Dismissal at the end of the worship service does not mean a standard formula while you can put on your jacket or put the books back in the pew. Walters states that the dismissal of the congregation requires thought and be done intentionally. Something significant happens at the end of …
Read MoreAuthor: Frank Ezinga
Vision
Dr. J Oswald Sanders repeats “His faith imparted vision” a few times when discussing vision and church leadership. “Moses, one of the great leaders of all history, “endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” (KJV) His faith imparted vision. Elisha’s servant saw the obvious menace of the encircling army, but …
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Lament in Worship?
I had a discussion with some church members about singing. Their point was that the songs in the church should, in principle, be praise songs and that we should be joyful when singing. My argument was that the church’s circumstances in this world might justify a lament, even as the …
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Why Calvinists Sing What They Sing
Especially now the restrictions are easing, many people are saying: “Can’t wait for Sunday.” Did you know that there is also a book with that name by Michael Walters? The back cover has some reviews, and a large heading which says: “A Silver Bullet for the Worship Wars.” After reading …
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Organist Calling Committee
Regularly I received emails with organist/music director vacancies. Details about what is expected are included, and in one case, applications were to be emailed to the “search committee.” Makes me wonder: how do our churches search/find organists? When ministers are leaving, a calling committee is appointed. Their task is to …
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Singing more Psalms
In the last few years, there is much talk about singing Psalms: rediscover and reintroduce Psalm singing. For example, in 2018, the Getty conference was dedicated to singing Psalms. Some churches always include the Psalms in their liturgy, others have sung the Psalms in the past, and some churches have …
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The Power of Singing
SINGING REVOLUTION Estonia became independent from the USSR through a Singing Revolution. Four years of people singing, united, standing ground against the Soviet tanks, and: they succeeded. In 1991 they became independent because of their singing. The Estonians finally reached freedom. (The documentary film “The Singing Revolution” was released in …
Read MoreCount your blessings in Church Music
In Presbyterian, Anglican, Catholic, and Reformed churches you don’t expect to hear the same music and sing from the same ecumenical hymnal. Also within the Reformed Churches different songbooks are used, reflecting e.g. the different history and identity of the federations. Focusing on the Canadian Reformed Churches (CanRC), there are …
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Liturgy
Let’s shake it up in church… …because the same things every Sunday become a boring routine. Sometimes we hear this sentiment, with some ministers responding by being creative, yet without rocking the boat. People like change, and often we hear comments when some things go differently. Yes, let’s shake it up, …
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