• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Bryan Holten

Church Music Made Better

  • Blog
  • Featured
  • Scores
  • About
  • Work with Bryan
You are here: Home / Archives for worship

worship

Egan Millard: What happens when you’re the only one who shows up to church?

August 20, 2018 By Bryan Holten Leave a Comment

large cathedral with white walls and stained glass

Do you ever find yourself questioning the value of the work you do amid shrinking attendance numbers?

This heartwarming and challenging article by Egan Millard of the Portland (ME) Press-Herald really hit home for me, and I think it will for you, too.

For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. (Matthew 18:20)

Sometimes, transformation of the spirit requires challenging work. You never know when the work you do will nurture someone when they need it most.

The work of the church (and the church musician) is worth doing. Keep going.

Again, here’s the article. I highly recommend it.

*********

For more articles for church musicians, pastors, and all those who believe in a strong future for worship and liturgy, go to the Church Music Sense blog.

Filed Under: Shared Articles Tagged With: attendance, liturgy, scripture, spirituality, worship

Why the Debate between Contemporary and Traditional Worship Styles is Bogus

July 30, 2018 By Bryan Holten Leave a Comment

two men on a beach with flag

A Tale of Two Camps

This is a story about the knots we tie ourselves into when we ask the wrong questions about worship styles.

“We used to be really close with them, but then they started going to the contemporary service.”

A longtime church member said this to me, in reference to a family she used to worship with every week. I was serving as interim organist for a congregation while they searched for a permanent replacement over the summer. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that something peculiar had happened at this church.

[Read more…] about Why the Debate between Contemporary and Traditional Worship Styles is Bogus

Filed Under: Philosophy Tagged With: church politics, philosophy, praise and worship music, traditional music, worship

Footer

Never miss out on free resources for church musicians.

Join my spam club! I’ll send you an update every time I publish something new. This includes sheet music you can use right away, totally free.

Sign Up Now

Copyright © 2025 Bryan Holten · Contact · Privacy · Terms · Icons by Icons8