One of the benefits of my recent search for a new ministry position was the development of a “philosophy of worship ministry.” I had the opportunity to clarify what I believe, have learned through experience, and that God has taught me about the role of corporate worship and being a worship leader/pastor.
It’s not that I hadn’t thought through these things before. In fact, if you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that I’ve written about these topics from time to time. I’ve taught on them, discussed them, and perused the thoughts and writings of others on this same journey.
But, I had never boiled these thoughts and principles down into a written format. Yet, I needed to as I was submitting resume and information to various churches.
It was an investment in time, thought, and study, but it was time well spent.
Maybe you haven’t done this yet. Maybe you’re still exploring and developing your own philosophy of worship. Feel free to study and ponder what I’ve done. Feel free to use these statements as a starting point and adapt them. These aren’t the only valid statements, but are principles that God has impressed upon me as being important considerations when I lead others in worship. They were developed out of Bible study, discussion with other worship folks, pastors, and elders, and reading the writings of people like Bob Kauflin, Robert Webber, Dan Wilt, and many blogging friends.
Worship is about remembering and responding.
Worship should always be focused on Christ, the cross, and the truth of Scripture.
Our worship is acceptable before God because of Christ and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, not because of how great we are.
Corporate worship should be participatory.
Worship doesn’t begin or end with the main corporate gathering.
There is no one right style of worship, but there are right attitudes that must be present.
We cannot allow preferences to drive us, but it is foolish to not be aware of them.
The worship leading role is a pastoral role.
Over the next few weeks, I will be posting these in four groups of two statements. Read them, think about them, and offer your feedback on them. I don’t believe I’ve learned all there is to learn, and am constantly exploring and refining to better reflect the truth and spirit of God in the area of worship.
Let’s journey forward together.
No. 6 is especially profound and true!