Worship Matters

John Thornburg returns to the podcast as the Worship Team discusses his article “When We Return” after a year of two pandemics. Rev. Thornburg, of the Texas Methodist Foundation, says that now is the time to ask big questions about the nature of the church and how we go about Seeing All the People. In light of the pandemic of systemic racism, Rev. Thornburg invited the church to move from an under...

In this episode, Director of Music Ministries, Dr. Diana Sanchez-Bushong, and Director of Preaching Ministries, Dr. Derek Weber, regather with part of the panel from early last summer to talk about what is new and what priorities have changed a year into the pandemic response. Listen in as we learn from Rev. Joe Stobaugh, Senior Minister at University Park UMC, Dallas, Texas; Keum Hwang, Music Min...

Continuing our miniseries discussing the opportunities and challenges of returning to in-person worship, Director of Music Ministries, Dr. Diana Sanchez-Bushong gathers a panel of worship music leaders from around the denomination to discuss issues related to singing during the pandemic. Even as the vaccine continues to help us bring an end to this difficult time, there are concerns with how best...

The worship team begins a miniseries discussing the opportunities and challenges of returning to in-person worship. In this first episode, Director of Preaching Ministries, Dr. Derek Weber, has a conversation with the Rev. Nancy Nichols, Senior Pastor of First UMC Michigan City, Indiana, and the Rev. Stephen Handy of McKendree UMC in Nashville, Tennessee, about navigating the pandemic and online w...

Dr. Diana Sanchez-Bushong and Dr. Derek Weber talk with the Rev. Beth Richardson about her new book and Upper Room eCourse for the season of Lent: Walking in the Wilderness. Join us for this conversation about the struggles of daily living and the desire to find hope and beauty in a difficult time. You can sign up for the course here: https://urelearning.upperroom.org/p/walking-in-the-wilderness/?...

In this episode of the Worship Matters podcast, Dr. Diana Sanchez-Bushong, Director of Music Ministries, talks with Shelley Walters, Director of Faith Development at Saint John’s UMC in Austin, Texas, and Rev. Lisa Straus, Senior Pastor of Buda UMC in Buda, Texas, about how to have a COVID-safe observance of Ash Wednesday. With all the restrictions and limitations still in place, what might our As...

A conversation with the worship team and Dawn Wiggins Hare, General Secretary of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (COSROW) for the United Methodist Church; and the Rev. Dr. B. Kevin Smalls, Senior Pastor of Hope United Methodist Church in Southfield, Michigan. What is Dr. King’s vision of the “beloved community” and is it possible in our time to get there? Hear the team with...

The worship team provides a glimpse into the beginning of 2021. It’s a new year with new hopes and new ideas. We are putting worship series out there for your adaptation. The team discusses the components of the worship series and how you can use them to the best advantage. Plus, there are a few hints as to other projects in the works. And an invitation to you to tell us what you want to hear abou...

The worship team, Dr. Cynthia Wilson, Dr. Diana Sanchez-Bushong, and Dr. Derek Weber, look back over a year’s worth of podcasts and lift up moments of surprise and change, of teaching and learning, but also liturgy, music, and preaching. The team also issues a request to the listeners to help shape content for 2021. “Worship Matters” is a podcast from the worship team of Discipleship Ministries, d...

Dr. Cynthia Wilson, Executive Director of the Worship Team at Discipleship Ministries, speaks with the Rev. Bryan Tener, Director of Contextual Evangelism, Community Engagement, and Church Planting/Path1. Rev. Tener’s work with the Oklahoman Indian Missionary Conference (OIMC) gives him unique insight into the necessity and blessings of multicultural worship. Listen in as Cynthia and Bryan discuss...

Dr. Derek Weber, Director of Preaching Ministries, talks with his wife, La Donna Riddle Weber, librarian at the Scarritt Bennett Center and mother of two adult children, about their experiences of worshiping at home during Advent. Listen as they discuss ways the church can partner with families and individuals worshiping at home to make this Advent season a fully engaged experience of worship even...

Dr. Diana Sanchez-Bushong, Director of Music Ministries, discusses the project to vet contemporary music for its theological soundness and appropriateness for worship in United Methodist congregations. Joining her are two members of the 11-member team. Dr. Nelson Cowan, Project Manager, and Dr. Gerald Liu, both United Methodist pastors and academics trained in worship and preaching. Join us to lea...

The Worship Team discusses the meanings and traditions of Advent in this wide-ranging conversation. In light of COVID-19 and the restrictions in place, how will we be able to celebrate this holy season? Maybe unlike anything we’ve done before, but it is certainly still worth doing. Listen in for ideas and inspiration as the Worship Team explores Advent worship 2020. “Worship Matters” is a podcast...

Dr. Cynthia Wilson, Executive Director of Worship for Discipleship Ministries, invites the Rev. Pam Pirtle, Director of Leadership and Accountability for the Commission on the Status and Role of Women (COSROW), an agency of the UMC, to discuss the upcoming event titled “I Am Her” and the work of COSROW to bring “Awareness, Monitoring, Advocacy, and the Empowerment of Women for participation in the...

Dr. Derek Weber, Director of Preaching Ministries, shares some ideas about preaching online. The online worship experience grew out of a sense of urgency, but will remain as a viable asset to the proclamation of the Word to new and wider audiences. It is, therefore, up to every preacher and worship team to consider how to use this medium to maximize the unique advantages available. Paying attentio...

While it is easy to think about all that has been lost or changed or what we have suffered from the pandemic, there are also blessings to embrace. Dr. Diana Sanchez-Bushong, Director of Music Ministries, and Dr. Derek Weber, Director of Preaching Ministries, discuss what blessings might be found in the upset caused by the safe at home sheltering mandates and how the Church continues to adjust and...

In this episode of the Worship Matters podcast, Dr. Cynthia Wilson, Executive Director of the Worship Team, discusses with Rev. Hank Jenkins about advocating for, welcoming, and including people with disabilities within our communities. Rev. Jenkins is a part of the Disability Ministries Committee of the United Methodist Church (visit umcdmc.org for more information). They also discuss what each l...

In this episode of the Worship Matters podcast, Director of Preaching Ministries, Dr. Derek Weber talks with Dr. Eric Barreto, Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary. Dr. Barreto wrote “Preaching About Racism in America: What Comes Next?” which was first published on ChurchAnew.org. Many preachers took the bold step of preaching about the racism pandemi...

Director of Music Ministries, Dr. Diana Sanchez-Bushong has a conversation with David Bone, executive director of the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts, about the pressures on choirs and singers during the pandemic in this episode of Worship Matters. Music is central to our United Methodist worship so caring for singers and musicians is vital for our communities of faith. T...

Senior Pastor Carol Cavin-Dillon, of West End United Methodist Church, joins with Dr. Derek Weber, Director of Preaching Ministries, for this episode of Worship Matters. Following the last episode where Diana Sanchez-Bushong and Derek Weber discussed some of the issues related to the re-opening of churches for in-person worship, we now have a practitioner’s view and a little bit of insight into th...

Time to reopen? This week’s podcast is a conversation between Dr. Diana Sanchez-Bushong, Director or Music Ministries, and Dr. Derek Weber, Director of Preaching Ministries, around all the issues of reopening churches. Listen in as they share research and a variety of experiences from around the denomination about the pitfalls and joys of reunion as churches begin to reopen for in-person worship,...

In this episode of Worship Matters, Director of Preaching Ministries, Dr. Derek Weber, talks with Kevin Johnson, Director of Children’s Ministries. The issues of children and worship were already complex with differing opinions on how to keep children engaged during worship, but adding in the pandemic and online worship has escalated those issues. Join us as we wrestle with some pros and cons of w...

In this stress-filled time, the Worship Team – Dr. Cynthia Wilson, Dr. Derek Weber, and Dr. Diana Sanchez-Bushong – talk with the dean of the Upper Room Chapel, Beth Richardson about caring for your own soul as you lead others in worship and spiritual life. This episode of Worship Matters just might help strengthen your grip on your walk with God. Listen as the team and Beth discuss prayer and spi...

This week’s episode of Worship Matters features a conversation between Dr. Diana Sanchez-Bushong, Director of Music Ministries for the Worship Team here at Discipleship Ministries, and Brian Hehn, who is the Director of The Center for Congregational Song with The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. Diana and Brian wrestled with the crucial and complicated issue of singing in worship in t...

This episode of Worship Matters features Director of Preaching Ministries, Dr. Derek Weber in conversation with the Rev. Jeffrey Campbell, Associate General Secretary of Discipleship Ministries talking about preaching. Preaching is part of the pastor’s identity and also a task that must be performed with frightening regularity, and the season has caused preachers to rethink the task of preaching f...