years ago…long before “the purpose driven” phenomena, i was taught that there were five different components to a balanced church program. when all five of those components were functioning effectively, you would have a healthy, biblical church. here are the five components:
- study of the word
- fellowship
- evangelism
- worship
- ministry
i’m spending a lot of time these days thinking about what a healthy church looks like and, more importantly, what north point looks like. we’ll spend some time over the next couple of weeks talking about these components, grade ourself and make some plans for the future. let’s get into some good discussion!
I am a husband, a dad, a spankin' new grandpa (big papi), a pastor, a teacher, a fellow-wanderer, a baseball junkie, a lover of 24, waffles, the first day of fall , loud music, kids, play, the grace of God, and St. Augustine grass!
6 responses so far ↓
Scott Walley // June 25, 2008 at 5:20 am |
Some of those 5 terms are really vague words that could mean different things to different people, or could even mean the wrong thing to some people. I think the list is pretty much inclusive of the things you’d need for a healthy church, but I think the definition of the items and how we carry them out at North Point need to be laid out in stone.
Specifically, one that stands out to me is worship. Though I don’t ever raise an issue when people misuse it, I still do a double take in my mind every time I hear it. I think many people like to define the term “worship” to mean “singing and clapping,” usually on Sunday mornings. People will say, “I love to sing during worship time,” or when a (non-Buzzy) music leader says that “we’re going to enter into a time of worship” and then cuts into a song. As if we could segment worship, or have an allotted worship time! That idea is absurd to me. To me, that is one aspect of worship, though it is far from the intended, entire meaning. Worship to me is something that is (or should be) an entire, life-encompassing act that we carry out with most every decision in our lives. For example, a parent worships God by choosing compassion and correction over anger when their child breaks a big rule. Or a young person worships God by doing tasks or chores that their parents have set for them to do.
Correct me if I’m wrong on all this, but I just see worship as something that is carried out all the time, and not just on Sunday mornings for 20-30 minutes of a church service.
Wendy // June 25, 2008 at 2:53 pm |
For all purposes – every thing about us is a time of worship to God. We can either acknowledge that and grow from that as a creature to the creator or we will miss out on a fundamental truth about us, God and the type of worship our lives are supposed to be comprised of.
Yet, even the bible teaches about times of more INTENSE and dedicated “worship” that serve a definite purpose within the Body and in our relationshp with
God. In Colossians 3:16 and Ephesians 5:19 we are told to
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”
and
In Ephesians 5 – it starts off with “be imitators of God”, and to “be careful how we live…not as unwise but as wise” but to “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ”
I don’t think it is a coincedence that at the heart of our bible is Psalms. I don’t think that it is by accident that universally music is something that seems to unite us all and you can hear it, see it, touch it and feel it everywhere.
In scripture we are told that if we don’t worship – the rocks are going to do it for us or “cry out” to God. That’s a pretty mind-blowing idea.
I really liked this study at Bible.org about the various forms of WORSHIP in the bible –
http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=438
To sum it up there are three word pairs in Greek/Hebrew that are connected with the “primary elements of true worship” and they are: Humility, Reverence and Service.
Cool stuff.
Wendy // June 25, 2008 at 3:00 pm |
As to all FIVE areas:
You know as I read those I had that distinct cringe I get when I see anything/hear anything that fumbles with what I consider to be religionese.
Each church has to search the scriptures and see what the Bible actually says about those topics and apply the truth accordingly. It is in the personal/corporate interpretation of “study of the word”, “fellowship”, “evangelism”, “worship” and “ministry”
It is the interplay of those five elements the weaves the heart of the Body of Christ as is seen in a local church. For North Point those five elements combine to a very distinct heart of service and North Point tends to attract people that want to serve – that want opportunities to talk less and do more.
Debbie // June 25, 2008 at 8:42 pm |
A word I would add to the list is Prayer. Prayer should be at the heart of all the other words. It should be an implied/mandatory element of study, worship, ministry, evangelism, fellowship. However, I think it is the most powerful source of strength/wisdom for the others that it needs to be on the list.
Raeshel Parker // June 27, 2008 at 9:55 pm |
I would like to expand on what Scott was saying about Worship, segmenting etc….
Worship is a time when we pay deep, sincere, awesome respect, love, and fear to the one who created us. Acts 17:24-25 says, “God who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives life, breath, and all things.”
Jesus says in John 4:23-24, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” It doesn’t say we can worship God anyway we want, but we “must worship Him in spirit and in truth”. The word “must” makes it absolute. There is no other way we can worship God and be acceptable to Him. The word “must”, according to Webster, expresses “an obligation, a requirement, a necessity, a certainty, and something that must be done”. When “must” is used it means that it is not optional. Here the word “must” is expressing that in spirit and in truth is the only way to acceptably worship God….
Our worship not only honors and magnifies God, but it is also for our own edification and strength. Worship helps us develop a God-like and Christ-like character. We become like unto those we admire and worship. When we worship God we tend to value what God values and gradually take on the characteristics and qualities of God, but never to His level. As Philippians 2:5 says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ.” How do we take on the mind of Christ? In Romans 12:2 we read, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” We renew our mind as we study and meditate on God’s word and worship Him.
(this is a study passage from netbiblestudy.com on worship)
Coming from a background of ministry …(my dad is a worship leader at Jubilee Christian in Burkburnett) Worship is a key factor. Worship time (especially during church service) is set time for Christians to enter into God’s presence as a whole and express our love, humility and reverence to him. It prepares us to receive the message in the right spirit.
I like segmenting worship to a point (not that it is so segmented that you can’t enter in). But having praise songs that flow into the slow worship songs is a good fit, in my opinion. It allows the church body to flow into the spirit. I think that NP does a great job in the flow of music…
Logan // July 8, 2008 at 4:34 am |
Good one Debbie. Very true.