First Baptist Church
Ardmore
Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the LORD, and greatly to be
praised, and he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless
idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy arein his place. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and
strength! Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him!
Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let
them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!”
- 1 Chronicles 16:23-31
When considering worship, the question is not whether or not someone worships, rather it is who or what does he or she worship. Though many believe that they simply do not worship anything, that is simply not true. Everyone worships something or someone. The only question at hand is what or whom they worship. Merriam-Webster defines worship as, “reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; also : an act of expressing such reverence”. Worship is viewing something or someone as worthy of receiving divine praise and offering that someone or something the praise which they are deemed worthy of.
With this definition of worship in mind, the Church must constantly pursue a righteous act of worship and praise towards God. The Church MUST gather together for corporate worship. One major benefit of joining other believers in worship is that it is an up-lifting and encouraging experience. There are few things better than hearing the voices of believers making a melodious proclamation towards and about God. During this time, it is important for the worship ministries to have a missional mindset. The worship ministry should focus on exalting the Lord, edifying believers, and equipping the ministry.
There is not a “perfect” form of worship that humans are capable of because the human race is sinful and separated from God. However, there are a few things that the church should be diligent in when considering a worship ministry. First off, the worship ministry should equip future leaders both musically and spiritually. This means that the worship leader(s) or worship pastor(s) should be mentoring those that have shown a gifting in music and a passion for leading worship. This mentorship should consist of more than simply a guidance in musical excellence. it should consist of leading others closer to Christ. The worship ministry must grow spiritually in order to lead the congregation to grow spiritually.
A very important role that the worship ministry must be diligent with is leadership of the congregation. The ministry of music is the only ministry in the local congregation that literally tells the church what to say to and about God. There is a lot of power that the worship ministry holds in the fact that it places words into the mouths of the congregation. This means that the music that is chosen should first and foremost be solid from a lyrical standpoint. This does not remove the value for musical excellence, rather it raises the value of the lyrical content.
At FBC, we are thankful that the Lord has entrusted us with the gift of music. We, as a church, intend to sing praises to God in spirit and in truth. This means that we intend to sing songs that are rich in lyrical truth with passion and joy. We hope that you will join us in singing of the greatness of our God.