Category Archives: Renewing Our Worship

Renewing Our Worship: Scripture Reading

Posted on February 12, 2009 by Jay F Guin

Many churches precede the sermon with a scripture reading from the pulpit. It’s usually done badly. I didn’t used to think so — until I’d heard it done well, and then I knew. Good reading requires practice and an understanding … Continue reading →

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Renewing Our Worship: Better A Cappella Music

Posted on February 10, 2009 by Jay F Guin

Under the guidance of our present worship minister, our worship services have gotten pretty good. I know this is true because — * No one is complaining much about the worship, * The numbers are up, and * Some people … Continue reading →

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Renewing Our Worship: The Lord’s Supper

Posted on February 9, 2009 by Jay F Guin

The Lord’s Supper has always been important to the Churches of Christ. We take communion weekly. It’s so important to us that we often offer communion on Sunday nights for those unable to take it that morning, and we often … Continue reading →

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Renewing Our Worship: Getting the Details Right

Posted on February 8, 2009 by Jay F Guin

In most churches, worship is where a potential convert first encounters the church as community. It’s a public event — advertised as such. And it obviously is intended to communicate who we are as a people. Well, it’s obvious to … Continue reading →

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Renewing Our Worship: Getting Organized

Posted on February 7, 2009 by Jay F Guin

Maybe this is too obvious. I apologize if it is. But doing worship well requires organizing the right way. And I think the reason we so often do worship badly is, in part, because we so often organize badly. Let … Continue reading →

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Renewing Our Worship: Change

Posted on February 6, 2009 by Jay F Guin

First, a joke — Q. How many Church of Christ members does it take to change a lightbulb? A. Change???!! If you graph the distribution of humans on just about any criteria, you get a bell curve. It’s true for … Continue reading →

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Renewing Our Worship: Frontier Revivalism and the Invitation

Posted on February 5, 2009 by Jay F Guin

I think it’s important as we consider our worship practices that we understand where they come from. Much of what we do has a clear, historical origin: the frontier revivalism of the early 19th Century. Following the American Revolution, religion … Continue reading →

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Renewing Our Worship: Authority

Posted on February 3, 2009 by Jay F Guin

We have this false doctrine, this peculiar notion, that everything we do in church requires authority. We inherited this doctrine, known as the Regulative Principle, from (of all people) John Calvin. It’s amazing, you know, that we can be as … Continue reading →

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Renewing Our Worship: Announcements and Talking in the Aisles

Posted on February 2, 2009 by Jay F Guin

No, announcements aren’t in the five acts of worship. And, yes, people pretty much hate announcements. But your attitude toward announcements says a lot about your understanding of what the Bible really says about the assembly. You see, as crazy … Continue reading →

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Renewing Our Worship: The 16 Acts of Worship

Posted on February 1, 2009 by Jay F Guin

Good morning, class. I think we’ve had some fabulous worship services these last few weeks, don’t you? The class nods vigorously. I mean, the worship committee has really some extra effort in these last several weeks, and I can really … Continue reading →

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