This past Saturday we conducted a Praise and Worship Training Day at Great Barr in Birmingham. Unlike most of our training events, which are primarily aimed at ‘in-house’ participation within a single congregation, this was advertised further afield and provided the content for Great Barr’s Bible Seminar.

A number of BBS students, past and present, were there and several, including Mike Glover, Martin Huburn and Sola Adeosun were involved in organising and hosting the event. Attendees came from a number of congregations in the Midlands. Patrick Boyns and Jon Galloway presented the material which focused on the nature of worship, aspects of good practice, public reading and the Lord’s supper.

As the most significant part of our lives as congregations, it is a concern that many are often led by men with little or no training in many aspects of leading worship. One area that has long been of particular concern is the public reading of Scripture, an area which is too often either neglected, ill-prepared or poorly executed. It is not insignificant that Paul wrote to Timothy: “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.” There is something particular uplifting about hearing the Scriptures read well in the assembly of believers …