Questions for the Director – Education for Budding Music Ministers
Blogger Brian Hehn is the director of The Center for Congregational Song. QUESTION For someone graduating high school who wants to serve as a music minister or worship leader, what would you recommend that they do for their education? ANSWER Let me first say that I don’t think there’s a single […]
22nd of March 2019
Album Review – Jeremy Moore, “Pillars”
The Context: “Pillars” is the second album from singer/songwriter Jeremy Moore. This album is a rearrangement of several hymns with pop, indie rock, southern rock, and folk sensibilities. Moore’s previous album is more in the intersection of jazz and singer/songwriter genres, which still manifests in moments on “Pillars.” Moore is based in Birmingham, Alabama, and […]
20th of March 2019
Words, Music, and Surprises in Lent
Blogger Ginny Chilton Maxwell is Music Minister at Church of the Ascension in Norfolk, Virginia, where she serves as organist, choirmaster, and elementary music teacher. Right now we are in the middle of Lent, the season when we take a closer look at our hearts and ask what we need to change to be […]
11th of March 2019
Calvin Symposium on Worship Round-Up
Author – Adam Perez is a doctoral student in liturgical studies at Duke Divinity School. Worship Across the Spectrum There are few places where the who’s who of worship across the spectrum get together in public. For the last while, the Calvin Symposium on Worship has been that place. While other worship and music conferences […]
5th of March 2019
To the Minister of Music: Leading Out Of a Hurt Place
Min. Rylan Harris is Minister of Worship & Arts at Ray of Hope Christian Church in Atlanta, Georgia while he pursues a Master of Religious Leadership with a concentration in Music and Worship at Candler School of Theology. He is a graduate of Hampton University in Virginia and remains active with the Hampton Ministers Conference each […]
25th of February 2019
QUESTIONS FOR THE DIRECTOR: 25 Women Song-Writers You Should Know
Blogger Brian Hehn is the director of The Center for Congregational Song. Lots of Questions As the director of The Center for Congregational Song, I’m often asked questions for which I don’t know the answer. There’s usually one of two reasons for me not knowing the answer. First, I’m only one person with limited […]
20th of February 2019
Album Review – Hillsong Worship, “There is More (Live)”
The Context Hillsong Worship, not to be confused with Hillsong United or Hillsong Young & Free, is a behemoth in the “industry” of music for Christian worship. Considered individually, each team of Hillsong’s writers has a slightly different generational or demographical focus, with Hillsong Worship being the more “adult” or cross-generational of the three. Each […]
19th of February 2019
A Song of Renewal for the Lenten Season
Felicia Patton is a lifelong Chicago native and worship leader at Urban Village Church. Felicia received an undergraduate degree from North Park University followed by two graduate degrees from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 Chorus: Give me a clean […]
15th of February 2019
Album Review – The Porter’s Gate Worship Project, “Volume One: Work Songs”
The Context The Porter’s Gate is a collaborative effort between many songwriters and artists, spearheaded by Isaac Wardell. Their stated goal is “… to build an ecumenical community that invites conversation and collaboration in an exploration of faith.” This “sacred arts collective” desires to provide a welcoming and deeply moving soundtrack for the Church’s presence […]
11th of February 2019
What “The Sound of Music” Taught Me About Congregational Song
Blogger David Bjorlin is a worship pastor at Resurrection Covenant Church (Chicago), a lecturer in worship at North Park Theological Seminary (Chicago), and a published hymnwriter. A Deeply Disturbing Fact On a recent trip to Ecuador to visit my dear friends Chris and Jenny, I discovered a deeply disturbing fact about their […]
