Worship

"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24)

At SCC, we are committed to maintaining a biblical philosophy of worship ministry.

The Purpose of SCC's Worship Ministry

To exalt God by leading and educating His people to worship Him wholeheartedly in the power of the Holy Spirit, in accordance with the truth of Scripture, and in excellence (John 4:24; Phil 3:3; Col 3:23).

Biblical Worship

According to Scripture, What is Worship?

The most common term in the Old Testament for “worship” is sahah, which means “to prostrate oneself” or “bow down” in reverence to God. The New Testament however, gives a much broader picture of worship from proskuneo, which means “to do reverence to” (see John 4:21-24), to latreuo, which most naturally means “to serve”, but is also used to refer to “worship” (Philippians 3:3).

It is important to understand that there is no clear definition of “worship” in all of Scripture, but Scripture as a whole does give us a very full picture of what the worship of God involves. In general, worship could be defined as the expression of glad, humble, and wholehearted submission to God, in response to His greatness, His salvation, and His promises.

The point in this definition is that worship is not confined to one particular activity (singing, giving, prayer, service, etc.), but is at its very foundation an attitude of the heart. We worship when we submit ourselves wholly to God for His own pleasure. This is largely the point of Romans 12:1. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God (in response to God’s mercy in salvation), to present your bodies as a living sacrifice (humbly submitting to God’s purposes), holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

Where you worship is not nearly as important as how and whom you worship (John 4:21-24). Sincere worship is joyful obedience to the command of Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord." Our purpose is to worship Christ Jesus wholeheartedly according to the truth of Scripture. This is what God calls us to – true worship that will transform your heart and renew your spirit in His grace. It is our intent as a worship team to do whatever we can to ensure that we do not distract God’s people in any way, but rather lead them before His throne in genuine worship. Our worship service is not a performance; it is a time in which the Body of Christ unites to worship Christ together. Come and join us this Sunday for worship.

Governing Principles

Our governing principles are those standards that we hold in high regard, which motivate us to do what we do, the way that we do it. Everything we do as a ministry flows out of our desire to remain committed to these essential characteristics.

God-centeredness

Giving God the attention He deserves in all things.

The worship of God is not worship unless it is directed to Him, and offered ultimately for His own glory and pleasure. This is not to say that Christians should not enjoy worshiping Him, for in fact they should, but their pleasure should be rooted in the glory God is rightly receiving, not in a particular style of music or expression of worship. For this reason, SCC’s worship ministry will seek to encourage people to submit themselves gladly, humbly, and wholeheartedly to God through Christ, in all things.

Scripture

Rooting everything in the teachings of Scripture.

We will be diligent in ensuring that what we do reflects specific biblical teachings, but in those things that are not so clear such as style of music, sound levels, etc.), we will continuously evaluate those things in light of biblical principles.

Passion

Encouraging people to engage with God.

We want to lead people to “ascend the hill of the LORD” and “stand in His holy place” (Psalm 24:3), to worship God personally and intimately with “clean hands and pure hearts” (v. 4), which is only possible for those who have been bought by the blood of Christ and have had their hearts made clean by His sacrifice (Hebrews 10:19-22).

Ministry

Assisting in teaching, encouraging, and exhorting the body of Christ.

Paul, in Colossians 3:16 teaches, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Not only will our worship ministry function to provide an opportunity for people to worship God where they are at in their walk with Christ, it will also be geared toward teaching saints about God and encouraging them to grow in their walk with Christ.

Evangelism

Worshiping in such a genuine way that unbelievers will desire to seek Christ.

The way that the church worships should be a testimony to Christ’s worth for those who do not believe. This is not to say that this is the only way the church should be engaged in evangelism because faith comes by hearing the gospel (Romans 10:17), but can be an important part of showing an unbeliever how Christ’s work has affected our lives (Matthew 5:14-16).

Variety

Accurately reflecting the diversity within the body of Christ.

Psalm 150 gives a wonderful picture of the kind of variety that the Lord desires from those who praise Him. “Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!” We want to seek to worship with all kinds of instruments, all kinds of musical genres, and even various kinds of physical expressions.

Creativity

Providing the opportunity for people to exercise their God-given artistic abilities.

The psalmist of Psalm 149 writes, “Praise the Lord! Sing to the LORD a new song.” We consider art to be a gift from God and a wonderful opportunity to reflect His own creative abilities and work (Genesis 1-2; Colossians 1:16-20). With this in mind, we want to provide opportunities for gifted individuals to minister to our body and lead our body in worship, through creative and skillful artistic expressions. We want to incorporate “new songs” and new expressions of worship, provided that they are driven by and are in line with the previously stated values (God-centeredness, Scripture, passion, etc.)

Order

Reflecting the order of God and the unity of the Body, while encouraging individual expressions of worship.

1 Corinthians 12-14 is the foundational passage for seeing and understanding this principle. Paul makes the case there that each member of the body has been gifted in ways unique to each individual, and he encourages each of them to use whatever gift(s) they have. But although Paul encourages individual expressions of worship, he closes out this section of Scripture with a very important teaching. “What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up… For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” (1 Corinthians 14:26, 33) Individual worship must be expressed for the purpose of enhancing corporate worship, not replacing it. Though we encourage individual expressions of worship, those expressions must be used only for the building up of the body of Christ, not for the indulgence of the individual.

Excellence

Doing everything well.

Paul writes in Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Ultimately, this is a ministry unto the Lord, not unto men. For that reason we want to strive in everything we do, to please and honor Jesus Christ.