Christian Book Review: The Thriving Church by Dean H. Taylor

The Thriving Church by Dean H. Taylor.

Practical Church Growth Lessons from the New Testament

With so many books being written each year about church growth, it is refreshing to read one that is more based on scriptural wisdom rather than business systems. Dean Taylor effectively interprets the Apostle Paul’s great words to the church in Ephesus, so that they can be applied in this post-modern age when many congregations are struggling.

The book is based on Ephesians 4:1-16 and the author cleverly uses the words of Paul to encourage other ministers and churches to get back to the basics of New Testament Church growth. Dean’s substantial research and knowledge of this passage are easily read, pondered, and applied. The whole book would make a great study for pastors and elders together, especially if they are trying to find a new vision for a congregation that has plateaued or is declining. Pastors could also use the book for a series of sermons based on the insights and applications that Taylor presents. In fact, the best two chapters of the whole book can be found together – 6: Every Pastor Equipping and 7: Every Member Ministering.

At the end of each chapter, there are a number of questions that can be shared and discussed at church classes, board meetings, or staff groups in order to engender a new and hopeful vision for local congregations.

I was given the opportunity to read and review this book for the publisher via Net Galley. I am now looking forward to sharing some of its contents with the congregation that I presently serve.

Eyewitnesses - 2 Peter 1:16

2 Peter 1:16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. (NIV)

            Almost every day, I receive emails from Christian ministries and organizations with invitations to subscribe to a special conference or video series about church growth. They usually try to entice me with special gifts or claim to have a wonderful seven-step plan that will double congregational membership within a year. All I have to do is sign up, pay hundreds of dollars with my credit card, and everything will be well.

            Years ago, I did participate or sign up for a few of these conferences and plans, but after more than 30 years in ministry, I have found that the most productive way of making a church grow depends on individual congregational members asking and inviting others to come to a worship service or special event. It seems that the personal invitation is more effective than anything else; no other program, plan, or project accomplishes this.

            I think this is what the Apostle Peter was referring to when he mentioned the eyewitness accounts that he and other people shared. His personal relationship with Christ was what he wanted to tell others about. Even in old age, with death by execution imminent, Peter expressed his total confidence in Jesus. His ministry was based on his personal testimony and because there were others who expressed the same, the Christian Church grew all over the world. In the end, it was the personal invitation and individual witness that was most effective.

            We all want our churches to grow because our Christian faith is important and we believe that the world will be a much better place with a living and loving relationship between us and God. What Christ and His disciples repeatedly tell us through the New Testament is to share the Gospel and invite other folks to church. If we want our congregations to increase, we have to be willing to ask others to come and worship with us. We need to become eyewitnesses of the Spirit of God moving among us by letting folks know about our faith, about our church, and about our personal commitment to Christ.

Points to ponder

Am I concerned about the numbers of members at my church? Who have I invited this year to come to a worship service? Have I followed up with that invitation?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You inspired Your disciples to go out into the world to share the Gospel and invite others to follow You. Help us in this generation to take up this challenge and give us the desire to ask others to come to our worship services and other church events. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come along and join us for worship at 11:00 AM on Sunday mornings. You will be made very welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Communion drawings called “Come to The Table.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Table.

Earth Day Devotion: Sacred Seeds - Genesis 1:11

Genesis 1:11   Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 

For the first time in years, I’ve planted some seeds in a box and am hoping to grow perennial flowers that I enjoy. The plants are nasturtiums and lupines. They are both different kinds of plants. The nasturtium is a Chinese creeping plant with beautiful orange and yellow flowers. Butterflies are attracted to them and when the Fall comes, they’ll probably be covered in a host of caterpillars. The lupines are tall plants which attract honey bees. They are usually white, pink, and lavender blue. If they grow successfully, they will constantly re-seed and eventually cover a large area of my front garden.

I need to look after the seedlings in order to give them a strong chance of growing and developing into mature plants. If I neglect to water them or if a late frost gets to them, they will soon die. Every day I keep an eye on them and so far I am delighted with their progress. Hopefully, I will be able to plant them outside in a month’s time and watch them bloom all summer long.

I am constantly amazed at Creation. God’s imagination, artistry, and skill are all around me and I feel both humbled and privileged to enjoy the wonders of His natural works. I like to think that when God first created plants, flowers, and trees on this planet, He not only saw that they were good but that He was absolutely delighted and thrilled with His own work.

Within each of us, God plants seeds of faith that have the potential to bear fruit and multiply through the sharing of our beliefs, the worshipping of Christ, and our participation in His ministry in our own communities and throughout the world. God’s work never stops growing because He is actively involved in the Church’s mission. Our task is to discover where our faith can best be used to bear fruit and where our Christian beliefs can blossom among the people we love, work with, and encounter.

Question for Personal reflection

Where does my faith in Christ produce the most fruit for the future?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, thank You for creating the Church in the world and for allowing us to be participants in Your mission. Help us to rely upon You to guide our thoughts, ways, and deeds so that we may produce fruitful works that glorify You and attract other people to Your Kingdom. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor at Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. if you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org. John is always delighted to read your comments and to receive feedback.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest drawings called “Smoky Mountain Sunset.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click the following link: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5330/6926536366_3bd793f073_b.jpg

John’s drawings can also be found on his art website which you can view at www.stushieart.com.

If Starbucks Marketed Like Church

4 Minute Devotions: One Church

I have ministered to churches in Scotland and the United States. What would happen if we all became one congregation?

2 Corinthians 7:4 I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.

I have been fortunate to serve three great congregations. I know of other pastors who have not enjoyed even serving one church successfully. I sometimes wish that I could merge all three – Maybole West, Fisherton, and Erin into one large congregation – a mixture of Scottish ingenuity and American innovation. It would be a wonderful witness to the world and a great encourager of faith to the Scots-American community.

Both time and tide separate all three of us from doing this, so the faithful individuals in each Presbyterian community – Maybole, Dunure, and Knoxville – have to carry on the work of the Lord alone. Then I start to read some of Paul’s letters to faraway churches that he had served, and I suddenly realize that the bridges of faith remain connected despite the distance and time difference.

Through these devotionals, I get the opportunity to minister with people of many congregations. I take great pride in the faithfulness of those who read these messages and pass them on to relatives, friends, and other church members. Our joy together, through the internet, knows no bounds or geographical limits. Even my youngest daughter in Tabora, Tanzania is part of our cyberspace fellowship!

I guess what I’m trying to say is this: we are all serving the Lord in His Church and that together we fulfill what’s called the communion of saints in the Apostles’ Creed. I have every confidence that the work we are doing for Him – in Scotland, USA, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Tanzania or wherever – both glorifies and pleases Christ. One day, we will all be together in heaven; at the moment, we are scattered because the Lord needs us to faithfully witness to our own communities. It’s His special way of getting His holy work done.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we live in different communities and yet we belong to One Church. We face different situations, but we share One Faith. Toda,y we pray for one another and ask that You will bless the congregations that we each serve. They are full of good and faithful people; they have the potential to fulfill wonderful and great things for You. Bless us all as one Family of Faith, serving One Lord forevermore. In Your Holy Name, we joyfully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today's message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Only In America: Georgia Church Holds $500 Gas Card Raffle for Visitors

SNELLVILLE, Ga. - Praise the Lord and pass the petrol.

The First Baptist Church in Snellville, Ga., is fuelling its membership drive with a sign in front of its sprawling campus proclaiming "Free Gasoline."

There's a catch, of course. The offer is a not a giveaway.

By Greg Bluestein, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Instead, each time newcomers or members attend a church event during a Sunday-to-Wednesday revival they get a pink raffle ticket for a chance to win one of two $500 gas cards.

The church boasts a congregation of about 9,000, but church officials say only about 2,500 regularly attend Sunday services.

"We don't know how far it will go with these soaring (gasoline) prices," said Rusty Newman, the church's senior pastor. "But (winning) it may make someone's night."

The church, like others, has long relied on special dinners and giveaways to draw in members, but elders wanted something a little more timely.

They set up a sign advertising the offer outside the church's parking lot on a busy road near downtown Snellville, a traffic-clogged suburb northeast of Atlanta.

Read the rest of the story here…

Erin Church Growth Ideas: The Coffee Club

Years ago, when I ministered in Maybole, Scotland, I set up a weekly Bible study at the church and called it “The Coffee Club.” It started with about ten people and we gathered in the church hall. We sang some hymns, shared some prayers, and discussed different passages from the Bible. It was a wonderful group and as the years passed, it grew in size, faith, and fellowship.

Podcast version here

Isaiah 2:3 Many peoples will come and say,” Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.”

Recently, I’ve wanted to get back to some basic Bible teaching, so I have decided to establish a similar group over here in Knoxville, Tennessee. Like the Maybole group, we’re going to meet on Wednesday mornings, have coffee and discuss a chapter of the Bible each week. It will be similar to the Maybole Club, but with the new technology that is available, the club will be extended in several ways.

First of all, there will be a Coffee Club extra held on Wednesday nights for those who can’t make it in the mornings. Secondly, home study material will be made available to everyone on Sunday mornings, that way if they can’t be at the Wednesday meetings, they can study at home.

Thirdly, the study material will be available online via email – which means that anyone, anywhere in the world, can sign up for the studies, just by sending me an email at pastor@erinpresbyterian.org

These are exciting times for the ministry of the church, both here at Erin and throughout the world. We begin a 17 week session with the Gospel of Mark, starting next Wednesday. I’m looking forward to this new journey of faith.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the stories about Your life that are contained in the Bible. Thank You for the words of encouragement and inspiring events that mean so much to us even today. Help all of us to make and take time to study Your ways, works, and words. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Church Growth Ideas: On Eldership

Churches rise and fall upon the leadership that their elders give. Helping new elders understand about the commitment that they are making.

Podcast version here

“Eldership is an eternal office.” That’s how I usually begin the training classes for our new elders each year. It makes the candidates aware that by accepting to become elders in the local church, they are also taking on a recognized heavenly post. They are being ordained into something that is greater than life itself, and if they accept this Christian commission, then they need to know it’s for eternity.

Revelation 4:10,11a “the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God.””

Elders are the backbone of any Presbyterian Church. Ministers come and go, but elders normally attach themselves to the same congregation for most of their lives. Their commitment to the well-being of the church members, along with their Christian example, sets the standards and builds the strength of a particular church. If elders truly work as a team together, then there is nothing that they cannot face or overcome. The life and growth of a congregation rises and falls upon the leadership that elders give.

Each year, our church welcomes a new batch of people into eldership. For me, it’s one of the most humbling and exciting times of the year. Each elder-elect brings with her and him a multitude of gifts and experiences that can be beneficial to the work and ministries of the church. Watching them grow, seeing them adapt, and partnering with them in leadership are amongst the highest blessings that any minister of a congregation can experience. It is greatly satisfying to know that an elder has given three distinct and diligent years of service to the church. It is also wonderful to see that the ministries under their supervision and care have grown and deepened the faith of the entire church.

Perhaps your church is also in the midst of electing, appointing, ordaining and installing new elders. Pray for them each day. Welcome them into your hearts and homes. Encourage them to give of their best and support them in performing their duties. By doing these things, you will also bring growth to your church and deepen the loyalty of your congregation.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, throughout the nation, new elders are being ordained and installed in their congregations. Bless them for accepting such a noble commitment and enable them to build upon their gifts, so that their churches and congregations may be renewed and enhanced. Let them also advance the work of Your Kingdom in their communities and personally deepen their own faith to You. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Church Growth Ideas: What God Wants, He Gets

Using Hebrews 13:20-21 as a key text for developing a church mission statement. Helping the congregation to depend upon God to equip them with everything good for accomplishing His will.

Podcast version here

Hebrews 13:20,21 May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.


Our wee church is trying to work out a mission statement for the coming years. Our elders, who are the spiritual leaders in our congregation, are wrestling with decisions that will affect the long term mission and effectiveness of Erin church in the community. It’s not an easy task and a lot of prayer, preparation and pondering will have to be experienced before we can present an overall plan to the congregation.

Like most churches of our age, we are committing a lot of our resources to the upkeep and renovating of the building. The present sanctuary will be 55 years old in 2010 and whilst that is not old in European terms, the extremities of the American weather mean that the church ages a lot faster. I’d like us to be able to completely modernize the whole building in one stage, but I know that just isn’t possible. Unless we have a hidden multi-millionaire in the congregation, it’s going to take us several years to complete the job.

In the meantime, we’ve ministries and missions to undertake, support, and accomplish. That’s where we rely upon God as a congregation, just as the Hebrew Christians did in Paul’s time. As long as we are willing to continue doing the work that is pleasing to God, then He will equip us with everything good for accomplishing His will.

I guess that’s how we’ll eventually come up with a strong mission statement that will reflect what God wants. Currently, we‘re talking about being a church that equips its members to make an impact for Christ in the community. If this is God’s will and we are faithful to this mission, then He will ensure that we have everything we will need to complete that task. And that’s what makes this phase of the church’s life exciting to me – we’re becoming a church that utterly depends upon God’s favor, and not upon our own strength, power, or esteem.

Perhaps you’re in a church that is facing financial difficulties or wrestling with its identity. Maybe you’re hesitant about what lies ahead and don’t know where to begin turning things around. I’d start with the promises of God that are found in these two verses from Hebrews and lay the foundation of future ministries and missions at your church upon these words: “May the God of peace…equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him.”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we want to be effective witnesses and productive churches for You, so that Your Kingdom may expand in our community. We worry about stuff like money and staff, bills and salaries. Help us to rely upon Your Father to grant us every good thing to accomplish His work. Engage our people in yielding to the Spirit and seeking God’s will. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor at Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Erin Church Sunday Sermon: Where Do we Grow from here?

Where Do We Grow from Here?

Ephesians 6:24 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

We have come to the end of a five month journey that we began way back in June. At that time, I told you that we were on a mission to find a new path, a new direction for our church. In my heart, I felt that God was beginning to move us as a church to start thinking about how we could make an impact for Christ in our community.

When I was pondering over what our church should do, I felt led by the Spirit to take us through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians because they were also a church that knew the Lord, but needed to be pointed in the right direction. Today we complete our journey and I hope and pray that this has been something that has drawn all of us closer to Christ and ready for whatever he is asking us to do as a Presbyterian church in this part of Knoxville.

As Paul finishes his letter, he reminds the good folks at Ephesus that he is a prisoner for Christ. He is held captive, whilst the Ephesians are free. He is under house arrest or perhaps in jail. The Ephesians Christians still walk about in their own community, free to serve the Lord, free to worship together, free to do their own thing.

So apostle signs off with these beautiful words of faith: ‘Grace to all who love our lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.’ Paul is doing two things here: he’s finishing his letter with words of encouragement, prayer, and peace. He wants the Ephesian congregation to feel good about their faith, and to be strengthened by his positive words. But Paul is also doing something which is very important: when he gives the blessing to those who love Jesus with an undying love, he’s actually passing the torch of faith to the next generation.

We did something similar this morning when we recognized our young worship graduates. We showed them how pleased we were with their work and asked God to bless them as they graduate into worshipping with us throughout the service. As well thanking them for the work that they and their teachers have done, we were also setting them off on anew voyage of discovery where faith is more than Sunday School classes and Enrichment times – it’s a lifestyle choice of worshipping God and praising Christ. So, in effect were saying to these our precious young people – Grace to you who love the Lord with an undying love. In other words, become the torchbearers of faith for your generation.

Throughout the summer, I’ve talked about what previous generations of Erinites have done for God and Christ’s Kingdom and how their perseverance, sense of duty, and loyalty to Jesus has given us this church that we worship in today. It’s now our turn to continue that 130 year journey of faith and lead our church into its 14th decade. It’s our privilege to be a crossroads generation where the decisions we take and the sacrifices we make are going to enhance, expand, and increase Christ’s work in this community. The love that Erin Church has for Christ is an undying love, and one that we should all be rightly proud of undertaking, achieving, and accomplishing.


Revelation 2:4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.

The story of the church at Ephesus does not end with Paul’s letter. It continues for many centuries producing some of the greatest teachers and leaders that the church has known. Paul’s protégé Timothy, to whom Paul writes two very personal letters becomes the bishop of Ephesus. And John the Apostle, the youngest of Christ’s disciples, lives in Ephesus with Christ’s mother, Mary, where both of them die and were buried.

But there comes a time in the church’s life when their faith began to cool and their passionate allegiance to the Gospel started to dissipate. When John writes the Book of Revelation, he lists the church of Ephesus as one of the seven stars held in Christ’s hand. The church is applauded for its perseverance, but it has one fatal flaw: the congregation has forgotten its first love.

Remember, Paul talked about Ephesus having a undying love for Christ, and yet about 25 years later, in John the Apostle’s vision, Christ accuses it of having lost that love. Churches go through cycles of being passionate for Christ and then they become comfortable and cozy, institutionalized and indifferent. Congregations can rest on the laurels of the past and individual Christians can coast along with their faith until they lose that love of Jesus, which meant so much to them.

Many years ago, when I first became a Christian, I had two friends who were also named John. One of them was an ambitious civil servant, whose zeal for the Lord was wonderful. The other was an electrician who was part of a youth group that used to visit the Gospel Club that both Evelyn and I attended. I was the third member of thee group – a recovering alcoholic who was trying to straighten out his life and make a real commitment to Christ. All three of us gave our hearts to Jesus. Each one of us was zealous for the work of the Lord.

John the civil servant wanted to learn administration skills so that he could one day be the CEO of a religious charity organization. He wanted to serve the Lord in that capacity and make important decisions that would save the lives of thousands of people. John the electrician wanted to have his own business, be happily married, and serve the Lord by using his business to help people who couldn’t afford to pay for his services. As for me, I just wanted to remain sober and to tell others about Jesus.

But as the years sped by, we all lost our love of the Lord. I went to university to become a minister, but found it difficult to keep my simple faith when the theological professors and biblical lecturers tried to tear it apart. They wanted me to believe in their research and study, their conclusions and opinions, their words and ways. There were times when I wanted to give everything up and I felt as though I was in a spiritual wilderness. And then one of the saints in the Divinity faculty, my Old Testament professor, who knew I was struggling told me this: John, it’s not our grasp of God that is important; it is God’s grasp of us that is all important. You don’t need to hold on to God – you just need to let Him hold on to you.”

At the same time, civil servant John was given some great promotions, which eventually led him to becoming a chief advisor to the Prime Minister in Britain. But it cost him his faith. As he climbed the ladder of success, he used his talents to better his life and build up his esteem and renown in the British Civil service. He eventually stopped going to church, believing that he could get along with organized religion and look after his own spirituality in his own way. In other words, he lost his love of Jesus and replaced it with love of self.

And what about John the electrician? I hadn’t seen him for a while and met him at a disco party for someone’s birthday. Yes, I said disco – that shows you how long ago this all took place! I had managed to stop drinking entirely and he was quite agitated by this. In the middle of the celebration, he came up and asked me as strange question: He asked: “And how is your soul? Are you still looking after it?” I didn’t know what to say, because John was drunk. There was a sad expression on his face and emptiness in his eyes.

He worked hard as an electrician, but he married the wrong person. His wife was immature and highly strung. She reminded me of a character in David Copperfield. John couldn’t handle the strain and one dark night he went absolutely crazy, smashed all the windows of his apartment, and jumped off from the ledge of the fourteenth storey to his death. I was in total shock when I heard the news.

Losing our love of Jesus can take us down paths that lead to dead ends and empty lives. John the Apostle was warning the Ephesus Church that they were in danger of losing the reason they were established: to love Christ first and to serve Him faithfully. They were on a ledge of losing everything that Paul had established and of letting go of the Holy Spirit who founded the church. They were at a crossroads of faith. Depending on how they responded to John’s vision of Christ, they would either go onward and upward, or fall backward and downward into death.

Revelation 2:7b To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Thankfully, the Ephesian Church chose the upward path. They corrected their course and rediscovered their first love. They went through a time of revival and three hundred and fifty years later, an important Council of all the churches in Christendom gathered at Ephesus in 451AD to make a decision that Christ was both human and divine, that He was Lord of heaven and earth, and that He was the Son of God and the Savior of the world. They overcame and were given that beautiful blessing of life which God promises to those churches that are faithful to Him and His precious Son.

So, where do we grow from here? Are we ready to rediscover that love of Christ which brought us to church in the first place? Are we prepared to express our undying love to Him and let the community around us see that love through our deeds? Are we set in place to commence a journey of faith and revival that will honor the Erinites of the past and prepare the way for the undying lovers of Christ in the generations to come?

I believe that we are and I know that we can do this. Where do we grow from here…to all the places and people that Christ is leading us. To Him be the glory and power. Amen!

Daily Devotional : Working in Us - letting go and letting God

Hebrews 13:21 (May God) equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (NIV)

Our church has been growing steadily for the past four years. Through God’s blessings, we’ve managed to breathe new life into our congregation and we are beginning to outgrow ourselves. We’re at an awkward stage because of the current transitions that we are experiencing. Change is never easy, even when it comes as a reward from the Lord.

My struggle with this is how to be the leader of the pack and shepherd to the fold at the same time. Wolves and sheep don’t get on very well, so I’m constantly trying to keep ahead of the changes, whilst at the same time helping others to keep up with the transitions. Like the church, I feel as though my own ministry is changing, so I need to develop new skills of leadership, whilst making sure that I don’t neglect the pastoral gifts God has given to me.

Sometimes I lay awake at night worrying about how to complete and accomplish all of the programs and projects that need to be done. Then I come across a verse like today’s chosen text and realize that God is up ahead preparing the way, equipping the church and myself with all that we need, in order to work in us what is pleasing to Him. In other words, God is the leader of this pack and Christ is the true Shepherd of this fold.

Perhaps you’re involved in a ministry or a mission and you’re wondering how to keep it going. Maybe you’re part of a church team, Bible study, or a small group that is looking for direction. Like me, you might be trying too hard to steer the course and supply the remedies to the problems you’re encountering. My advice to you is this: let it go and let God equip you. As I’ve recently discovered, it’s far better to let God do the leading; that way we end up pleasing Him instead of satisfying ourselves.

Prayer: Lord God, thank You for calling us to be Your people and to be part of Your flock. You perfectly know the duties, responsibilities, and tasks that we need to complete this day. Bless us with Your guidance and equip us with all that we need for You to work in us. We want to please You, Lord. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

How the innovative worship style at a local Knoxville church influences other churches throughout the world.

Aaron's Beard

Psalm 133:2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes.

Audio version here

Every week, I write the prayers for our Sunday worship services. This usually takes place on Monday mornings because I like to have them done before anything else takes place during the week. It’s a good discipline for me, because the worship service is the most important congregational event in the weekly life of the church.

Over the years, the order of our worship service has changed. When I came here at first, a lot of the prayers were read and said by me on behalf of the congregation. These days, we have volunteer prayer guides and scripture readers who lead the people in the worship of God. Different people with different voices add to the variety in the service. And with the congregation reading aloud the prayers and scriptures responsively, everyone is involved in the worship. Our services are no longer spectator events; they have become participatory times of worship that helps everyone connect to God and one another.

But what’s all of this to do with Aaron’s Beard? Well, after I write the prayers and have given them to Leslie, our church administrator, I upload them to a weekly blogsite called “Aaron’s Beard.” (http://www.beardofaaron.blogspot.com/) Pastors and congregations from different places use these prayers in their own Sunday services, or perhaps read them to help them write their own worship prayers. In this week alone, church people from Toronto, Canada; Chesapeake, Virginia; Kilgore, Texas; Wilder, Idaho; London, United Kingdom; Kuching, Malaysia; Danbury, Wisconsin; Huntington Beach, California; and New Haven, Connecticut have all downloaded the weekly prayers. What began as a means of getting more people involved at Erin Presbyterian Church has become a way of helping other people worship in different states and countries throughout the world.

God’s ways are mysterious and His words are tremendous. He uses our gifts and makes positive differences in other people’s lives, even people that we do not know. Glory to God!

Prayer: Lord God, thank You for the gift of worship and for the variety of ways that people throughout the world praise Your Name. Bless our churches this Sunday with Your Holy presence and call new people to our sanctuaries, so that we may fellowship and worship with them. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.