By Clark Palmer What does a worship leader do?  Is a salary really necessary for someone to just lead a few songs each week? When it comes time to find a worship leader what should we look for? These are questions that come up from time and to time. I recently had occasion to think about them myself. Perhaps these observations and thoughts on this subject will be helpful. Perhaps we can move away from thinking, “why pay this person so much since they only work an hour a week.” A worship leader creates. Every Monday morning the worship leader starts with a blank page. At some point, well before Sunday, an outline of the worship service, including all the necessary parts, must appear. I say well before Sunday because after all the songs, Scriptures, and other parts are identified there is still much to be done. Creativity is required. There aren’t any style points awarded for “most creative worship service.” Creativity itself is not the goal. But a fresh, meaningful, thoughtfully planned time of worship produces engagement and impact.   Simply picking three or four hymns out of the list of thirty or so that are always sung and then plugging them into their normal spots on the standard, unchanging order of … [Read more...]

By Ron F. Hale David Hacker, a demographic historian from Binghamton University in New York, conducted research on newly digitized census data from the 19th century recalculating the death toll of the Civil War. The historic death tally has been approximately 620,000 men for over 100 years. Hacker’s new count reaches 750,000 men, and upwards to the staggering possibility of 850,000 men. 1 The Trail Who bears part of the blame for this red river of blood and the lingering costs and consequences of American slavery? This article will shed light on those who defended the institution of chattel slavery in America. Their writings, speeches, and sermons left a traceable trail. If you are a student of history or theology many of the names on the list will shock you! How could some of the most sophisticated people in America not see that the sin of slavery denied the self-evident truth “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness?” The Historian Larry E. Tise is a noted historian, researcher, archivist, author, and professor at Binghampton University. He has served as State Historic … [Read more...]