Editor’s Note: One of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board’s five core objectives is to see at least 500 churches revitalized by the year 2024. Because renewed worship fuels revitalized churches, Scott Shepherd’s passion is to help the local church deepen its understanding and practice of worship. With this goal in mind, he has written a series of articles entitled “Keys to Worship Renewal” which will be printed in upcoming issues of the Baptist and Reflector.
By Scott Shepherd
Worship & Music Specialist, TBMB
Whenever we Baptists set out to revitalize our times of worship, we are tempted to begin by addressing musical style. Often, we do so with little consideration of worship’s content.
The heart of Christianity is its message — not its style. The crux of our faith is hearing and responding to the story of the triune God of the universe. Style is, at best, a secondary issue. Style doesn’t transform hearts. The message of Jesus does. If we truly desire worship renewal, we first should solidify the subject matter of our times of worship. [Read more…]