Worship & Arts Philosophy

Philosophy of Worship Arts Ministry

UNDERSTANDING OUR THEOLOGY OF WORSHIP

What is Worship?

“Worship” is a word that can mean several things.  It is commonly used to describe three distinct circumstances:

1.  Life orientation (life of worship)

Worship as a life orientation is the highest calling and privilege of the Christian. According to the first Commandment, God’s people are to hold God as first and foremost over all of life.  So, people are called to a life of worship to God where His rule and reign are acknowledged as central to all dimensions of life.  Both work and leisure are to be lived as worship to God.  Thinking in terms of a sacred/secular dichotomy is not helpful in this regard.  We acknowledge the need to avoid things that dishonor God while seeking opportunities to affirm His redemptive Lordship over all things.

2.  Corporate Christian gathering (worship services)

Worship services are FOR and TO God, but they are also designed to engage people wherever they are on the journey of faith through a primary focus on Worship and the Word.

Worship services should be Christocentric, historically grounded, Spirit-led, and Trinitarian in nature.  Doing so ensures that God is praised, and simultaneously, that people can be restored to God and one another in faith, hope and love. 

3.  Intentional acts of praise (a time of worship, including corporate singing).

Worship services are ultimately a rehearsal of and response to the ‘grand narrative’  of salvation and hope through Jesus Christ.   Worship includes the regular observation of specific acts of praise, containing (but not limited to) the following:

-          reading and teaching of the Word of God

-          practicing the sacraments of Baptism and Communion (Lord’s      Supper)

-          Corporate affirmation of faith through creeds, congregational singing and prayer

-          Individual participation of tithes, offerings, testimony, and the specific use of spiritual gifts for the building up of others.

COMMON VALUES SPECIFIC TO PEACE PORTAL WORSHIP SERVICES

Throughout all of our activities, we will encourage a sense of generous hospitality and authentic transparency for guests while also stimulating greater maturity in followers of Jesus. 

It is our desire and intent, that over time, attendees to our services will:

-          develop right thinking about God in both His transcendence and immanence.

-          be transformed by the grace of Jesus Christ

-          be aware of having encountered God through the Holy Spirit and His people.

-          experience genuine gratitude and excitement about God

-          be inspired to give their lives wholeheartedly to God, and to lead redemptive lives of worship through work, play, service, and justice. (intimacy with God leading to impact for God)

A MULTI-TRACK MODEL – Rationale and description

We find ourselves in a time of dramatic change with numerous emerging or co-existing cultural expressions. Peace Portal has responded to this opportunity by developing services and events that reflect the diversity of our church and the surrounding community we represent. 

                “Christian worship always reflects the culture out of which it is offered. Patterns of speech, styles of dress, senses of time, rhythms and harmonies of music, and styles of visual symbols vary widely depending on cultural contexts. At the same time, worship must not be enslaved to culture. It must remain prophetic, challenging any dimension of local culture that is at odds with the gospel of Christ”.

                                -quote from “The Worship Sourcebook”, co-published by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship website.

It is imperative that Christians celebrate and re-present the timeless truth of the Gospel in ways that are understandable to culture, or else the liturgy ceases to be ‘of the people’, and the message rendered unintelligible.  History demonstrates that the style and form of Christian gatherings have varied from age to age, and culture to culture – with limitations in each form of expression.

While we are careful to maintain integrity to the Scriptures and our described values above, we acknowledge that worship activities can be experienced in a variety of creative ways. We do not suggest that all historical worship expressions be abandoned; for there is a rich heritage we can draw from.  However, the way we employ various items must be geared to the times.  By having different service styles, our aim is to give a wide range of people a comfortable starting place for worship based on certain predominant cultural and artistic preferences.

In a multi-track situation, this means that the language and tools of communication may need to differ in order to more effectively facilitate the primary group language over its secondary one(s).  For example, our “First Service” is currently characterized more by the utilization of historic and contemporary forms and music/liturgy while our ‘second service’ (Glimpse) is more informal drawing on more contemporary music and praise forms.  In this way we believe Peace Portal celebrates substantive unity in Christ, rather than uniformity to style.

THE ROLE OF THE WORSHIP ARTS DEPARTMENT

Purpose of Peace Portal Worship Arts Department:

“To facilitate a variety of events and services through which people will encounter the Living God”.

The primary duty of the Worship and Arts department is to facilitate the liturgy (“the work of the people”) for congregational gatherings (worship services).  This can be accomplished in a myriad of ways, but our aim is to assist people in encountering the Living God through body, mind, and soul. 

The arts can also be used as a formative teaching tool through which people can learn from God.  Our worship services will model and provide a language for praise, as well as lament, confession, and prayer.

In addition to our weekly congregational gatherings, the Worship Arts department will

provide opportunities to encourage sub-communities for worship expression through the Arts (music, theatre, creative writing, dance, visual arts, film, multimedia, etc.).  The department will also facilitate community outreach activities which feature artistic expression.

Values specific to the arts at Peace Portal include a commitment to:

-          excellence in the arts

-          exercise sensitivity and good judgment in using style and form appropriate to particular audiences.

-          value humble, Christ exulting performance.

-          Encourage and empower lay people to bring essential perspective and creative expression to our church life

-          engage the church community as participants, not spectators

SEASONAL  / SPECIAL SERVICES:

As a Christian church it is appropriate and expected that we regularly remember and re-present the gospel story. We believe that seasons provide opportunities to both celebrate the event and create impact on the local community. During certain seasons of the year, (particularly Christmas and Easter) we will often have special services.

We are a diverse community with a wide variety of need and expectations. Because of our multi-track orientation, it is important to exercise discernment and sensitivity when deciding how appropriate these special services will be for each of our services.  While different approaches and styles will be required, we remain committed to outreach in our community while remembering the needs of our congregation.

If special services are to occur IN PLACE of a customary weekly service and the form and content deviate significantly from the norm, these services will be reviewed in the early planning stages by elders and pastors, with appropriate communication to the congregation as may be appropriate.

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IN SUMMARY

PPAC is committed to creating worship experiences that enriches, deepens, encourages, affirms and honors God.