According to FACT surveys conducted by Hartford Institute for Religion Research, between 2005 and 2008, fewer congregations report they are spiritually vital and alive, have seen worship attendance growth of 2% or more, or have a clear mission and purpose. Just 19% say their current financial health is excellent vs. 31% in 2000. Old-line Protestant congregations confront a special challenge. Their memberships are significantly older than any other faith family. In fact, in nearly six of every ten old-line congregations, 25% or more are 65 or older. This is nearly twice any other faith family and nearly three times as great as evangelical Protestant congregations. One unfortunate corollary of a congregation%s age structure is that on average, the more seniors, the lower a congregation’s vitality.-HIRR Notes 9/9/09
“Who’s your favourite worship leader?” my daughter asked.
We were listening to some worship songs in the car.
I could not answer her immediately. My mind did a quick search.
Don Moen? Bob Fitts? Michael W. Smith?
Chris Tomlin? Graham Kendrick? or Terry MacAlmon?…
Then my mind went back to church. To the guys that lead us in worship, Sunday after Sunday, dedicated to their 
calling, passionate in honing their craft, waiting on the Lord. They are the ones who together with the music and AV teams facilitate the church’s worship of God. Each of the worship leader had been used by God to usher us into His felt presence. Some had been used more superlatively than others. For me it had to be pastor Simon Tan.
So I told my daughter, “Simon Tan.”
She smiled.
Maybe she expected me to say Darlene Z, or Clark Kent, or something like that.
Yes I like them both, but it is when the church gathers on Sunday led by one from our midst that I experience worship in Spirit and truth, so my favourite is a local homegrown.
Rayson Tan is a Singaporean MediaCorp actor. Before joining MediaCorp, Tan worked as a flight attendant with Singapore Airlines. In 1990, he emerged as the 2nd Runner-Up in Singapore’s Star Search talent competition. He has worked on many different roles and hosted many TV programmes, including the role of Singaporean war hero Lim Bo Seng in the 1997 WWII drama series The Price of Peace and the host for PSC Night in 2006.
Tan has also been nominated for multiple times in the Annual Star Awards, including the “Best Supporting Actor” 
nomination. In 1997, Rayson Tan was voted as one of the top 10 most popular male artistes in Singapore media.
He is married to fellow MediaCorp actress Chen Liping and they have a son.
In 2003, Rayson Tan is sued by Andrea De Cruz in the Slim 10 pills saga. Tan was acquitted of the charges in the lawsuit. (Source: Wikipedia)
Rayson Tan from teachhisword on Vimeo.