I LOVE worship! Worship is the heart of any church…or it should be. Everything we are as Christians should grow out of genuine, spirit-filled, authentic worship. And because of that, worship should be done well. Now, let me make sure I explain that- I don’t want to be misquoted or misunderstood.
Doing worship well isn’t about a “performance”. It’s not about staging an event. Instead, it’s about facilitating an environment where those attending are NOT just merely attenders”- they’re participants. It’s also about offering our best to God- the audience of One.
So at the church I currently serve, we work hard to plan and prepare for our worship services. We meet weekly to go over the services for the week. We talk about the music that has been chosen- “is that song the right song and is it in the right place” and other conversations like that. We talk about who is doing Scripture reading. We talk about where in the service something that is “out of the ordinary” best fits. Sometimes, we go into the sanctuary and actually walk through things, trying to work out the best approach, logistically- especially if it involved moving lots of people.
“How is that NOT rehearsing a play, Pastor?” The difference is found in the intent. If our intent is to entertain, then it IS rehearsing a play. But if our intention is to do the absolute best we can to facilitate worship- to help bring people further into a spirit of worship- then it is something else entirely. There is a mood and a momentum that exist in worship. And the more the worship staff can do to help enable that mood, that momentum, the deeper and more powerful the worship is. Once we embrace the truth that it is ultimately the Holy Spirit Who brings the true power to worship, then we can relax and focus on our job, which is simply to help facilitate that.
I have been involved in starting several new worship services on my almost 20 years of ministry. Each one was a LOT of work and they all met with widely varying degrees of “success”. But you can’t fail if you are never willing to step out in faith! SO…I now start the process again. Yesterday at church I announced that we would be launching a new, 3rd Sunday morning worship at the church I currently serve. It will debut on September 11. It will feature electric guitar, drums and bass and will be the most “Contemporary” of the 3 services. And I am jazzed!
New worship services mean new entry points for folks coming into the church. People initially connect with a church in a wide variety of ways. And the more entry points the church can offer, the more folks they can connect to Jesus Christ. So I have- intentionally- committed to more work, more stress and more effort over the next few months. Why? Because that’s what God calls us to do! AND…because I LOVE what I do!
Thanks for stopping by- I pray you have a blessed day! Please make sure and come back again tomorrow, and stick with Jesus!
Stick With Jesus 