It was great to listen to and watch the interactions earlier this week during our first event sponsored by The Brook Network. Almost a hundred pastors, worship leaders, and other leaders converged on the theme of “Spirit and Truth: Preaching and Creativity in Worship Today.” It was particularly encouraging to listen to the ideas and conviction of the worship staff members of Elmbrook. Here are a few things I made a mental note of:
We must always always always keep worship ministry about God, not about us (Dave Bullock). We must be aware of the temptation for us to crassly import the forms and substance of worship from external sources in a plug-and-play fashion (Matt DePriest). We must be aware of the visual dimensions of worship, both in how we may be trapped by 2-dimensional images of faith, and what liberates us to the full reality of Jesus (Dave Hahn). We serve congregations well when we prepare responsibly and lead worship that is well-ordered (Jan Keddie).
Dr. Scot McKnight covered a lot of ground, but what I want to remember is what Scot is so good at, reminding us of the absolute centrality of Jesus in the life and devotion of the church. Jesus’ response to the question about the greatest commandment gave us, after all, “The Jesus Creed.”
Looking forward to determining what subjects future gatherings might tackle.