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SECTION TWO: Values, Priorities & Practices |
What are our values in worship? |
| WHAT ARE OUR VALUES IN WORSHIP? |
In order to consistently evaluate our worship service and the response of the body, we must first establish what we value in worship.
1) Worship is given solely for God's glory and honor. A god is whatever people put first in their lives. In Christian worship, the true God must always have first place over music, people, and the experience. The worship service must encourage and allow the congregation to focus on God, who will, in turn, bless them. (Deut 5:8-10)
2) We are to be intimate and self-disclosing with God. Just as a loving father would never forget his little child, God never forgets us. When we feel God has forsaken us, we must ask if we have forsaken and forgotten God. When we are united with Christ by trusting him, we experience the power that will help us live morally renewed and regenerated lives. The worship service is a time when together we can come face to face with Christ and spend time with him. (Phil 3:10)
3) Nothing is done for effect or to manipulate God or the people. We cannot push people into true worship. We cannot fake true worship. God is never impressed by human accomplishments or musical prowess. (1 Kings 18:27-29).
4) We are committed to honesty and integrity. As followers of Christ, we must be committed to the truth. This means both that our words should be honest and that our actions should reflect Christ's integrity. (Eph 4:15,25).
5) Although our worship may be emotional, we do not want to work up emotions. Our emotional response should flow out of our interaction with God. If our attention is continually on how we feel emotionally during the worship service, then we have worshipped the experience by mistake. Rather, we should focus on coming close to God and interacting with Him. Our spirit, mind, body and emotions will all be renewed as a result. (Rev 1:17).
6) We welcome the ministry of the Holy Spirit in whatever way He chooses to work among us, and provide everyone an opportunity to use their gifts. We should not stifle the Holy Spirit's work in anyone's life, but encourage the full expression of these gifts to benefit the whole body of Christ.
(1 Thess 5:19)
7) We distinguish between individuality and spontaneity. Individuality can be whimsical, disordered or counterproductive because it prevents real unity in congregational worship. But spontaneity is not whimsical; it's responsive. The whole congregation can be led together in spontaneous responsiveness. (1 Cor 14:40)
| WHAT ARE OUR PRIORITIES IN WORSHIP? |
Once the values are established, then we need a set of priorities in order to plan and put our worship philosophies into action.
1) Our worship is directed and focused upon God Himself. God alone is worthy of being worshiped.
(Ps 100:1; Rev 5:9-10, 12-13)
2) Worship is a two-fold communication process. We worship God, He touches us. Our worship must never become a routine event. When we come wholeheartedly before the Lord, He meets us and touches our lives. (Matt 18:20)
3) Worship is practiced as a lifestyle on both the corporate and individual level. We must bring honor to Christ in every aspect and activity of daily living. Our corporate worship and celebration is the result of having worshiped all week; it is the overflow of joy and praise we each bring with us into the service. (Col 3:15-17)
4) We set aside time to worship. Our services are purposeful in their providing opportunity for praise and worship. Careful evaluation takes place to assure the opportunity for a deep sense of worship and to provide the correct measure of each part of the service.
5) We invest money for musical instruments, sound, and lighting equipment to enhance the quality in our worship. Just as David did, we choose musicians who show an ability to tell about God and to encourage others in song. We set aside a music budget for music equipment and provide tools of opportunity for service and quality in our worship. (1 Chron 25:1-6)
6) We expend energy to rehearse, set-up, and prepare for worship. Spontaneity is best when it is under girded with thorough preparation. Ministry begins taking place long before the public service. Prayerful planning, rehearsal and set-up helps us to prepare spiritually for the coming service, and allows us to work together as God's family and church.
7) We teach others how to worship so that they may experience intimacy with God. True worship needs to be modeled if others are to learn. Leaders and singers must themselves enter into worship and not just act as instructors. (Col 3:16).
8) We provide growth experiences for musicians learning to give their music back to God. Gifts and talents emerge through the process of serving. Opportunities are provided to help musicians learn how to communicate God's truth through music and to lead others to Him.
9) We feel free to integrate change as our worship grows and expands. We are careful, though, to maintain consistency between our values and our priorities when we do initiate change.
| WHAT ARE OUR PRACTICES IN WORSHIP? |
With our priorities in place, certain practices will best promote our congregation into experiencing a meaningful worship service. These practices are based on a conviction of what we sense God's desire is for Cornerstone.
1) We engage in practices which are biblically sanctioned either implicitly or explicitly. Activities not supported by Scripture are not encouraged in corporate worship or private worship.
2) Our worship service is a journey into God's presence. We begin with upbeat joyful celebration songs, gradually leading toward personal, intimate, prayerful songs. Next is a time of expository teaching from His Word leading to a call for personal application and commitment.
3) We model and encourage the whole person to enter into worship. a. Body (raising hands, standing, bowing heads, holding hands...); b. Mind (reading of scripture, singing, recalling God's works...); c. Emotions (joy, reverence, empathy...); d. Spirit (prayer, intimacy with God...).
4) We worship whenever we gather in various groups and settings. In any gathering we want to bring people closer to God through worship.
5) We encourage an uninterrupted flow of worship. Thus, we will sing many songs in succession without interjections from the worship leader. The worship leader, once having helped to bring the people into worship, must then allow them to worship and not become a distraction.
6) We worship in a balanced adult contemporary musical style, incorporating psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to help as wide a group as possible identify with what they are singing to God. The style of music should vary enough to remain fresh, becoming no more than a tool in communicating to a wide variety of age groups and cultures.
7) We encourage moderate practices when we worship in corporate meetings so no one is distracted. Each person worships in a slightly different and personal way. Moderation in worship prevents any particular practice from becoming dominant to the point of taking our focus off God.
8) We always seek to expand and deepen our present foundation. We seek new songs, new modes of expression, new experiences with God. We seek God's guidance and direction in all aspects of the worship service.
GOAL: The worship team must strive to successfully provide the opportunity and atmosphere for true worship. For an effective public ministry, there must also be a thriving, growing ministry going on behind the scenes.
| WHAT WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES DO WE HAVE? |
The result of our values, priorities and practices is our programs. Each program is custom designed to fit the people involved, meeting their individual needs and the needs of the body as a whole.
1) Public Worship Services: Three identical Sunday morning services and Saturday evening service.
2) Small Groups and Retreats: Each group includes a time of praise and worship
3) Special Services: There are seasonal programs which include Christmas, Easter, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. There are also other celebration gatherings such as the Harvest Banquet. We also worship during our business meetings.
| HOW DO WE IMPLIMENT THE PHILOSOPHY? |
What looks great on paper means nothing until someone actually applies it to real life.
1) We give people time to learn new skills. Each individual learns at a different pace. We work to introduce the right skill at the right time, while being aware of the psychology of change. Change often results in unsettled responses, including fear, anger, insecurity, awkwardness, foolishness, being out of control, vulnerability. We exercise patience and understanding, responding lovingly with words of encouragement. We let them know that change is hard on the human psyche and that they are doing great.
2) We reinforce the model, even once it is set. We do it ourselves. If we don't, they won't. Paul encouraged the Corinthians to follow him as he followed Christ. (1 Cor 11:1) We also direct by not directing. Too much directing will stifle the people's initiative by making them feel controlled. We let them do it. People learn best by doing things themselves.
3) We reinforce the teaching, even once it is set. We do the reinforcing before worship rather than during it. Not interrupting the flow of the worship causes it to build and progress in intimacy. Comments must be short and to the point without being critical or manipulative. Periodic seminars help to teach and teach again in order to deepen understanding and recall ability.
Section One: Definition & Purpose (CBC site)
Section Two: Values, Priorities & Practices (CBC site)
Section Three: Accountability (CBC site)
Section Four:
The Worship Gathering (CBC site)