Worship_at_Bethlehem-Unity_Amid_Diversity_part_2.pdf

In the first of this two-week series of Star articles, we asked: “As a multi-campus church, with thousands of weekly worshippers attending one of nine weekend services across our three campuses … What unites us in worship?” In answer to that question, we summarized the first five elder-approved values that effectively serve our worship staff as guidelines to inform the process of planning.

This week we conclude by reviewing the remaining six values and offer an invitation to you to explore ways in which you might partner with us in praise.

1. Earnestness and Intensity. In our services, we aim to avoid a trite, flippant, superficial, frivolous atmosphere, seeking instead to set an example of reverence and passion and wonder. You might say, “We are very serious about being happy in God.” Jokes are rarely fitting. Levity makes true worship harder. Heaven and hell are stupendous realities that deserve a certain demeanor.
2. Authentic Communication. Together, we renounce all sham and deceit and hypocrisy and pretense and affectation and posturing. We strive to avoid an atmosphere of artistic or oratorical performance, but long to engender an atmosphere of a radically personal encounter with God and truth. As lead worshipers, we seek to model real, authentic communion with God before others by worshiping authentically.
3. The Manifestation of God and the Common Good. We expect, we hope, and we pray that the manifestation of the Spirit in our services is for the good of all in attendance (according to 1 Corinthians 12:7) and that this spirit of love for one another is a necessary part of authentic worship. We want others to be helped as we encounter the risen Christ in corporate worship.  Thus, we want to keep on being “filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” while “singing and making melody” with our hearts to the Lord (Ephesians 5:18-19).
4. Undistracting Excellence. We will try to sing and play and pray and preach in such a way that people’s attention will not be diverted from the substance by shoddy ministry nor by excessive finesse, elegance, or refinement. Natural, undistracting excellence will let the truth and beauty of God shine through. We aim to avoid the flair of words and chords that draw attention mainly to the performance and style and not the spiritually satisfying substance.
5. Determination to Welcome People Different from Ourselves for the Sake of Christ. We aim to be more indigenous to the diversity of our metropolitan cultural setting, both urban and suburban. Globalization brings the nations to our neighborhoods, and we use words and rhythms, tones and tunes with which our neighbors are conversant as one small expression of our gospel-aim in welcome. Ethnic and racial togetherness says much about the power of God and his universal attractiveness.
6. The Mingling of Historic and Contemporary Music in Heartfelt Congregational Singing. Because we value being a singing people with growing appreciation for diverse expressions of love for God, we will use as many musical styles and forms as are helpful to worship and respond to God appropriately. We will encourage whole-hearted participation by the entire congregation in all parts of the worship service, as the defining sound of Bethlehem worship becomes the singing voices of all God’s people praising him.

Our aim in reviewing these values, we pray, will serve as an invitation to all of Bethlehem to engage in active participation as whole-hearted, mind-engaged worshipers of God for his glory and our joy whenever and wherever we gather. May it also provoke you to prayerful consideration of God’s call on your life to partner with us in worship leadership on one of our three campuses. See specific information on worship ministry opportunities for this upcoming 2010–11 school year.

Additionally, questions may be directed to the following worship department staff:

• North Campus: Scott Cornish at 612-455-0804 or worshipnorth@hopeinGod.org
• Downtown Campus: Jesse Harms at 612-455-3425 or worshipdowntown@hopeinGod.org
• South Campus: Mike Littell at 612-746-2654 or worshipsouth@hopeinGod.org

Loving the God of grace who calls us to worship him with songs of praise (Psalm 147:1),

Pastor Dan Holst, on behalf of the Worship Department:

Chuck Steddom,
Pastor for Worship & Music, Downtown

Marc Heinrich,
Director for Worship & Music, South

Jason French,
Pastoral Resident for Worship, North

Dan Holst,
Pastor for Worship & Vision, North