Our Worship Philosophy that Unites Us is written for the benefit of those who have been members for many years as well as for those who are brand new to our fellowship and may be "checking us out."
When it comes to worship, everyone wants to know, "Where are we going?" On the one end of the spectrum our worship is not traditional Presbyterian nor on the other end of the spectrum is it traditional Pentecostal. But what is it? It's not enough to describe ourselves in the negative. Even to say, "We have blended worship," still needs clarification. It is our desire to assure everyone that while our corporate worship is certainly dynamic and very much alive, it is also consistently Christ-centered and Bible-shaped. It is our prayer that the following statement will first please Christ and secondly provide a secure environment for our church family to celebrate the Lord.
As a Word and Spirit church that develops fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ, we give priority to our times of corporate worship celebration. While true worship is a 24/7 lifestyle, the purpose of this paper is to give us explicit guidelines for corporate worship in order to protect freedom of expression and at the same time to guard against extremism. As a denominationally and racially diverse congregation approaching God from a wide spectrum of traditions, the secret of our unity is keeping all worship Christ-centered.
Our worship is Christ-centered and relevant, honoring our rich heritage and diversity, leading us toward an encounter with God. LAC Worship Statement Summary
1. Christ-centered worship. The essence of true worship is responding to the revelation of God in Christ. Ultimately worship is not about us; it's about God.
"No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only who is at the Father's side, has made him known." John 1:18
2. Bible shaped and saturated worship. The Word of God gives shape, definition and freedom for worship. All aspects of corporate worship will always conform to the truth of Scripture.
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." Col. 3:16
3. Wholehearted exuberant praise. God desires the wholehearted expression of our love for Himself; halfhearted worship is an insult to God. We worship with our head, and we worship with our heart. While we guard against manipulating people's emotions by failing to appeal to clear thinking about spiritual things, we lead people to give expression of their deep, real emotions to God.
"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:24
4. God-encountering worship. Our Sunday Worship Celebration is prayerfully designed to lead people into an encounter with God. To this extent, God is not only the object of worship, He is an active participant. C.S. Lewis explains, "It is in the process of being worshiped that God communicates His presence to us." Reflections on the Psalms, NY Hartford, Brace-Jovanovich, 1958, p. 93
"Part your heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke." Ps. 144:5
5. Transparency and brokenness. The key to worship is not a million dollar pipe organ nor a modern-day praise band; the key to worship is a broken and contrite heart. We always give preference to the spirit of contrition.
"I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite." Isa. 57:15b
6. Freedom in worship. We protect people's individual response to God in the corporate setting, providing freedom to be demonstrative as well as freedom from manipulation. Human creativity expressed through the arts is a vital part of being created in the image of God, and it includes singing, instrumentation, expressive praise and drama. Joyful, exhilarating praise as well as speechless awe and wonder are both appropriate responses to God.
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Cor. 3:17
7. Authentic worship. Honesty, sincerity, integrity and purity are vital elements in both private and corporate worship. We renounce hypocrisy, pretense, deceit and religious clichés which would destroy the authenticity of true worship.
"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." Mark 7:6
8. Evangelistic worship. The public declaration of worth to God is one of the most effective means of leading seekers to a God- encounter. "Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. . .Worship. . . is the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God's glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the people and the greatness of God." John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 1993, p. 11
"Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise Thee. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy." Ps. 67:3-4
9. Culturally diverse worship. As a culturally diverse congregation, we honor the rich heritage each of our people bring to corporate worship. Our own worship identity is shaped and influenced by the wide range of cultural traditions among our congregation. For this reason we value the virtue of flexibility as we enjoy the mingling of historic and contemporary music.
"Do not put out the Spirit's fire!" 1 Thess. 5:15
10. Awe-filled worship. Ultimately worship, even when done corporately, is before an audience of One. While worshiping the Lord God Almighty, there should be times of reverence, awe and wonder which move us to speechlessly gaze on the grandeur of our God. Healthy fear of God frees us from self-consciousness and man-pleasing to a singular focus to please God alone.
"Everyone was filled with awe and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles." Acts 2:43
Lilburn Alliance Church,
Fred A. Hartley III, Pastor
This statement may be freely used as a reference; direct quotes should be credited.
adopted 2003, Lilburn Alliance Church
