COVER STORY “Worship” by Roger L. Hahn With all the renewed focus on worship in the modern Church, are we distinguishing between the purpose and the forms? Perhaps it is time to ponder the heart of the matter:“What is worship, anyway?” Read this story now

FEATURES

• "The Many Faces of Nazarene Worship," by Jesse C. Middendorf. The many different forms of Nazarene corporate worship are conditioned by an almost infinite variety of cultural and social influences. But the theology behind our worship is universal: We worship the Holy One, and our understanding of worship demands that we offer Him the best we have and the best we are.

• "Getting an ‘A’ in Music," by David Alexander. We 21st-century worshipers are not the first to voice concerns over the nature and use of music in the church. Nor will we likely be the last. It is time to ask the right questions. Does our music celebrate God–His character, His creation, and the covenantal relationship between His Son and His Body?

• "An Invitation to Supper," by Rob L. Staples. Worship and evangelism are sometimes seen as separate mandates or even rival ones. In reality, they are two parts of one whole.

• "Worship on Maple Street," by Sherry Pinson. What makes the difference between a quiet, solemn worship service and a rousing, exuberant service? Can we confirm the manifestation of the Holy Spirit by the response of our worship? Perhaps the greatest indicator of His presence is beyond what physical eyes can see.

• "The Altar–A Place of the Heart," by Stan Meek. The true altar is an attitude of the mind and the heart toward God, toward self, toward sin, and toward God's truth. In the ultimate sense, altars are not material at all. They are in the heart.

COLUMNS

• Essay: "Walking the Talk," by Ron Benefiel. To be Christian is to have integrity–to be authentically, truly Christlike in every sense, every day, every way.

• Heartbeat: "Deep and Wide," by Louie E. Bustle. For Nazarenes in Cape Verde, growing the church by evangelism is not enough; they work to grow deep roots of doctrine and relationship.

• Editor's Forum: This month's forum answers questions about baptism and dropping the word "Pentecostal" from the denomination's name.

• Portraits: "Merrill Green: They Still Call Him ‘Coach,’'" by Debbie Salter Goodwin. Merrill Green doesn't live his life for trophies. He lives it for God, and every team he has coached knows it.

• The Deeper Way: "Grace for the Journey," by Don W. Dunnington. Growth in the deeper way is a lifetime journey. Observing Dad in his eighth decade, I realize that God transforms us into the likeness of Christ as long as we live.

• Touching: "A Mission Field Close to Home," by Jerry L. Appleby. "The most creative long-term solution to the problems of the poor are coming from grass-roots and church-based efforts–people who see themselves as the agents of Jesus here on earth in their own neighborhoods and communities."

• Interconnected: "A Healthy Dose of Religion," by Norm Henry. After years of debate, the evidence is in. Religion is good for us. And true worship is even better.

• Family Tree: "Love Is Not Enough," by Les and Leslie Parrott. Love does not work in an ideal world. It works within the limits of our ordinary lives.

• Commission: "The Portable Cathedral," by Paul G. Cunningham. Worship can happen whenever and wherever hungry hearts and King Jesus come together.

• Holiness: "Perfecting Love," by William M. Greathouse. Christian perfection is not perfect performance; it is love being perfected in us by the Holy Spirit.

• Metro: "Sanctification and the 'Burbs," by Fletcher L. Tink. Christians of Clapham Junction, England, do not define their theology by physical distance from sin but rather by holy engagement in the midst of sin.

NEXT MONTH: Refugees: Searching for Sanctuary

• "No ‘Refuge’ in ‘Refugee’," by Fletcher L. Tink. The plight of refugees resonates loudly in the consciousness of Christianity. From the expulsion of Adam and Eve to the wandering of the Israelites, from the flight of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus to our own recognition that we are citizens of another world, Christians have a heritage that identifies with those who are nomads without choice. What is our God-given responsibility to them?