KC Worship Conference Update

Wornall Road Baptist Church has just posted more info about the upcoming WorshipKC10 Conference with Don Whitney and Ron Owens including the Schedule. I've listed all the info below.

WorshipKC10 - NOT FOR WIMPS

Saturday August 14, 2-9PM
Wornall Road Baptist Church, Kansas City, MO

LEADING US

Dr. Don Whitney serves as Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he also serves as Senior Associate Dean. Before that, he held a similar position (the first such position in the six Southern Baptist seminaries) at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri, for ten years. He is the founder and president of The Center for Biblical Spirituality. He is the author of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, How Can I Be Sure I'm A Christian, Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church, Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, Simplify Your Spiritual Life, and Family Worship.

Ron Owens and his wife Patricia have been used by God in an amazing ways for decades all over the world. Serving alongside Manley Beasley, Ron was co-founder and co-director of International Congress on Revival. He also served alongside Stephen Olford. From 1991 – 2000 he served as associate to Henry Blackaby in the Office of Prayer and Spiritual Awakening at the North American Mission Board. The Owens served as worship consultants to the International Mission Board. Their published writings include: Return to Worship They Could Not Stop The Music, Worship: Believers Experiencing God (Co-authored with Henry Blackaby) Manley Beasley: Man of Faith, Instrument of Revival, Iris: Trophy of Grace.


SCHEDULE

Saturday August 14
1:00– 2:00 PM Registration, bookstore and coffee shop open
2:00-3:00 Worship and Revival with Ron Owens
3:00-4:00 Dr. Don Whitney Reforming worship part 1
4:00-4:15 Break
4:15– 4:45 Worship and Revival with Ron Owens
4:45– 6:15 Dr. Don Whitney Reforming worship part 2
6:15– 7:00 Dinner served and questions and answers from Ron and Don
7:00- 7:30 Worship and Revival with Ron Owens
7:30– 9:00 Dr. Don Whitney Reforming worship part 3

Sunday August 15
9:30– 10:30 Dr. Don Whitney an introduction to Spiritual Disciplines in the worship center, open to everyone
10:45– 12:00 Worship with Ron Owens, ordination of three pastor leaders by Wornall Road Baptist Church and the sermon by Dr. Whitney

Sunday evening Sycamore Hills Baptist Church in Independence would like to host Ron for an evening of Sermon and Song.


PURPOSE OF THE CONFERENCE

In the work of reforming a local church, no area is more important than reformation in worship. This conference helps to build the Biblical basis for and provides practical steps to reforming congregational worship. The teaching is suitable for the entire church body, but it also works well for the pastoral staff, church leadership, and/or the worship leadership team.

With Dr. Whitney leading us, this conference is built upon two major principles. First, worship is focusing on and responding to God. Biblical worship is, of course, the worship of God. Therefore everything in the worship service should be focused on God. And because of the greatness of the One focused upon, however much that we focus upon Him, to that degree we will respond in worship.

Second, worship is to be done in Spirit and truth. While most true believers have a general idea of what it means to worship in Spirit, few have a clear grasp of what it means to worship in truth. The failure to measure worship by this standard Dr. Whitney believes, has led to most church conflicts over worship.

Ron Owens will guide us in worship and share powerful truths about the relationship between revival and worship. Ron has an abundance of knowledge of Revivals in various times and places. Understanding more about true revival will help us embrace true, God focused worship.


FOCUS

Move deep into the heart and substance of worship at Worshipkc10. Worship is not just a verb. Too much of our worship is focused on our experience, on our feelings, on performance, on light , sound , video, on our preferences or getting us ready and worked up to hear the sermon. No wonder our people are confused about worship. Unpack the true Biblical nature of worship in the local church. Understand the role of worship in the life of the church and in the life of the Christian. Listen to, learn from and share with two of the most experienced and gifted leaders teaching on worship in the world today. If you attend one worship conference this year, make sure it is Worshipkc10 - Not for wimps.

DINNER/BOOKS

At Wornall Road we love the deep things of God and great BBQ. A BBQ dinner is available at no cost. If you know you are coming please text or call 816.260.3332 by August 12 to let us know how many in your group will be sharing dinner with us. You can also register for dinner the day of the event before 3PM. (we will take donations to offset the cost of the meal)

There will be a bookstore with Don & Ron’s books and other related resources.


PARTNERS

This very unique event is sponsored by Wornall Road Baptist Church and our partners, The Spurgeon Baptist Association of Churches and the Blue River - Kansas City Baptist Association.


NO COST TO ATTEND
With a desire to increase the passion for and knowledge of Biblical worship, we are pleased to provide this entire conference at no cost to the participants.

John Newton, 285 Years Old Today

John Newton was born July 24th 1725. However, after Britain switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar in 1752, Newton himself considered his birthday to be on August 4th. So 285 years ago on this day John Newton was born.
John Newton was so much more than just the man who wrote Amazing Grace. His life and conversion are as if pulled straight out of an adventure novel. His marriage and love for his wife put to shame any romance movie. His friendship with William Cowper is legendary and worthy of emulation.

The impact he has had on not only Christianity, but the entire world is simply astonishing. I am continually amazed (but more and more less surprised) every time I come across some great event or great movement or great man of God and find that I can trace it back somehow to Newton. Most people know that Newton was instrumental in William Wilberforce’s life. It is not hard to imagine that if there were no Newton there would be no Wilberforce and who knows how long slavery would have endured in England (and quite possibly America).

Perhaps a lesser known story is the part that Newton played in the beginning of the modern missions movement. When people think of modern missions the name William Carey comes to mind. But Newton plays a large role behind the scenes in this as well. Newton wrote constantly, advising and encouraging and training a young John Ryland, who along with Carey formed the first missionary society. Ryland was one of “three ropes” that held Carey as the “Father of Modern Missions” went off to preach the gospel in India. Not only did Newton play a large part in Ryland’s life, but also directly influenced William Carey himself. When Carey realized the near impossibility it was for missionaries to enter into India (due to the trade regulations and policies of the East India Company) he sought out Newton for advice. Carey asked what he should do if he was unable to enter and Newton replied, “Then conclude that your God has nothing there for you to accomplish. But if He has, no power on earth can hinder you." These words gave Carey the tremendous strength to carry on. Again, the case could be made that if there were no Newton then there would be no Ryland and if there were no Ryland there would be one less person to “hold the ropes” for William Carey. The mission society would not have been started and it is doubtful that Carey would have even made the trip, especially without the crucial advice and encouragement from John Newton.

And these examples are only the tip of the iceberg. It would take a scholarly work to figure out the exact impact John Newton has made (and continues to make) throughout the world and I doubt one could do it accurately. To say that John Newton’s life had a ripple effect would be an understatement. The man was a tidal wave.

Theologically Newton was a Calvinist, however he likened his Calvinism in preaching and his writings as sugar being mixed and dispersed in a cup of tea. It is abundantly evident when you read Newton because his lips are laced with the sovereignty of God. You cannot avoid it.

Instead of outright attacking heresy and false teachings Newton felt that, “The best method of defeating heresy is by establishing the truth.” This, I believe, is a major reason why Newton could be friends with both George Whitfield and the Wesley’s and remain friends with both parties even after Whitfield and the Wesley brothers bitterly split over theological differences. The friendships were so deep in fact that Charles Wesley requested that Newton be a pallbearer at his funeral. This spirit of gentleness and kindness mixed with an unflinching stand on truth and sound doctrine is what attracted and still attracts so many to John Newton. John Piper desires that Pastors would imitate John Newton by being “as strong and durable as redwood trees, and as tender and fragrant as a field of clover—unshakably rugged in the "defense and confirmation" of the truth, and relentlessly humble and patient and merciful in dealing with people.”

I could go on, and I’m tempted to do so, but I hope that the previous paragraphs have inspired you, at least a little, to do some research about John Newton on your own. I’ll only add that I cannot say enough about John Newton. The more I find out about him the greater I admire him. I find that I can relate to him in ministry and I strive to imitate his example. Simply put, he’s my hero.


Links on John Newton for further research:

Worship Leaders: Imitate John Newton - previous Sound Doxology post
 
John Newton's Approach to Hymn Writing - previous Sound Doxology post
 
John Piper Sermon on John Newton - simply excellent
 
The Cowper and Newton Museum in Olney - lots of good info and pictures
 
The John Newton Project - possibly the best John Newton site on the web
 
Thank God for John Newton - from Desiring God
 
John Newton's Olney Hymns - pdf version. must have.
 
Cardiphonia - from Google Books. These are Newton's collection of letters
 
Books
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Letters of John Newton
 
 

 








The Works of John Newton (6 Volumes)
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wise Counsel: John Newton's Letters to John Ryland Jr.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Out of the Depths (Newton's Autobiography)

KC Worship Conference with Dr. Don Whitney and Ron Owens

I am really excited for this upcoming conference on Biblical Worship that is being hosted at my church in August. Don Whitney (who is pretty much the man) will be our main speaker alongside Ron Owens. It's an all day event that includes a BBQ dinner and there is no cost!

Dr. Don Whitney is the Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and is the author of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Back when Don was a professor at Midwestern here in Kansas City I was privileged to be present on a couple occasions when he taught and preached at a local church. His lessons on Spiritual Disciplines has had a lasting impression on me (especially actually resting on the Sabbath) and I often go to his website for his articles and advice on worship.

Ron Owens has worked alongside Henry Blackaby in worship ministry for many years and is the author of the book Return to Worship: A God Centered Approach. I ran across this excellent book about 10 years ago. It was a very key book early in my ministry that struck a pretty severe blow to my faulty understanding of worship. I am thankful to God that I read this book at a relatively young age (around 17 or 18) and I can definitely look back at that time period as a pivot point in much of my theology of worship and Ron's book played a large part in that. His website is here.

Not only will these men be in town for the Worship Conference but they will also be here for an ordination service for three men, including myself. Dr. Don Whitney will be preaching and Ron Owens will be leading worship. I am humbled at God's grace and gifts and am greatly anticipating that day.

If you live in driving distance to the KC area this is conference is definitely a must. If you live a little further out and need to stay overnight, contact our church (info below) and we'll point you to some good hotels or whatever you need. You will simply not find another Worship Conference in the Midwest of this quality for free.

Further Information about the Worship Conference:

WorshipKC10- Not for Wimps

A major conference on Biblical Worship will be held Saturday August 14 from 2 to 9 PM at Wornall Road Baptist Church. Our two featured leaders will be Dr. Don Whitney of Southern Seminary and Ron Owens, who for many years was the ministry associate to Henry Blackaby.

WorshipKC10 is an ideal conference for pastors, worship leaders and their ministry teams, and will benefit anyone who desires to learn more about Biblical Worship.

We are passionate about worship and helping others learn about worship so there is no cost for this event and a BBQ dinner with our two speakers is included. The conference and the dinner are free so come hungry for the Word and hungry for some excellent KC BBQ!

Please respond via Facebook or contact the church office at 816.444.8900 or wornallroad@gmail.com so we can have a headcount for dinner. And be sure to check out http://www.wornallroad.org/ for more info!

And be sure to stay tuned, I'll be posting the upcoming Schedule for the conference soon!

Blog Partners with Westminister Bookstore

I am happy and honored to announce Sound Doxology's new partnership with Westminister Bookstore through their Blog Partners program. Through this program Westminister Bookstore has given me a personal address so that I may link to their website from my blog.

The program is actually pretty cool, especially for this blog. It gives me the opportunity to show you guys some awesome resources and books offered by Westminister Bookstore (something I have done and would have done anyway) while at the same time giving me the opportunity to earn credit at their store. I earn credit when readers click the links I post from Westminister Bookstore. You can read more about it here.

Here's the deal. Even before this partnership Westminister Bookstore (wtsbooks.com) was the place I went to for two reasons: selection and price. You will not find junk here. Everything they carry is solid theologically. You can trust what they carry is the best. And they carry the hard to find books too! Books like this. Not only that, but you really can't beat their prices. When I first discovered Westminister Bookstore a few years back I was on the lookout for The Reformation Study Bible by Ligonier Ministries. I couldn't find the leather bound edition anywhere for under $60. But wtsbooks.com was selling it for under $40! (and they still are...)

I'll add this too. Last year, when I purchased Christ-Centered Worship by Bryan Chapell they sent along with the book a CD and a letter explaining that Bryan Chapell had recently preached at Westminister and they thought that I'd also enjoy his sermon. I don't know how common it is for them to send along free stuff with the purchased product, but I really liked that they did that. I think it speaks to the integrity and character of those who run the store.

All of that just to say that I really do like and use and recommend Westminister Bookstore. They aren't telling me what to advertise and I wouldn't recommend anything to you that I didn't personally use or trust.

I'll be straight with you. I love me some free books. But I also love to give my readers good information regarding worship and all things related to sound doxology. So this partnership is a win-win situation. So if you're looking for a place to find some good books please consider stopping by Sound Doxology first, clicking the links for books and other resources I put up here on the blog (and not just the ones from wtsbooks either!). They are solid resources; resources I have and would have recommended anyway. And it'll help me out a bit too. (It'll help me save up for the awesome 6 volume collection of The Works of John Newton!)

Many thanks to Westminister Bookstore for such an awesome idea!

"Give 'Em Watts, Boys!"

“The Battle of Springfield” - June 23rd, 1780
Six-thousand British troops invaded New Jersey with full force. The opposing American forces were outnumbered 5 to 1. The British slowly pushed the Americans back, deeper into Springfield, New Jersey. Despite being pushed back the American defense was holding and the British were taking a beating. But during the battle the American troops ran out of wading for their muskets. This would have likely been their downfall had it not been for the quick thinking of Rev. James Caldwell. Caldwell and his men fell back to a Presbyterian church and Caldwell ran inside gathering all the hymnals he could find—which were at that time Isaac Watts’ editions—and began flinging them to the men, yelling as he did so, “Give ‘em Watts, boys! Put Watts into ‘em!” and instructing them to “fill the British with doctrine from the hymnals.” The battle waged on and the British eventually retreated and never invaded New Jersey again.

"Give 'Em Watts, Boys!"
Two things pop out at me when I read that story. The first is that it is such a good story it is almost unbelievable. It seems like it comes directly from a Hollywood script. But the story is true and very well documented. In fact the phrase “Give ‘em Watts, boys!” has lived on as a motto in that region.

The second thing that hits me is how that motto could (and should) be used today in the church. I want to revitalize it and give it new meaning. I want to use it as a new battle cry, but this time instead of using it to inspire men to pump Red Coats full of lead I want it to inspire men to use and continue using the great hymns of our faith. I have yet to encounter any songwriter or lyricist who can capture the gospel in poetic English the way in which Watts, Wesley, Newton and other hymn writing giants have done. This is not to say that we should only sing Watts and those like him (though we would hardly be at a disadvantage if we did), but rather we should not abandon the songs and hymns these men have given to us. I am all for writing new music and new words. Every generation should do it! But I am not for discarding that which has come before us, as is the unfortunate habit (or is it philosophy?) of many churches. I am convinced that a church’s theology is more likely determined by the songs they sing rather than their written statement of faith. And at a time when many churches are considered trite or flippant or even weak, a little Watts could serve as a shot in the arm, maybe even a catalyst for change.



If I had a group of worship leaders, pastors or any manner of church leaders before me, I would encourage them to either bring back or continue steadfastly using the old hymns for their congregations. I would bark at them like a General, “Load ‘em up with Wesley!” “Put Newton into ‘em!” “Give ‘em Watts, Boys! Give ‘em Watts!”

Worship Ministry Advice via The Resurgence

The Resurgence has posted a few advice articles dealing with worship ministry that I think are great. They are short and sweet and to the point. Something that I should probably work on…


So far they’ve released three excellent articles. The first two are by worship pastor Joel Brown:

His first is: 3 Priorities When Preparing Music

Great, great stuff.

Priority #1 – Truth

Priority #2 – Corporate Response

Priority #3 – Musical Style, Arrangement, and Execution

The second article by Brown: The Medium Matters: Is Music as Important as the Message?

This is an incredibly important message for worship leaders. When we look at the music we select we should always consider the words we sing first, then the music, but that doesn’t mean music takes a back seat! Music should complement the words in such a way as to amplify them. I’ve written more about that here.

And as much as I agree with everything in this article, I do want to point out one small matter that perhaps could use some further clarification by the author. When speaking of diversity he says, “A good sign that you have the right balance of styles is if every congregant has one band they love and one band they hate.” I understand what the author is getting at, but practically speaking I don’t think this is something we should aim for. I’m all for diversity, but I don’t think churches necessarily need 12 different bands with 12 different styles. But that’s all I disagree with, if you can even call it a disagreement.

The last and most recent article is by worship pastor Tim Smith:

Don’t Forget Your Acoustic Guitar

Instead of focusing on practical issues for worship leaders, Tim gives props to the acoustic guitar. He talks about the benefits of leading with only an acoustic and how it can build you up as a leader as well as allowing you more freedom. Sorry keyboard players…

If you have never visited The Resurgence then you are missing out on some great and wonderful teaching. I would encourage you to visit it on a weekly basis.

The Personal Worship Experience vs Corporate Worship

I ran across two excellent pieces today concerning the “personal worship experience” and “corporate worship.” The first is an article from Christianity Today called “The End of Christianity as We Know It.” You can read the article here. The author, Mark Galli, discusses what has become known as the ‘worship experience’ and the similar effects a ‘worship experience’ produces compared to hallucinogenic drugs. It is a good article that exposes North American Christianity’s obsession with the worship experience. Here are a couple of quotes from the article:

“It's a lot of work to fast and pray and worship and deny oneself—and even then, experiencing God is a hit or miss proposition! What's the fuss if we can pop a mushroom and have a nearly guaranteed religious experience?”

“If religious experience is something that a drug can induce even more easily than spiritual ritual and disciplines, it may be time, for example, to rethink what many churches are trying to do on Sunday morning: create a memorable "worship experience."”

“We are shortchanging our people when we make worship mostly about experience or a pep rally to motivate people to good deeds. We practice religious neglect when we fail to witness to them the saving story of God in Christ and train them to be fellow witnesses of that story, so that they might share that story with a world that does not know its left hand from its right.”

After reading this article Dr. Ed Steele, Associate Professor of Music at the Leavell College of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, reflects at his excellent blog Worship HeartCries about ‘corporate worship’ and the ‘personal experience’ by asking the question: What is Congregational Worship?

It is apparent from his post that Dr. Steele has been pondering this subject for a while but the connection to the Christianity Today article must have inspired him to write. Dr. Steele does a fantastic job pointing out that the solution to the ‘personal experience’ is found in true, biblical, corporate worship. Dr. Steele also does a fine job portraying the line between personal worship and corporate worship, a subject that I see too many times being overlooked which, in my opinion, then becomes the root for the ‘personal worship experience.’
Dr. Steele ends with five things that should happen on Sunday morning when we gather for corporate worship:

1. We must teach what biblical worship is and isn’t. There are still many people that believe that “the music is the worship...”

2. Personal worship is indispensable. We must feed daily on God’s Word; we must immerse ourselves in His presence in prayer. There are no substitutes for personal time with the Father.

3. Personal worship is not a substitute for corporate worship. We are baptized into the Body of Christ and are members of His body. There is no biblical idea of a member of the body existing apart from the body.

4. Corporate worship must facilitate worship that centers itself around Jesus Christ as His Body. The focus of corporate worship is not a focus on personal experience.

5. We must begin to learn what it means to live and worship as the Body of Christ. Personal preference is willingly subjugated for the good of the whole body.

There is much more that could be said about these topics but for now I would encourage you to read both of these articles. I would love to see this discussion continue and take a higher priority throughout the church. Please feel free to start that discussion in the comments section!