Worship in the Church of the Nazarene in Africa .... How would you like to sit for two hours on these seats? Note the data projector, pipe organ, baptism font and PA system.


Richard Zanner as guest speaker in the Sunday worship service. Note how everyone has squeezed onto the seats. If you come late, you get the floor space.



Lighting's not a problem .... it comes through the roof.

Sing your theology

Sing your theology:

1. What does “sing your theology” look like laid out on the table?

2. How can we sing theology if we don’t know which theology to sing?

3. Do Nazarene/ Wesleyan pastors even preach correct theology from the pulpit; do we even practice/ teach our theology?

4. What defines acceptable theology for today’s worship songs; is hymns of the past reconcilable in today’s congregation?

5. What is the response coming from the teenagers today in regards to hymns?

6. Are the Nazarene and Wesley churches listening to the teenagers or dictating apologetics and dogma which we pedal as accurate theology; if so which theology is accurate theology?

7. What does the theology look like in Charles Wesley hymns; does it match today’s Nazarene theology?

8. Like the commentaries of the 16^th century are the hymns of the 17^th and 18^th centuries outmoded in thought and revelation seeing as more recent theologians has revealed clearer understanding of the bible, e.g. mid 18^th century “penal substitution”. What is the ramification if any in the light of modernism and post-modernism?

9. Is there room to alter music style adapting “sound theology and modern sounds”?

10. How far do you take “sing your theology” before it becomes rigid or unplayable; worse what if the “sing your theology” becomes so important that you throw the proverbial baby out with the bath water?

11. Is “blended services” merely watering down theology, or is it a “watering shed” for theology?

12. Should there be allowance for “old ye English” in today’s services or is modern translation agreeable?

13. How then do we package theology in today’s musical, cultural, generational gap that is so evidently present in today’s churches?

14. Who arbitrates what Nazarene/ Wesleyan theology is most to least important when deliberating which song is theologically acceptable to sing?

15. If “sing your theology” is to be exhorted; what then are the guidelines/ recommendations for this and what place if any is there for so called less theological sound hymns and choruses?

What of these questions; I would appreciate some constructive feedback. It is imperitive that I nail down this issue before I graduate....the sooner the better....I seriously want what's best for the Nazarene church but greatly/ equally important is what is needed for the young people in our neighbourhood. Any suggestions?

Designing Churches

Last week in class we mentioned a little bit about the design of churches.

Well, after looking around a bit I have found one that I like and thought I'd throw it up on here to see what people think.

This is the inside of Northside Church of the Nazarene, located in Fort Worth, Texas.

Some of the things I like about this building are the placement of the screens (and the fact that there are 2 of them!) as well as the centrality of the altar that still allows other things to be on stage. It looks to me like the pulpit is on the right hand side, but if I was in charge I'd get rid of it and set up a smaller one behind the altar a little bit.

I think it looks a little bit messy without any people in the choir seats, but if people were sitting there it'd look good.

Your thoughts?

Welcome to Issues in Christian Worship

This blogg is for the purpose of class members at NTC to share ideas, resources and suggestions. If you discover something in your research and would like to "fly a kite" to get reaction from classmates, here is the place to do it. perhaps you have come across a "deadend" in your research and need to ask for suggestions. Give it a go and see whetehr this can become a significant help as we journey through this class.