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, Lifeway president and CEO. “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.”
‘We underestimated the value’ of this tool
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“While we originally made the difficult decision to discontinue lifewayworship.com with prayerful consideration, we should have invested more time to listen to church leaders, provide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,” Mandrell said.
“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,” he noted.
“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.”
Needing more time to listen
Mandrell added, “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,” Mandrell said. “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.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Carol Pipes and originally published by Lifeway.
