workshops and retreats:
Get Your Whole Congregation Involved in Worship
What if members of our congregations began worship each week with the expectation that something will happen here which will change my life? When worship leaders and participants both enter into a worship experience with high expectations, we believe that every Sunday can be a significant, life-changing experience. Worship of this sort cannot be "preformed" and "observed"—everyone plays a role! In this interactive workshop, we will share with you some strategies and resources we have developed to make such worship happen. You'll take home ideas you can use right now in your churches; you won't need fancy new technology, a newly designed worship space, or a different congregation!
Faith Sharing for Amateurs (In Other Words All of Us)
We don't need to be an expert to share our faith! What we need is practice—so we can gain the confidence that our faith is something the world needs, even as it grows and changes. This workshop will provide you with a dynamic experience in faith-sharing and energize and challenge you to bring the practice more fully into your local congregation. You'll leave with a tool box full of good ideas and new experiences to get you started right now.
Interactive Sermons: How to Preach so Your Congregation Will Listen and Listen so that Your Congregation Will Preach
For most of those who attend church on Sunday morning, the sermon is a time in the service when they expect to sit back let someone else do the work. Well, no more. If we want worship to be different—less passive, less remote, more personal, more transformative—then we have to preach differently. In this workshop we share a variety of techniques that will get your congregation playing an active role in the breaking open of God's word. You'll be amazed at the blessing your church will experience when people other than the pastor start sharing their lives and their faith in worship.
Intentional Drama in Your Congregation
We believe that anyone (even you) can write relevant, humorous, faithful and engaging short drama skits that will have your congregation on the edge of their seats. Home-grown dramas are 100% more effective than anything you can buy, and you don't have to be Steven Spielberg to make them work. In this workshop we'll share tips on how to write skits based on the Bible and your congregation's life together. We'll also suggest ways to cast your parts and use them in worship. You'll leave with several short pieces that you could use next Sunday!
Faith Sharing 101 for Worship Leaders
Would you like to help people in your congregation speak with confidence and passion about their faith--in church or at school or in line at the grocery store? Well, you can't lead people somewhere you've never gone yourself. We believe that when worship leaders can model authentic faith-sharing, even congregations which have been "evangelism shy" can begin to embrace this vital spiritual practice. This workshop is designed for clergy and other worship leaders to break down their inhibitions and reluctance to speaking personally about their own faith journey so that they can lead their congregations in sharing their faith with the world. Join us for this opportunity to gain skills and experience that will help you to take your faith out into your congregation and your whole community.
