Worship, Music and the Arts at Village Seven

Worship is the heartbeat of our life as God’s people in this world. It is the focal point
of our gathering together on the Lord’s Day, and our calling as individual Christians
and as Christian families. It is our motivation in evangelism and world missions, and
ultimately it will be our eternal occupation in the New Heavens and the New Earth
(Rev. 7:9-17).

Given the primacy of worship in all that we do, it is understandable to see it listed
first among our values at Village Seven. Every other value—Teaching, Nurture,
and Reaching—finds its root in worship and has as its goal to bring glory to the
living God. As we seek to express the value of Worship together, we must give
thought to what we are seeking to do and how we are seeking to do it. While this
touches any number of subjects, it involves most directly our view on music and
the arts. We will turn to this discussion in a moment. But first, we should talk
about how we understand worship itself.

Worship at Village Seven

The goal in this paper is not to provide a comprehensive treatment of worship, nor is
it to settle all the questions that might arise even among Reformed Christians when
the subject is discussed. Rather, it is to restate several of the points which guide our
worship life at Village Seven. As we will see, there are three primary thoughts which
shape how we worship God together.

First, we practice the “regulative principle of worship” in our planning and offer-
ing of worship to God. This principle simply states that worship that is pleasing to
God must be conformed to the “regulations” for worship laid down by God Himself
in Scripture. Only the elements of worship which Scripture establishes (and which are
summarized so clearly for us in the “Directory of Worship” section of the Book of
Church Order) find place in our services on the Lord’s Day. While the discussion will
continue as to the proper and best ways to speak and sing in the cultural “language of
the people,” the elements themselves will remain the same: reading and preaching the
Word, singing the praises of God, offering our prayers and intercessions to the Lord,
bringing our gifts to Him to further the Kingdom and help the poor, and receiving the
sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that theatre and dance have
their place in the life of the church, but not as elements of worship as outlined in the
New Testament.

Second, we practice blended worship. Any number of definitions of “blended” wor-

ship are in circulation these days. Our definition simply refers to our approach to the
use of music (whether congregational, choral, instrumental or solo) in worship, and it
states that we will seek to utilize music that is theologically accurate, spiritually com-
pelling, and reflective of the beauty and glory of God, regardless of style or instru-
mentation. In other words, we want to draw from a broad range of musical styles and
eras to offer God the very best worship that we can. This approach will allow any
number of people to sing in a style that reflects their personal vocabulary of worship,
while also requiring us to give deference to our brothers and sisters when the style of
a particular piece of music does not suit our personal tastes.

Third, we utilize a “trunk and branch” approach to blending our worship. The
“trunk” of our worship is rooted in traditional Presbyterian liturgy and theologically
rich hymnody. Presbyterian liturgy historically has been marked by simplicity, rever-
ence, and a progression through the elements of worship which emphasize the dialog
between God and His people in the service in which He speaks to us through His
Word and we respond in praise and prayer, giving and going forth in obedience to
what He has shown us during our time with Him. To this “trunk” any number of mu-
sical branches may be added, from classical to contemporary, as long as they are con-
sistent with our theological and musical values as a congregation. This mixture of
styles has given us great freedom in our worship, while our roots in our theological
and liturgical tradition have provided great stability for our growth as worshipers to-
gether.

Music at Village Seven

We believe that the Reformed world and life view allows us to embrace music and
the arts in a way that other evangelical traditions cannot. As part of the world which
God has given us for our good and His glory, they bring us joy and allow us to ex-
press our hearts in ways which would be impossible without them. Also, given that all
legitimate callings are true “vocations” from God, we believe that those who make
music do something which is God-ordained, and from which we all can benefit.

What is our musical “personality” at Village Seven? In many ways, it is as varied as

the musicians which the Lord has brought us. We have long enjoyed a commitment to
choral music, and want to continue that tradition in the future. While other churches
are abandoning such things as sanctuary choirs and graded children’s and youth
choirs, we are reinforcing our programs with personal, programmatic, and financial
resources. We believe that there is something wonderful that happens when believers
blend their voices together to lead in worship, and we want to expand our offerings in
this area in the future.

We believe that the same thing can be said for instrumental music in our church as
well. The Lord has always brought us any number of gifted instrumentalists, some
professional, some avocational, and we have sought to utilize their gifts in two ways:
first, by bringing them together in such a way that the singing of the congregation is
enhanced; and second, by allowing them opportunity individually, in ensembles, and
in the orchestra to offer praise to God directly. Added to the foundation of traditional
organ and piano accompaniment, the sum of all of these instrumental offerings is a
worship which is richer and fuller than it otherwise might be.
We value the musician as well as the music at Village Seven. This means that, among
other things, we have sought to strike a balance between excellence (which is a prime
value to us in all that we do as a congregation) and opportunity. The many ensemble
and solo opportunities provided to a broad range of musicians in our church reflects a
broader commitment as a congregation to equip and unleash the gifts which God has
placed in His body to edify the saints and extend the Kingdom into the world. We
want to be educators and developers here at Village Seven, which means that we will
continue to offer ways for people to hone their skills and serve in appropriate ways.
We recognize that there will be varying levels of expertise required for the many
things that we do musically as a congregation, which means that every musician can-
not expect to participate in everything that is offered. However, we are committed to
increasing the number and variety of opportunities so that those who are still develop-
ing can grow and serve in appropriate ways while still allowing those who have
achieved a higher level of mastery in their art to give expression to their praise as
well.

The Arts at Village Seven

While music is the art form which most readily finds expression in a church, other art
forms have their place as well. The theatre is perhaps the best developed of these
other art forms at Village Seven, and it has received a fresh insurgence of energy in
recent days. Our vision for theatre extends far beyond the traditional “passion play”
approach which is often seen in churches. Instead, we have chosen to offer produc-
tions to the community which are inviting and interesting: inviting, in that a Broad-
way-style musical or drama can often be a safe first-step for someone who has never
set foot in a church (or for the believer who has never asked someone to join him for
a church event before); and interesting, in that the message of the play causes the
viewer to think, to question, and to reflect on what he has seen and heard on stage.
Additionally, an active theatre program provides yet another way for us to develop
the gifts and callings of our people at Village Seven, furthering our goal of equipping
and unleashing the saints to encourage each other and reach out to the world with the
gospel.

We have only taken a few small steps toward discovering the place of visual arts at
Village Seven, and who knows what may yet be ahead for us as art and technology
merge with the rising generations. Whatever may be ahead, our commitment is to ex-
plore every opportunity to use the gifts that God has given His people for His glory
and the proclamation of the gospel.

Conclusion

One of our great desires as a church is to be an influence on our city and region for
the sake of Christ. Music and the arts provide a wonderful forum to do just that-not
only through the concerts, plays, and exhibitions to which we invite the community,
but also by sending gifted, equipped, educated, and engaging Christians who bring
transformation to the arts community from the inside out. Our prayer is that God will
 be pleased with us as we offer Him worship and offer Him ourselves as His servants
wherever He wishes to send us, including the centers of culture here in Colorado
Springs, the West and the world.

3/24/03