The inexplicable joy of knowing the true and living God, whose glory fills the universe, causes us to worship Him. Our corporate worship is led by Jesus Christ, who stands among us in the sanctuary. The Holy Spirit is there in a special way, convicting of sin, changing hearts, and testifying about the Father and Son. On Sunday mornings we seek a genuine encounter with the living God, who is worthy of our undivided attention, our awe and amazement. At TACC the foundations for our corporate worship are the reading of Scripture, preaching, congregational singing, prayer, confession, baptism and communion.
A few words on music in corporate worship… We purpose to sing about what our holy, faithful, loving and righteous God has done. In this day and age when a man-centered orientation prevails, it is especially good to purposely draw the focus away from ourselves when we sing. Sadly, many of the songs sung by Christians today and played on Christian radio stations follow modern society's example, as they often focus on the worshipper or performer, rather than the object of our worship. So many of the popular songs written today are geared toward the soloist, who records and sells albums and concert tickets, which is one reason why those songs can be so hard to teach the congregation.
Here at TACC, there is a contemporary freshness about our music, and yet we haven't forgotten the musical heritage of our faith. In addition to praise songs of today that honor God in their lyrics and melodies, we also sing the best of the timeless hymns of our forefathers. May the joy and peace of God fill us as we add the depth of melody and harmony to the great poetry of our faith.
What Are the Central Features of Corporate Worship?
• Preaching
• Reading of Scripture
• Prayer & confession
• Congregational singing
• Ordinances of baptism and communion
• Giving
What Is the Role of Music?
• Music is in the service of the foundations of worship.
• It should draw our focus to God and magnify Him.
• It should teach, encourage, rebuke, and express thanks to God.
What Is the Role of the Choir, Worship Team and Band?
Primarily, they lead the congregation in singing; they also magnify God with songs not sing-able by the congregation. (1 Chr 6:31-33; 2 Chr 5:12-13; 29:28; Neh 12; etc.) Worship singing is generally a group activity. The word “singers” appears about 35 times in the Bible, “singer” appears only once.
What Is the Role of the Music Director?
• To joyfully submit to, and serve, God and His leadership in the church.
• To work with the senior pastor in designing worship services.
• To assign roles for musicians; and then to coordinate and direct them.
• To train the singers and instrumentalists.
• To choose what music will be part of worship services.
What About Special Music?
While special music can be very effective, we must be careful:
• Anything that detracts from the foundations of worship is to be avoided.
• Sunday congregations are not there to be entertained or performed for.
• We should leave the worship service thinking about God, not the funny story the pastor told or the special song the trio sang.
What About Special Days?
Whereas special days are occasions to thank God for providing our needs (1 Tim 2:1-3), they should not detract from the foundations of worship. Sunday, first and foremost, is a day when we regularly gather to worship God. It is His day, and the regularity of it is extremely valuable.
Our approach to special days is directed by the elder board.
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