Worship Service

I hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving.  Thank you for all the work you do every day to help tell God’s story to the people in your community.  The work you do matters and I’m thankful to have you all as a part of the Church Juice community.

If you’re still looking for some Thanksgiving themed videos for this weekend, here are a couple of good ones from Igniter Media.  Or maybe you’re just looking for something to watch because you’re so stuffed with Thanksgiving food goodness that...

One of my wife’s friends posted some funny insights from her grandsons this weekend on Facebook.  The two boys were in a worship service in which two typical traditions were celebrated: baptism and communion.

When one of the boys saw the baptismal being readied during the service, he asked, “Is someone getting sanitized today?” 

Later on in the service, the other boy had his own take on communion.  As the church passed the offering plate after communion, he turned to his mom as said, “You...

I’ve been thinking about church stages lately.  It seems the trend—which probably isn’t a surprise to many of you—is to do more with lighting and projection instead of building big elaborate sets as in the past.  The stages at churches I’ve visited have been simple.  There may be some interesting draping with big white curtains, simple wood structures with clean lines or fun shapes to allow for projecting video or special lighting effects.  But on an average weekend, I’ve rarely seen the big...

For worship planners, deciding what goes on the big screens in a sanctuary during a worship service can be a struggle.  There’s the balance of making the slides look good while keeping them functional as well.  And then there’s parts of the service where you may not be sure exactly what to put up there.  Not to mention the last minute requests that undoubtedly will come in.  While we’ve talked about guidelines for worship lyric slides in the past, a couple of recent things I’ve seen have me...

It’s a long-standing tradition in my life that if I visit a church, there’s an 83 percent chance it will be youth weekend.  You know, that time of year (usually around graduation) when the adults step aside and let the youth take over the service.  There’s always a certain level of awkwardness as teens uncomfortably read the announcements or lead worship while their parents are sneaking up to the front pew to snap a few pictures, which makes their child feel even more awkward.  I’m not saying...

(Editor's note: Thanks to everyone who responded to this.  We've received enough volunteers so we're going to go ahead and stop taking requests.  Have fun trying out the new graphics!)

Recently, we met a couple online who has spent 15 years working in ministry and are now launching a new church media company.  They’re currently finishing up some work on motion and still graphics before going public.  Now here’s where you come in.  This new venture is looking for testers who use MediaShout...

I’m just realizing how quick Mother’s Day is sneaking up on us.  And that means Father’s Day will soon be here, too.  Both seem like occasions, despite their non-liturgical calendar status, where churches gear up to do themed sermons, events and giveaways.  It makes sense to spend time honoring parents since their role is important and talked about throughout the Bible.  But as we plan for these parent holidays, it’s important to remember those in your congregation who aren’t a mom or dad.  The...

Any Sunday, including Easter, is big at Willow Creek.  But the times I’ve attended the nation’s third largest church, I always find that while the production value of worship service is high, the things they are doing can be practical for a church of any size.  It’s true.  I honestly believe that.  And this Easter was no different.

Willow told a great story from beginning to end and you can, too.  For me, the brilliance of the Easter service at Willow was the way a story was consistently told,...

Willow Creek is one of those churches that can be divisive for people.  One side loves the worship experience.  Others think this massive church has been a bad influence on smaller congregations around the country.  So I wasn’t completely sure what my reaction would be as my wife and I visited the main campus this past weekend.

I think the most successful communications achievement at Willow Creek is making a big place feel personable and non-intimidating.  Finding a place to park was easy. ...

Last week, I wrote about a recent visit to Community Christian Church’s Yellow Box campus in Naperville, IL.  While the focus of the last post was signage, there’s something else CCC is doing well that deserves a second post.

Community Christian did a great job of communicating their core values throughout the worship service.  For example, right before the offering, the pastor said, “I want to let you know how your giving is making a difference.”  He went on to tell about a church plant in...