Page CXVI is a project started with the idea of making hymns accessible and known again. They are some of the richest, most meaningful, and moving pieces of music ever written.

One of the best things that has happened alongside the recent resurgence of Reformed theology has been a renewed interest in hymnody. Whether it’s an old classic by Isaac Watts or Charles Wesley or a more recent one by Keith and Kristen Getty, hymns have a simple majesty that proudly praises our God and King. I grew up singing hymns in church and listening to them at home. They have had an immeasurable impact on my faith and my life. To this day, singing many of them brings tears of joy and delight to my eyes and I can’t wait to pass along this love to Malachi. Page CXVI has created two Hymns albums that are available for free download at www.pagecxvi.com/share. Download, listen, be edified, and share them.

twice a month your children get together with kids from other classes and take part in a mini-service modeled after the Big Church, with songs and liturgy and prayer and all. The idea is to introduce the kids to a typical Sojourn worship service so they’re ready when they leave the Sojourn Kids program, and also to get them thinking about how good and glorious and beautiful and true God and His gospel are.

Here are examples of their Kids Music Liturgy.

January 2010

This morning’s lesson is about God’s Amazing Grace! What is God’s grace? God’s grace is kindness and favor that you and I don’t deserve. Let’s repeat that again together: God’s grace is kindness and favor that you and I don’t deserve. Our first song is a Bible memory verse. So we are going to memorize a Bible verse by singing it. Some of you may remember it. The “address” is Ephesians 2:8 and 9.

Let’s say the verse together. Please repeat after me:

For by grace you have been saved through faith
and that not of yourselves
it is the gift of God
not as a result of works
that no one should boast
Ephesians 2:8 and 9

This verse is saying that we can be saved from God’s punishment by faith in Jesus. We cannot earn or work for God’s forgiveness– His forgiveness is a free gift to us when we trust in Him. And because it’s a free gift– we can’t brag about it– because we have done nothing to deserve it. Let’s sing this verse together.

I. “Ephesians 2:8-9,” words from NASB translation  © 1995 The Lockman Foundation. Music by Mark Altrogge on Hide the Word 1 © Forever Grateful Music.

Let’s pretend that you have been very mean to your brother. And your Daddy comes to you and says, “Because you have been mean to your brother, you have to sit in time-out. Plus, you can’t go to a Birthday party that has cake and presents for everybody.” You would feel sad, but you would deserve the punishment that your Dad has given you. Then, your brother, the one you were mean to, comes and says, “Daddy, I’ll sit in time-out and I’ll miss the birthday party so that he/she can go.” Now, your brother doesn’t deserve the punishment, but he is showing you GRACE. Grace is kindness and favor that you don’t deserve.

This story is not true. But Jesus is true. How much more amazing is God’s grace in Jesus! We have sinned against God and we deserve to be punished. Perfect Jesus who never did any thing wrong took our punishment for all of our sins when He died on the cross. That’s amazing grace! Let’s sing to God about His amazing grace!

2. “Amazing Grace,” words by John Newton, 1779. Music: NEW BRITAIN, in Virginia Harmony, by James P. Carrell and David S. Clayton, 1831.

Let’s learn another new song about God’s amazing grace, His undeserved kindness. This is a song called “You show me kindness.”

3. “You Show Me Kindness,” words and music by Peter Gagnon and Bob Kauflin ©2009 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP)/Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI). Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Ministries. From To Be Like Jesus.

Jesus is a mighty, mighty Savior! He can save us from the punishment of our sins. Let’s sing to our mighty Savior!

4. “Mighty Mighty Savior,” words and music by Mark Altrogge. © Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI). Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Ministries. From Awesome God.

We are going to pray. Fold your hands and be still and talk to God. Let’s pray to God.

Jesus, your grace is amazing! You have not treated us as we deserve. You have not punished us like we should be punished. You took our consequences and punishment on the cross. Thank you! We want to believe in you and turn to you to forgive us for our sins. We want to love you more each day. Help us to forgive each other like you forgive us. Amen.

5. “God’s love goes on forever,” words and music by Chandi Plummer, © 2009 Chandi Plummer/Sojourn Music.

February 2010

What do we celebrate in February? (Allow children to answer.)  That’s right, we celebrate Valentine’s Day!  Valentine’s Day is a chance to make or send cards to tell others that you love and appreciate them. It’s fun to get cards in the mail.  Did you know that God has sent you a “love letter”?  What is God’s love letter to you? (Allow children to answer.) The Bible! What is the Bible? The Bible is God’s written word.

Who wrote the Bible? (Teach the children this answer exactly. It is from their children’s catechism.  Have them repeat it after you.) “Holy men who were taught by the Holy Spirit.” You know we think about sending love letters and telling people we love them SOME times, but God thinks about you and loves you ALL the time. His love is the BIGGEST LOVE in the universe. Even while you were sleeping last night, God was loving you and thinking about you all night long.  We are going to sing some songs this morning about God’s HUGE love for us.  Let’s (STAND UP and) sing a love song to God!

1. “Your Love,” words and music by Bob Kauflin, © 2004 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI). Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Ministries. FromAwesome God.

Who loves you the most in the world?  You might instantly think of your Mommy or Daddy, because they do love you so much.  But God loves you even more than your parents. God made your parents, so their love is His gift to you too.  Even though others let us down, God’s love is completely pure and never fails.  How has God shown us that He loves us? (Allow children to answer.) God has shown us that He loves us in JESUS. God has shown us his love in that while we were still sinners, He sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. God loves us so much that He sent Jesus Christ to take the punishment for our sin. We are going to sing this truth as a Bible memory verse.

2. “Romans 5:8,” words from NIV translation, © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. Music by Mark Altrogge, © 2004 Forever Grateful Music. From Hide The Word 2.

Jesus told stories to teach us something. One time Jesus told this story. There was a shepherd who had 100 sheep. That’s a lot of sheep! He was counting them and realized one was missing. Does anybody know what the shepherd did? He left the 99 and went looking for the one missing sheep until he found it. What was Jesus teaching us? That we are like little sheep and God loves each and every one of us. You are like the missing 100th sheep. You are special to God and He wants you to come to Him and be close to Him. Let’s come to God this morning and sing about His Love.

3. “You Are Always With Me,” words and music by Mark Altrogge, © 2004 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI). Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Ministries. From Awesome God.

The Bible says in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (NIV). The greatest love is laying down your life for someone else. That means to die for someone. Jesus has the greatest love because He died for our sins. We do not naturally love Jesus. Jesus first loved us. We do not love others like Jesus. We need Jesus to change us to love Him and to love others. We are going to sing about loving Jesus in our next song.

4. “Because You First Loved Me,” words and music by Doug Plank, © 2009 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAPI). Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Ministries. From To Be Like Jesus.

We are going to pray. Fold your hands and be still and talk to God. Let’s pray.  “Jesus, you are wonderful! You’re love is amazing! We want to love you too. Help us to love each other like you love us. Thank you for coming to earth to save us from our sins! In Jesus name we pray. Amen.”

5. “God’s Love Goes On Forever,” words and music by Chandi Plummer, © 2009 Chandi Plummer/Sojourn Music.

March 2010 (St. Patrick’s Day)

Does anybody know what fun day is coming up this month? I’ll give you a hint– you get pinched if you don’t wear green on this day. (Allow children to answer.) It’s St. Patrick’s Day! Do you know who Patrick was?  Patrick was a real REAL (emphasize real — “this was a real story that happened a very long time ago”) little boy who has an amazing story! Patrick grew up about 1500 years ago in Britain. His parents were Christians, and he grew up learning about Jesus. But one day people invaded his town and kidnapped Patrick! They took him away to their own country, Ireland, and made him a slave! He was a shepherd for six years, until God led him to a boat that took him back home.

But the story doesn’t end there. When Patrick grew up, he had a dream that the people who kidnapped him were begging for his help. He could have been angry at them for what they did, but instead Patrick became a missionary, and moved to Ireland to tell the people there about Jesus!

Just like God was with Patrick even when he was scared, God is always with us and watching over us no matter what’s going on. Let’s STAND UP and sing “You Are Always With Me!”

1. “You Are Always With Me,” words and music by Mark Altrogge, © 2004 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI). Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Ministries. From Awesome God

Every day that Patrick was in Ireland working as a shepherd for the people who kidnapped him, he prayed to God. Patrick didn’t forget about God when he had a big problem. But even more importantly, God didn’t forget about Patrick! When you have a big problem, or when you feel sad, remember that God answers our prayers when we ask Him for help. He cares about our problems and He loves to help us!

We’re going to sing a new song today. It comes from Psalm 55:22.
(Take some time to go through the words and motions with the kids. There aren’t too many words to it.)
Cast your cares on the Lord, and He will sustain you
He will sustain you
He will never never never let the righteous fall
Let the righteous fall, no-o

2. “Cast Your Cares (Psalm 55:22),” words from New International Version ©  1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Music by Seeds Family Worship. From The Power of Encouragement.

God saved Patrick. God rescued him by getting him on the boat that took him back to his family. But God also saved Patrick in a bigger way: He sent Jesus to die on the cross, so that Patrick’s sins could be forgiven! When Patrick placed his faith in Jesus, He was rescued from the punishment of sin. He was saved from eternal death in hell. Jesus died to take away our sins. Let’s sing to Jesus and thank Him for loving us like that.

3. “Jesus Came To Earth,” by Solomon Campbell, Dave Campbell, and Bob Kauflin © 2004 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP) and Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI). Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Ministries. From Awesome God.

Jesus said, “Love your enemies.” When we hear the word “enemy,” we might think of some supervillain or bad guy in a cartoon or movie. But Jesus is saying we should love everyone, even when they are being unfair, or mean, or not doing what we want them to do. We naturally love our good friends, but we need God’s help to love our enemies. Patrick loved the people who kidnapped him! Jesus loved His enemies by dying on the cross for them. Let’s sing together and ask God to help us love everyone like He loves us.

4. “You Show Me Kindness,” by Peter Gagnon and Bob Kauflin © 2009 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP)/Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI). Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Ministries. From To Be Like Jesus.

We are going to pray. What is prayer? (Allow kids to respond.) Prayer is talking to God.  Let’s be still and talk to God. Let’s pray.

“God, thank You so much for taking good care of us. Thank you for sending Jesus to die for us. Help us to remember You every day, to love everyone and to tell them about Jesus. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”

Patrick told people that Jesus died on the cross. Now let’s go and tell our family and friends about what God has done for us in Jesus! Let’s tell them that they can be forgiven because Jesus died to take away sins!

5. “Go (Matthew 28:19),” words from New International Version ©  1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Music by Seeds Family Worship. From The Power of Encouragement.

March 2010 (Palm Sunday)

This Sunday is Palm Sunday.  Most classes are studying the Jesus’ Triumphal Entry (Luke 19:28-40) or Jesus’ Death (Matthew 26-27; Luke 22:63-23:56).  Each class will keep in mind the day’s main theme—that Jesus is God’s King, sent to deliver his people from sin and death. Here is the cool part!  Each child will receive a palm branch to take home after the service.  And some classes (ages 4-grade 2) will be led in a “Hosanna” parade into the adult worship gathering.  Kids will run down the aisles shouting Hosanna then gather at the front of the auditorium to help in singing this song with the gathered community!  Then, they’ll gather upstairs with the entire children’s ministry for the following liturgy:

Leader 1: Welcome to Sojourn Kid’s Worship. This morning we are going to worship the Lord together as we celebrate Palm Sunday. Why is today called Palm Sunday? (Pause for answers.) More than 2000 years ago Jesus was greeted by crowds of people who were happy to see him coming into the city of Jerusalem. To show Jesus they were glad to see him, they waved palm branches in his honor and shouted praise to him. Listen as I read this story from the Bible, it’s from the book of John chapter 12 verses 12 to 14. Listen as I read God’s word:

¹²The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. ¹³They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the King of Israel!”

The crowd shouted “Hosanna” to Jesus. Hosanna means

“Praise the God who saves!” Let’s sing to Jesus and wave our arms to Him singing “Hosanna!”

Hosanna in the Highest (Palm Sunday edition), Words & Music by Jeremy Quillo (c) 2010 Sojourn Music

Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest, In the highest.
Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest, In the highest.

Look! The Lord is drawing near!
Let the children shout and sing!
Tell the world that Life is here,
Jesus Christ, our God, our King!

Leader 2—read this portion with excitement:

We’re going to praise God by saying “HALLELUJAH!” Hallelujah means “Praise the Lord!” I will say something that is true about God and you will repeat after me: “HALLELUJAH! PRAISE THE LORD!” Listen to what I say and then respond with “HALLELUJAH!”

Leader 2: Jesus is God! Jesus is Lord!

Children: HALLELUJAH!

Leader 2: Jesus suffered and died on the cross for my sins!

Children: HALLELUJAH!

Leader 2: Jesus was in the tomb. He was dead in the grave for three days! Death could NOT keep Him dead!

Children: HALLELUJAH!

Leader 2: Jesus is alive! Jesus is risen! He rose from the dead!

Children: HALLELUJAH!

Leader 2: Jesus is the champion. Jesus is victorious. He is the winner!

Children: HALLELUJAH!

Leader 2: Now stand up and let’s shout: “JESUS IS ALIVE!”(Repeat several times. Optional: have children jump while chanting “Jesus is alive!”)

2. “Jesus Came To Earth,” by Solomon Campbell, Dave Campbell, and Bob Kauflin © 2004 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP) and Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI). Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Ministries. FromAwesome God.

Leader 3: Romans 5:8 says: “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”  So how has God shown us He loves us? (Answer: While we were still sinners Christ died for us.) Yes! Let’s sing this verse together and remember that Christ died for us!

3. “Romans 5:8 (NIV) Scripture Memory Song,” Music by Mark Altrogge, As Recored on “A Ransom For Many,” Hide The Word, Volume 2  © Forever Grateful Music

Intro to the next song involves saying the lyrics and doing the hand-motions:

(Raise arms and hands in praise and then cross arms over heart to say “love.”)

Leader 1: Holy God, in love, be – came

(Place fists on hips to stand like a man)

Perfect Man to bear my blame

(Stretch arms out to sides to look like cross.)

On the cross He took my sin

(Raise arms above head in praise.)

By His death I live again

These are the words and the lyrics for the next song we will sing to the Lord. Let’s sing to God together.

4.  The Gospel Song, Words and music by Drew Jones and Bob Kauflin, As recorded on Awesome God, (c) 2002 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI)

This song is less familiar to the children. Please sing it several times to teach it to them. Feel free to make the tempo a little quicker if that works better.

Leader 2: It is a gift to be able to pray to God. Let’s fold our hands quietly, close our eyes, and talk inside our hearts to God. God sees in our hearts and He hears us:

“Jesus, you deserve our praise! But Lord we are often like the crowds, quick to praise you and then to turn away from you. You died on the cross for our sins. Thank You, Jesus. We want to love you and follow you always. Amen.”

5. “Low in the Grave He Lay,” Words and Music by Robert Lowry (1826-1899)

Jazz up this traditional hymn. Sing the verses very slowly and quietly. Then play the chorus “Up from the grave” with increased excitement moving the tempo faster and faster. For the motions: have the kids down on the floor crouched down singing the verses “Low in the grave He lay. . .” Then stand up slowly on “Up from the grave He arose. . .” You can jump up and down for the chorus and/or sing with your arms stretched upward for the final “He arose. . .” section.

April 2010 (Easter)

Singers introduce themselves.

Singer 1: This month we celebrate Easter!  Why do we celebrate Easter?  What is Easter?  Allow children to answer: Jesus died on the cross.  Jesus died for my sins.   Jesus is risen from the dead.  Fill in any part left out and encourage right answers. Gently correct wrong answers.  Let’s start this morning by remembering the Easter story and saying, “HALLELUIA!”

Call and Response:
Singer 2: Hallelujah means, “Praise the Lord!” Say, “HALLELUIA!” (HALLELUIA)
Now say, “PRAISE THE LORD!”  Listen to what I say and when I pause say, “HALLELUIA!”
Leader: Jesus is God! Jesus is Lord!
Children: HALLELUIA!
Leader: Jesus suffered and died on the cross for my sins!
Children: HALLELUIA!
Leader: Jesus was dead! But death could NOT keep Jesus!
Children: HALLELUIA!
Leader: Now Jesus is alive! Jesus is risen! He rose from the dead!
Children: HALLELUIA!
Leader: Jesus is the champion! Jesus is victorious! He is the winner!
Children: HALLELUIA!
Leader: Now stand up and let’s shout, “JESUS IS ALIVE!” (“JESUS IS ALIVE!”) Repeat several times.
Have children jump up and down chanting, “Jesus is alive!”

1. “The Cross Is Not The End,” Words and Music by Bill & Courtney Bell.  © 2009 Bill & Courtney Bell/ Sojourn Music

Singer 2:
We are going to sing a song to help us memorize a Bible verse, Romans 5:8. “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”  So how has God shown us He loves us? (Answer: While we were still sinners Christ died for us.) Yes! “God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Let’s sing this together!

2. “Romans 5:8 (NIV) Scripture Memory Song,” Music by Mark Altrogge, As Recored on “A Ransom For Many,” Hide The Word, Volume 2  © Forever Grateful Music

Guitarist: Jesus is risen! (Have kids answer again: ALLELUIA!) JESUS IS RISEN! (Have kids answer again: ALLELUIA!)
Singer 2: Let’s pray! Let’s fold our hands quietly, close our eyes, and talk inside our hearts to God. God sees in our hearts and He hears us:  Jesus, You are the winner! Death did not win! You died on the cross for our sin. Thank You, Jesus. Jesus we want to love you and follow you all of our lives. Amen.”

3. “Low in the Grave He Lay,” Words and Music by Robert Lowry (1826-1899)
(Traditional Hymn… but jazz up the refrain! Sing verses slow. Jazz up and sing the chorus VERY LIVELY! Make sure the kids do the motions.  Have the kids down on the floor crouched down singing the verses, then stand up and jump up and down for the chorus, “Up from the grave He arose…” You may need to help teach them the song a bit the first time as they probably won’t know it. Then add in the motions. If they seem too bored, just do it all together and repeat as needed to learn it.)

4.  “His Love Will Last Forever,” Words and Music by Chandi Plummer  © 2009 Chandi Plummer/Sojourn Music
Rock it out!

What is a service review?

Service review takes place as a round table discussion with one primary facilitator to evaluate the public gatherings for that Lord’s Day.  For our church, it works best to have this time 15 minutes after our evening service with duration of forty five minutes – one hour.  There are two main benefits:  First, everyone is already at church to meet before going home for the day.  Second, the gatherings for that Lord’s Day are fresh on everyone’s minds and hearts, which produce a more engaged evaluation.  This time also provides wives and children the option to stay and fellowship with one another while the men meet.  Sensitivity to families waiting is why this meeting should last one hour maximum.  Anyone is invited to attend, but is primarily attended by those men who participate in leading and preaching in the public gathering, or aspire to do so.  Those leading and preaching that day, as well as current pastoral interns are required to attend.

What is the purpose of a service review?

The primary role of service review is two fold:  First, service review is a safeguard to maintain biblical fidelity within the public gatherings of the church.  Secondly, service review is a tool to cultivate the skill of giving and receiving sincere, helpful, and godly criticism, which does not come naturally.  It must be learned, taught, and molded into believers.  Within these two chief purposes, there are several other purposes to be accomplished in setting this time aside to evaluate:

• To provide an opportunity to speak words of encouragement as well as correction if needed into the lives of those who led and preached in the public gathering.
• To create a culture of evaluating the public gatherings, not by preference or style, but biblically, theologically, pastorally, and practically.
• To create an environment to evaluate critically what is important and what is not important in regard to sermons and services.
• To create an environment for those participating and observing to learn, grow, and mature in the various roles discussed.
• To learn discernment in what are helpful, instructive comments—and what are not.
• To create an environment of humility, trust, fellowship, and openness with our lives to those present.

What is the process of a service review?

The facilitator’s role is much like a moderator or chairman.  He is to keep the discussion progressing in a helpful direction and protect the group from digressing in a negative manner.  The facilitator asks a question about the service or sermon and goes around the table soliciting thoughts and comments about that particular question.  Here are a few examples:

• Did the service run on one continuous theme that led into the preaching?
• What encouraging comments do you have for those who led the service?
• What could have been done better?
• Any theological concerns with the songs chosen?
• Did the congregation seem to sing well? Why or why not?
• What was one truth prayed in the service that was particularly meaningful to you?
• Was the Lord’s Table administered in a biblically appropriate way?
• Were there any distractions that need to be mentioned?
• What connections did you see to the scripture readings and the sermon?
• What is something new you learned in the exposition of the text?
• What application from the sermon was particularly meaningful to you?
• Was there any portion of the sermon that you would suggest amending?
• Were there any errors spoken, or clarifications that need to be made by those who led or preached?

The facilitator can also use this time to have a short discussion about a topic if he feels it would benefit the group.  Topics could include approaches to preaching a certain text, factors in determining songs, methods of applying texts edifyingly and faithfully, good templates to think through when praying publicly, and techniques for communicating effectively (e.g., voice inflection) are useful conversations to have with those leading, preaching, and aspiring to do so in your congregation.

This approach should leave those involved challenged to think through different issues in regard to the public gatherings of your church, but ultimately this time should encourage those who labored in leading and preaching, unless a particularly poor job was done.  If you find these meetings have a more critical feel than mutual edification, you need to consider whether this time has taken too critical a direction and adjustments need to be made.

1. Envision what the worship gathering could be (Acts 2:42-47).
   • Attitude of body during worship
   • Music
   • Prayer
   • Teaching
   • Communion
   • Children
   • Exaltation of God
   • Incorporation of arts
2. Envision what the evangelism could be (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).
   • Who can you reach immediately?
   • What attitudes toward evangelism need to change?
   • Where or how could you boldly make an impact with the gospel?
   • What steps of faith need to be taken to reach the unchurched and the unsaved?
   • How could your youth evangelize?
   • How could households evangelize together?
   • What worldwide impact could you make as a body (i.e. foreign missions)?
   • How are you going to be an eternal value to your community?
3. Envision how education and discipleship could be effective (Acts 2:42).
   • How will it become a passionate pursuit of the body (“continue steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine,” Acts 2:42)?
   • What resources (people, qualities, gifts) do you have in place to launch greater disciple-making?
   • How will the fathers and heads of households (single moms, etc.) be trained to be the priest and spiritual head of their homes?
   • How will the older men and women teach and interact with the younger men and women? (Titus 2)
   • Will the age groups be segregated (children, youth, singles, college, married, etc.) or will they be integrated into the body?
   • What role will small groups play?
   • What training will be needed to help develop disciples who are passionately pursuing Christ?
4. Envision an Acts 2 commitment to fellowship (Acts 2:44-45).
   • In what ways will the body seek to meet the needs of one another (spiritual, social, financial, physical)?
   • What attitudes need to change to be sacrificially generous with time, money and resources for the encouragement and edification of the body?
   • How will the body serve one another actively and responsively in an unprompted way?
   • What will the membership requirements be? How will it communicate a covenantal commitment?
5. Envision an effective youth and children’s ministry.
   • Will they be integrated into the church ministry? If so, how?
   • How will families be strengthened through the student ministry?
   • How will the youth be encouraged and trained to evangelize their friends?
   • What role will the heads of households play in the student ministry?
   • Who (person or groups) will lead the youth and children’s ministry?
   • What facility changes are needed to communicate the value of children and youth?
   • What other positions of leadership need to be filled to be effective?
   • What leadership development with the students will be put into place?
   • What programs or customs need to be extracted from the youth and children’s ministry to avoid distractions from the ministry goals?
6. Envision an equipping staff (Eph. 4:11-13).
   • What changes need to be made with the staff (paid or volunteer) to meet the church’s goals?
   • Are the staff members doing the ministry or leading people to do the ministry? If they are doing the bulk of the ministering, how will they develop the body to do the work of the ministry?
   • Are you over-staffed or under-staffed to meet both financial obligations and the development of lay people (taking responsibility for ministry)?
7. Envision a body not reacting to finances to determine God’s call (Matt. 6:24).
   • How will faith in God calling a body to reach out to the community and world be weighed against financial responsibility and stewardship?
   • If mortgages or debts exist, how will they be paid off in a realistic way over a reasonable time period?
   • What attitudes or practices about money and finances need to be changed?
   • Is a budget in place? Is it a true reflection of the church’s giving and spending (balanced budget)?
   • What expenses can be cut immediately to be redirected toward the church’s mission?
   • Is the body (especially the leadership) making decisions based on finances or on God’s calling?
   • What creative ways can you generate more income without sacrificing resources, biblical principles, or expending paid personnel?

Biblical Worship is the response of God’s redeemed people to His self-revelation that exalts God’s glory in Christ in our mind, affections, and wills in the power of the Holy Spirit

One of the most frequently commented upon aspects of the morning Lord’s Day service here at Capitol Hill Baptist Church is nothing we do.  Or rather, it is the nothing we do.  It is our moments of silence.

There’s silence between various aspects of the service. I encourage service leaders to NOT do the “no-dead-airspace” TV standard of busy-ness. We LIKE “dead air space.”  “Dead air space” gives us time to reflect.  To collect our thoughts.  To consider what we’ve just heard or read or sung.  The silence amplifies the words or music we’ve just heard.  It allows us time to take it all in, and to pray.  We have silence to prepare ourselves.  We have silence between the announcements and the scriptural call to worship.  We even have a moment of silence AFTER the service!  I pronounce the benediction from the end of II Corinthians, invite the congregation to be seated.  And then, after about a minute of silence, the pianist begins quietly playing the last hymn that we had just sung.  During those few moments, we reflect and prepare to speak to others and depart.  We do business with God.  We prepare ourselves for the week ahead.

I’m a sound addict.  Even as I write about silence now, I’ve got Paganini blasting in my study!  But yesterday morning in church during one of our silences, I became aware of how corporate a labor such public silence is.  Everyone works to be quiet.  People stop moving their bulletins or looking for something in their purse.  There’s no movement.  We, together, hear the silence.  It engulfs us.  It enhances our unity.  It is something we all do together.  Together we consider what we’ve just heard.  Together we contribute to each other’s space to think.

Why has the church forgotten this?  Our culture knows it.  At the most solemn moments, we have a minute of silence.  And everyone listens to the silence.  And thinks about why we’re being silent.  Why don’t we do this in the church.

In the last century, E. M. Forster, in A Passage to India, referred to “poor little talkative Christianity”.  Perhaps there was a day when all Christians did was gather to listen to the Bible read and preached, and to prayers.  But that day is long gone in most evangelical churches.  These days we gather more to watch than to listen.  And to sing.

But in all the noise of our choirs, and drums, and electic guitars, and organs, and praise bands, where is the solemnity?  Where is the dignity and majesty that is so often indicated in the Bible by a stupified silence, soaked in awe and covered with wonder?

Ecclesiastes 3:7 tells us that there is a time to speak and a time to be silent, but we seem to have forgotten today that there is a time for silence.  God calls his people before Him in silence:  “the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him,” (Hab. 2:20).

Certainly as Christians we have much to rejoice over–loudly and joyfully and expectantly!  But is no part of our regular assemblies to reflect the weightiness of our sinful selves before a holy God, the silence of conviction, even of sorrow?  Furthermore, is no part of our regular assemblies to reflect the stunning weightiness of our forgiveness in Christ, the silence of marvel, and even the humility of some incomprehension?

We silence ourselves exactly because God has not kept silent.  We silence ourselves in order to hear God speak in His Word (cf. Deut. 27:9)  We silence ourselves to show our assent to God’s charges against us (cf. Ps. 39:9).  We silence ourselves to show respect and obedience and humility and restraint (cf. Zeph. 1:7;
I Cor. 14:34; I Tim. 2:12).  We silence ourselves to search our hearts (cf. Ps. 4:4).

We silence ourselves in our own times of prayer, reading and meditation on God’s Word.  And we should also silence ourselves in our periods of corporate worship.  Making silence together builds and unifies the church, witnesses to the majesty of God and tacitly proclaims His greatness to all who hear.

Father’s Day Sojourn Kids Music by Bill Bell

Male singer and guitarist: “Hi, I’m Mr. (First name)”

Female singer: “I’m Ms. (First name)”

Guitarist/other instrumentalist: “I’m Mr. (First name)”

Male Singer/Guitarist: Does anyone know what holiday we celebrate this month?  That’s right, Father’s Day.  Father’s Day is a day that our whole country celebrates daddies.  Dads are the ones who protect their families and care for them in hard times.  When you fall and scrape your knee, it might be your daddy who picks you up and holds you while you cry.  Can you tell of other times where your daddy cared for you in hard or painful times? (take 2 or 3 stories)  Well, God the Father is like that, but even more so.  He cares for us perfectly and is always there when things are good or bad.  This song tells about this Father, who cares for all his children every moment of every day.

1. “Sovereign One” Words and Music by Zach Jones (c) 2004 Sovereign Grace Music

Female Singer: Do you all know the ultimate way that God showed his love for us?  By sending his Son to die for us.  “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were sinners Christ died for us.”  God the Father did something really loving when he sent his Son to die for sinners like you and me.  And by doing this, he invites sinners to call him Father for all of eternity—that’s a long time!  Let’s sing this song to help us remember: “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were sinners Christ died for us.”

2. “Romans 5:8 (NIV) Scripture Memory Song,” Music by Mark Altrogge
As Recored on “A Ransom For Many,” Hide The Word, Volume 2 © Forever Grateful Music

Male Singer/Guitarist: Some of you may have daddies that you see every day.  Some of you don’t have a daddy who’s around very much.  Some of you may not have a daddy at all.  Whether your dad is around a lot or not, no dad is perfect because every dad is a sinner just like I am and just like you are.  Because we all sin, we fail not only to love each other perfectly, but also to love God perfectly.  When we or daddies or mommies or whoever should show love all the time, we fail and show anger or meanness or rudeness or disrespect.  But God the Father has a love that is unending.  For those that believe in him, he never turns his back, never fails, never leaves, never lets go.  His love lasts forever.

3. “Your Love” Words and music by Bob Kauflin (c) 2004 Sovereign Grace Praise

Guitarist or other instrumentalist: We are going to pray. . . fold your hands and be still and talk to God. Let’s pray.

Thank you, God, for sending your Son to die on the cross so that all who believe in you can call you our heavenly Father.  And thank you for letting us see what your love and care is like through our daddies here on earth.  Help us to honor our fathers. Please show special grace to our dads as they love us.  Help them to trust in Jesus alone for salvation and hope. God, help our dads to teach us about you every day.  In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

4.  “His Love Will Last Forever,” Words and Music by Chandi Plummer
© 2009 Chandi Plummer/Sojourn Music

1. Because people will be coming from different churches, backgrounds, and experiences, I’d plan to take extra time  to explain our philosophy of worship. Every other Sunday I might take 3-5 minutes to talk about some aspect of what we’re doing. I’d want guests to understand that worship is more than singing our favorite songs. I’d cover topics like  why we sing about Jesus dying for our sins so much, the importance of God’s Word when we sing, why we sing songs with lots of words, the place of physical expressiveness, and how the primary sound we want to hear on Sundays is the congregation.
2. I’d start with a list of about 60 songs that included hymns, meatier songs I thought we’d sing a lot (In Christ Alone, Before the Throne of God Above, etc.), and a few familiar songs (Passion, Paul Baloche, etc.)
3. I’d plan to repeat songs frequently so that we could build a “musical memory” together.  If I was introducing a song most people were unfamiliar with I’d try to sing it 2 or 3 more times in the coming month.
4. I’d build music team membership slowly. I wouldn’t feel pressure to add people to the team because of musical gifting or past experience. Itʼs always easier to wait to add people than to have to remove them later for character reasons.
5. At some point in the first six months I’d invite any interested musicians over to my house for a meal. I’d lay out a vision of what kind of team we’re seeking to build, and then we’d probably jam and spend some time worshiping the Lord in song.
6. In that meeting (and there might be more than one) I’d want to establish a culture of biblical values, including humility, encouragement, servanthood, and excellence, all in the context of wanting to live a life worthy of the gospel. I’d stress that anyone who is front of the church on a regular basis needs more than a musical gift as a reason to be there. I’d also try to encourage every one I could in any way I could without making it sound like they were going to be playing on the team next Sunday.
7. hile the church is small, I’d be willing to sacrifice a degree of musical excellence. What I wouldn’t be willing to sacrifice is the pursuit of humility as a group.
8. If I was a pastor planting a church with an inexperienced worship leader, I’d mention all these things, but play a more pronounced role in song selection and what was said between songs, hoping to train my worship leader in the process. I’d also give a message or two to unpack the part congregational singing plays in the broader category of biblical worship. Probably use a passage like Col. 3:16-17 or Ps. 150.