Description: This session will explore ways in which congregational singing transforms lives, impacts belief systems, and nurtures community. Randall Bradley will share from his own experiences and lead you to reflect and re-imagine music’s impact on your individual...
Worship Philosophy & Theology
Terry York & Shannan Baker – How Do We Sing the Lord’s Song? (When We Know Who Wrote It) (2024 Alleluia Conference)
Description: Have you ever considered not including a song in your church gathering because of the artist who wrote it? If not, you know someone who has! With controversies and differing theologies, worship pastors have struggled with whether to plan songs by specific...
Stephen Newby – Out of the Sanctuary and INTO THE WORLD (2024 Alleluia Conference)
Description: Are you ever concerned that the people of God leave worship behind when they leave the gathering? This session discusses how to use liturgy to become a sending church. To do this, we will consider practical ways to encourage your church to live out what...
Randall Bradley – Making Sunday Count: Fostering Your Child’s Worship Practice (2024 Alleluia Conference)
Description: How can you assure your child has the tools to develop into a Godly worshiper? Come to this session to gather best practices for maximal impact – for parents and those who work with children. Location: Baylor University, Waco, Texas
Stephen Newby – How and Why Gospel Music and Black Spirituals Can Serve Multiple Purposes for Your Congregation (2024 Alleluia Conference)
Description: Hear how congregations flourish with this music. You will be given examples of how to easily import gospel and spirituals into your congregations’ liturgics with ease and simplicity. You will leave with several practical takeaways for your congregation....
Stephen Newby – Spiritual Discipline: Worship Service Planning (2024 Alleluia Conference)
Description: Who’s designing the worship services? Could members of the church be a part of the process? Do you work from a lectionary? In this workshop we will discuss practical ways the people of God can become more engaged with Christian imagination and Biblical...
Jan Kraybill – Bach’s Example: Living and Playing Your Faith (2021 Alleluia Conference)
Johann Sebastian Bach left a rich legacy of examples of how to live one’s faith as an organist and a composer. This workshop will explore Bach’s life and music in the context of his time, his theology, and his career as a church musician. We’ll discuss how to best live our own faith through our music-making.
Sam Johnson – Devotional (2020 Worship Lab CONNECT)
Listen to Sam Johnson expound on biblical happiness from Psalm 1
Jacob and Sarah Sensenig – Leadership Session: Calling (2020 Worship Lab CONNECT)
Jacob and Sarah will discuss how we discern a calling to serve in ministry and what next steps might look like for each of you.
Jared Billups – Devotional (2020 Worship Lab CONNECT)
A short meditation on John 15
Jonathan Poole – Devotional (2020 Worship Lab CONNECT)
Understanding the Biblical context for the songs you sing
Hannah John – Devotional – 2020 Worship Lab CONNECT
Join Hannah as she explores the unique attributes of God’s character
James Cheesman – Devotional (2020 Worship Lab CONNECT)
Listen to James Cheesman as he talks about the importance of knowing and believing that God is sovereign and that He is in control.
Sean Horton – Devotional (2020 Worship Lab CONNECT)
Listen to Sean Horton as he breaks down the process of how to lead Bible studies in churches.
Josh Stewart – Devotional on Worship Leadership (2020 Worship Lab CONNECT)
Listen to Josh Steward expound from the Bible on what it means to have “humble confidence” as a worship leader.
Shannan Baker – Devotional (2020 Worship Lab CONNECT)
Listen to Shannan Baker as she talks about the one true God of the Bible.
Jacob Sensenig – Leadership Session 1 – Spiritual Growth (2020 Worship Lab CONNECT)
The introduction session to our worship leadership series on growth.
Barbara Newman, LaTonya Penny, and Ken Medema – Renovate Church: Personalization (2019 Alleluia Conference)
How can the church support individuals and families for whom church is very difficult? Including individuals in the life of the church who have disabilities or extenuating
Thomas Coker – Perspectives and Values from 50 Years in Music Ministry (2019 Alleluia Conference)
In this session of practical music ministry, we will examine the importance of foundational personal concepts for the Music/Worship leader. The concepts include: Who am I? Whose am I? Faith, God, Church, and Worship. We will then…
Barbara Newman & LaTonya Penny – Renovate Church: Participation in Children’s and Youth Ministry (2019 Alleluia Conference)
Can we include kids with varied abilities in our Children and Youth ministries? Yes! Boldly go where others have seen success in Children’s settings using Universal Design and Universal Design for Learning
Barbara Newman, LaTonya Penny, and Ken Medema – Renovate Church: Perspective (2019 Alleluia Conference)
Where do you begin the conversation about becoming a community of belonging for persons with varied abilities? Perspective. Discover how puzzle pieces of green (strengths/gifts) and pink (weaknesses, areas of struggle) inform
John Woods – Spring 2019 – Hearn Innovators Series
John Woods, Music and Worship Pastor for Dawson Family of Faith in Birmingham, Alabama, joins us as the Spring 2019 Hearn Innovator. John provides leadership in a variety of areas including music, the arts, and liturgy. He is passionate about the marriage of
Zac Hicks – Architecting Gospel Shaped Worship Services (2018 Alleluia Conference)
The gospel is the center of our Christian faith, and its story has anchored worship for centuries across many different traditions. How do we structure worship services which…
Zac Hicks – A Touchy Subject: Emotion and Worship (2018 Alleluia Conference)
What do our emotions have to do with worship? Is healthy emotionalism even imaginable in our contexts, and if so, how do we help the people of God engage…
The relational ethics of church music – Nathan Myrick
Music is an “indispensable” aspect of Protestant Christian worship, to use Brian Wren’s term (2000, 48). Yet it is also perceived as one of the most divisive aspects of that activity, with scholars, practitioners, and congregants alike contributing to this perspective. As scholars such as Donald Hustad (1993), Harold Best (1993, 2003), J. Nathan Corbitt (1998), Brian Wren (2000), James K. A. Smith (2009) and Jeremy S. Begbie…
Zac Hicks – Planning Worship like a Dietician (2018 Alleluia Conference)
Worship planning is all too often enslaved to the tyranny of the urgent. In this session, we will look at planning through the helpful metaphor of a “theological dietician,” exploring the…
Zac Hicks – The Lord Will Fight For Us: Worship as War (2018 Alleluia Conference)
When we enter into gathered worship, we step into a battlefield where a spiritual war is taking place. How does Scripture tell us to arm ourselves? What are our chief weapons? How are…
Zac Hicks – God is Actually in the Room: Worship as Encounter (2018 Alleluia Conference)
When we gather for worship, do we really believe that God will be present in a unique way? In this session, we will…
PIE TALK – As I See It: Where Church Music is Heading (2018 Alleluia Conference)
With growing repertoire choices, countless resources, and major cultural shifts, church musicians are faced with many decisions that will impact the direction of their congregations…
Maria Monteiro – The Double Minority Status of Hispanic Baptists in San Antonio (2017 Alleluia Conference)
This session focuses on current music ministry practices outside of the Anglo-American…
James Abbington – Rethinking the Christian Funeral (2017 Alleluia Conference)
Perhaps the most important thing that churches must understand is that a Christian funeral is a service…
James Abbington – The Negro Spiritual in Worship and Concert Performance (2017 Alleluia Conference)
This session will examine the differences between the Negro folk, or congregational spiritual and the concert, or arranged spiritual in worship and…
James Abbington – Worship Planning Using the POW’R Model (2017 Alleluia Conference)
This session will examine various methods and resources for worship planning and their effectiveness. Using…
Mark Moeller – Transformative Dialogues: Worship Planning that Celebrates the Conversational Nature of Worship
Because of differences in worship priorities and vocabulary used to…
Lester Ruth – Spring 2017 – Northcutt Lecture Series
Lester Ruth is a historian of Christian worship with particular interests in the early church and the last 250 years, especially the history of contemporary worship. He is passionate about enriching the worship life of current congregations, regardless of style…
Chuck Fromm – Fall 2016 – Hearn Innovators Series/Church Music Forum
Dr. Chuck Fromm has played a significant and ongoing role in “the worship movement,” he is passionately committed to lifelong learning. In 2007 he pulled together the first National Worship Leader Conference to bring the pages…
Rory Noland – Re-imagining the Psalms for Private and Gathered Worship (2016 Alleluia Conference)
How can you avoid burnout in ministry? How can you continue to lead worship with passion? Discover what you can now to ensure that you’ll…
Rory Noland – How to Survive the Rigors of Ministry (2016 Alleluia Conference)
How can you avoid burnout in ministry? How can you continue to lead worship with passion? Discover what you can now to ensure…
Rory Noland – Worship As it is in Heaven (2016 Alleluia Conference)
Chances are, few people would include worship in their list of top spiritual disciplines. Yet, it is one of the most important of…
Rory Noland – Spiritual Formation for Artists (2016 Alleluia Conference)
If our ministry is the product of our relationship with Christ, it’s essential to nurture a vibrant intimacy with the Lord. Join us as we discuss…
Rory Noland – Artistic Temperament: Friend or Foe (2016 Alleluia Conference)
If we’re not careful, sometimes our greatest strengths can become our gravest weaknesses. This session will take an honest look at…
Liturgical inculturation among Baptists in the United States – Stephen Cowden
Liturgical inculturation seeks to cultivate worship that is meaningful in the church’s context by joining texts and rites with the cultural pattern surrounding the church. This study begins with a brief investigation of historical influences on Baptist liturgical theology and music. It then introduces the study of liturgical inculturation, describing principles and methods developed by Catholic and Protestant liturgists. These principles and methods serve as a basis for application of liturgical inculturation among Baptists in the United States…
Constance Cherry -Moving Worshipers (2014 Alleluia Conference)
Passive worship can be a problem in worship today regardless of worship style. Learn how to move your congregation from spectators to participants. Discover such things…
Constance Cherry – Encountering God Through Song (2014 Alleluia Conference)
Participants will discover the importance of evaluating musical choices for congregational song to ensure theological, musical, and lyrical integrity….
Constance Cherry – Laying the Foundation of Christian Worship (2014 Alleluia Conference)
What does God expect in corporate worship? This session will identify several non-negotiable, scriptural mandates for…
Constance Cherry – Designing Services for Encountering God (2014 Alleluia Conference)
Comparing the work of a worship leader to that of an architect, this session offers a blueprint for designing worship services through various phases…
Randall Bradley – Intergenerational Worship: Why It’s Worth It (2014 Alleluia Conference)
While many churches have opted for segregating worshipers into age groups (children’s worship, youth…
Randall Bradley – The Worship Leader as Power Conduit, Broker, & Disseminator (2013 Alleluia Conference)
Perhaps no church leader holds as much power to impact, shape, and form the congregation as the worship leader. This…
Randall Bradley – Church Music Moving Forward: Imagining a Confident Future (2013 Alleluia Conference)
The music of the church will always be with us – the people of God will continue to sing throughout eternity. What does…
The public invitation and “Gospel Hymns Nos. 1 to 6” – Emily Snider
Perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of traditional evangelical worship is the widespread practice of the “invitation” near the close of the worship service. A significant element of that invitation is the accompanying hymn, one that emphasizes the need for conversion and spiritual renewal. This thesis addresses the origin and early evolution of the public invitation, and more specifically, the hymns that have been used by evangelicals for this part of their worship. Hymns from Gospel Hymns Nos. 1 to 6, the most popular hymnal among evangelicals in the…