Of the many definitions of worship that have been developed over the years, the one that resonates most at College Park is “Worship is our response to God’s revelation of himself.” In other words, God shows us what he is like, and it is our privilege to find Spirit-filled ways to respond to him in worship. While each of our church’s Core Values informs our philosophy of worship, there is one in particular that has anchored our ministry to our church mission over the years: biblical unity in diversity.
The most important word in this Core Value is the first word: biblical. That word qualifies everything that comes after it. At College Park, we are careful to start with the Bible—specifically the text that will be explored during the sermon—when designing times of worship each week. We take great care in prayerfully evaluating each song lyric to make sure it is in line with the truth of Scripture. The Word is our authority, and it gives us a lot of freedom to explore and appreciate a wide range of worship expressions. From the quiet, intimate worship of the psalmist to the mighty roar of worshipers around the throne in the Book of Revelation; from peaceful wind instruments to loud percussion (Ps. 150); from kneeling in reverence (Ps. 95:6) to joyful dancing (Ps. 149:3), all are found in the Bible. The exciting thing about this is that God has given us freedom to worship him with a wide range of different art forms, postures, and musical genres as we respond to who he is and what he has done.
God has brought people to our church family from diverse artistic backgrounds: painters, graphic designers, sculptors, career rock-n-roll players, videographers, professional symphony musicians, lighting designers, dancers, rappers, gospel singers, blue grass instrumentalists, jazz artists, Latin musicians, and the list goes on. Furthermore, the people who call our church “home” come to us from dozens of countries around the world. Additionally, we celebrate generational diversity with ministry opportunities for small children, senior adults, and every age in between. There is something beautiful about young and old worshiping alongside one another. Diversity is important to us because it is a reflection of God himself. He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—three distinct persons and yet perfectly connected at the same time.
Perhaps the most challenging part of biblical unity in diversity is the word unity. We all have our preferences when it comes to the arts, which means that there will be times when a particular song or art form may not resonate with one person as much as it does another. Ephesians 4 reminds us that true unity is not achieved when we all look the same, sing the same, or like the same things. Rather, biblical unity is found when God’s Spirit causes us to rally together around the gospel of Jesus Christ as we celebrate the ways God has made each of us unique.
When you attend worship at College Park, our hope is that you’ll be able to experience the beauty of a variety of worship art forms, some of which may not be as familiar to you but are meaningful to someone else in the church family. Our prayer is that during your time with us, you will eventually find what resonates with you in worship as we ignite a passion in each other to follow Jesus!
Applications
What follows are some specific applications of our philosophy of Worship Arts Ministry at College Park Church, organized around three main questions that a visitor may have: “What might I expect to hear in worship?”, “What might I expect to see in worship?”, and “What might I expect to do in worship?”
What might I expect to hear in worship?
Colossians 3:16 invites God’s people to use different types of songs in worship gatherings: psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Because our church family has a deep appreciation for a wide range of musical expression, we seek to be good stewards of the best new worship songs we can find as well as the best historic songs passed on to us from brothers and sisters who have gone before us. On any given Sunday, you might hear multiple genres of worship songs and even different languages as we attempt to rehearse who God is and what he has done alongside people from many different backgrounds. Depending on the theme of each specific song, you might hear robust, energetic music and singing from our worship leaders and congregation; or you might experience quiet, contemplative songs of reflection. The Psalms and the Book of Revelation give us wonderful examples of the spectrum of worship on earth and in heaven, which is helpful in informing the lyrical content, style, and volume of the songs we use.
Once the worship service begins, you can expect to hear one of our skilled worship bands leading the church family and guests in congregational singing. Some Sundays there might be a smaller, more intimate group of worship leaders on the platform, while other Sundays you might be led in worship by a full band, 120-voice choir, and 30-piece orchestra. Psalm 150 admonishes us that everything that has breath should be called to praise the Lord. Our Worship Arts Ministry strives to be good stewards of the many musical talents God has given to the people he has brought to our church.
Every Sunday you will hear a greeting from the worship leader in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is one in essence and three in person. He is the object of our worship; therefore, it is important for us to be reminded weekly of who he is.
Prayer is an important part of each worship gathering at College Park. You will hear prayers offered to the Lord, praising him for who he is, thanking him for what he has done for us, confessing to him how we have sinned, and asking for his grace and mercy in our lives. You will often hear requests for specific people in our congregation, as well as prayers that God will enlighten our hearts and minds to receive the truths found in the Scriptures.
As a centerpiece to each of our worship gatherings, you can expect to hear a portion of Scripture read publicly and an accompanying message from one of our pastors, calling us to respond appropriately to how God reveals himself to us.
What might I expect to see in worship?
Each service at College Park is intentionally designed to reflect the beauty and wonder of God through a variety of impactful visuals. From artistic lighting, intentional stage elements, and dynamic video to the actual people leading worship, we are committed to using creative visual tools God has given to us to worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Seasonally, you might also see biblical truth expressed through our dance ministry (Ps. 149). Our hope is that while you are with us, you will be inspired and encouraged in worship by the passion for God you can see in the people and the environment around you.
At College Park, we desire to celebrate the diverse backgrounds of our church family. Some people have been in a church their entire lives, while others might be walking in for the very first time. Some in our church family have always called the United States their home, while others join us from nations around the world. Some work in hospitals and others in garages. Because this diversity is important to us, we desire to be a place of authenticity in how we present ourselves. Therefore, we encourage our worship leaders to dress in their own style, so long as it does not conflict with biblical principles.
It is important to us to embrace the worship-leading gifts God has given to both men and women for the purpose of building up the body of Christ (Eph. 4). Each week you will see men and women singing, praying, playing instruments, and encouraging our church family and guests to worship the Lord with passion.
Some of our favorite moments are baptisms and child dedications, each of which you will observe several times throughout the year. These communal events are true celebrations as we commit ourselves to living out our faith at church, in our homes, at work, and anywhere else we might go.
What might I expect to do in worship?
We want each of our members, regular attenders, and guests to feel like they can be authentic in our worship gatherings. We don’t ever want you to feel forced into anything that you might observe during your time with us. At the same time, we hope that you will experience a contagious passion in worship when God’s people gather together to praise him.
Every Sunday we have the opportunity to rehearse God’s truth through singing. Often it’s the songs that we sing that stick with us. The real power in any worship gathering is when our theology is connected to how we live between the Sundays. Each Sunday you will be invited to sing songs along with your church family that have been carefully and prayerfully selected to connect to the biblical text we will be focusing on that day. You might notice people clapping, raising their hands, kneeling in reverence, and even dancing in worshipful response to how God has revealed himself to them. The important thing to us is that each of our church family and guests connects with God by his Spirit at the heart level.
For followers of Jesus, you can expect to participate in Communion one Sunday each month as we remind ourselves of the sacrifice he made many years ago and the grace that is available to us every day.
Our Greatest Desire
At College Park Church, we have worked hard to approach corporate worship with humility and urgency. Without humility, idolatry can creep in and destroy. Without urgency, complacency can rob us of the passion we need to pursue God with every breath. Worship forms have changed substantially over the course of human history, and we can be sure that they will continue to change until the Lord returns for his people. Our greatest desire in our Worship Arts Ministry is that whatever our worship gatherings look like next Sunday or twenty years from now, those who join us will be able to say, “Surely God is among you!”
