On July 25, the Mississippi Worship and Media Conference convened at First Baptist Church Fannin, seeing nearly 90 worship pastors, media ministers, guest speakers, exhibitors, and hosts make connections and build relationships.
Three years ago, the Worship Ministries department at the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board combined their annual conference with Communication Services in order to bring worship and media pastors, whose ministries join forces for effective Sunday morning experiences, to one place to be strategically equipped.
Terry Williams, founder of priority worship ministry and music and worship consultant of the Florida Baptist Convention, spoke on the theme of “Worship in the Wilderness.” Williams and Earlene, his wife and ministry partner, brought an upbeat passion for praising God.
Loss of influence
“I believe that our church culture has lost the high and holy view of Who God is,” said Williams in the general session, “because we have been so busy doing the work for the Lord, that we have lost the presence of God.
“Church leaders have totally lost our influence in America. I think about what we face on a daily basis, what the enemy does to us and our family, our ministries, and our churches. He wants us in a spiritual wilderness, where we no longer have joy. He fights us at every turn to take our joy and keep us from an abundant life, which God promises we can have in Him.”
In his sermon, Williams emphasized, “You and I are God’s greatest desire. We are the bride of Christ and His greatest treasure. Did you know that God desires our presence at times far more than we desire to be in His? He wants a relationship with you and me, and not just salvation. That’s the base level. He wants to take the relationship to new levels daily. But the sad reality is that in all of our busyness, there are times He desires to be in our presence more than we desire to be in His. We don’t have time, we don’t feel good, we have work to do, and because of that, we don’t find any kind of quiet and personal one-on-one time with God.”
With breakout sessions specific to worship leadership, media management, and technical enhancement, attendees had an array of opportunities to learn new strategies and tools for effective ministry.
The conference also held a Q&A session moderated by Kris Smith, MBCB worship ministries director, and Tanner Cade, MBCB communication services director.
Other panelists
Other panelists included Eric Busby, Director of Media and Technical Ministries at Morrison Heights Church, Clinton; Jeff Byrd, Technical Pastor at First Church, Fannin; Grey Johnson, Worship Pastor at First Church, Fannin; Jonathan McKenzie, Minister of Music at First Church, Laurel; and Williams. The panelists discussed ways a local church might utilize technology to enhance the worship experience by removing distractions and centering the focus on God.
“An encounter with God and an encounter with the church are two different things,” Williams said. “Some go to church and have encounters with worship, artistry, and musical talent. Some go to church and have an encounter with personalities and preachers, fellowship and friends, musical and stylistic choices. While I love going to church, the church’s presence cannot substitute God’s presence.”
Williams also emphasized to church leaders and laymen, “If we come to church on Sunday to worship, it’s too late. We do not go to church on Sunday to worship. We bring our worship with us into the house of the Lord because we should have already been worshiping during the week. If you wait until Sunday, you’re too late and you’ll have a very difficult time in that expression.
“God wants the splendor of His presence to be the object of our adoration.”
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Lindsey Williams and originally published by the Baptist Record.
