Are we Methodists ready for the work of God to be unleashed? Are we ready for Methodism to be the catalyst of yet another New Pentecost? God has decisively acted in Christ, and Christ says, "Do this." Therefore, there is only one real answer, since "not ready" is not a valid response. For United Methodism to be revived, there can be no more such excuses. Christ showed us his presence and power through Constant Word and Sacrament praxis during the time of the Acts 2 church. Christ then agai...

Worship in local churches has changed dramatically over the past fifty years, not only in North America but in many places on every continent. Have these widespread and varying shifts left us with vague or even false impressions of what the weekly worship event is all about? Do followers of Jesus Christ grasp the importance of their role in worship? Do they know how to become fully engaged participants? Do they realize Jesus himself is our best guide and model for worship?Worshi...

There are many books available on the topic of worship today, but few provide a comprehensive, practical method for worship design. Constance M. Cherry, a worship professor and practitioner, provides worship leaders with credible blueprint plans for successfully designing worship services that foster meaningful conversation with God and the gathered community. Readers will learn how to create services that are faithful to Scripture, historically conscious, relevant to God, Christ-centered,...

With the many models of worship available, choosing a style to worship God can be a bit overwhelming. Is it better to go with traditional or contemporary models? Christians may find themselves asking how early believers worshiped and whether they can provide insight into how we should praise God today.Rooted in historical models and patristic church studies, Ancient-Future Worship examines how early Christian worship models can be applied to the postmodern church. Pastors a...

How does worship work? How exactly does liturgical formation shape us? What are the dynamics of such transformation? In the second of James K. A. Smith's three-volume theology of culture, the author expands and deepens the analysis of cultural liturgies and Christian worship he developed in his well-received Desiring the Kingdom. He helps us understand and appreciate the bodily basis of habit formation and how liturgical formation--both "secular" and Christian--affects our fundame...

Explore the deeper meaning of Eucharistic celebration with a highly regarded expert on liturgy. In Mystagogy of the Eucharist Gilbert Ostdiek, OFM, draws on ritual actions, liturgical symbols, prayer texts, and reflective commentary to help participants in the liturgy name and reflect on the meaning that Eucharist has for daily life. This book is offered as a practical, pastoral resource for those engaged in the ongoing formation of worshipers and their liturgical ministers.

Stephen Cottrell brings home, vividly and poignantly, the physical reality of the passion story.The narrative of Holy Week is powerful and painful, and because we know how the story ends it's easy to gloss over the difficult details, and stay in the comfort zone of our understanding. The Things He Carried is a book to stimulate thought, provoke discussion and create space for contemplation.'In order to understand the cross you need to stand under it . . . w...

Fifty new prayers from young and old and from folk around the globe - from Glasgow to Cincinnati, from Malawi to Alaska - that might be used in a daily discipline, many on the concerns of the Iona Community - poverty and economic justice, welcome and hospitality, interfaith dialogue, church renewal, peacemaking.

A handy, inexpensive resource, More Welcome Speeches can be used by persons frequently or rarely asked to make welcome speeches. Sample speeches and responses are included which can also be used as a prototype for creating a welcome speech.More Welcome Speeches provides a quality resource for laypersons in the church. This volume will appeal especially to members of African American churches.In the African American community, welcoming speeches are important part of each pr...

Liturgy forms both individuals and the community in the faith and life of the Christian gospel. Animating Liturgy invites you to consider the liturgical offering which stands at the heart of the Christian faith. It brings together essays by liturgist Stephen Platten which take us in three main directions:the sacraments, their history and their celebrationliturgical history, study and practicegeneral theological, practical and ethical aspects of li...

Worship Leader Magazine's 2013 Editor's Pick for Service planners category.BRIM opens your eyes to creative, artistic worship possibilities. Inside you will find ways to engage your team, worship templates to launch the creative process, and encouragement for the solo worship planner.BRIM combines music, art resources, imagery, digital content, leader devotionals, prayer encounters, practical how-to's and more to jumpstart y...

Russian Baptists and the Orthodox Church have had a difficult and – at times – dramatic relationship over the past century and a half. However, the purpose of this thesis is to examine certain internal connections between these two Christian bodies. Despite the evident dissimilarity – in theology, church practice and traditions – there is common ground which has been largely unexplored. A number of features inevitably brought them together, such as living in the same country over a long pe...