Posts tagged ‘Vision’
10 Questions to consider before visiting another ethnic church
Yesterday I talked about Aldrich Presbyterian’s visit to El Milagro Lutheran Church. I believe this is essential to understanding how to relate to other believers who come from other cultures and it’s essential to knowing how to relate to people in the neighborhood.
But before you visit another ethnic church there are a few questions you need to think through first.
The 10 Questions
1. Why do you want to visit another ethnic church? (Be specific about the church you want to visit)
2. Have you connected with pastor before your first visit?
3. What should you wear when you’re coming to this church? (Check on details for both men and women)
4. Will you be needing an interpreter or is the service bilingual?
5. Will child care be provided or do the children stay in the service? (For some people this will be a determining factor in their ability to focus or not.)
6. Are you willing to step outside your comfort zone and build relationships with the leadership of this church?
7. Are you willing to step outside your comfort zone and build relationships with the congregation of this church?
8. Are you willing to be intentional about these relationships on an ongoing basis?
9. Are you willing to set aside your agenda until these relationships are strong?
10. How can you partner together to magnify the name of Jesus?
Share your story and your life…
Sincerely,
Peter Park
Blogger/Worship Leader/Speaker
peterpark@redemptionboulevard.com
(800) 453-3284
© 2011, Peter Park. All rights reserved.
Keeping the vision of multicultural worship simple
Keep it simple
Old apples…
A preschool-aged boy was eating an apple in the backseat of a car. “Daddy,” he said, “why is the apple turning brown.”
The boy’s father explained, “Because after you ate the skin off, the meat of the apple came in contact with the air, which caused it to oxidize, thus changing its molecular structure and turning it into a different color.”
There was a long silence, and then the boy asked, “Daddy, are you talking to me?”
Spreading the vision to our worship team
As I come to Aldrich Presbyterian I hold onto God’s truth in Psalm 34:3 which says:
Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.
I refer to this passage of scripture as often as I can during Sunday morning worship, during prayer, etc. For me, I feel like it sums up what we’re trying to do as a worshiping community…To worship God as a unified Body.
Going back to a simple message
I have to admit that as I take on this role of leading this worship team I get frustrated. This frustration is really more out of my perception of how I think things should be going.
Because of that, I find myself trying to “course correct” every little thing. And this leaves me very tired at the end of the weekend.
Relying on others
It’s our challenge to keep the vision at the forefront of our congregation. This means we need to explain the same message in various ways, but we need to keep it simple too.
And, we can further take the burden off of ourselves by relying on other people for help. That’s what being part of a multicultural church is all about, right?
Who are some other people God has brought into your life to help you in your ministry? Who else could articulate the vision God has given you for the multicultural church congregation?
Leaving it in God’s hand
Proverbs 19:21 says:
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
As I seek to keep the vision simple for my team I also find myself praying more. I pray that our worship team will understand their role in God’s plan in their lives. I pray that God will stir our church congregation with a passion for the things on God’s heart. I pray that I will remain humble as I listen for His direction.
Questions
1. What is involved in keeping a vision simple?
2. What do you think of this quote?… “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it enough.”
Share your story and your life…
Sincerely,
Peter Park
Blogger/Worship Leader/Speaker
peterpark@redemptionboulevard.com
(800) 453-3284
© 2011, Peter Park. All rights reserved.
A vision for multicultural worship is long term
See God’s blessing now
It’s funny. My emotions have been going up and down the last few weeks as I’m still getting used to my worship director position at Aldrich Presbyterian Church.
One week I’m frustrated at the pace that our worship team is growing. The next week I’m so blessed.
But I’ve come to realized why I’ve been all over the place with my emotions….a lack of patience. It seems like I need to remind myself everyday that I’ve only been at our church for 4.5 months. That’s not a very long time to see a vision unfold.
I’m reminded of Proverbs 3:5-6 which teaches us:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
God has a plan for Aldrich Presbyterian Church to live out the gospel in Minneapolis. God has a plan to bring together peoples of different backgrounds and cultures at Aldrich Presbyterian Church. God has a plan for Aldrich Presbyterian Church that will unfold in His divine timing.
The same is true for your local church.
What’s God doing now?
From the moment my family and I came to Aldrich Presbyterian Church the people have been so welcoming. The congregation has been open to singing in different languages and diving into different styles. The worship team has been generous in giving me respect in how I believe God has called me to lead them.
And, in a lot of ways God seems to be moving in the worship much quicker than I anticipated. I see consistency in wanting to be part of the team. I see them gaining an understanding of who God is and how that flows out in their worship. I see how God blessed us with a new song that our team wrote together.
God is at work if we’re willing to see it.
Lesson
Having a vision for multicultural worship/church is a great gift from God. Part of this means being patience and it also means seeing His blessing in every moment. These are not natural things for anybody, especially leaders, but that’s why it must be intentional.
Be blessed and enjoy the blessings of God’s community in your local church.
Share your story and your life…
Sincerely,
Peter Park
Blogger/Worship Leader/Speaker
peterpark@redemptionboulevard.com
(800) 453-3284
© 2011, Peter Park. All rights reserved.