I wonder if in the rush of creative planning and the desire to see people enjoy our worship gatherings in the modern church, we have pushed to the sidelines what we are supposed to be doing…
In the emerging church, we need to make sure we view our worship services as gatherings in which people come to “attribute worth to God,” “to kiss toward him in reverence and lay prostrate” or “bow down” to him either physically or in our hearts.
This can be done by singing praises to God (Eph. 5:19) in community, by having God’s Word taught and read and used to focus our hearts and minds on who he is, and by honoring and remembering Jesus, our shepherd (Col. 3:16-17). Worship gatherings can also include our participation in serving and in ministering to one another as an act of worship (Mark 10:43-45; James 5:16).
In our discussions about the emerging church, it is a mistake to focus more on the arts, on making organic flow, and on including experiential elements than on asking how this gathering is creating an environment in which people worship God. We should always be asking how any interactive element moves people to worship God more.
from The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations
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Gender-neutral version:
I wonder if in the rush of creative planning and the desire to see people enjoy our worship gatherings in the modern church, we have pushed to the sidelines what we are supposed to be doing…
In the emerging church, we need to make sure we view our worship services as gatherings in which people come to “attribute worth to God,” “to kiss toward God in reverence and lay prostrate” or “bow down” to God either physically or in our hearts.
This can be done by singing praises to God (Eph. 5:19) in community, by having God’s Word taught and read and used to focus our hearts and minds on who God is, and by honoring and remembering Jesus, our shepherd (Col. 3:16-17). Worship gatherings can also include our participation in serving and in ministering to one another as an act of worship (Mark 10:43-45; James 5:16).
In our discussions about the emerging church, it is a mistake to focus more on the arts, on making organic flow, and on including experiential elements than on asking how this gathering is creating an environment in which people worship God. We should always be asking how any interactive element moves people to worship God more.
from The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations