When I worked at a large hospice house in Florida, I soon realized that the number one complaint by the residents was the food. It had nothing to do with the quality or presentation of the food. It was just too hard to please everyone’s tastes. One person would think that the food wasn’t salty enough and another would think that the same piece of meat was too salty. Despite the frequent criticism, the cooks did their best to please as many people as they could, and they did a remarkable job.
There are times I get the same sort of feeling from people regarding worship and worship styles in the church. There are individuals who want a time of greeting and others who do not. There are people who desire more liturgy and others who want as little as possible. Some people want to sing only well-known hymns and others want us to incorporate new songs. There are also people who like a shorter sermon and others who would prefer a 30 minute homily every week.
I recently shared my thoughts with the SPRC regarding my worship philosophy. They suggested that I share those thoughts with you. So here it goes:
*I want the worship services to be meaningful, uplifting, and encouraging. Life is hard and you need support.
*I want to honor the worship traditions of First Cheraw but desire to try new things as well so that the worship is fresh and vibrant.
*I want to vary worship styles by having more liturgy some Sundays and less on others so that more people are engaged.
*I want you to experience the presence of God every time you worship.
*I want you to feel welcomed and connected to others during the worship service.
*I don’t want you to feel bored but energized.
The number one common factor in growing churches is that they all have meaningful worship. God-centered, meaningful worship is central to the entire life of the church and especially to First Cheraw.
In Christ,
Kurt