Romans 12 v 1 – And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
At MCC, we seek to promote authentic Spirit-led worship in a way that is intimate, dynamic, reflective and life-changing.
We believe in:
- the ministry of the Holy Spirit in conversion, sanctification, and in all worship and
witness - the church as a body of people who have been called by the Father, redeemed
by the Son, and regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
We seek to worship, honour and bring glory to God in all that we do. We view worship as an all-encompassing lifestyle that welcomes God’s personal presence as he shapes our thoughts and directs our actions. It is our desire that we will worship God with our whole being and that our worship would be:
- Trinitarian – acknowledging the oneness and sovereignty of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
John 4 v 23 – Jesus said… true worshippers worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth. - Truth centred – maintaining the divine inspiration of the Bible as the Word of God. John 8 v 32 – Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
- Christ centred – endorsing His life, death and resurrection.
Galatians 6 v 14 – May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. - Spirit filled – guided by and reflecting the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5 v 19 – 20 – Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father. - Creative – expressing God’s creativity as people made in His image. Ephesians 2 v 10 – For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do!
Thankful – flowing from the gratitude we have towards God for creating, saving and sustaining us.
Psalm 118 v 1 – Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever!
This document outlines the expectations of the worship leaders, music group and AV team members, and our hopes for the congregation during our times of Worship at MCC.
Worship Leaders
We pray that our worship leaders will seek to promote authentic Spirit-led worship in a way that is intimate, dynamic, reflective and life-changing.
In serving MCC’s mission of “Building a community of God’s people to love and to serve”, the worship leaders ask the question of all that they plan and do, “Will it bring people closer to Jesus?” Do the songs and elements chosen bring people closer to Jesus?
We recognise that there are a great number of varying preferences in music, worship styles, service formats, and delivery.
Our worship should reflect Jesus and His creativity, and in so doing, be authentic and void of hype.
In our worship, we strive to hold a balance between:
- Excellence and inclusion of varying levels of talent
- Pleasing God and pleasing the church
- Creativity and Spirit-led
- Preparation and spontaneity
We expect our worship leaders to be spiritual, in that their worship leading comes from an overflow of their daily walk with Jesus, and that their conduct though the week is in keeping with how they behave on Sundays. They will lead with humility and creativity, not seeking a personal agenda but listening to the voice of God as they prepare by the power and leading of the Holy Spirit.
Our worship leaders are also expected to plan and prepare the worship for the Sunday services on a rota basis, liaising with the Senior Pastor and Associate Pastor to ensure the worship time reflects the theme of the service.
As we usually begin our services with worship, the worship leader has a key role in gathering God’s people, setting the tone and keeping the service to time. Worship leaders will endeavour to begin promptly at 10am.
They will be mindful of the diverse spiritual and cultural representation in the congregation when making song choices and planning the worship, and will strive to be inclusive of traditional, modern and all-age songs. The worship leader for the following Sunday will take responsibility for leading the practice evening beforehand, ensuring that the team pray together and are well informed of all relevant plans.
Music Group Team Members
‘Make sure that your life sings the same song as your lips’. Augustine
Team members are expected to worship out of a broader 24/7 Christian walk, so that life on Monday mornings and throughout the week reflects the aspirations of Sunday’s worship in a public setting.
Singers and musicians are expected to have the ability to play and sing at the required level, and are encouraged to join with us on practice evenings before joining the team, to verify this. Our guide is that musicians are able to play at grade 5 level and singers can sing in tune and hold their part during harmonisations. They are also expected to maintain, if not improve their musicianship and therefore regular private and group practice is recommended.
Participation is planned on a rota basis, but the frequency of this is flexible, and Sundays ‘off’ are encouraged each month.
Weekly practises currently occur every Thursday evening, and attendance at these if taking part on Sundays, along with turning up on time and staying for the duration of the practice is expected. Team members are also asked to find a swap or inform the musicians or singers lead if they are unable to fulfil a rota allocation.
Team members are very visible on Sunday mornings and as such should dress and act modestly to not cause distraction or offence. Their body language and posturing on stage should reflect an attitude of worship appropriate to the song choices, and they should develop the confidence and freedom to be open and transparent with their worship.
AV Team Members
Our aim is to honour God through the technology and not to misuse or manipulate worship or the worship environment.
We want the focus to always be about worshipping God in the correct way.
We do not want to create a fake atmosphere by the technology we have, rather we want to allow the Holy Spirit to genuinely move in our times of worship.
AV team members are encouraged to grow in their knowledge, understanding and practical experience of MCC’s AV technology and methods of use in worship and other events held at the church. AV team members are also encouraged to explore, learn and suggest ideas for how the AV ministry can take advantage of new technological developments or improved methods of using the equipment at MCC that would enhance worship in alignment with the aims stated above.
Participation in the AV team is planned on a rota basis, but the frequency of this is flexible, and Sundays ‘off’ are encouraged each month.
Weekly practises currently occur every Thursday evening, and attendance at these if serving on Sundays, along with turning up on time and staying for the duration of the practice is expected. Team members are also asked to find a swap or inform the AV team leader if they are unable to fulfil a rota allocation. Sometimes rehearsals are scheduled for other events which may be planned which also require attendance.
The Congregation
At MCC, we are inclusive of differing cultures and theological backgrounds, encouraging all people to develop in their spiritual character, calling and gifting.
We recognise that our congregation is varied and diverse, and as such realise that we can’t please all the people, all of the time. We are also aware that people come from many different experiences during the previous week and have many different expectations of the services they attend.
As a worship team, we pray regularly that the time of worship we have planned might bring each person nearer to God.
Our prayer is that each person in the congregation might consider how they approach the services, and that they come with open hearts and an attitude of:
Prayerfulness – having prayed beforehand that God would be exalted in the service, that He would meet them in their need, and that they might be an encouragement to others.
Hebrews 10 v 25 – Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
Expectation – expecting to hear from God and to have an encounter with Him, that will draw them closer to God, change their life and help them to become more like Jesus.
James 4 v 8 – Come near to God and he will come near to you.
Humility – that as the church meets together, there may be songs and parts of the programme that do not fit their preferred style, but out of love for one another, they choose to engage regardless, and find that God meets them by His grace. Romans 12 v 10 – Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves.
Participation – that they will choose to fully engage with the worship to the best of their ability, not worrying about how they sound, but with a heart that has a desire to worship God together.
Psalm 96 v 1 – Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name.
Freedom – that each person might find the freedom to express themselves and their worship to God in an open and honest way.
2 Samuel 6 v 14 – David danced before the Lord with all his might