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Home > Resources > Worshiping Communities > CampusA Theological Foundation for Worship at Calvin
Worship at Calvin is rooted in the Reformed tradition of the Church. That shapes our worship in many ways-the centrality of the Word in each service, the focus on Christ as the true and only way to salvation, the development of our faith through our engagement in worship and work and play, and a deep trust in the free gift of God's grace that covers everything we do.
These theological foundations-our key values for planning and leading worship-guide those who lead in worship and become apparent to those who gather for worship.
Worship is Covenantal.
Our services are a conversation between God and his people in which we renew the covenant of grace.
God calls us into his presence, and we respond with songs of praise. We confess our sins, and God speaks words of assurance. We pray for God's Holy Spirit to move in our hearts as we listen to the reading and preaching of the Word, and God speaks through his people to help us to understand his scriptures more clearly and to learn his will for our lives. Prayers are offered by the people, and we know that Jesus Christ is also interceding for us before the Father. We share testimonies of God's answers to prayer and his faithfulness to us in many areas of our lives. We dedicate ourselves to his service, and God gives us his blessing as we go out from the chapel into the world. Throughout this conversation, we are reminded that God extends his covenantal grace to us, and we respond with gratitude and obedience.
Worship is Participative.
Worship leaders are not performers, but enablers, encouraging the full, conscious, active participation of the congregation (not "audience").
All who come together are invited to engage fully in the act of worship. To assist the congregation, singers and worship bands help them to sing with intelligence and passion, readers invite people to listen attentively, those who offer prayers create space for everyone to pray along. Whether by speaking or singing, in quiet stillness or energetic movement, the congregation takes part in the actions of the service.
Worship is Whole-istic.
We bring all our selves to worship: faculty, staff & students, body & soul, brain & heart, doubt & belief, lament & joy.
Our worship is designed to nourish all who gather, in whatever circumstances they find themselves. We hope to calm troubled spirits, to inspire joyful praise, to mourn with those who mourn and to rejoice with those who rejoice. Our worship is intelligent and passionate, feeding our minds and our hearts. We often turn to the Psalms, where we find expression of the wide range of human emotion and experience.
Worship is Expansive.
We make creative use of words, music-and more!-from many times, places, peoples, and cultures to enlarge our vision of God's kingdom, and situate ourselves properly within it.
Just as the members of our community represent many countries and various Christian traditions, we aim to reflect that diversity in our worship too. While we hope that anyone may feel at home in worship at Calvin, we also hope everyone will be stretched to experience of the breadth of the Kingdom, across all times and places. Furthermore, we see ourselves as stewards working in all of God's magnificent creation.
Worship is Reverent.
Even when playful, our worship acknowledges that it is God with whom we deal when we gather together.
Our God is holy and mighty, and we come before his face filled with awe at his creative power and with humble gratitude for his love and grace. God's eminence commands our worship and praise, and his imminence encourages us with his presence.
Worship is Spirit-directed.
We are led by the Holy Spirit in form and in freedom, both in prayer-filled planning and in the surprising moments of worship.
We ask the Spirit to guide our preparations and prayerfully listen for his direction. We try to keep an openness in our leading of worship and a freedom to alter the planned order of service, so that we may respond to the unexpected course the Spirit may be pointing out to us.
Worship is Expectant.
The Spirit blows where he will, so we worship with our sails raised, expecting great things of God, and enjoying, rather than engineering, a contagious spiritual energy.
Just as those who sail recognize their dependence on some wind to get anywhere, we acknowledge our reliance on the breath of the Holy Spirit to fill us with his power. We cannot manipulate that power, but we are confident that it is at work in us and through us.
In all of our teaching we begin with scripture, for we delight in learning the truths God reveals to us there. As we come together for worship, we celebrate the fellowship of Christian community. We learn how to love God and love others through our worship, as well as in our work and play with one another. Throughout our worship, we savor fellowship with God the Father who provides for us, with the Son who points out the way to eternal life, and with the Spirit who inspires and encourages us along the way.
For worship leaders at Calvin College, we have a handy tool that we call our "Principles and Practicals" cards. These theological foundations-our key values for planning and leading worship-are on one side of each card. On the other side of four different colors, we provide different tips for worship leaders: pink is for those who offer prayer, blue for readers, purple for musicians, and green for technicians. As we think about our theological guidelines and purposes in worship, these cards provide a good blueprint.
Transparency in Worship
These theological foundations are revealed to the rest of the community in various ways during worship. Sometimes it's as simple as the way that a scripture reading or song is introduced. For instance, following a verse like Psalm 100 we might say, "We have heard God call us to worship. We respond to his call with shouts of praise as we sing "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty." Or following a message about God's call to justice, we might invite the congregation to read Micah 6:8 together as a response of dedication, followed by "The Servant Song."
Sometimes our theological underpinnings come through in our teaching series. For example, this past year our series was about the nature and work of Christ, using creeds and statements of faith from a variety of Reformed sources for the fall semester and centering on the book of Hebrews in the spring. During the whole month of January, our chapel program focused on how and why and when to pray.
Even during our chapels that consist mostly of singing, we center our songs on a scriptural theme and make that connection transparent by what we say and how we arrange the order of the songs. We also make it a priority to include prayer, whether spoken or sung or silent, in every gathering for worship, because we believe that our worship should always offer opportunity for us to hear God's Word and to express our praise and petitions.