Mastering Worship

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There is no part of our service in which the non-Christian visitor is not invited to participate fully. We want to nurture an atmosphere where people sense God's presence and respond to him.
—Jack Hayford

In each Sunday morning congregation sit many for whom Jesus is not yet Lord. Whatever their reasons for attending, they have come more to observe than worship. Their presence presents worship leaders with a challenge: How can we involve non-Christians in a service in which the main act is the worship of Christ?

We could conform our worship to the tastes and expectations of the unbelieving visitor. While that might make non-Christians comfortable, it would reduce our worship to less than an expression of devotion, adoration, and commitment to God.

Our services at Church on the Way consist of three parts: ministry to the Lord, ministry to the saints, and ministry to the world. We minister to the Lord through our worship and praise. We minister to the saints—to each other—by sharing in fellowship, love, and prayer. Ministry to the world happens primarily through the week as our members minister in their daily lives, yet part of our service attempts to equip them for their ministries.

But we also minister to the world during our services by encouraging unbelievers who are present to participate in the service and to accept Christ by the end. So, we believe our worship service, although based on the Scriptures and aimed at Christian worship, can remain sensitive to unbelieving visitors.

Here are some things we try to do during each service to make the non-Christian feel a part of the service.

We recognize that many visitors find our worship service unusually open and expressive. Because they are on unfamiliar ...

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