To get your feet wet, I would say to try a song and then take a couple of minutes to go off the page. Speak to the people and say,“ This is what we’ re going to try, just for a few minutes. This is why we’ re going to do it.” Tell them that we’ re going to take a little trip there, and then we’ re going to come back. Let them get their feet wet and know that the water is fine, and it’ s a good place to be. Then, maybe next time they’ ll go knee-deep. It’ s like in Ezekiel 47, where he describes being led deeper and deeper into the water. I feel like that’ s what the Lord calls us to. He’ s not a Father who just throws us in and says,“ Swim!” No, He leads us into it, and He walks with us and lets us get used to the way it feels as we get deeper.
[ WM ] What are some suggestions for churches who want to open things up, but don’ t know where to start, and also want to be sure they’ re ready to do it once they step into it?
[ Steffany ] Pastoring people through the process is the best advice I have. It gives the people freedom to ask questions. For people who are just in the beginning stages of this, it needs to be an open conversation. It helps so much! It’ s actually very simple to step people through the process. Some will still be nervous, and some will still be skeptical. It’ s going to take them getting in the water to feel it out. And some may still not get it. But what I do know is that we will find what we are looking for. If we are looking for God, He will be found by us. If we’ re looking to be critical, then we’ ll find a reason to reject it. We will always find what we are looking for, deep in our hearts.
can get caught up in is trying to pastor the Presence, rather than pastoring the people through the moment. Jesus does not need our pastoring. He is the Good Shepherd. He will not lead us where He is not, and where He won’ t be.
It always helps when your pastor will do a series on worship. It gets the people prepared, and they feel like they can confidently sign up for what is coming. And it gives them scriptural context, because it’ s everywhere in scripture. People have to find their own expression. We have to be clear that what we do at Bethel is just one expression, and other churches have their own expression. Maybe what we’ ve cultivated at Bethel will help you. Learning from other people is a part of good growth.
That’ s really descriptive, but I think it’ s also just about keeping things simple. It’ s easy for people with lots of charisma to feel like,“ We need two hours! We just need freedom, and more time with the Presence of God!” But the God that I know can do anything He wants to in just a moment. He doesn’ t need two hours to move. Don’ t despise the two or three minutes where you take a risk. Then, as you build trust with the Lord and with each other, you have that much more space. Maybe it turns into two hours of worship. But make sure that everybody knows that you’ re going there together.
[ Amanda ] I was a part of the House of Prayer for several years, and one of the things that we would do is play a song that we knew really well, and we would take our time with it. Then,
For churches who are wanting to get their feet wet, a great place to start is for the teams to really connect with their pastors, and let them know that they are wanting to take things to a deeper place, but that you want to make sure the people are coming too. The truth is that a little teaching goes a very long way. You don’ t burst into a prophetic moment with people who don’ t understand it. You pastor them through the moment. In trying to make this transition, if we’ re not careful, one of the things that we
June 2018 WorshipMusician. com
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