Overview:
The goal of the Worship Ministries is to lead and assist the congregation of Christ Community Church in structured corporate worship during Sunday/Wednesday services and other events, and to encourage them towards and model for them a lifestyle of sincere worship that is consistent every day of the week.
What is worship? Worship is our entire being responding with praise for all that God is, glorifying Him through our attitudes, actions, thoughts, and words, based on the truth of God as He has revealed Himself. Therefore, worship is not an outward observance or ritual, nor does it require a certain location; it is a consistent, deliberate, active lifestyle devoted to solely bringing glory to God in every choice and area of life (1 Cor. 10:31).
Corporate worship is not a separate entity, nor is music “worship” in and of itself. Believers have the unique privilege and duty to worship the Lord together as the Body of Christ, outwardly expressing their adoration and gratitude to Him through collective activity such as prayer, Scripture reading, testimony, or songs of praise and worship. Corporate worship requires that the individual believer already be living in a continual state of worship; it cannot be something that “turns on” each Sunday and “turns off” after the conclusion of the service, but must be a visible outflowing of the constant state of the believer’s heart, as he/she continually offers his/her life to the Lord as a “living sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1). The mark of a true believer is worship as a lifestyle, visibly manifested in daily attitudes and actions.
The purpose of the Worship Ministries is to ultimately and entirely bring glory to God; their primary means of fulfilling this goal is by collectively leading and aiding members of the Body of Christ in corporate worship. Their motivation and desire is to point the congregation to the Almighty God, King, and Savior and to remind them of who He is and what He has done in and through them and others.
Opportunities:
At various times of the year, the Worship Ministries include:
- Children’s choir (for 5-year-olds through 6th grade)
- Choir (for Jr. High through Adults)
- Vocal Ensembles & Quartets
- Accompanists
- Praise Team
- Youth Group Praise Team
- Sound Ministry
- Slides Ministry
Priorities:
- Elevating God and His Word
Our first priority is that every part of our services be God-honoring, Christ-focused, reliant upon the Spirit’s work, and entirely consistent with Scripture and the doctrinal statement of the church. Our primary purpose is to please God, not man, so truth is paramount. As we minister, we understand that only the Word of God in conjunction with the Spirit can change hearts and draw people to worship, so content trumps presentation and creativity.
“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24)
“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you…” (Col. 3:16)
“Congregational praise begins with God and His glory, not man and his need.” – Eric Alexander
- Embodying Integrity
It is our responsibility as believers to live a life of integrity. This means that we behave the same at church, at work, and at home: we seek to honor Christ with our attitudes, speech, and actions regardless of where we are or who we are with. We still sin, but when we do, we deal with it through confession and repentance, and we understand that everything we do reflects on our Lord and Master so we strive to live uprightly and blamelessly before all. We understand our accountability before God and the leaders of the church and our ministries.
“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31)
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age…” (Titus 2:11-12)
- Exhibiting Excellence
We pursue excellence in every aspect of our ministries. Our goal is not perfection, because we know that we are imperfect vessels for service, and seeking perfection above all can upset our priorities. Rather, we desire our ministries- whether musical, technical, or other- to represent the purity, creativity, and the excellent greatness of our God. Excellence requires individual training, personal and team preparation, and often a certain amount of experience; we are personally responsible for being prepared to serve each week, and leaders are responsible to equip, communicate with and lead their ministries effectively.
“…I will not offer [worship] to the Lord my God which cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24)
“Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.” (Psalm 33:3)
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men…” (Col. 3:23)
- Engaging the Congregation
While remaining Christ-focused in worship, we as leaders must have a congregation-serving attitude. We must lead in a way that encourages the congregation to remain engaged, whether in corporate singing or in other service elements including testimonies, Scripture readings, and musical offerings. While still prioritizing theological content, we must strive to engage our members in a way that is neither archaic nor trendy; instead, we desire to be both culturally sensitive and consistent with protestant church heritage. We achieve this by ensuring our content is entirely Scriptural, and by discerning what helps the congregation sing and remain focused.
“……encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Heb. 10:25)
“…teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…” (Col. 3:16)
“…our corporate responsibility before God and to each other is to sing together.” – Keith Getty
- Embracing Our Fellow Servants
We understand that God has placed each person in the church for a purpose, and we love fellow believers because we love Christ. We desire to encourage and build them up (especially those we serve with regularly) without complaining or harshly criticizing because we desire the very best for them. This means sacrificing our preferences, overlooking minor offenses, and when a serious issue arises with a fellow servant, lovingly approaching them to resolve it. It also means building relationships that go beyond Sunday mornings and knowing others on more than a superficial level.
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord…” (Rom. 12:10-11)
“For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ… But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.” (1 Cor. 12:12, 18)
“Therefore encourage one another and build up one another…” (1 Thess. 5:11)
