chrismoncus
04-21-2007, 02:04 PM
A year ago I would have been a little hesitant to plan weeks in advance for a service. Doesn't God move spontaneously? Well, yes. But He also put it on the hearts of authors to write the words to the songs we sing years before we ever sung them. The Bible, the book that pastors get their sermons from (or should), was written thousands of years ago. Talk about God planning ahead. God knows and leads our very steps... and the worship services that we plan. Where does planning ahead for a service start? The worship leader at 15 learned guitar. God was there raising him up for the task he would do 10 years later. Pastors go through seminary. Their sermons had roots there. So why can't we plan ahead for services. God plans ahead. He ordains our steps. Let's not limit God by saying that He only speaks the week before. Listen to the Word itself...
Ephesians 2:10 - For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
God has a plan for us and is setting us up to do awesome things for His kingdom. How long ago did God plan in advance for us to do them? I know that John Wesley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley), Martin Luther (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther), Keith Green (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Green), and Curtis Geary (http://fbcbrunswick.com/templates/cusfbcbrunswick/details.asp?id=29868&PID=216598) all have affected my life. So I KNOW that almost 500 years ago God was preparing in advance for me to write this. It's humbling to know that God cares that much about me to set things up this way.
I was at a church for a few months where our creative planning team (composed of techs, musicians, thespians, pastors, and directors) has every detail of the service planned at least a month in advance. It's a rare case to find the services incomplete six weeks out. That care and preparation lead to services that touch lives, change hearts, and draw the lost into the loving arms of our Father. I am an advocate of advance-planned services for this reason.
Without planning, musicians might only have a week (or less) to practice music. More errors, less confidence. Because of advance-planning, they have at three weeks to practice because we distribute music three weeks out from a service that was planned at least three weeks prior to that. Same goes for drama, video, on-screen graphics and lyrics, and the pastor's sermon. In fact, on that note, before our fiscal year begins in September, every series, sermon topic, and reference verses are planned. Our creative planning team already knows the entirety of next year's services.
Should we be willing to change if we later feel God is leading? Yes, of course. But the central idea is that we have already prayed, fasted, and researched weeks to a year previously and trusted that He would provide. We trust that He is capable of speaking now on things that aren't to happen for months. That is faith my friends. Is it therefore a lack of faith to believe that God will only speak the Thursday before Sunday? I believe so.
Now don't get me wrong. Not every church has to plan over a year in advance. Search out God's heart and plan for your church. He may have a six-month plan for you. He may, in fact, desire for you to plan further in advance. I never want to be the one who limits God. I just want to be the one who earnestly and wholeheartedly seeks out the heart of my God and listens. Go where God is anointing your ministry, nowhere else.
That church now has five services running over 5000 people a weekend coming to see, hear, and experience the uncompromised word of God and God Himself. Their commitment to excellence and planning has both paid off and now ensures God's blessing on the future. He blesses when we put our faith in Him and solely trust in the immortal, invisible, Great I AM.
Ephesians 2:10 - For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
God has a plan for us and is setting us up to do awesome things for His kingdom. How long ago did God plan in advance for us to do them? I know that John Wesley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley), Martin Luther (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther), Keith Green (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Green), and Curtis Geary (http://fbcbrunswick.com/templates/cusfbcbrunswick/details.asp?id=29868&PID=216598) all have affected my life. So I KNOW that almost 500 years ago God was preparing in advance for me to write this. It's humbling to know that God cares that much about me to set things up this way.
I was at a church for a few months where our creative planning team (composed of techs, musicians, thespians, pastors, and directors) has every detail of the service planned at least a month in advance. It's a rare case to find the services incomplete six weeks out. That care and preparation lead to services that touch lives, change hearts, and draw the lost into the loving arms of our Father. I am an advocate of advance-planned services for this reason.
Without planning, musicians might only have a week (or less) to practice music. More errors, less confidence. Because of advance-planning, they have at three weeks to practice because we distribute music three weeks out from a service that was planned at least three weeks prior to that. Same goes for drama, video, on-screen graphics and lyrics, and the pastor's sermon. In fact, on that note, before our fiscal year begins in September, every series, sermon topic, and reference verses are planned. Our creative planning team already knows the entirety of next year's services.
Should we be willing to change if we later feel God is leading? Yes, of course. But the central idea is that we have already prayed, fasted, and researched weeks to a year previously and trusted that He would provide. We trust that He is capable of speaking now on things that aren't to happen for months. That is faith my friends. Is it therefore a lack of faith to believe that God will only speak the Thursday before Sunday? I believe so.
Now don't get me wrong. Not every church has to plan over a year in advance. Search out God's heart and plan for your church. He may have a six-month plan for you. He may, in fact, desire for you to plan further in advance. I never want to be the one who limits God. I just want to be the one who earnestly and wholeheartedly seeks out the heart of my God and listens. Go where God is anointing your ministry, nowhere else.
That church now has five services running over 5000 people a weekend coming to see, hear, and experience the uncompromised word of God and God Himself. Their commitment to excellence and planning has both paid off and now ensures God's blessing on the future. He blesses when we put our faith in Him and solely trust in the immortal, invisible, Great I AM.