PURPOSE

The music ministry at Heritage Baptist Church exists to joyfully follow the words of Scripture, to glorify the Triune God, to encourage holiness and faith, and to directly support the preaching of the Word in our gathered times of worship.

MUSIC IN WORSHIP

As a part of worship, God has given us the gift of music, to serve as a powerful tool in glorifying Him. Throughout the history of God’s people, you will find music present. We see the entire book of Psalms in Scripture that was sung by the Israelites. We see David appointing Levites to assist in the praise of God, both instrumentally and vocally (1 Chronicles 15:6, 22; 16:4-7, 25:1). We have an account of our Lord Jesus singing a hymn with His disciples (Matthew 26:30). We have the account of Paul and Silas singing hymns amidst persecution, undoubtedly recalling these lyrics and melodies from previous gatherings for worship (Acts 16:25). We have New Testament commands to sing to one another, making melody in our hearts to the Lord (Ephesians 5:18-21). The weekly gathering of the redeemed must include singing together.

CONGREGATIONAL EMPHASIS

David wrote: “I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as You know, O LORD. I have not hidden Your deliverance within my heart; I have not concealed Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness from the great congregation” (Psalm 40:9-10). The most important musical entity in the church is the congregation. The instrumentalists, the choir, the praise team, and the worship leader all work toward the goal of supporting and assisting the local body of Christ in their singing to the Savior. As David illustrates, the glories of the Gospel cannot remain hidden away. Rather, they must be declared for the benefit of the whole church! The truths of Scripture are gladly proclaimed through music to teach and admonish one another and to encourage thankfulness to God (Colossians 3:16-17). Our primary aim in the music ministry is to facilitate congregational singing to the glory of God.

SERVE

There are a number of different ways to serve in the music ministry here at Heritage:

  • Audio/Visual/Livestream – Technology is a God-given tool to aid our worship gatherings.  We work on improving our sound, how we display lyrics, and how we present our worship services online — all for the goal of helping believers to worship free of distraction.  We want all eyes on Christ, not on us!
  • Praise Team – Whether you prefer singing or playing an instrument, the praise team consists of many different people.  It is a shared responsibility of encouraging participation in the congregation.  We rehearse on Wednesday evenings to prepare not only the music, but also our hearts for worship.
  • Choir & Orchestra – Join our team of committed vocalists and instrumentalists as we prepare beautiful arrangements to serve the church in times of corporate singing!  We also prepare seasonal music for Resurrection Sunday and Christmas.

Most importantly, we believe that those who serve in the music ministry ought to be born-again believers.  You cannot worship who you do not know. (John 4:22-24)  If our goal is to direct others to glorify Jesus in corporate worship, we must first glorify Him in our private worship.

If you would like to participate in the music ministry here at Heritage, please let us know!  We would love to worship Christ alongside you!

 
 
 
 
 
 
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