Worship Core Values
Autumn Ridge Church
Rochester, Minnesota
Our worship is evangelical, focused on retelling and reenacting the story of salvation. Stories of God’s dealings with the Jewish people through the Old Covenant foreshadow his Covenant of grace revealed to us in the incarnation, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Communicated in ancient creeds and prayers, wonderful hymns and great contemporary worship songs, the story of salvation is good news, giving our worship a celebrative flavor.
Our worship is biblical, focused on God’s revelation of himself through Jesus, the Word of life. The word of God is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16) and provides the content for our worship. The scripture is the source of the Welcome and Benediction, it is set to music for soloists and congregation, presented by scripture readers, joyfully proclaimed by the congregation and preached in the sermon. God desires to communicate with us, so corporate worship is dialogic in nature; it is a conversation between Creator and his creation. The essential elements of this conversation are the reading of scripture whereby God speaks to us, and prayer whereby we speak to Him.
Our worship is redemptive, celebrating the power of God to rescue and save mankind. Redemptive worship recognizes that we are lost in our sin, that a ransom price has been paid, and that God desires to be reconciled with mankind. The cross is the central feature of redemptive worship. This approach makes the worshipping congregation winsome and welcoming rather than cold and judgmental, reflecting God’s desire to embrace and transform fallen humanity.
Our worship is Trinitarian, recognizing the distinctive nature of the holy, Triune God who exists eternally as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Our worship celebrates the sovereign reign of the Father, the salvation work of the Son and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.
Our worship is liturgical, engaging our God-given senses to embrace God’s presence and render him praise. Unlike an audience or spectators who gather to listen or watch an event, a congregation gathers in the name of Christ to act. Most importantly, the liturgical action of corporate worship does not end with the benediction; it simply changes form from the people of God embracing the Father through the work of Jesus Christ, to the people of God embracing the world with the love of Jesus Christ. Our activity in worship reminds us of the activity of God on our behalf and calls us to participate in his saving work.
Our worship is God-honoring, not asking “what does worship do?” but “what is worship about?” God-honoring worship celebrates God’s immanence (his present nearness) as well as his transcendence (his exalted majesty). God-honoring worship exalts the work of Christ above all things and calls the church into active service.
