Each May Senior Pastors bring their non-credentialed worship leader volunteers to our District Council Music Ministers Luncheon. What a great time to make new connections and renew familiar ones. Attendance for the luncheon has been good - of course, we would love to have every worship leader that ministers in the state. I encourage Senior Pastors to help by having their worship leader email me his/her name and email address. We are developing a mass email list which will more efficiently and directly provide worship related information.
Also, District Council offers challenging insights leading to personal and corporate evaluation of ministry. Those who have run the race well have my attention! This year was no exception. Dr. Ed Stetzer spoke of God’s ministry assignments concerning various commissions given by our Lord. He reminded us of one ministry assignment—reach people who are different than we are. This assignment (if approached effectively) will filter through every aspect of church vision... including our worship. Differences are vast on a variety of levels within most local churches, but Dr. Stetzer reinforced something relating to musical style and form that cannot be overlooked— the effective articulation of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and the empty tomb validating it’s effectiveness to wash sinners clean. If there is a place to begin, it must be here. If we fail in our lyrics to articulate why we worship the Lord, are we really facilitating worship? When style becomes a distraction to the message then we need to adjust. Here’s an example. Some cringe at the thought of singing hymns with lyrics obviously from another era to un-churched Teen Challenge members. Is this a style distraction? Why do we run from things that aren’t familiar? Over time these same men and women learn what those words mean. They come to appreciate “Grace, grace, God’s grace; grace that will pardon and cleanse within.” What about using Hillsong United with the elderly in service? There’s room at both ends of the spectrum for accommodation. Adjust, re-arrange if you need to. It will never be easy. Ultimately, it’s all about the message and stylistic balance.
May God richly bless your ministry assignment.
God is good,
Tim Covert
Tags: Christian Music, Devotional, Worship
