March 13, 2009 Worship Engagement Team

A month or so ago, I spoke with the Steering Team Members and the Governance Board about getting some people together to discuss our current corporate worship. The question- "How do we help our body become more focused on God's mission through our corporate worship?" Attached are the meeting minutes. The Worship Engagement Team (or the WET as I like to call it) has met twice. We will be meeting again the week of April 13th if all goes according to plan. In the meantime, we thought it would be wise to lay our thoughts so far out on the table and open up for any input one might have. Please feel free to comment.

Meeting Minutes....
Brainstorming-

What does a Jesus centered worship look like?
Singing to God rather than ourselves
Upwards not forwards
Among us rather than toward us
No worries about what another person may think if I choose to outwardly express in worship.
Freedom to act, be vulnerable and still be safe, no judging
Each other- We are connecting with one another, connecting with God and connecting with His mission
Testimonies and faith sharing
Maybe not one or two persons running “the show.” Enable more people to participate.

How do we help all people actively engage in our corporate worship?
Change configuration of worship so not forwards but together
Individual sharing and testimony
Shared leadership
Enable/empower people/give people “permission” to act on what the spirit is leading them to do in regards to kneeling, standing, laying prostrate, etc…. (may need to come from leadership)
Help people feel connected- involve people

How can we help our corporate worship focus on God’s mission (arrows out)?
Make Jesus relevant to all people. Jesus relates to me.
Less insider language
Don’t always take the path of least resistance, what’s comfortable. Help people move out of their comfort zones.
Embrace newcomers and find places for them to fit in and to work.
Family mentality- Those of us who have been at POCOC a long time are good at connecting as family. We need to reach beyond our “family” and pull in those in our church that are on the outside.

What are we doing already that connects with what we identified above?
Involving kids in leading the worship
Sharing more of the workload, lately
Connecting with each other- moments of fellowship when we had it.
Chad enables people to worship

Challenges-
What are our deficits or things we need to improve upon?
Testimonials- Not safe enough
Connecting with one another, not safe enough to grab a hand, maybe need “permission”
Not putting people to work until they “prove” themselves.
Order of worship- Doesn’t always need to be the same. Maybe use more people.
Using more people may determine the “style” of worship.
Not Intentional- Have a theme. Plan ahead. Be more proactive so on Sunday there is no scramble for people to read scripture, say a prayer, etc…
Family extends to everyone, not just those who have been here a while and worked themselves in.

Other Thoughts
What expectations do we have of Sunday morning?
What belongs in Sunday morning corporate worship? What belongs in a small group?
Our flow/order/style of worship may/can determine our growth.
Our “professional” order or “informal” order of worship will have two different outcomes. What do we want for our body? To stay small or to grow large?
How do we create a paradigm shift in thinking for people who get upset when the chairs are moved?
How do we help worship be less about us and more about God’s mission?
How can we challenge/help people let go of some wrong (scripturally unfounded and detrimental to the body) ideas about what worship should be?