By Carol Pipes
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — In response to expressed concern from ministry leaders, Lifeway Christian Resources is postponing the implementation of the decision made earlier this week to discontinue lifewayworship.com.
“We are delaying the implementation of this decision until we have time to listen, allow for dialogue, and find out how we can best support churches’ digital worship music needs,” said Ben Mandrell, CEO of Lifeway. “We are actively considering alternatives to ensure minimal disruption and keep this essential catalog alive. We have been exploring long-term solutions for keeping this catalog of resources alive and have reason to be optimistic.
The extension of lifewayworship.com will enable worship leaders to continue accessing their digital music files and provide
ample time for downloading any essential materials they may require.
“While we originally made the difficult decision to discontinue lifewayworship.com with prayerful consideration, we should have invested more time to listen to church leaders, provide more notice of the impending change, and partner with those who rely on this tool every week,” said Mandrell.
“We appreciate the feedback we’ve received over the last few days. Many church leaders have reached out and expressed how much they appreciated the support we gave to their worship ministries,” said Mandrell.
“We underestimated the value this tool brings to a meaningful portion of our churches,” Mandrell said. “And we certainly didn’t put the turn signal on soon enough for people to be prepared for the changes that were coming.
Given the recent feedback, Lifeway will put the implementation of this decision on hold until we’ve had the chance to engage with worship leaders and find out how we can best work through this transition together. Although the Lifeway Worship team will not continue to add new selections to the library during this time, the delay in shutting down the site will allow more time to work with our valued customers to develop a plan to protect their investment and transition to a new service.”
Mandrell expressed the desire to listen attentively to the concerns and needs of worship leaders and said Lifeway is committed to supporting to those who play a pivotal role in guiding the church in lifting up the name of Jesus.
“We want our customers to know their voices and messages are being heard, and we are committed to incorporating their feedback into our plans moving forward,” said Mandrell.“ We are grateful for churches’ support and understanding. We want to send a loud message to churches that we care about them. Our partnership with church leaders means everything to us, and we remain steadfast in our dedication to serving them and their ministries.”
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Carol Pipes is director of communications for Lifeway Christian Resources.
About Lifeway Christian Resources
In operation since 1891, Lifeway Christian Resources is one of the leading providers of Christian resources, including Bibles, books, Bible studies, Christian music and movies, Vacation Bible School and church supplies, as well as camps and events for all ages. Lifeway is the world’s largest provider of Spanish Bibles. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Lifeway operates as a self-supporting nonprofit. For more information, visit Lifeway.com.
