Missional Worship

      We know that the mission of God’s people is and has always been to make His name known among all peoples. This was the mission at the very beginning and it is still what Jesus commissions us to do today. We also know that we are called to worship and glorify God with our lives. We incorporate congregational worship into our weekly gatherings and sing praises to the Lord regularly. But how do these two relate? Do they relate at all? Does worship have anything to do with missions and does missions have anything do to do with worship? The answer is “yes.” As Zac Hicks writes in his book to Worship Pastor - a Call to Ministry for Worship Leaders and Teams, “just as a heart has no purpose without veins and arteries, and just as those veins and arteries are useless without a heart, so worship is inherently missional and mission is essentially doxological” (Hicks 98).

We were created to glorify God and declare His goodness. We read this repeatedly throughout the Scriptures. One example of the concept is in Isaiah: “. . . everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. . .” (Isaiah‬ ‭43:7‬). We were not created so that we could be blessed or happy — we were created to bring glory to God. Yes, blessings and joy are a part of what God does in our lives, but our sole purpose is to glorify Him. This point is made again later in the same chapter of Isaiah when it is said: “the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise” (Isaiah‬ ‭43:21‬)‬‬. It is evident that God’s goal in creating mankind was not for our benefit. It was for His glory to be made known far and wide, proclaimed loudly and wholeheartedly by creation.

It is as we live out this calling and purpose that we feel most fulfilled. It is true that “We are most fully ourselves as human beings when we are in a relationship with God in which God is glorified in and through our enjoyment of that relationship” (Wright 244). But, it does not stop there. Our worship is not just a private matter between ourselves and the Lord. Just as we live to glorify God, we also “. . . live to bring others to worship and glorify the living God, for that is where they will find their greatest eternal fulfillment and joy” (Wright 245). God desires that everyone would glorify His name. He alone is worthy of glory. The Psalms are continuously calling for all the earth to join in this praise. One such example of this is in Psalm 100: “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs” (‭‭100:1-2‬). This is but one example of many throughout the entire Bible where we see worship desired from all nations and all of the earth. It is in this way that “Worship and witness are closely intertwined” (Wright 251).    

The most commonly quoted statement today that relates mission and worship is John Piper’s “missions exists because worship doesn’t” (35). I’ve heard this sentiment recited so frequently, and yet no one goes on to discuss further this correlation of worship and missions. Piper proceeds to explain this statement by saying “Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man” (Piper 35). This is not just some trendy idea that sounds cool and is fun to quote — it is describing a vital relationship between worship and mission that needs to be recognized in our ministries. It goes much deeper than this one oft-quoted sentence from John Piper. Not only is worship the result of missions, but missions is commonly the result of worship. Or, as Wright puts it, “It is not enough, however, to recognize that worship is the ultimate goal of mission, in the sense of bringing all nations to glorify God by worshipping, trusting, and obeying him through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We also need to see how worship is part of the means of mission” (246-247).

When Israel’s main mode of reaching the nations was a centripetal one, one of the main ways they did this and served as a light to the world was through worship. As the nations saw and heard what Israel was declaring and praising God for, they witnessed the truth that was seen nowhere else. “In this way, the worshipping life of God’s people and their missional function of extending that worship among the nations. . . were integral to each other” (Wright 249). We see this same idea in the Psalms. As Israel praised God, a direct relation was drawn to the nations noticing and learning about God because of it. Psalm 96 tells us very clearly, “Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns.’ The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity” (Psalms‬ ‭96:9-10‬)

Of course, worship could not replace other methods involved in evangelism and discipleship, but it should be included in our theology of mission. Worship is an integral part of this outward ministry. It draws unbelievers to the Father and tells them that His goodness is such that we cannot be quiet about it. This type of mission-focused worship also motivates believers to be more involved in missions. Essentially, “There is an evangelistic power in public worship that declares the praise of God, which cannot be equated with personal evangelism, but certainly complements it” (Wright 250). This should not be ignored but should be embraced. We must allow our times of worship to impact our role in missions. We as believers need to recognize that “The praise of God’s people is missional. The mission of God’s people includes doxology” (Wright 250)

This awareness should impact both local churches and cross-cultural missionaries as they do their ministry. How do we as local church leaders intentionally use our worship to propel the mission of God? How do we as cross-cultural missionaries include worship into our ministries and strategies overseas? These questions need to be carefully taken into consideration. Just as Kauflin puts pointedly: “Let’s not ignore unbelievers when we gather to worship God. But let’s not allow them to dictate our direction, methods, and values either. Those have all been determined and modeled by the risen Savior who now invites us to celebrate as a family and to invite others to join in on the feast” (Kauflin 204). 

One of the ways we can explore this idea and what it could mean for us is by examining our ministry efforts. The truth is that “Missional momentum halts when the heart of worship is removed” (Hicks 100). It is this goodness of God that propels us to move forward and reach outward into the world with His message. If we cannot even praise and thank Him for His goodness, why would we want to be involved in His mission? Worship needs to be consciously included in the plans of cross-cultural missionaries. That does not mean that your Asian house church needs a Nord keyboard and a good drummer — it means that intentional thanksgiving and praise need to be offered up to God in whatever way that looks in your context. This could mean including a time of thanksgiving in your meetings with disciples and house churches, or it could mean singing praises in the comfort of your own home as your neighbors stop by to ask what you are singing about. While we should not put new believers in hostile countries at risk by making them sing loudly every time they gather, we should teach them how to glorify God as a community and lift praise to Him in appropriate ways.

Western church leaders can also assess their ministry this way. For example, “. . . If your church is struggling to be a truly missional body, worship must be a very real place of examination. Is the gospel clear and present in worship, or is it crowded out by other things?” (Hicks 100). Worship is a perfect place to focus on the mobilization of your congregation. It’s also important to be sure unbelievers who are visiting your church understand what is happening in worship. To be an effective light, people need to understand the message you are declaring. They should hear and see our praise and know that it is caused by a great God. “When unbelievers visit our church, they find people who are awestruck and amazed by the kindness and mercy of God. And we seek to make it clear that God’s grace is what has affected us so deeply” (Kauflin 203). This means that if we find ourselves using confusing “Christianese” throughout our praises and prayers, we should take the time to explain some of those terms to the congregation or even use more common words instead.

As we recognize the important relationship between worship and missions, we will begin to live out more fully the call that God has placed on our lives. We can begin to see how our purpose to glorify God’s name and our mission to spread it are very closely related. Everyone passionate about worship should open their eyes to their role in missions. Likewise, everyone passionate about missions needs to see the value of worship. At that point, we can join together and spread the fame of our Lord throughout the world. This is the beautiful sight the psalmist describes when he writes, “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples” (Psalms‬ ‭96:1-3‬).       

Note: This is a paper I recently wrote for one of my classes. I found the topic to be so fascinating and important that I thought it should be shared.

Works Cited

Hicks, Zac M. Worship Pastor - a Call to Ministry for Worship Leaders and Teams. Zondervan, 2016. Print.

Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017. Digital.

Kauflin, Bob. Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008. Print.

Piper, John. Let the Nations Be Glad!: The Supremacy of God in Missions. Nottingham: IVP, 2018. Digital.

Wright, Christopher J. H. The Mission of God's People: A Biblical Theology of the Church's Mission. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010. Print.