The biblical story of worship includes a subplot that draws attention to the relationship between outsiders and the corporate worship experience. The Old Testament refers to outsiders or non-Hebrews as ‘strangers’. The New Testament Church continued the Old Testament usage of ‘foreigner’ (Luke 17:18; Acts 26:11). However, as alignment to Jewish nationality became less of a guide to religious affiliation, terms such as “foreigner’, ‘sojourner’, or ‘stranger’ developed a new theological identity.

This article is a follow-up to my article "The Biblical Story of Worship In Less Than 1,000 Words". Biblical history ended with the completion of the book of Revelation (96 A.D.) and the death of the apostle John (98 A.D.). However, the story of Christian worship continued to be written through three major eras.

If summed up in one phrase the Worship Evangelism movement could be called “a numerical success and a Kingdom failure”. In Like 13:18-21 Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to the mustard seed and the work of flour in bread dough. In both cases the core elements expand outward to produce fruit that far exceeds their original size. The fruit of Kingdom work is new conversions to Christianity not merely the reorganization of Christians.

Style certainly matters to people! This brief article examines the heart of the matter.

We live in an age of vast information. We have more worship topics for discussion and development than can possibly be addressed—even with fifty-two weekends of worship experiences to plan. Liturgical churches use the Christian Calendar to guide their thematic planning. Churches in the Free Church tradition; however, have the challenge of discerning and creating thematic concepts in more independently designed systems. It makes sense to assemble critical information from three gathering points: the culture around us, our congregational life, and the leadership of the church.

I first started playing drums in a worship band the fall of 1980 when I was in Junior High. (Ouch, was it really that long ago!?!) I had the privilege of receiving music training at a fine arts high school (Interlochen Arts Academy) and a music conservatory for my undergraduate degree (The Eastman School of Music) however, for the last 28 years the ‘loves’ and ‘hates’ of drumming in the worship band setting has not really changed. This not an exhaustive list….but maybe a starter list for the Praise Charts Live community to consider…

The question begs for a punch line. It is something one would expect to hear at a worship conference with the audience of worship leaders nodding in knowing laughter. (I am receptive to all e-mail submissions!) None-the-less, the question calls attention to a subtle but critical topic for worship leaders today: What should be the balance between artistry and leadership? How are they different? This article offers a five point comparison grid.

The phrase ‘Biblical Worship” gets thrown around a lot. What does that really mean? Where in the Bible can you find exhortations to use or not use organs, drums, video clips, violins or electric guitars? Where in the Bible are you commanded to include or not include announcements, drama, responsive reading, events of the Christian calendar, or expository preaching? This article unearths six diagnostic questions from the six historical epochs of Biblical history.

Why should we worship God? What is worship? Does the style of worship matter to God? Should we plan worship? What do we want to happen to people in the worship experience? This article takes an introductory look at these five questions.

Missio Die (mission of God) is a foundational concept for churches in the twenty-first century. “Mission” is not something the church does, a part of its total program. No, the church’s essence is missional. Missio Dei has many implications for corporate worship. This article explores three.