Pre-Service 10-8-2017 - A Mission Statement for a Worship Team

We recently had some discussion about a mission statement for the worship team. I've led worship for about thirty years now and it surprised me how hard it was to write a focused statement. In fact, we're still not done with it.

To get discussion going with the team members, I suggested a statement like this:

The mission of the Hillside Worship Team is to help people live lives of true worship.

This generated some good questions.

• How do we help people do that if we are only seeing them once a week?
• Do people think they need to be helped in this way?
• What is true worship?
• What does a life of true worship look like?
• Can we tie this more directly to discipleship and the overall mission of our church?

A.W. Tozer reminds us that we were made to worship God. He believed a church that truly worshiped would also have a passion for all other areas of ministry. 

On the other hand, I heard one worship leader this week who said all he wants is for people to leave the service knowing they are loved. That was his mission. I'd say he was only half right. 

I do hope people know God loves them as they worship at our church. But I'd say a more complete picture would be like this:

• I realize God loves me, so I thank and praise Him.
• The more I know and experience Him, I the more I want to know Him.
• I find such love, joy and peace in Him that I want to share it with those who are hurting.

In this way, worship fuels a passion for spiritual growth and for helping others to find salvation. So true worship is the heartbeat of all other aspects of discipleship.

See John 4:13-30 for an example of this progression.