Worship in Community

by Tyler Madsen, Music Ministry Director
Written 03.12.20

Our Vision for Worship in Community

We believe that this season of gathering in our homes in smaller communities is an opportunity for more of our church to be activated in their gifts, and in particular, for more people in our church to see themselves as worship leaders!

As a Music Ministry, our desire is to equip our church with teaching, theology, and practice around worship. And in this season, that means equipping our church to participate in worship in new ways, and equipping as many people as possible to lead worship in their smaller communities!

There are two main ways our Ministry is committed to leading the church in Worship during this season:

  1. Providing resources for everyone (whether self-identifying as musical or not) to worship together in smaller groups across the city on Sunday mornings. (See “Worshiping Without Instruments” below!)
  2. Equipping the musicians, singers, and worship leaders in our church to step into a greater capacity of worship leadership in our community. (See “Worshiping With Instruments” below!)
  3. Finally, I, Tyler Madsen, led a video webinar.
    1. Where I shared a few tips on leading in this type of setting, best practices, etc., and…
    2. Also made space for Q+A, and any other conversations that may be helpful as you prepare to lead your community!
    3. If you are interested in watching this Webinar, click here.

For This Sunday

Here are two options to consider for worshiping together in your community on Sunday:

Worshiping Without Instruments:

Did you know that you can worship without a band?
Did you know you can worship without even singing?

We can often think of worship as something like Worship = singing with the band at church. And while we are given many examples of musical worship in Scripture involving instrumentation and corporate singing, we also have many examples of singing without musical accompaniment, as well as worship and praise that aren’t necessarily musical in nature.

To worship is to posture our hearts in adoration, awe, and wonder, and to proclaim with our lips who God is, what He has done, and what He will do. Worship is the act of declaring with our lives that we are living in reference to Christ; that we are dependent on the Holy Spirit; and that we are in awe of the Holiness of our Heavenly Father. With this understanding of worship, we can enter into worship in many ways without being dependent on a band or on instrumentation to do so.

This Sunday, consider beginning your time of prayer and conversation around the way of Jesus with a time of worship that looks something like this:

Reader:
“Let’s begin our time together by reading a Psalm of Praise* that centers our hearts on who God is, and then afterwards, let’s move into a time of corporate prayers of adoration, thanksgiving, and gratitude where we praise God for His attributes and remind one another of the goodness of God…”

*Choose a Psalm(s) of Praise from this document to read aloud

– Read chosen Psalm(s)
– Afterwards, move into time of corporate prayer
– When prayer subsides…
– “As we end this time of prayer, let’s sing the Doxology together…”

All:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Amen

Worshipping with Instruments:

Whether you lead worship with any kind of regularity in your CG or otherwise, or whether you never have but can play an instrument and are willing, we believe this is an opportunity for you to step into new places of growth as a worshipper and worship leader in your community!

If you would like to lead your community in musical worship on Sunday morning, here is a recommended template for how to do so:

Worship Leader:
“Let’s begin our time together by reading a Psalm of Praise that centers our hearts on who God is..

Read from Psalm 84:

How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young— a place near your altar,
Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you.

Pray: Offer a short prayer that establishes the desire of Psalm 84 over your time together. Something like, “Lord we long to experience your presence like this Psalm talks about. We welcome you among us as we sing…”)

Sing:
Holy Spirit (chord chart – key of C)
We Fall Down (chord chart – key of C)
Our Father (chord chart – key of C)

*All of these songs should be comfortable in the key of C for most people.

Pray: As we just sang, let’s pray the Lord’s Prayer together. Let’s use the words “forgive us our trespasses.”

All:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name,
Your kingdom come, Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
Forever and ever.
Amen.