BETHEL’ S
Pastor Bill Johnson
[ WM ] How involved are you as senior pastor with your worship teams?
[ Pastor Bill Johnson ] I love getting to share my heart with all of our teams, but especially with our worship team. I’ m thankful that my son, Brian and his wife, Jenn oversee our worship teams. In that sense, I am in touch all the time, as we talk about what God is doing through the team. I place a high-level of trust in our worship leaders and teams. Worship is vital and paramount to me. I was a worship leader and know what a significant role it is for the church. It’ s vital that our teams know the value worship holds in this house, but more importantly in the kingdom and the life of any believer.
If you are pursuing songwriting as a worship community, tell your teams to write about things that they want to see in five years: Your worship songs and your anthems prophesy and declare over your people and your community. Lean into truths that reflect God’ s heart and His promises, and the fullness of what Jesus meant when he tells his disciples to pray,“ on earth as it is in heaven.”
What would that look like? What would that feel like? What would the world around us be like as His kingdom is established? Worship is our response to and sacrifice before the Lord. And worship makes a way for God to demonstrate His nature and manifest His presence. We become like the one we behold so we must give all our adoration to Him.
[ WM ] What is the ideal relationship between corporate worship & preaching in a modern service.
[ Pastor Bill ] I’ m never going to interrupt worshipping God with a message. We are a presence-centered culture, and we focus on worship and creating space for adoration. When it comes to corporate worship, we have a high value for allowing room for spontaneous moments, and our pastoral teams and service leaders all know this. Equally, our worship teams are prepared each week with set lists and song preparation, but they go into any worship time willing to throw the plan out the window to let the Lord do what he wants to do.
Music is an elevated form of communication, it goes beyond our minds. Worship opens doors that sermons never will. Songs and their message can reach across borders and denominational lines. We often sing about a God who is always good, but this is an idea that people historically have disagreed about theologically. A song can create unity and celebrate truth sometimes ahead of a group of people embracing that same truth from the stage.
4 June 2018 WorshipMusician. com