up a church’s liturgy - the structure and gospel order of a worship gathering that orients us to God and his kingdom. STRUCTURE AND SPIRIT Of course, there isn’t one perfect liturgical structure out there that will guarantee a worshipful spirit. In The Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster reminds us t ..read more

RHYTHMS OF WORSHIP (PART 1) BREAKFAST AND SLEEPY BEARS How did you start your day today? I don’t know about you, but my morning began with my kids running into my room after their wake up light turned green and jumping in our bed. After we all finished our morning snuggles (or wrestling match), I made a cup of coffee and prepared our breakfast. The clinking of silverware, the click-click of turning the gas stove top on, the kids setting the table, the singing of the doxology before our meal - it’s all a part of our family’s morning rhythm. We do this nearly every day. We are creatures of hab ..read more

Synagogue Worship In its own complex way, the Bible presents several facets of worship.  As we behold the breadth of Scripture and the story of God and his people, we can witness five modes of worship that facilitate the meeting of God and his people. Join us for the next few posts to unpack these following five modes of biblical worship.*  Tabernacle / Temple Worship Davidic Worship  Synagogue Worship New Testament Hymns Heavenly Worship in the book of Revelation Worship leaders today can embrace characteristics of worship from these biblical modes and prayerfully ..read more

Diversity in Worship   Eight years ago, I would have declined an invitation to write a blog on diversity in worship. I was not qualified.   I grew up in a very homogenous church. Both my parents are Black and Pentecostal, so I was raised in a Black, Pentecostal Church; and quite frankly, I loved every bit of it. I loved the cultural nuances that distinguished our worship experience from others. I loved that we all knew when to jump to our feet and wave our hands, and although I may be the only one to ever say this, I loved being in service for a long time (we’re talking 4 hours minim ..read more

Human beings were never made to live in isolation. Throughout Scripture, we learn about the importance of community, togetherness, and how there is strength and wisdom in numbers. Just as the apostle Paul urged the early churches to fight against division within their communities, I believe there is that same call to break divisiveness and to build unity among local churches today. It is important to note that unity is not uniformity. Although we are all made in the image of God, I hope we can agree that none of us look identical, have the same personality, or even function similarly. In the v ..read more

The Role of Worship Leader The role of worship leader has evolved over the span of two thousand years and longer if you consider the Jewish roots of Christian worship. What began as a chanter and became a choir leader would morph into organist and then song leader. Finally the evolution has arrived at what many American churches have today, a worship leader. No matter what the model has looked like in time, there has always been a singular goal: to facilitate the sung prayer of God's people. No matter what the model has looked like in time, there has always been a singular goal: to facilitate ..read more

Song Integration  I lead worship weekly at Harris Creek Church. We recommend introducing a maximum of twelve songs a year. In most instances, it takes a congregation at least three times to be able to sing a new song with confidence.  When introducing a new song, play it during worship two Sundays in a row, take a break one week and then do it once more the following week.  After that, if your congregation is not singing it well, remove it from your song rotation.  When brainstorming new songs to introduce, pay attention to what your congregation, staff, and team is learnin ..read more