It seems everyone is leaving the church these days, especially the coveted millennial generation. And quite honestly, I don’t really blame them. I almost left the church myself. I would have left by the time I reached high school if I’d had that option, but in my house, attendance at my cool, hip, contemporary-worshiping, youth-group-glorifying, theology-eschewing McCongregation was a non-negotiable. So I went. Through every small group fad. Every True Love Waits commitment ceremony. Every rapture-ready dispensationalist Bible study. Every... Read more

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany Today We All Are Called to Be Disciples Text: H. Kenn Carmichael, 1985 Tune: KINGSFOLD Psalm 112:1-9 Praise the LORD! Happy are those who fear the LORD, who greatly delight in his commandments. Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious,... Read more

Passion Trumps Preparation Writing this blog has put me in touch with many of you who have fallen victim to the commercial Christian worship movement. Faith communities have been ripped apart needlessly. Relationships have been severed. Jobs have been lost after years of faithful service. Trained and experienced musicians have been fired, forced out, let go, or demoted. All in favor of someone with the right look, the right sound, or, frankly, the right age. Sound familiar to anyone? Me... Read more

I’m happy to report that good church music and thoughtful traditional worship are alive and well in the great state of Wisconsin. I want to send my appreciation to the good folks of the Madison chapter of the Association of Church Musicians for inviting me to share a meal and conversation with them last Friday. I am delighted and honored by their hospitality toward my wife and I. Here is a brief summation of the points I brought up, influenced... Read more

It’s getting increasingly difficult to leave my Baylor diploma hanging in my office. I’m proud of the work I did there, and I’m thankful for the fabulous professors who taught me lessons of music, confidence, and responsibility. But the recent revelations of the culture of violence, fostered by the football team and enabled by the administration, just keeps getting worse. The Dallas Morning News reported yesterday that a lawsuit has been filed, alleging 52 acts of rape committed by 31... Read more

Often called America’s Worship Leader, Chris Tomlin returns with his new album, NEVER LOSE SIGHT, on October 21. As the songwriter behind the worship favorites “How Great Is Our God,” “Our God,” and “Whom Shall I Fear,” Chris’ songs lead people to the heart of Jesus and into a deeper worship of Him. Featuring “Good Good Father” and the new single “Jesus,” this brand new album is filled with songs that draw us closer to Jesus and give voice to... Read more

It’s Sunday morning, or possibly Saturday night. Maybe even Sunday afternoon. We’re gathered here to worship the Lord, or so we’ve been told, and have a lot of fun while we do it. The room is dark, the lights dim, the stadium-style seating oh so comfortable. I clutch my complementary coffee with one hand, and the armrest with the other, in nervous anticipation of what the Holy Spirit or electric guitar is about it do. Jesusy music is piped in... Read more

If you go to YouTube and search for “youth worship,” you will get a lot of videos that look like this: This is basically what I remember from my own megachurch youth group experience. Dark, nondescript rooms (My church’s youth group actually met in a converted Safeway grocery store across the street from the main campus!), lots of media and special effects, silly games aimed at warming up the crowd. There would be a “lesson” based on some arbitrarily chosen... Read more

Most of my writings here on Ponder Anew are a response to the pervasiveness of commercial Christian worship, and how a wholesale rejection of liturgical theology and history is giving us bad worship, bad theology, and a bloated, unhealthy church. But I’m often asked more specific questions about the practical aspects of church music ministry. A common theme to those questions is how I go about planning music for worship. So, I thought I would write a little about that,... Read more

BREAKING WORSHIP NEWS!!! I’m not here to make you happy. I’m not here to make me happy, either. I’m not here to make anyone happy. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve seen or heard of several churches inviting members and guests alike to respond to worship survey to indicate how satisfied they are with their worship services. One such survey, published as a template on the United Methodist denominational website, asks these questions: What is your CURRENT SATISFACTION with... Read more