You’ve heard it touted as a solid reason to not trust the church—hypocrisy. Honest reflection will likely reveal that you are similarly frustrated as a leader in ministry… Why aren’t people changing to reflect the grace of God in their lives? The hope you have in Jesus compels you forward to greater love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When the church is pursuing whole life worship, it is poised for healthy growth.
With over 40 years in ministry, I’ve honed in on ten dynamics for healthy church growth. They are durable and timeless. Specific methods may change over time, but these dynamics hold true today just as they did when I started my ministry, and for many centuries before that. In fact, if you look carefully at any successful church multiplication movement, you’ll see these same principles at work there. This series of blog entries covers the ten essential dynamics that allow a church to grow in ways that are healthy, effective, and multiplying. Last week, I talked about making more and better disciples this week, I am looking at dynamic #4 for healthy church growth—pursuing whole life worship.
Pursuing Whole Life Worship
Pursuing whole life worship: Embracing authentic spirituality in ways that are expressed individually, in small groups, and corporately
3 Arenas of Worship
We are called to a life of worship. In each of those three arenas, our worship will necessarily look different, but they are all forms of worship:
- Individually when we are alone
- In small communities where we are known, loved, and challenged in our worship
- Corporately in the larger Body of Christ
What is worship?
As we worship, we grow in our spiritual practices. We authentically engage with God in varied ways—quietly, joyfully, reverently, in song, in thought, in prayer, in community, in meditation, in communion. Together, these practices strengthen our own personal spirituality.
Worship extends far beyond attending a church service. It extends into every area of our lives. We can worship God as we work, as we study, as we parent, as we live. Our goal as disciples of Jesus is to integrate worship into every aspect of our lives. No sacred or secular spaces—just whole life worship lived for God.
7 Things You Can Do to Grow in Your Pursuit of Whole Life Worship
- Cultivate your personal worship
- Incorporate worship into the small groups
- Clarify your style of worship based on the focus group you’re trying to reach
- Raise up worship team members
- Execute corporate services with excellence
- Cast a vision for worship as extending into every corner of our lives
- Continue to evaluate the presence of worship at the individual level, the small group level, and the corporate level
Listen to the Holy Spirit and take some time to assess how your church is currently doing in this area. Next, identify some customized action steps you could take to strengthen this dynamic.
Resources
An Undivided Heart- It is possible to live in harmony with God and the world around you! If you need a bring-back-your-first-love moment, this book is for you. It is a journey in experiencing a renewed sense of opportunity and joyful fulfillment through growing closer to living and loving like Jesus.
Photo by Arnaud Mesureur on Unsplash