5 Reasons To Use Liturgical Music In Your Contemporary Service

Republished with permission from Alex Mejias. Originally published at HighStreetHymns.com.

As a person who grew up in the age of CCM and “contemporary” worship, I had little exposure to traditional liturgies and “liturgical music.” I think the closest we came to using anything liturgical was when sang the Doxology (the “Old Hundredth”) as traveling music for the ushers after the offering. I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure that was the original intention of Thomas Ken, who penned those words back in the late 17th Century.

It wasn’t until after college that I had my first really full experience of traditional liturgy in spoken word and song. I had always had this image of stuffy Catholic services where people were being brainwashed to mindlessly repeat prayers and creeds. I never imagined that what I would find would be this giant collection of the most thoughtful and beautiful expressions of faith I’d ever encountered. I had been missing so much. Now I want to help churches find what I found and see meaningful ways to incorporate these prayers and songs into their worship. [Read more...]

Sunday Setlists #184

Share your worship confessionals, recaps, and setlists for the week of: Sunday, January 29, 2012

Welcome to the 184th consecutive week of “Sunday Setlists”. The purpose of “Sunday Setlists” is to share a recap of your worship services. What songs did you use, what arrangements? What worked really well and what didn’t work as well as you’d like? What issues did you have preparing? What is the sermon series? How about creative elements used in the service? You don’t have to be the pastor or worship leader to participate. We would really love to get reviews from the perspective of those in our congregations each week.

Also be sure to join us for our online group Bible study, beginning Monday, February 6, 2012. We’ll be using Dwayne Moore’s Heaven’s Praise. You’ll need your own copy of the book. See this post for details and make sure to check in at our forums.

[Read more...]

REVIEW: Reuben Bidez – the Signs of God

Reuben Bidez The Signs of God
(Independent)

In all honesty, you may not be ready for this.

Following his big, anthemic, modern rock, corporate worship CD, GENERATION, Reuben – an Atlanta-based worship artist – felt a tug on his soul to do something quite a bit different with this project. Fans of Gungor, take note: though THE SIGNS OF GOD sounds nothing like Gungor, that same stretched feeling you got when first challenged by Gungor’s unorthodox take on worship resides here as well, for many reasons. [Read more...]

Worship Songwriting: What is the GQ (God Quotient) of Our Worship Songs?

Thanks to Mark Snyder for sharing this great approach with TWC. Not only is it a great practical approach to writing worship song lyrics, it’s also a great way to analyze our Sunday Setlists.

Worship songs are an area of vastly differing opinions. Evaluating what works and what doesn’t can be very subjective. One sentiment I hear and read all the time is ‘let’s take the focus off of us, or I, or me, and put it on God, where it belongs.’ In many ways, this is a push back on the effects of a ‘generation me’ culture. But, to figure out why a song leaves this impression is not as easy as it sounds.

As a career software engineer who is also a worship songwriter, I try to allow my analytical side to influence what I do musically. When I am songwriting or considering songs for my set list or recording projects, I like to think in terms of an analytical measure of a song I call the God Quotient (or GQ for short). GQ is a way to look at a song and try to evaluate its real focus. [Read more...]

Review: The Loft Sessions by Bethel Music

Thanks to Kim Castro and Mat Reames for sharing their thoughts and insights on Bethel Music’s newest release, The Loft Sessions, which releases today.

Kim

Brian and Jenn Johnson, Jeremy Riddle, and other artists met to create an experimental and authentic worship experience made evident in this latest project, The Loft Sessions. At once moving and original, this work displays the talent and emotion of those wishing to praise the Almighty through music. Worship sessions were recorded in a refurbished loft, and this passionate, driving work shines with creativity. [Read more...]

The Worship Community Loves YOUR Voice

We at The Worship Community would like to extend our continued thanks and appreciation for all of you who continue to be a part of our community.

Whether through weekly participation in Sunday Setlists, where people from all over share their experiences, testimonies, struggles, ideas, problems/solutions, and song setlists from their worship gatherings each week…

…Or whether over in the TWC forums discussing ‘all things worship’ with brothers and sisters in Christ from around the world…

…or if you’re a regular reader of our articles here on the front page.

Thank you! Thanks for being a part of building and nurturing this community. [Read more...]

Sunday Setlists #183

Share your worship confessionals, recaps, and setlists for the week of: Sunday, January 22, 2012

Welcome to the 183rd consecutive week of “Sunday Setlists”. The purpose of “Sunday Setlists” is to share a recap of your worship services. What songs did you use, what arrangements? What worked really well and what didn’t work as well as you’d like? What issues did you have preparing? What is the sermon series? How about creative elements used in the service? You don’t have to be the pastor or worship leader to participate. We would really love to get reviews from the perspective of those in our congregations each week.

Also be sure to join us for our online group Bible study, beginning Monday, February 6, 2012. We’ll be using Dwayne Moore’s Heaven’s Praise. You’ll need your own copy of the book. See this post for details and make sure to check in at our forums.

[Read more...]

Online Group Study: Heaven’s Praise by Dwayne Moore (Begins February 6, 2012)

Join us here at The Worship Community as we host a worldwide group Bible study beginning Monday, February 6, 2012.

Heaven’s Praise, a 6-week Bible Study by Dwayne Moore, is the follow up to the well-received and widely utilized Pure Praise study.

TWC hosted the Pure Praise Study once in 2009 and once again in 2010 and we’re excited to host this online group study as well. We’ll have participants from all over the world joining us.

[Read more...]

Sunday Setlists #182

Share your worship confessionals, recaps, and setlists for the week of: Sunday, January 15, 2012

Welcome to the 182nd consecutive week of “Sunday Setlists”. The purpose of “Sunday Setlists” is to share a recap of your worship services. What songs did you use, what arrangements? What worked really well and what didn’t work as well as you’d like? What issues did you have preparing? What is the sermon series? How about creative elements used in the service? You don’t have to be the pastor or worship leader to participate. We would really love to get reviews from the perspective of those in our congregations each week.

[Read more...]

Music News: Rend Collective Experiment’s Five-Star Album, Homemade Worship By Handmade People, Available Today

Internationally acclaimed Rend Collective Experiment releases its sophomore album, Homemade Worship By Handmade People, today on Kingsway with global distribution and amidst five-star reviews.  The album was recorded and produced by Rend Collective in Irish church halls and homes in the band’s organic, collective style and fusing a depth of sung theology and fresh melodies that reflect themes of redemption, devotion and celebration. [Read more...]