As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“A new study from LifeWay Research found 15% of Protestant pastors in the U.S. say the biggest challenge they face in the area of music is navigating the varying preferences of members. A similar number of pastors say their most significant challenge is leading people to truly worship God (16%).
“Losing the ability to verbally preach is a very painful loss, yet the longer I live in silence, not being able to sing out to the Lord is becoming just as painful.” - Rooted Thinking
“The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada decided to use the tournament as a way to draw attention to the music that fills church sanctuaries every weekend. Its contest, where enthusiasts have voted since May on its website and on Facebook.” - RNS
“Over the years at Watermark we have examined countless songs for clarity, from ‘Away in a Manger’ to ‘Reckless Love.’ We constantly ask ourselves questions like, ‘Is it accurate to describe God’s love as ‘overwhelming, never-ending, and reckless?’” - TGC
“One of the ways in which we did that was to develop worship services around a theological theme—theology proper that is—some aspect, attribute, activity or characteristic of God. We have developed a list of over 150 themes that we work through every three years or so.” - Proclaim & Defend
“[T]here are a few practical and theological reasons why a church can incorporate hymns into its worship service.” - 5 Reasons to Resurrect the Hymns
By Matthew Carpenter. Republished with permission from Baptist Bulletin © Regular Baptist Press. All rights reserved.
Every week in churches all across the world, people gather under the banner of Jesus and go through the motions of congregational worship. For some it’s a blessing; for others it’s a chance to critique. Some people disengage all together, and some people just disengage their brains and jack up their emotions.
“The expulsion of hymns from a church can occur either imperceptibly over time or instantaneously, but in many churches they are fading away or already gone. In this context, I propose a way for those who love the hymns of the faith to preserve them. We can save our beloved hymns by reading and pondering them as devotional poems.” - Leland Ryken
Suppose I told you I have a new car for you. And not just any car: it’s the car you’ve always dreamed of owning, in just the color you imagined it would be. Suppose I hand you the keys and tell you to take it for a spin. I think we all would agree that this would give you a kind of joy.
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