making sure that we get through the run sheet that we miss the opportunities and moments that God wants to show up in . So , we ’ ve been really mindful of this . Our church is not unruly or unstructured , but the run sheet doesn ’ t dictate what happens in the meeting . It ’ s a guide , it ’ s a road map , but sometimes we need to get off that road and just let God show up and do what He needs to do in that moment . There have been plenty of times since our church started where we just scrap the preaching because God shows up in the worship , or we ’ re praying for people , or people have been healed or got saved . We ’ ve cut worship short because we needed to do something else . There are no rules when it comes to that .
[ WM ] I love that your church website states , “ We value intimacy over industry , encounter over entertainment , presence over presentation , people over position , and Jesus above everything .” That ’ s a beautiful and balanced vision . Much has been witnessed and
“ Our church is not unruly or unstructured , but the run sheet doesn ’ t dictate what happens in the meeting .”
said about the dangers of celebrities in church , both on and off the platform . I ’ ve interviewed at least three wonderful and gifted notables from The Belonging Co .: Natalie Grant , Cody Carnes , and Kari Jobe . Are high-profile types able to enjoy some amount of anonymity at The Belonging Co ? How do you encourage church attendees toward creating a healthy church culture ?
[ Henry ] That ’ s a great question . I think especially in a town like ours we ’ ve had to be very intentional . Obviously , there are a lot of well-known people in many of the churches here in Nashville just because of the nature of the city and the industries that are based here . I think one of the things that always made me a little sad was when I would see so much emphasis and focus on the advertising of a name as a draw to bring people to church . I think that from time to time with an event that ’ s fine and that ’ s important , but when it comes to church , if Jesus is not the draw card then I think things are already off track .
We really just try to keep all of the focus on Jesus . We do obviously have quite a few well-known artists in our worship team from the Christian world and other areas of music . Encouraging them that when they show up