It is so easy for our ministry to seemingly move faster than the rest of the church. We can give the illusion of this by updating our song selection and modernizing our sound, our stage design or our atmosphere. All of these are valuable tools and should be developed, but if they are leaving the rest of our congregation in the dust what are we gaining?
We need to meet people where they are at, because that is how God treats us.
Our worship teams mission statement for this year is “meeting people at their worship comfort zones and taking them one step further.” I love this idea because there are so many factors that play into it.
The first is that it is the way Jesus modeled discipleship. Jesus didn’t point people where to go without going with them, or call them from a place far away telling people to find their way to Him. Jesus’ ministry was based around walking with people, teaching as they went.
The important thing is that he had already been where he was leading people to.
This is what our worship ministry should be based around.
Another reason I love our mission statement is because it shows that our congregation won’t be casualties in us moving forward or left behind. The more I talk with people the more I realize they don’t expect the entire worship service to be geared toward their preferences. They are willing and have the desire to move out of their comfort zone. That isn’t what scares them; what they are afraid of is being left behind and forgotten. Moving so fast that they don’t have a chance to buy into what that step is.
Be careful of this.
And lastly, our mission statement demands that we as a worship team are constantly moving forward in our own walk with Christ. We must be showing the congregation that we are moving forward as well as worshiping in ways that are outside of our preferences or worship comfort zone.
If we are going to ask and challenge our congregation to take a step with us, we need to be stepping out in ways as well.
That comes from being transparent through the process of stepping out of our comfort zones both from the stage and personally in conversations.
Be real with people. If there is a part of worship that you aren’t comfortable with, let them know. If you aren’t a naturally expressive worship leader, show your congregation that you are trying to move outside your comfort zone by raising your hands in worship. If you aren’t comfortable leading hymns, then lead hymns. Sometimes, the best way to show this is by stretching yourself outside of worship ministry. Is teaching out of your comfort zone? Then teach a Sunday school class. Show your congregation that you are stepping out with them.
