Welcome to Groton Bible Chapel’s

Worship Ministry

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
— Romans 11:33-36, 12:1

Philosophy of worship

Through the use of scripture, modern worship music, and technology, our desire is to equip Christians within the local church to make Christ-exalting worship a priority. As a worship ministry, we focus on key principles that help guide the way we lead.

  • Our primary concern as worship leaders can’t be song preparation or creative song arrangements; it can’t be how to implement the newest and greatest gear or modern music - our primary concern has to be the state of one’s heart. Every decision we make needs to come from a state of putting others before ourselves.

    Isaac Watts writes: “The Great God values not the service of men, if the heart be not in it: The Lord sees and judges the heart; he has no regard to outward forms of worship, if there be no inward adoration, if no devout affection be employed therein. It is therefore a matter of infinite importance, to have the whole heart engaged steadfastly for God.”

    Is our hearts’ cry “let people see Jesus” or is there a fear deep inside us (that we try and hide) fearing we won’t be noticed, seen, or heard? Do people see Jesus when they see me or am I so front and center all the time that Jesus is overshadowed by me? “He” needs to be louder than “me.”

    Supporting scriptures:

    “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 
And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” Psalm 139:23-24

    “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to Your name be the glory, 
because of your love and faithfulness.” Psalm 115:1

  • In John 4:6-30, Jesus speaks to the woman at the well, and says, ““But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him.”

    We take that to mean true worship must be “in spirit,” which engages the whole heart, and also must be “in truth,” which engages who our God is. Both “spirit” and “truth” are necessary for God-honoring worship. Spirit without truth leads to a shallow, overly emotional experience that could be compared to a high. As soon as the emotion is over, the worship ends. Truth without spirit can result in a dry, passionless encounter that can easily lead to a form of joyless legalism. The best combination of both aspects of worship results in a joyous appreciation of God informed by Scripture. The more we know about God, the more we appreciate Him. The more we appreciate, the deeper our worship. The deeper our worship, the more God is glorified.

  • Worship matters because it is the reason for which we were created (Romans 11:36). Worship isn’t primarily about music, but the state and posture of our hearts. It’s about what and who we love more than the music itself.

    “We’re helping people connect with the purpose for which they were created - to glorify the living God. We’re pointing their hearts toward the Sovereign One who is greater than their trials and kinder than they could ever imagine. We get to display the matchless Savior who died in our place, conquering sin, death, and hell in the process. We watch in amazement as the Spirit of God transforms lives and gives people a fresh encounter with God’s faithfulness, love, and power”. (Worship Matters, Kauflin 141)

    “The best overall solution is to get people to set aside their preferences and focus on worshiping God instead of musical styles.” (Kraeuter 113)

    The quote above is our hope — that people would set foot through the doors at Groton Bible Chapel and be able to worship the Lord with gladness and thanksgiving in their hearts, regardless of their preferences.

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Philosophy of 
Technology

  • The sound decibel level of each service is monitored using a decibel meter to ensure safety of our congregants. Our desired maximum reading (peak) is 94 and the majority (RMS) is between 88-92, which is well within the Occupational Safety and Health Admin (OSHA) regulations, which allows for 6 hours of constant exposure at 92 dBA. Our worship band leads us in praise and worship which typically totals in duration around 15-20 minutes per service.

    https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/noisehearingconservation/

    We understand it is not possible to accommodate every attendee’s sound and music preferences. To come alongside those that are looking for some alternative options while still engaging in corporate worship, we offer the following options to consider:

    1. Based on the acoustics of our Worship Center, there are hot and cold zones. Our front of house engineer would be more than happy to help find a seat that suits your preferences.

    2. If you find there is not a seat that suits your preference, earplugs are available when you walk into the Worship Center and also in the Welcome Center in the Commons.

    3. For those who require Spanish translation of our service, it is available upon request, and the front of house engineer is able to help facilitate that for you.

  • The goal of the lighting team is to enhance the worship experience by providing the ability to see what’s happening on the platform. Our heart is to not distract people from worshiping but to create an environment that people can feel comfortable singing and praising the Lord. The amount of lights used and the way they’re used is different for each individual, but in everything we do, we strive to bring God the glory.

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Decreasing 
of Bethel Music

Since the summer of 2023, we have made the choice to refrain from using songs that are on Bethel’s label. There are three distinct reasons for this decision:

1. We feel that Bethel‘s theology and involvement within the New Apostolic Reformation has caused some inconsistencies in our beliefs and therefore cannot condone being involved in any way. Many of the NAR beliefs are heretical and seeping into Bethel’s music. There are many great Bethel songs that are without issue, but this decision is a matter of being discerning to the beliefs that we stand behind as a church. You can learn more about the NAR beliefs at the following link…

https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/what-christians-need-to-know-about-the-new-apostolic-reformation.html

2. Because of the inconsistencies between our belief systems, playing music on their label benefits them with royalties, and we simply won’t contribute to their ministry or to any church that aligns with NAR beliefs.

3. Lastly, we feel that by playing Bethel-labeled songs, we would not be being good stewards and leading Christ’s body at GBC well. Playing Bethel-labeled songs may show that we endorse them, which may lead younger believers to a false faith. 

How are 
songs chosen?

If one of our goals in congregational worship is to encourage participation, we need to be good stewards of the songs that we’re choosing in our worship services, and those songs need to be chosen intentionally and thoughtfully. There are so many things that go into how a set list is constructed (the song itself, the key of the song, the degree of difficulty it is to sing, etc.) and we need to be aware of where our heart lies in choosing songs. We use three questions as a means of discerning if a song is “right” for congregational worship, and those questions are listed below.

  • Since Jesus told the woman at the well that true worshipers will worship in spirit and in truth, we believe it to be important that we sing TRUTH. One resource that we’ve found to be helpful is www.thebereantest.com. The following excerpts are in the About section from their website.

    “The Berean Test is about applying critical thinking skills to compare lyrical content from popular Christian artists against the Bible for accuracy. The name “Berean Test” comes from the book of Acts, describing the care in which the Bereans handled the Gospel message preached by the Apostle Paul.”

    “This website exists for one main purpose: to glorify God in everything I write on this website. I hope that through my critical examination of lyrical content, this site may be a blessing to those who wish to be good Bereans, rebuking unbiblical content and uplifting Godly music.”

  • There are certain songs that are simply not great congregational songs. These songs may be difficult for the average congregant to sing. These songs may move around a lot vocally and may even be played on K-LOVE. As worship leaders, we need to be discerning and also be reminded that the goal is participation.

  • Do people know what the song is about or are the themes of the song vague? We choose songs that are clear, so that people know what they’re singing. When people leave a church service, one of our hopes is that a song will resonate with someone and be reminded of the truth, allowing them to sing truth throughout their week.

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New Songs

Since our time of worship together is participatory, any time we pick a song, our hope is for the most participation possible. Everything we choose about songs can either encourage participation or hinder it — how repetitive is it? Is it in a good singable key? Have we done a good job introducing the song? Are there too many new songs in the set? All of those things need to be prayerfully thought through.

When new songs are chosen, we want to do our best to make sure it sticks! Use the following schedule to help…

Week 1 - Introduce the song. Present a scripture or why this song is important.

Week 2 - Play the song again.

Week 3 - Don’t play the song.

Week 4 - Play the song again.

Be encouraged. Be reminded.

Click here to view our
Worship Leader Commitments

Worship Leader Commitments

Worship Resources

As worship leaders, the Lord calls us to lead with excellence and to be striving to bring Him glory. The more comfortable and confident we are in our craft, the more we’ll be able to fade into the background, allowing Him to get all the glory! Visit our Worship Resources page to help become more excellent in what we do!

Worship Resources

Apps We Use