Worship Leading Clips:
Philosophy of Ministry
Worship | The fact that God is worthy to be worshiped drives my theology of ministry. When we are truly aware of the holiness of our God, we have no choice but to fall before Him worshiping in Spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). He is our Creator and has formed us that we might reflect His glory (Genesis 1:26-27, Isaiah 43:7). Thus, all that we do should be flavored by the goal of bringing glory to Him. We must gather as the Body of Christ engaging in the Universal Church in order that we as a community glorify the Lord. Corporate worship should be a community event which is Gospel-focused and God-centered. In the context of the local church biblical worship includes not only corporate Sunday worship, but also my interaction with the community around me, and my individual walk involving personal quiet times with God. My life is fueled by my worship of God.
Scripture | God’s revelation in the pages of His Word is central to my faith. Because it is living and active (Hebrews 4:12), the Bible shapes and forms everything I do, not just in theory, but also in practice. Therefore, it is the words of Scripture that inform my worship, teaching, discipleship, counseling, correcting and interactions with all people. Also, because the Lord speaks through His Word, it is my goal to keep the study and memorization of it a constant in my life.
Discipleship | As I have been involved in ministry, the powerful impact of living in relationship has been impressed upon me. I believe that true ministry happens as we interact and share our lives with others. These relationships offer healthy opportunities for fellowship, accountability, and encouragement. I hope to incorporate discipleship into any ministry position I am in. Christ gave us this model by His mentorship of the disciples. He had a small group of learners whom He poured His life into. They, in turn, all went out and poured themselves into others, and the process has carried on throughout the history of the Church (II Timothy 2:2). I use this model as I interact with individuals who are involved with the ministry I am leading.
Grace | The holiness of our God continually reveals our unrighteousness. It is this reality that constantly reminds me Christ’s grace was not a one-time gift. Rather, every breath of life I know stems from this grace. Because of the grace I have received, I seek to extend grace to everyone with whom I come in contact. God’s rich grace motivates me and propels me to share the Gospel.
Behavior | Though our salvation is not dependent upon our works, a natural overflow of a life centered on
Christ is holy behavior (James 2:14). This behavior is a working out of our faith (Philippians 2:12) and is exhibited by the fruits of the Spirit and by the lifestyle one lives with the help of our Lord (Galatians 5:16-26). It is my goal to continually be growing in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in ways that bring glory to the Lord.
Therefore, it is through these avenues – worship, the Bible, discipleship, grace and behavior – that my philosophy of ministry is informed. Through these means I come alongside the Church building disciples so that God is exalted, His children are edified, and unbelievers are evangelized.
Philosophy of Worship
Worship is about the living God. He is our audience and our inspiration, our love and our hearts desire. When we gather as a community to worship we have opportunity to proclaim the greatness of our God and to enjoy the intimacy and reality of His presence with us.
One of my beloved professors at Gordon-Conwell, Dr. Carol Kaminski, has said, “Tell His story. Tell it over and over and over again…” In worship we have opportunity to tell the story of God and to have that grand story become part of our lives…part of our story. Whether we are hearing a story for the first time or the hundredth time, whether it’s our own story or someone else’s, story has an incredible power to engage the listener. We are drawn into the action, feel the emotions of the characters, and find ourselves responding to Jesus as he calls out to Simon Peter, “Come, follow me” (Mt 4:19). As we gather in the corporate worship setting, we are remembering this drama of history of which we have become a part, having been adopted into the family of God. Story is an important emphasis in my worship.
Where do we find the stories of God but in the word? It is our Bible which records the stories of God throughout history. In Scripture we have God’s very real and present word to us, living and active, and not only that, but an understanding of His person and His presence. I believe it is essential to have Scripture incorporated into the worship of the church. It can be woven into the service in many ways, through scripture reading, prayer, choral readings, drama, corporate readings, art and as the foundation and source for the sermon. As a leader I attempt to present the words of Scripture faithfully and creatively so that the body hears the ancient words afresh in ways that engage their lives today.
My worship style for my own personal worship and as I lead the community has been described to me as eclectic. I like to mine the history of the church to find meaningful expressions for worship, but I also like to tap into the wealth of worship material being produced in the church today. Believers throughout the ages have worshipped our glorious God. Our generation has an offering to bring to the altar, but it sits alongside offerings that have been brought generation after generation. There is richness in the historical creeds and there is great value in spontaneous prayer.
I enjoy putting together meaningful services which incorporate elements from many styles and eras. Along with this love for a variety of worship expressions there are a few unifying standards I try to maintain. One is that I aim for excellence in worship. This is not to limit worship to a highly structured, well-practiced event, but rather, to strive to offer only our best to our God. I also spend time carefully selecting songs for worship which focus our attention and hearts on God and His character. Although the individual believer, as well as the body, gains from the corporate worship experience, the reason we worship is to ascribe worth to God. I prefer the lyrics of songs to be focused on God rather than on the worshipper. Lastly, in leading worship and worship teams, it is essential that those leading have right hearts before the Lord. God is our audience, and we should aim to present him with an acceptable offering of heartfelt worship and praise.