Worship leaders from many denominations and many contexts gathered not only to learn the latest songs from Northern Irish singer-songwriters Keith and Kristyn Getty, but also to take in the Getty鈥檚 compelling approach to worship ministry.
The April leadership event, hosted by and sponsored by Redeemer, was centred around a talk by Keith Getty, who has penned many modern hymns, the most well-known of which is 鈥淚n Christ Alone鈥. Keith shared his advice on composing songs and Sunday setlists and his thoughts on how congregational worship can lead us into missions.
鈥淚f we aren鈥檛 singing about missions,鈥 Keith said, 鈥渨e aren鈥檛 thinking about missions and we certainly aren鈥檛 going to be acting missionally.鈥 By engaging with theologically rich songs and by being able to fully participate in worship, we are able to live as people attuned to God.
Worship isn鈥檛 about the song line-up鈥檚 鈥渃oolness factor鈥 or about the impressive production we might expect from a concert. If we reduce worship to buzzworthy performances, Keith warned, we lose out on the theological richness and the depth of expression and experience available to us as a congregation. 鈥淲e may draw people in the doors, particularly our youth groups, but we lose them between 18 and 40,鈥 he continued, 鈥渨hen these energetic songs seem like simplistic answers to the difficult problems and questions they grow up to face.鈥
“If we aren鈥檛 singing about missions, we aren鈥檛 thinking about missions and we certainly aren鈥檛 going to be acting missionally.”
Instead, the songs we sing must teach us about the character of God and the nature of our own experience. In worship, we learn to live as deep Christians for this generation, as our ancestors and the heroes of our faith were for their own generation. 鈥淲hat we sing,鈥 Keith reflected, 鈥渟o profoundly affects what we think, how we feel, the decisions we make and, in turn, the legacy we leave.鈥
Redeemer, too, is shaping this legacy, not only by training ministry leaders with Getty Music鈥檚 workshop, but also by training the next generation through our renewed Ministry program. The new Urban and Intercultural Ministry program places theology, discipleship and worship at the centre of Christ鈥檚 call to love our neighbours as ourselves. The program prepares students to serve and steward the ministry settings of tomorrow, just as the Getty鈥檚 leadership events continue to equip leaders for today鈥檚 ministry contexts.