{"id":527,"date":"2010-05-11T13:27:18","date_gmt":"2010-05-11T20:27:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/?p=527"},"modified":"2017-10-09T10:36:57","modified_gmt":"2017-10-09T17:36:57","slug":"creative-worship-engage-worshippers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2010\/05\/creative-worship-engage-worshippers\/","title":{"rendered":"Creative Worship Must Engage the Worshippers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What do you think of when you hear the term creative worship<\/em>? I\u2019ve heard of some churches that have done some pretty crazy things in their worship service\u2014swinging from the balcony, having the pastor dress up as a cartoon character, running laps around the pews while preaching, or waving one\u2019s jacket around for emphasis. Bear in mind that creative worship does not mean crazy worship. Usually, histrionics like these serve to distract from worship. The goal of creative worship is to focus upon God. <\/p>\n

Keep the Goal the Goal<\/strong><\/p>\n

The goal of creative worship is not just to have a creative worship service. Not to be redundant, but the goal of creative worship is to focus on God. That answers the \u201cwhy\u201d of creative worship. If we are not focusing on God, worship is not taking place. It\u2019s also important to understand the \u201chow\u201d of creative worship. Since the goal is focusing on God, what does creative worship actually look like? What does creative worship accomplish?<\/p>\n

Creative Worship Engages the Worshippers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Creativity in worship should serve to involve the worshippers. Creativity reflects the character of God. Thus, creativity is an enhancement to worship and even a requirement of worship. Here is how creative worship should engage the worshippers.<\/p>\n

Creative Worship Engages the Worshipper\u2019s Senses<\/strong><\/p>\n

Creativity characterized the oeuvre of Israelite worship. Exodus 25 informs us that the worship site itself involved a rainbow of colored cloth, a medley of textures, fragrant incense, priceless metals, and an array of candles for light. The Israelite worship experience involved the sense of sight, smell, touch, and hearing.<\/p>\n

Creative Worship Engages the Worshipper\u2019s Minds and Hearts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Creative worship, as a sensory experience, empowers its internal impact. Exodus 25:2 tells us that worshipful giving involved \u201cevery man whose heart<\/em> moves him.\u201d In the New Testament, we read that \u201cspiritual worship\u201d means that you must \u201cbe transformed by the renewal of your mind<\/em>\u201d (Romans 12:1-2). According to Hebrews 12:28, worship involves the internal spirit of \u201creverence and awe,\u201d regardless of the external accoutrements of worship.<\/p>\n

Creative Worship Engages the Worshipper\u2019s Emotions<\/strong><\/p>\n

All throughout the Bible, worship and emotions are integrally connected. God never disparages emotions. In fact, the Bible is full of references to God\u2019s emotions. Creative worship involves the worshipper\u2019s emotions\u2014joy in singing (Ps. 100:1), cheerfulness in giving (2 Cor. 9:7), awe in exaltation (Heb. 12:28), and gratitude for God\u2019s character (Ps. 26:7), among others.<\/p>\n

Creative Worship Engages the Worshipper\u2019s Actions<\/strong><\/p>\n

True worship does not begin and end with just emotional involvement or a sensory experience. Creative worship affects actions. Romans 12:1-2 makes it plain that worship means action: \u201cpresent your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.\u201d Holy living, acceptable behavior, nonconformity to the world, and mind renewal are part of the package of real worship. Creative worship results in life change\u2014a change in mind and in actions.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s Creativity?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keep in mind that creativity isn\u2019t just about using a cool intro video, or having smoke and lights during the music. Creativity\u2014engaging the worshippers entire person\u2014is at the core of worship. It doesn\u2019t take a lot of money or a new church building. It simply takes intentional involvement of the whole person. Jesus taught that we worship in spirit and in truth, making the point that it doesn\u2019t matter where we are or what our surroundings are (John 4:24). Jesus also explained that worshipping wasn\u2019t about being in a church building, but involved simple gathering of believers (Matthew 18:20). Creative worship, engaging the worshippers, is all about focusing on God.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What do you think of when you hear the term creative worship? I\u2019ve heard of some churches that have done some pretty crazy things in their worship service\u2014swinging from the balcony, having the pastor dress up as a cartoon character, running laps around the pews while preaching, or waving one\u2019s jacket around for emphasis. Bear […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[4138,4144,4153],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-527","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-worship-leadership","7":"category-worship-ministry","8":"category-worship-resources"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nCreative Worship Must Engage the Worshippers - Sharefaith Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/2010\/05\/creative-worship-engage-worshippers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Creative Worship Must Engage the Worshippers - Sharefaith Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What do you think of when you hear the term creative worship? 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