Church Stuff Archives - Page 4 of 5

How We Worship Matters: Physical space can kill your worship

Rich KirkpatrickApril 28, 20150674 views

I will be periodically posting a series of essays this year: “How We Worship Matters: Essays on the Worship Battles We Should Fight.”

As human beings, we live in the physical world. Our spirituality is connected to this and there is nothing like the Incarnation to give us a picture of how this mystery exists. Jesus is fully God and fully human. What did Jesus display to us? Spirituality is housed in people, not in stone temples or in only one physical spot.

The arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost only amplified this by entering the life of every believer on the planet. We can now pray in concert with people all over the world because of our connection with the Holy Spirit. Our worship is empowered, no matter at a mountain campground, warehouse turned house of worship, or country chapel.

Seeking a sign: Is our modern worship an idolatry of experience?

Rich KirkpatrickApril 14, 201523733 views

We all need signs. Where am I? I love the arrows on maps that tell me exactly where I am and the context. Real life scares us because rarely are signs this clear. When it comes to faith, signs were sought by many of our Bible heroes. Whether I am praying and leaving out the fleece at night or putting my fingers into the holes in the hands of Christ, it is all the same. I need to see. Those that truly saw God like Isaiah wreathed in the fetal position. Honestly, I may ask for a sign, but may not want the real deal. If God truly shows up, it seems I might have to change as anyone is “undone” in his presence. This is the reason why Christ came as a baby. God knows we just can’t handle it.

Has Christmas Become a War on Advent?

Rich KirkpatrickDecember 23, 20146496 views

There has been a lot of dialog in the Evangelical world in recent years about a war on Christmas. The cry was to say “Merry Christmas” in defiance to something like “Seasons Greetings” or “Happy Holidays.” Regardless of the words we use, the war on Christmas is fed from law suits to remove civic-sponsored Nativity Scenes and school prohibitions about mentioning the Jesus of Christmas. However problematic the external forces of our society press against a Christ-centered Christmas it may be our in-house disregard of Advent that sets us back. Could our fight for Christmas be a fight against Advent?

Worship Leaders: Musicians are more than fillers for your multitrack loop!

Rich KirkpatrickOctober 27, 201411371 views

There are just so many amazing technology advances today to aid the average church musician. You can get the original multitrack stems from the best recordings of modern worship music and do everything from rehearse with them, sweeten a live set with them, or fill an empty band spot with them. I applaud all of these and actually currently employ them in worship settings. However, how we lead our modern worship musician requires us to ask a couple questions. Are we dumbing-down our ability to lead by relying too much on tech and not enough on musical skill? Are we using musicians to fill a slot in a machine rather than inspiring them to create?

Worship Team Administration 101: 5 tips to solve the details dilemma

Rich KirkpatrickSeptember 11, 201401K views

No matter the size of your church or worship team, you will have administrative tasks that require diligence. In my book, The Six Hats of the Worship Leader, I make the argument that the job of being a worship leader is beyond being in front of people as you lead them in music. You all know this. However, how do you deal with the details and still remain an artist? This where the hat of the administrator must either be worn, shared, or given away. It is the task who requires hidden work, yet visible results. Imagine if no one shows up for rehearsal. No one gets the calls or emails you make, but the consequences are obvious to all.

The biggest advice here is that administration is all about priorities. One does not get more organized by having a clean desk. We are successful when the right things are performed at the right time. Here are 5 tips to help you solve the dilemma of details for the worship leader.