Is it really that simple?
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article called “Why the Church”. This is a follow-up to that article. I had a conversation with a pastor friend of mine about that article, and the question that was posed to me was, “How?”
How does a church shift themselves toward this kind of focus in ministry? How does a church keep themselves from getting off track?
Make worship the priority… Worship first. Yes, it’s that simple.
But let me make sure this is clear:
I didn’t say, make singing the priority. Worship is so much more than singing. When we talk about worship, we are not talking about singing or any other actions of worship. Those are the means of worship. Worship is the act of acknowledging God in His rightful place as King of all. It is acknowledging His acts of creation, redemption, salvation, sanctification, etc. It is acknowledging our position as His children, completely dependent upon Him for all things.
I also didn’t say, make sure the worship service is well-designed or produced. It is great to have the goal to honor God with our worship services, but the focus shouldn’t be on production. Production is often too focused on the people, not on God: Do the people like this song? Are we spending too long on this or that, as in, do we lose the people’s attention? Instead: focus on honoring and glorifying God. Focus on giving God our best worship. Focus on what will please Him. Focus on giving God time to do the work He desires to do.
Worship doesn’t need to be ‘current’. Worship doesn’t need to be ‘traditional’. Worship doesn’t relate to style. Worship is expressed through various styles, and each style is usually very closely associated with each particular church body; what to sing, how many songs, scripture readings, responsive readings, communion frequency, sermon lengths, response options, altar calls, etc.
Worship isn’t singing, production, or style. Worship is the act of glorifying God as God, and placing ourselves and all other things in proper placement in relationship to Him. Worship is the expression of a people’s love of God.
There is a book called “By Signs and Wonders” by Dr. Stephen Elliott. It outlines a pastor (Dr. Elliott) and his church’s journey of exploring what the Bible, theology, and church history have to say about how people come to believe in Jesus. (They were surprised all along the way, but I won’t give that part away…) What stood out to me was that, when the church had become convinced that they needed to make a change, the change they made was to endeavor to become great worshippers. Not to use great songs, but to be great worshippers. Not to produce great worship, but to become great worshippers. Not to use the right style to get the right people to show up, but to become great worshippers.
Dr. Elliott says, “Before [the decision to become great worshippers], our people and guests spoke about the quality and inspiration of the preaching and likeability of the staff… but after… people increasingly spoke about the sense of God’s presence in our midst…. And the growth was immediate and dramatic.” (pg. 95)
Here’s the point: When worship goes first, and the church is together in worship as the priority, it opens the door to God’s work. God shows up where He’s wanted. And, as worship is an expression of our love for God through the glorification of who He is, it reveals a deep desire for God’s presence in a community’s midst when worship goes first.
The church’s ‘why’ is to glorify God. This is done in worship. It’s that simple.
Are you looking for a worthwhile New Year’s resolution? Become a great worshipper.
Keep going… Read Part 3 Here
Leave a Reply