Live Discussions with the Author
The purpose of IWS webinars is to provide ongoing education, worship resources, and inspiration for worship planners and leaders. Each event features the author of a recently published book followed by a discussion based on questions asked by the attendees.
All webinars are scheduled for Saturdays, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Eastern via Microsoft Teams.
Here is an overview of our 2022 Webinars. WATCH FOR REGISTRATION INFORMATION!
February 19: Lester Ruth
Flow: The Ancient Way to Do Contemporary Worship
With Adam Perez and Jonathan Ottaway
Is there a way to do the prescribed or suggested orders of worship from denominational worship resources in a way that feels legitimately and authentically contemporary? This practical, how-to book will help churches plan and implement passionate and invigorating worship. Lester Ruth and his contributors break down the process of re-thinking the order of worship so pastors and worship leaders can plan and lead a service of Word and Table that feels genuinely relevant and attuned to the congregation’s culture. This book addresses how contemporary worship can be done while honoring tradition.
March 12: Gerald Borchert
Tension: Empowering Christian Thought and Life
Gerald Borchert wrestles with the many ways in which Christians experience tension both in the church and in real life. The very nature of choice is a source of tension, and all of us are confronted daily with choices that can have a significant impact. Borchert’s goal is to encourage the reader to think about tension as an instructive force that makes us look at both sides of an issue and learn to deal with the uncomfortable feeling that our current perspective might need to change.
April 2: Constance Cherry
The Worship Architect: A Blueprint for Designing Culturally Relevant and Biblically Faithful Services, 2nd Edition
Constance Cherry provides worship leaders with credible blueprint plans for successfully designing worship services that foster meaningful conversation with God and the gathered community. More than 150 colleges and seminaries have used or currently use the first edition as a required text. In this new edition, each chapter has been substantially updated and revised, including illustrations, key terms, examples, technological references, and suggested resources for further reading. A new chapter on global worship and a new appendix on live-streamed worship are included.
May 21: Lester Ruth and Lim Swee Hong
A History of Contemporary Praise and Worship: Understanding the Ideas that Reshaped the Protestant Church
Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, this book offers the first comprehensive history of contemporary praise & worship. The authors provide insight into where this phenomenon began and how it reshaped the Protestant church. They also emphasize the span of denominational, regional, and ethnic expressions of contemporary worship, taking into account the liturgical dynamics involved it its emergence and the dynamics that led to its growth. The authors show that contemporary praise & worship came about through theological reflection on the Bible, not merely as the result of cultural impulses.