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Church Stuff

Do I Need to Go to Church? – Why we get worship all wrong

by Rich Kirkpatrick September 12, 2016

Do I really need to go to church as a follower of Christ? When Jesus talked with the “Woman at the Well” about places of worship, his point wasn’t that place was unimportant. Worshiping in “Spirit and truth” can be done anywhere, so we know it is not about the exact address. We know our place of worship is where the Spirit is and where truth is. Widely, worship is looked at as a personal choice and activity. In fact, that is quite true! We all have to choose to worship Christ. We all have a personal free will. But, what is missed is that gathering for worship seems to not be valued. Our worship services are more than an additional stop in a lifestyle of worship. They are the base camps to living life, connecting us to story that’s bigger than us. Worship is sacred. Discipleship is daily. Liturgy …

September 12, 2016 3 comments

Church Stuff Leadership Worship Leading

Five BAD ideas that will make your worship services FAKE!

by Rich Kirkpatrick April 18, 2016

written by Rich Kirkpatrick

We have all been there. Everything may sound fantastic, look attractive, and planned with purposeful intent. But, something just doesn’t seem right. You feel fake vibes when hoping for authentic ones. Regardless, what makes a worship service fake might be boiled down to a few things even though there may be many things we can put on a list. Here are five ideas that promote the “fake factor” in church worship services. The worship team is performing like they are in a stadium and only 200 people are in the worship center. Just means over-scaling your team, sound and presentation might not be helping you. The energy put into production shouldn’t outweigh the value of building relationships with the people in the congregation you serve. Your haze machine cannot fill that gap. There is no context of God’s character, just our experience. We can sing “we worship You” all we want, but who …

April 18, 2016 14 comments

Church Stuff Communication Leadership

Hype, Manipulation and Other Unseemly Ministry Tactics

by Rich Kirkpatrick April 12, 2016

written by Rich Kirkpatrick

Photo Credit Sophia Louise Creative Commons It was repeated several times in a church staff meeting, so it was nothing new this time. The pastor instructed us to essentially be his “amen corner” during the sermon and exuberant charismatics during the musical time of the service. Laugh, visibly take notes, and clearly “leading” the crowd around you to respond to the platform. Of course, if the staff were lazy slobs and sleeping during the sermon and eye-rolling at the worship leader I might expect a reprimand. But, it was clear the goal was to create a more charismatic response through manipulation rather than instruction. Might the congregation say amen if the sermon was better delivered? Might the church sing louder if they were invited rather than coaxed into it? Authoritarianism Versus Egalitarianism In 2015, a movie called The Experimenter told the story of famous social psychologist Stanley Milgram. His experiments …

April 12, 2016 6 comments

Christian Life Church Stuff Culture Worship Leading Worship Myths

Does modern worship fail by trashing the line between the sacred and secular?

by Rich Kirkpatrick October 7, 2015

written by Rich Kirkpatrick

A few years ago, a young adult very openly expressed his frustration with worship at church. “Rich, why is it that I feel closer to God at a Coldplay concert than I do at church?” This was a stunning admission, because it represented not just his experience but that of many and perhaps spoke to some doubts in my own mind. However, what came from this conversation changed how I viewed worship in church. Worship at church should either be made more like the secular music out there, if that is truly more spiritual. Or, there is something missing in the worship at church that needed to be changed. I tried the first, making relevancy a goal, but I think that hand has been overplayed. So, I am left with the second idea. What is missing?

October 7, 2015 3 comments

Christian Life Church Stuff Worship Leading

Top Ten Ways to Have a Fantastic Worship Experience!

by Rich Kirkpatrick September 24, 2015

written by Rich Kirkpatrick

If you are an avid worshiper of Christ and attend church on a regular basis, you probably already know what a fantastic worship experience is to you, right? Or, maybe you don’t attend church as often as you might because your past worship experiences never hit the mark. Having been to church more than many, I see the gamut and know that even when one person is soaring in their version of a worship service, another may be unaffected. There are many factors that contribute to why there is so much disparity, but I think I found ten reasons that will aid you in your experience of worship. I hope these help you!

September 24, 2015 2 comments