I remember inviting a non-Christian friend to church when I was in High School. As I sat beside him in the service, I started hearing everything through the ears of someone without any church experience. And it sounded weird! I cringed at the Christianese uttered from the platform. I winced when someone talked about “winning our friends” for Christ. And I felt a sudden surge of embarrassment when we sang songs about “the blood.”

I’d barely noticed all the songs about Jesus’ blood before that service. Suddenly references to it seemed to be everywhere! I worried he’d think I was part of some kind of blood thirsty cult.

Alas, my friend seemed to weather the experience just fine. But I was a little embarrassed—and ashamed that I was embarrassed! After all, the blood of Jesus is the means of our salvation. But it does sounds awfully strange to an outsider. Which is why I could at least understand the motivation of a mega church when they announced they would no longer include references to Jesus’ blood in their Easter invites. But Kelsey Kramer McGinnis offers some helpful perspective. As she concludes, “Singing About Jesus’ Blood Is Weird, But We Do It Anyway.”

Speaking of worship, check out our guide on the subject. It includes multiple learning formats—an interview, assessments, case studies, devotionals, and how-to articles—to help train your team in the practical aspects of leading God-honoring worship.