Normalizing Next
How can church leaders embrace rather than fear the future? Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe interviews Olu Brown on how leaders can “normalize next”…
Browsing: Worship
Articles
“Normalizing Next” featuring Olu Brown
How can church leaders embrace rather that fear the future? Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe speaks with Olu Brown about how leaders can “normalize next” and begin living their future now by engaging innovative thinking, creative partnerships, and hybrid strategies to fulfill their mission.
As Memory Fades, Ministry Grows: Ministry Alongside Persons with Dementia
Jessica L. Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff shares ideas for pastoral care and spiritual support for persons with dementia and their caregivers. As the…
4 Critical Areas of Support for Virtual Worship
Olu Brown says virtual church has a specific set of needs whether it is part of a hybrid worship or a stand-alone worship service for…
How a Creative, Justice-Oriented Stations of the Cross Called a Community to Action
Jessica L. Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff reports on one congregation’s unique approach to sharing the Stations of the Cross and the Stations of…
Moving Forward With Hybrid Worship
Effective hybrid worship requires that churches ascribe high and equal value to in-person and online worshipers. Olu Brown outlines key steps a congregation should take…
Simple Guidance for Preachers on Christmas Eve
As pastors and congregations prepare to receive guests on Christmas Eve, Bishop Kenneth H. Carter offers simple, heartfelt advice. Keep the sermon brief but grace…
5 Things to Avoid and 5 Things to Accent at Your Christmas Eve Service
Barry Howard names some dos and don’ts to help make your Christmas Eve service meaningful and welcoming. A festive and effective Christmas Eve service, he…
Creating Powerful Worship in Small Congregations
Do you want amazing worship on a small church budget? Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe Jr. interviews Teresa Stewart, a blogger and creator of…
Episode 92: “Creating Powerful Worship in Small Congregations” featuring Teresa Stewart
Do you want amazing worship on a small church budget? Teresa Stewart, a blogger and creator of the website Paper Bag Cathedrals, shares ways small congregations can enliven their worship.
4 Approaches to Keeping Small Church Worship and Education Vibrant During the Pandemic
Rebekah Simon-Peter outlines four models small churches have used to survive the pandemic — the church at home model, the shut-in model, the never shut…
8 Keys to Improving Livestream Worship
Bob Whitesel has watched many online Sunday services to identify recurring weaknesses and help churches improve their livestreaming. He offers eight practical suggestions for engaging…
Are Your Worshipers Tourists or Travelers?
How can you inspire your worship attendees to be active participants rather than casual bystanders? David W. Manner explores the metaphor of travelers versus tourists…
Commissioning: A Simple Tool for Activating People’s Gifts
David Ferguson, one of the authors of Hero Maker: 5 Essential Practices for Leaders to Multiply Leaders, describes how the simple act of commissioning church…
6 Suggestions to Promote Healthy Intergenerational Worship
David Manner says the goal of healthy intergenerational worship is unobtainable unless the different generations within your church are first interacting together outside of worship.…
Intergenerational Ministry for the Post-pandemic Church
Lewis Center Director Doug Powe says siloed age-level ministries often prevent congregations from worshiping together around one common table. But the pandemic provided an opportunity…
3 Myths about Digital Worship
Tim Snyder of the Lewis Center staff reveals how common myths that diminish the legitimacy of digital worship are not borne out in research or…
5 Dos and Don’ts to Make the Most of Your Digital Worship
Tim Snyder of the Lewis Center staff suggests it’s a good time for congregations to reassess their approach to online worship. He offers five “dos…
From Online Worship to Online Ministry
Kay Kotan says many churches embraced online worship out of necessity during the pandemic without deliberate plans for engaging new people through online ministry. Now…
Preaching Strategies for a Post-Pandemic Church
New preaching strategies are needed to engage emerging generations in the digital age. Michael Beck and Rosario Picardo say sermons in the post-pandemic church will…
What Approach to Digital Worship is Best for Your Church?
Tim Snyder of the Lewis Center staff outlines the pluses and minuses of two platforms commonly used for digital worship — broadcast platforms and video…
Episode 76: “Imagining a Hybrid Future” featuring Rosario Picardo
How can a church develop hybrid ministry that connects both with those in the room and those who will never enter your church building? Rosario Picardo, one of the authors of a new book on ministry in the digital age, discusses how churches can continue to develop online ministry while resuming in-person ministries in the post-pandemic age.
Participation & Presence: Leading Meaningful Digital Worship
Learn how to take your leadership of digital worship to the next level. It’s been a more than a year since most congregations transitioned to…
7 Reasons You Must Not Abandon Your Online Services
Thom Rainer says it is a mistake for churches to give up their digital or streaming services after returning to in-person worship. He outlines seven…
A Different Approach
Doug Powe of the Lewis Center suggests congregations take a different approach to Black History Month this year. He outlines ideas to encourage church members…
Top Leading Ideas Articles of 2020
Each December we take a look at the most popular Leading Ideas articles of the year and give our readers a second chance to glean…
11 Creative Ways Your Church Can Observe Christmas in 2020
Looking for creative ways to observe Christmas this year? A group of Minnesota churches assembled this list of ways to celebrate Advent and Christmas safely…
Episode 67: “Virtual Advent” featuring Anna Petrin
How can Advent be special in a year when so much is different? Professor of Worship Anna Petrin shares ideas for bringing Advent from the sanctuary to the home and allowing its themes of longing and hope to speak to our current reality.
3 Strategies for Doing Church Online
Heidi Campbell, who has studied online churches since the early days of the internet, describes three online church strategies that have emerged during the pandemic.…
Connection is More Important than Content in Digital Gatherings
Zach Lambert of Restore Austin Church says that the move to digital gatherings reveals that content is important, but our connections are imperative. He believes…
