Getting Ready for "Revelation 7" Worship

Has God put it on your heart to lead corporate worship that genuinely reflects the ethnic diversity of God’s world? Perhaps your chapter is not exactly the United Nations, but you want some of that diversity to find its way to your large-group meetings. Summer is a great time to develop your multiethnic awareness and skills!

Here are some practical ideas for getting yourself, your worship team and your chapter ready for the heavenly worship displayed in Revelation 7:9-17:

• Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Revelation 7 shows us God’s will for heavenly worship—it is multiethnic. Ask your worship team to pray over the summer for this to be true “on earth” (that is, in your fellowship).

• Spend the summer going to a church where the worship is different from what you’re used to. This will increase your sensitivity to those who are minorities in the worship times you lead on campus.

• Ask yourself these questions as you worship with those unlike you: What does the music sound like? How does it “feel”? What instruments carry or dominate the sound? How is the worship service structured (not just the music but all of the elements from beginning to end)? What role does the worship leader play? How is the congregation involved? Envision how you might incorporate elements from this culture into your I-V group.

• Visit more than one ethnically different church. Be intentional—visit churches that represent the styles of people in your I-V group (or of people you’d like to see in your group).

• Join a church’s worship team where you are in the minority. You can learn new songs, chords, vocal inflections, rhythms, ways to use your body in worship or elements of leading that shouldn’t replace but rather will enlarge your own.

• Take instrumental or voice lessons from someone of a different ethnicity this summer. You will learn ways of playing and singing that are from your teacher’s background.

• Worship recordings are a great way to learn. Buy CDs and share them among your worship team members. Listen specifically for your instrument—how is it used in this style? Good starting places for contemporary black gospel would be the “In the House” series from Integrity’s Hosanna! music, Fred Hammond and Kirk Franklin. For Latino worship try Marcos Witt. Also, Vineyard Music offers CDs of Spanish praise songs led by Latino worship leaders. Go to www.worshipmusic.com and do a search for “La Vina,” the Spanish-speaking branch of Vineyard Church. Asian Americans I have spoken with connect deeply with Matt Redman’s lyrics, and songs from Passion and Vineyard. Wes Teresaki is an Asian-American worship songwriter you can check out. A Native American worship leader who is using indigenous styles and imagery in his music is Jonathan Maracle.

• Read about worship in different contexts. Check out Diverse Worship by Pedrito U. Maynard-Reid (IVP®), The Sound of the Harvest by J. Nathan Corbitt (Baker) or chapter six in Worship Team Handbook (IVP).

• If anyone from your chapter is going on a summer mission to another country or culture, commission them to bring back music. Send them with a tape recorder—the best way to make sure you’re reproducing the sound and language accurately.

• Gather your worship team before school begins and have a one- or two-day retreat where you practice the new multiethnic ways of worshiping that you’ve begun to appreciate over the summer.

Try just a few of these ideas over the summer and you’ll find yourself much better prepared to lead boldly and confidently when fall rolls around.

—Sundee Frazier and her husband, Matt, led the Urbana 2000 worship team. Watch for more ideas from Sundee in upcoming issues!