Illinois Ministries

Visit the Illinois Ministries Website at:

http://www.ilcog.org/






Thursday, October 21, 2010

Engaging God in Worship


I have not been a member of a church community on a regular basis for 16 months. I miss the idea of belonging to an every week worshipping community.  But how blessed I feel to be able to have worshiped with so many new friends and to experience some awesome times of worship.

 I started ministry in 1984 leading worship, directing choirs and trying to craft fresh worship experiences.  I still have a deep passion to see people experience God in worship. Every Sunday, whether I’m in a Spanish church, black church, a small church singing out of a hymnal or a blended worship with words on a screen; I still want fellow worshipers to engage God in worship and experience true fellowship with one another.

Here are a few questions that I wish pastors and worship leaders could honestly reflect on every Sunday afternoon (or at least by Monday Evening).  Try it for a few weeks and see what happens.  By the way, I think most people are answering these questions each week in some way or another so we might as well be honest with ourselves regarding the highest act of adoration to God.

1.       Did the worship service have a clear and unified flow?
2.       Were all the transitions smooth?  Did the service flow well?
3.       Was the worship God-centered and bible based?
4.       Did the worship call for a response?  Was there clear application?
5.       Was the environment positive and conducive to worship?
6.       Was there a good balance between celebration and reflection?
7.       Would guests be able to follow the worship service meaningfully?
8.       Would newcomers feel like “visitors” or “guests”?
9.       Did the service relate well to the needs of the worshipers?
10.   Was the congregation fully engaged in what was happening?
11.   Were the worship leaders prepared for their roles?
12.   Evaluate the pace of worship – fast-paced / drag /

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Pastor's and Leadership Conference

If you had one thing that changed your life - you would do anything to let others know about.  A few years ago someone gave me a copy of  Simple Church by Thom Rainer.  I practically highlighted the entire book.  So many of the things he said I had thought but didn't have the guts to say it!  I ordered copies for my leaders and it wasn't long before they started saying to me "Let's do this!"

It transformed the way we 'did church'!  Our structure, our staffing, our schedules, our programs... everything was changed for the sake of the mission.

April 16, 2011 - Thom Rainer, author of "Simple Church" will be leading a Pastor and Leadership Conference at Camp Warren for the entire day!

How sweet is this?  The guy who wrote the book that changed my ministry is spending an entire day with the pastors and leaders of Illinois.

Make sure you have the date saved on your schedule. Don't let anything get in the way of this event!