Saturday Lagniappe: 'Christianity's global centre has shifted, conference hears' And More

Christianity's global centre has shifted, conference hears
The Global Christian Forum's (GCF) fourth global gathering kicked off in Accra, Ghana, with an emphasis on major demographic shifts in global Christianity. With the theme That the world may know, the event held from April 16 to 20 brought together 240 participants from 60 different countries representing all major Christian traditions.

Learning from Farmers: Innovation for Churches
What are churches to do in this increasingly secular era? We can mourn the bygone era of high attendance and moan about how things are not like they used to be., Or we can reinvent ourselves in response to the needs of a changing society while still remaining faithful to Scripture and Christian tradition.

The Power of Hymns
There is a reason God’s people have sung the poetry of our faith ever since faith began—the beautiful reality of shared truth, conviction, and hope. There is a tangible bond when people of faith speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and songs of the Spirit—a reality that we truly are surrounded by the promised great cloud of witnesses (who are probably singing with us); that the music we make even within the limitation of our little human experience is somehow hardwired into the “music of the spheres.”

4 Functions of a Church Choir
I originally posted a link to this article this past December. In a number of churches a worship band has taken the place of the choir in the services of the church but not assumed its functions. Indeed, it has become one of the reasons for the decline in congregatioal singing in these churches. As the late Betty Pulkingham observed, "every local congregation has need of a worship leadership group, a group thoroughly committed to the corporate worship life of that body of people." Whatever the group was called, she identified as its purpose "to aid all of God’s assembled people to be released into praise."

If you have not read Betty Pulkingham's Sing God A Simple Song, it is available on the internet free in PDF format at https://www.communityofcelebration.com/Books/sgass.pdf.

The Case for Children's Worship Services
As Tim Cahllies wrote, "You don’t have to agree with everything an article says to benefit from it. And that was the case for me with this one (though I am generally in favor of offering some programming for at least the youngest children during services)." Two decades ago I wrote an unpublished occasional paper on how to integrate children into the worship of the church and I have not changed my mind on that subject. However, like Challies I also see a need for some programming for at least younger children during services.

[Pin]spiration for a Meaningful Mother’s Day Celebration 

Reach mothers and mother figures with these 9 ideas for a Mother’s Day celebration at your church. Create keepsakes that will touch hearts for years to come!

Small Group Evangelism & The Bridges of God
What are the bridges of God? How does the gospel spread from my small group to a lost and dying world?

This truth is applicable to choirs, ministry teams, Sunday School classes, men's clubs, women's circles, youth groups, and other groupings in the local church.

5 Tips for Building Bridges with Immigrants in Your Community
God calls the Church to show and share his love to everyone.