Creating a Worshipful Environment

“Worship is the strategy by which we interrupt our preoccupation with ourselves and attend to the presence of God. “ – Eugene Peterson

Just over a month ago, I spoke in our weekly staff meeting about ‘Creating a Worshipful Environment’. I love this quote above from Eugene Peterson… it paints the picture that as we take our eyes off ourselves and focus them on God; our worship becomes a powerful strategy – a force for good, changing the environment around us.

Hillsong is a worshipping church. For reasons unbeknown to us, God has graced our church with a ministry of praise and worship that has exceeded far beyond our own natural abilities. I believe worship is very much a part of the culture of our church and to continue a healthy culture of worship, I shared with my staff ten points that we must always keep in mind…

1. Worship is led.

The Psalmist in Psalm 42.4 (MSG) cries out, “I was always at the head of the worshipping crowd, right out in front, Leading them all, eager to arrive and worship, Shouting praises, singing thanksgiving…”

What does it mean to be ‘out front of the worshipping crowd?’ I believe that worship cannot and must not be led just from the platform. Worship must be an environment we cultivate, a culture that we encourage from the furthest seat in our sanctuaries to the Worship Leader at the front of the crowd.

Romans 12:1 (MSG) exhorts us, “Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going to work and walking around life – and place it before God as an offering…”

As leaders – or more to the point, as CHRISTIANS – we are to lead lives of worship, eager to always be ‘head of the worshipping crowd’.

2. Worship is a reflection of a healthy, unified church.

Over the years many people have asked about how we create a culture of worship. And I truly believe that the sound of our House will always reflect the soul of our House. Where there is a healthy soul, filled with life and praise and adoration of who God is, there will be a healthy sound that emanates from the very core of who we are and what we know and declare about our God.

Pastors, we must take responsibility for a worshipful environment in our churches.

Pastors, we must take responsibility for a worshipful environment in our churches. If we see worship as a way of life, then surely a healthy church filled with healthy people will simply see Sunday’s praise and worship as an overflow of our Monday-Friday living.

3. Worship focuses on who God is.

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) says, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence…”

If worship was about us, I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t be able to approach worship with confidence! Don’t make worship about your worthiness or about what is wrong with you; but instead, focus on what is right with Him. It’s easy to approach the throne in worship when you are focusing on the character of God. He IS good, He IS kind, He IS worthy of all our praise!

“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness”. 1 Chronicles 16:29 (NIV).

There is such temptation to write songs about our feelings, our seasons, and the ups and downs of this life. And, in many respects, there is a place for these songs. Yet, what I know is that songs that speak to God’s unchanging nature, His holiness and the ‘glory due to his name’ are songs that seem to shift the atmosphere, and cause our hearts to focus on who HE is, despite our circumstances and once again allow us to take the focus off ourselves and onto Jesus. Worship is about Him and only Him.

PAGE 1 2