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Jun, 19, 2018 0
“We can hardly stand the wait! / Please Christmas, don’t be late.” Most of you can hear the song in your head immediately, can’t you? Those squeaky, aggravating chipmunk voices singing the Christmas song we all love to hate. The song is a trite (and annoyingly persistent!) example of secular…
Jun, 18, 2018 0
The essence of Christian worship is captured in these two excerpts written 260 years apart—one now considered a classic hymn of the Church and the other an often—played contemporary chorus, respectively. They both capture the interplay between who God is and our response to God’s work.
In worship…
Jun, 15, 2018 0
Q: What is the relationship between the word ekklesia (“church”) in the New Testament, and the worship settings of the Jewish people in the Old Testament?
A: The ancient Greek word ekklesia simply means assembly. In the early Church, this word referred to local “churches” or assemblies of…
Jun, 13, 2018 0
(Above: What Languages do Nazarenes Speak?)
Every year, Research Services asks Nazarene pastors around the world about their local churches. When it comes to worship, we ask one single question: What is your average attendance of weekly corporate worship? We also record other information about…
Jun, 13, 2018 0
Accepting Diversity
From the rhythmic drums of a small church in East Africa to the orchestra at a large congregation in Olathe, Kansas, Nazarenes worship in some of the most diverse ways possible. Nazarenes have a global representation in 162 world areas and 180 languages of worship. We are a…
Jun, 13, 2018 0
Holy Fire Fell: A History of Worship, Revivals, and Feasts in the Church of the Nazarene
by Dirk Ellis · (Wipf & Stock, 2016) · 235 pp.
Reviewed by Stan Ingersol
Holy Fire Fell is Dirk Ellis’ engaging study of Nazarene worship. While Ellis is a pastor, he is also a scholar whose new book…
Jun, 04, 2018 0
I have loved music for as long as I can remember. I started playing guitar at age 15 and began performing at local venues in Tennessee by 16. By my late teens, I was writing and recording music.
I desperately wanted to write music for the church, but I had yet to hear any worship music that made…
Jun, 01, 2018 0
It is increasingly common for me to find myself in the midst of a conversation where leaders are wrestling with questions like, “How do we structure a worship service so children will want to engage?” or, “How do we structure an event so children and adults can worship together?” Somewhere in the…
Jun, 01, 2018 0
The Kingdom of God is one of the few places where you can see a person who once hated Christians, a former thief, and their victims all working together to advance the Gospel. The story of Brother Silverio and Brother Carlos is one of extreme faith and incredible transformation.
Silverio was a man…
May, 30, 2018 0
Jesus said it first. He was praying for His disciples—first century and twentieth century—them and us. His petition—“Sanctify them” (John 17:17, NIV). Why? First, that they might be kept clean in a dirty world – protected from “the evil one” (John 17:15, NIV). But just as clear and important is the…