Faithful

Our worship should be a worthy offering to God made in grace-enabled gratitude.

Gospel-Centered Worship – focusing relentlessly on Christ and his saving grace from start to finish; maintaining a consistent worship order that reflects the pattern of the gospel, i.e.: gathering/confession/ assurance /proclamation/response/sending; preaching messages centered on Christ and the gospel
Spirit-Led Worship – drawing inspiration from prayer and dependence on God’s Spirit, maintaining technical excellence without stifling spontaneity and freedom in worship; ensuring that worship is informed and directed by Scripture in all parts
Excellent Worship – cultivating musical and artistic excellence; working hard in preparation and practice; identifying and developing worship leaders with particular attention to their unique spiritual gifts and talents

Rooted

Our worship should draw on the full bounty of the Church’s worship practices, across time and culture.

Ancient/Future Worship – utilizing worship resources from the early church and our Reformed heritage; honoring the best of traditional and contemporary worship practices; incorporating new practices that are biblically informed
Global Worship – considering how to honor people of diverse cultural tastes as we offer our worship to God; balancing a clear sense of our identity and heritage with the knowledge that God’s Church is much bigger than contemporary American evangelicals

Our worship should unite the body of Christ at Third by drawing on our different experiences and talents.

United Worship – reflecting a strong concern for the unity of the body; seeking to build common themes and liturgies across services
Intergenerational Worship – exploring ways to bring adults, children, teens, and different generations together, especially during Sunday worship
Congregational Worship – involving all participants fully in worship through singable music, frequent testimonies, lay leadership, incorporation of children and youth, and similar elements

Our worship should offer a compelling alternative vision to the watching world.

Missional Worship – keeping in mind the people and cultures around us who are not yet among us; explaining our liturgy to make it more understandable; preaching messages that take for granted the presence of non-Christians and frequently, yet winsomely, call for conversion
Welcoming Worship – fostering a spirit of hospitality in our gatherings
Compassionate Worship – keeping in view the world and its need in our worship; sending the members of the body out into mission; interceding for the needs of the world; embodying concerns for justice and mercy in the worship practices we use