It is always a pleasure to enter a smartly-designed, well-cared-for building, whether it is an office building, a home, a theater, a theme park, or whatever. It seems to me that the gathering of worshippers of our great God is so much more important than all of those things, so why would we not give even more care, prayer, thought, and stewardship to the design of a building to support such an important thing as the gathering of God’s people for worship?
When you think about it, worshipping God is the most important thing we do all week. Although we don’t need a building in order to worship God, to deliberately design a place to enhance, support, and communicate the value of worshipping God only makes sense, and it will endure for many years to come. We can be part of something now that will serve an entire generation of worshippers who will come after us.
Why do you feel called to lead this ministry?
From the time I was a child, I had a desire from the Lord to be a spiritual encouragement to other believers in the church. In my later teen years that developed into a great love to see God glorified in the praises of His people, along with a deep love for the Bride of Christ, the Church. So for my entire adult life I have been involved with trying to point people to God through worship ministry.
Serving at Fellowship Church in particular has been a great blessing, as there was already a culture and value of the worship of God before I arrived here. Many gifted and dedicated people serve in the worship ministry, and I have really enjoyed growing closer to them and serving God together. We try to keep the focus of worship ministry on the right things, and keep reminding each other that worship is about God, not us.
How does this ministry play a part in the Church’s mission?
The worship ministry seeks to engage the entire congregation in giving praise, honor, and glory to God in a spirit of reverence, submission, obedience, and unity, thus displaying the glory and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. True worship will be accompanied by surrender to the Lord, and obedience to Him. So the end result of worship ministry is a congregation who loves God, loves His glory, and are wholeheartedly devoted to displaying His glory in every aspect of life. This supports the overall mission of the church. Worship ministry will also be a part of how the light of Christ shines into dark places to reach the community around us.
How do you see the expansion of our facilities impacting your ministry?
Obviously, a new worship center will directly impact worship ministry in a profound way. Each aspect of the design communicates certain values that are more important than the building itself. The curvature of the seating arrangement reflects a value of togetherness, that we all gather around God as a worshipping community, and that we are more than just individuals, but a unified body of believers. The quality and clarity of the sound and acoustics of the room reflect the value of the spoken Word, and the importance of what takes place in a worship service. The aesthetics and lighting of the room communicate a worshipful atmosphere, and help people in our busy society to step out of distraction and be fully engaged in prayer, worship, and the study of God’s Word. The design of a generous foyer space communicates the value of fellowship, and connecting with one another in Christ.
A dedicated worship center will also be continuously used for the development of the worship ministry itself. It would be great to be able to prepare for worship services without rolling equipment in and out of storage and have a dedicated space for our worship services, separate from our gymnasium, where we could practice throughout the week. Simply having more space will also be important to accommodate the people of our region gathering to worship. Our larger services are running out of space, to the point that it can be a deterrent to new visitors. A comfortable, welcoming, worshipful environment will be increasingly important going forward.
In what ways will this be able to better fulfill its purpose upon completion of the master plan?
We have always had a philosophy of doing the best we can with what we have. The fact that we can get a gymnasium to be as aesthetically nice and functional as we do, tells me that we are ready to manage a new worship center. Jesus said that if we are faithful with what we have, we will be entrusted with more. I am very proud of our tech and decorating deacons who are faithful with the gymnasium as our worship space, and believe they will thrive in a dedicated worship center. There are many times that our worship team, sound team, or deacons will say something like, “Well, that’s the best we can do, but if we had a new worship center then we could…” There is great anticipation for what lies ahead, and for what will be possible with a new worship center designed specifically for our ministries.