WorshipTraining

Did you know that PraiseCharts shares the stage with five other related sites? The two sites currently active are WorshipTraining and WorshipVue. Three more sites are in development, including PraiseBooks, Liturgies and ChordShark. All of the sites together form an integrated family of online resources under Sonreign Media, Inc.

Ryan Dahl, the founder of PraiseCharts, has spent the last month establishing an online presence for Sonreign Media at www.sonreign.com. Visiting Sonreign is like having a backstage pass to the world of development and innovation behind PraiseCharts, WorshipTraining, WorshipVue, PraiseBooks, Liturgies, ChordShark … and more to come in the future.

We have decided to not remain secretive about what is in our development tank. Sonreign is like an open book, filled with ideas, concepts, discussions and announcements.

For more than 12 years, PraiseCharts has been changing the landscape of digital music and media publishing. The PraiseCharts platform, along their worldwide development team, as evolved into a well oiled innovation machine. We don’t focus on how things have been done before. We don’t even do a lot of customer surveys (other than for song requests). We are trying to focus on things you haven’t seen before. Things we imagine — that is innovation!

So, don’t just be a consumer. Here is an invitation to come back stage. Enter the dialogue. Watch things unfold. See the half-baked wireframes and concepts that will enevitably become the future.

A world of opportunity lies in front of us. Not just to become bigger — to become better. And really — not just better, but different.

We really have no competition, because we aren’t following anyone. We want to see other publishers, artists, distributors and resource companies around us succeed. Their gain is our gain when it builds the Kingdom of God.

Want to see all this development unfold? Visit www.sonreign.com, get on the email update list and then follow us at www.twitter.com/sonreignmedia and www.facebook.com/sonreignmedia.

In the past two decades the Christian community has experienced a dynamic rebirth as churches around the world have turned their hearts and minds toward a deeper understanding of what it means to worship the living God. Sonreign Media has now joined with Stonebridge Institute to develop a growing library of articles and resources from hundreds of contributing editors and thousands of texts and publications, all designed to educate, edify, and inspire today’s pastors and worship leaders. The foundation upon which this effort will be built is Robert E. Webber’s Gold Medallion Award winning reference work, The Complete Library of Christian Worship — a project that took more than 10 years to compile and included assistance from over 60 denominations.

Built around the seven topical themes of the Library, Sonreign will be offering the following content across its sites . . .

The Biblical Foundations of Christian Worship will feature an introduction to the Hebrew and Greek vocabulary (translated) of worship as well as a general survey of such theological themes as covenant, sacrifice, the numinous, the names of God, words of praise, and biblical symbolism in worship; the history of biblical worship from the Patriarchs through the early church; special studies of the tabernacle, the temple; and the institutions and theology of early Christian worship. The relevance of the history and institutions of worship for today’s church will be featured through an analysis of the biblical origins of all aspects of Christian worship with special attention paid to the call to worship, invocations and prayer, preaching, communion, benedictions, sacraments, ordinances, and sacred actions of worship. Other topics will include, but not be limited to, music and the arts in biblical worship, analyses of the Old Testament festivals Passover and Day of Atonement, the Jewish roots of the Christmas and Easter cycles, and the Psalms in Hebrew and Christian worship.

Twenty Centuries of Christian Worship will trace the history of the church from the New Testament period by detailing worship in the early church, the Eastern Orthodox tradition, post-Reformation Protestant worship, and worship renewal movements in the modern era. Various historic models of worship will be represented including The Didache, Martin Luther’s Formula Missae, and John Wesley’s Sunday Service. Also featured will be overviews of different theologies of worship, issues relating to the future of worship, and challenges facing worship renewalists.

The Renewal of Sunday Worship will include an examination of the heritage and worship practices of more than 60 traditional and contemporary Christian denominations, ministries, and fellowships – each written by a representative leader from that group. The topical sections will include extensive articles presenting models for worship renewal and resources for Sunday worship, preaching, and worship leadership.

Music and the Arts in Christian Worship will include an explanation of how church music is conducted in some fifty different church groups and denominations. Additional entries will provide a history of music in worship and include congregational songs, singing in worship, instruments in worship, and music for the various “acts” of worship. The arts in worship will include articles on the worship environment along with the visual arts, drama, and dance and mime in worship.

The Services of the Christian Year will examine the manner in which over fifty different church groups and denominations celebrate annual occasional services. A complete overview of the Christian year will be provided, including its history, development, and significance. Specific articles will address such topics as the problem of the civil year in worship and how the practice of the Christian year affects congregational life. A wealth of resources will be given for Advent and Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost.

The Sacred Actions of Christian Worship will provide insight into the traditions and practices of the sacred actions of worship in ancient, Medieval, Eastern Orthodox, Reformation, and modern churches. Sections will highlight the historical origins and development of ritual in worship; the theology and practice of baptism and Lord’s Table; and detailed articles on such sacred actions as anointing the sick, child dedication, confirmation, foot washing the funeral, the renewal of baptismal vows, and marriage. Numerous historical and contemporary liturgical and special worship services will be provided.

Finally, The Ministries of Christian Worship will offer a complete and fully applicational resource for church workers with diverse backgrounds and functions. Articles will address worship and pastoral care, spiritual formation, education, hospitality, evangelism, justice and mercy, hospital and terminal care, and social action. A special section will be devoted to worship services for children and teenagers.

Here is a little 30 second promotional video we put together for the National Worship Leaders Conference in July. Enjoy!

We are doing a few magazine ads and video spots to promote PraiseCharts, WorshipVue and WorshipTraining this summer.  Here is our one page ad, with visual simplicity, focusing on the bottom line – lives changed!