Worship is pulling our affections off our idols and putting them on God. Obviously, at our deepest level, we were created for worship. But rediscovering that takes skill.

Worship is treasuring God. I ponder his worth and then do something about it—I give him what he's worth. Every brand of worship must have those two elements. Public worship just means you're doing it in concert with others.

When a large number of those attending the service are privately worshiping, seeing God for what he's worth and responding in kind. A poor worship service is one in which very few are. Unfortunately, there's no tangible way to tally the percentages. I've led services where I thought few people were truly worshiping, but then when I talked to my wife, she sensed just the opposite.

Worship is grasping a truth about God and then letting that truth strike you in the center of your being. It thrills you, comforts you.

I worship when I realize I've been trusting in my own abilities, not the sovereignty and goodness of God. When I pull my affections off the other things I've been trusting in and put them on God, I will be touched emotionally. I may cry; I may not. It depends on what kind of personality I have. But the truth will affect my emotions—and my will. My will is affected when I decide to change the way I handle trusting in myself next week.

Perhaps. But it could also be merely a sentimental connection. That is, the song reminds you of a warm memory. This is one reason why people will say, '"I can't worship if I don't sit in my pew," or "I can't worship because you rearranged the furniture," or "I can't worship if I don't know the hymns." That's nostalgia, a fond sentiment that people often need because everything else in life is changing. But that feeling isn't worship.

Aesthetics, or art, is a movement from the right brain to the left. Consequently, art is often a back door to the left brain—the side of our brain that analyzes truth. People are brought to faith through great aesthetics.

That's one reason why large churches that focus on excellence in worship attract more non-Christians. A non-Christian is attracted to the art of a tight-sounding worship band or string quartet. Non-Christians are not, in general, attracted to smaller, close-knit churches where the aesthetics lack excellence.

As a general rule, the larger the church, the more important worship aesthetics become. And, I would go so far as to say that when planting a church, you determine its future size by the importance you place on aesthetics in worship.

That's one reason. But, frankly, I doubt that even our most highly trained musicians are going to impress Almighty God. God is the one we want to please, and I doubt he judges on the basis of aesthetics.

To me, aesthetics are important as an effective means for people to grasp the truth about God so they can give him what he's worth—to worship. Good aesthetics remove the obstacle of distraction that bad art places in the path of the would-be worshiper.

Effective evangelism has usually combined excellent aesthetics with communication. George Whitefield's preaching employed great aesthetics: he had a gripping voice; he could weave moving stories causing the crowd to groan and weep. His oratory power attracted crowds of five to ten thousand people.

Whether Whitefield's oratory, Willow Creek's drama, or Redeemer's classical aesthetics, the object is to communicate a message that penetrates the head, the heart, and the will.

At Redeemer, we say that in the way we communicate to our audience, we are not targeting either believers or seekers. Ours is a worship service calling everyone to respond to the truths of God. We just do it in the vernacular.

In addition to good aesthetics, we attempt to make our worship accessible, which, in many ways, is also good aesthetics. Little things such as the words of the liturgy must be beautiful and understandable—even the words must have good aesthetics.

I don't feel the "can you top this" pressure some pastors say they feel. But still, just the pressure to create an equally good worship service each week can be powerful.

The pressure can cause me to react wrongly when a service doesn't come off the way I think it should. I'm a detail person, and occasionally I catch myself cringing when I feel a vocalist blew it or the microphone system goes haywire. That's not good. It indicates an over-emphasis on aesthetics. Just as people can have an aesthetic experience and not worship, they can also worship without good aesthetics. I'm an advocate of good aesthetics but not in a way that is harsh. I'm committed to excellence but don't want to make it a non-negotiable. Aesthetics are negotiable; truth is not.

Authenticity isn't an excuse for laziness. Excellence is a legitimate value within the church. It's tough for the congregation to worship when they're squirming because the worship leader or special musician is embarrassingly off pitch.

But when we pursue excellence at the cost of authenticity—people worshiping God in spirit and in truth—the church suffers. I've learned to be satisfied if worship leaders possess decent musical skills. And if some of them are exceptionally talented, that's a bonus. But in recruiting worship leaders, we look first for authenticity—and just enough skill not to embarrass the congregation.

This sends an important message to the congregation: a person doesn't have to be spectacular to serve the Lord. If we say that God uses ordinary people, why only promote extraordinary people?

Pastor Jones needed a music pastor. He contacted Melody Smith, an old friend whose musical gifts were beyond question. When Melody arrived, she was warmly received.

A few months passed in sweet harmony, but then discordant notes began to be heard from the music ministry. Volunteers bickered over song selection, solo schedules, even the tempo of the music. Musicians arrived late to rehearsals. Worst of all, the congregation had moved from being worshipers to being observers.

Eventually Pastor Jones pinpointed the root of the problem: It takes a leader to inspire a congregation to enter wholeheartedly into worship. It takes a leader to create a system to care for the details. It takes a leader to resolve conflict and maintain morale on a worship team. It takes a leader to motivate others to volunteer for service.

Melody's love for God and her musical talent could not compensate for her lack of leadership. The most important strength of a music leader is leadership, especially when the person is working with volunteers.

Early in the life of my first church, we tested out various worship styles. Attendance dropped with each experiment. What we had been trying was foreign to us. I began asking myself questions: Who are we as a church? Who am I as a pastor? Just what is our mission anyway?

Then someone with a clear understanding of vision asked me, "What's your passion?" As I pinpointed my passion for building up people who were already believers, I felt release.

I accepted that I could be myself, and also accepted that my church could be itself. So we started to organize our church around our gifts. We planned our worship around the people we had instead of around the people we wished we had. Whatever resources God had given us were enough to accomplish his will in our place at this time.

What makes for meaningful corporate worship? While the list of what makes for meaningful worship is long—biblically true, practical, relevant, sensitive to the culture, visual, focused, and so on—only one rises head and shoulders above the rest: transcendence.

Transcendence means we catch a glimpse of God and his throne and recognize we are in his presence. Transcendence is what makes a worship service meaningful. Our two most significant tools, singing and preaching, must lead people to God.

We convey transcendence by praying and singing about the glory of Christ in heaven, which a church with modest means can do. What's important is not what people see around them but what we help them see with their imagination.

1. Appreciation. Even more than paid staff, volunteers need recognition. They also need to feel a sense of ownership in the church's mission. Public praise from the pulpit, hand-engraved certificates, newsletter recognition, and customized thank-you cards are a few of the ways volunteers in our church are compensated.

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2. Flexibility. For years we struggled to find people who would commit to teach Sunday school for 12 months straight. Finally, when we opted for a rotating schedule (each teacher gets every other month off), we had more than enough volunteers from which to draw. Our system may not resemble textbook recruitment, but it is more sensitive to the hectic lifestyles of our members.

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3. Extra guidelines. Uncertainty breeds anxiety and dissipated energy. Volunteers must be able to restate the expectations that are placed on them. Job descriptions drawn up on paper aren't just for those drawing a salary.

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4. Authority and responsibility. Contented workers are those who know a project is theirs to complete. They know the pastor will not step in and take control once the assignment has been given and that he will not micromanage the process.

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5. Extra time. Time management is not just the struggle of paid professionals. Volunteers are juggling full-time jobs and family and ministry responsibilities. These issues occupy volunteers' minds and consume energy. That can interfere with the church task you expect them to complete. I not only need to be patient and flexible, I also try to be more generous with how volunteers use the time they're donating.

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6. A professional feel. I've found that volunteers can be consulted on pastoral and administrative decisions. They often give excellent feedback. And, more importantly, they need to feel their opinions and performance are respected and expected.

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7. Free to fail. Our church chairman was a military officer for over 25 years. He has tried a lot of novel programs. Not all of them have succeeded. He gives himself permission to make mistakes. He's been influenced by retired Rear Admiral Grace Hopper of the Navy, who claimed, "It is always easier to get forgiveness than to get permission."

As long as you are working with people who know what success tastes like, you can give them the freedom to fall short. If you aren't sure what a volunteer is capable of, delegate a task to her you can afford for her to mess up.

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8. Regular time off. Whether they're payroll or they're rewarded with appreciation, donuts, and coffee, church work is people work, and people work leaves people tired. A breather of some sort (a summer off, for example) is the best investment to guarantee a high-yield return.

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9. Regular celebrations. At my church, we look for reasons to have a party and seize the moment to recognize accomplishment. Those who find reasons to blow trumpets or blow up balloons will laugh more, complain less, and trust each other to a greater degree. All it takes is keeping my ears to the ground for noteworthy achievements and seizing the day.

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When a British mountain climber scaling Mount Everest perished, a member of the expedition recorded in his diary a fitting epilogue: "He was last seen heading for the top."

I hope the same could one day (later rather than sooner) be said of my life. In fact, I hope that it could be said of our entire church staff and leadership. High ministry standards are an integral part of our church identity. We deliberately instill the values of pursuing excellence, rewarding strong efforts, and applauding visionary decision making. Here are a few practices I follow to keep people heading for the top.

Practice affirming actions. One Easter Sunday our music director arranged for the orchestra to accompany the opening hymn. It was a magnificent addition to worship. However, the plan called for the orchestra to be dismissed before the sermon. After the first service, I realized the mistake. The last hymn sounded flat as a North Dakota interstate. We needed the instruments for the final hymn.

I rushed to our director and saddled him with my request—ten minutes before the service! Without batting an eye, he replied, "I'll have them assembled." When the orchestra finished accompanying the last hymn, not one soul in the congregation knew what a musical feat had just been accomplished.

In next morning's staff meeting, I couldn't wait to tell the others of Dave's effort the day before. I lauded him in front of the whole ministry team.

I like to catch people doing things right, and then publicly affirm them. I'm always amazed how far a person will travel on a dose of heartfelt praise.

Invest in the bond market. Another key element in motivating people is the development of close, supportive relationships. I let our leaders know that I'm available when they need me. But I also let them know I need them. I open my private life to members of the elder board, seeking their advice on personal matters. On a spiritual level, my key leaders and I cement relationships through a mutual commitment to pray daily for each other.

I use a few other methods to develop close bonds. Every other month, I invite the staff and elder board to our home for a game night. They take over the house. Some use the trampoline, others watch the big-screen television, while still others shoot hoops. In each case the strategy and objective is the same: to build a team by simply having fun together.

Help people be all they can be. I believe competition in a church can be healthy. I want individuals to push the limits of their talents. I want our music to sound better this year than it did last year. I want our education program to introduce new courses, drawing on the latest advances in the field. I push people to become all that God intended. Each component contributes to our church-wide goal of performing well as a team.

Remember everyone's a volunteer. Peter Drucker points out that all organizations, at their core, are volunteer organizations. We have to forget the idea that there's a difference between paid staff and volunteers. If people don't enjoy doing what you ask, salaried or not, they'll quit and go elsewhere.

People need other incentives, such as affirmation, a sense of accomplishment, and the satisfaction of sacrificing for a worthy cause.

"Do your pastor and arts team meet weekly to evaluate your services?" It's a question I've asked in leadership gatherings all over the world, and every time, I'm disappointed by how few hands go up in response.

Some leaders wonder if evaluation is biblical. Others default to the lack-of-time excuse: Sundays come so regularly we must move on to the next. And then there's defensiveness: Most of us don't know how to give or receive constructive criticism without sinning! It's much safer to put last Sunday behind us and brainstorm for the next.

Here's a bold challenge: begin engaging in a weekly process of evaluating Sunday services. Here's what you'll gain:

1. Reason to celebrate. Always begin evaluation discussions with celebration. Focus first on the good work God did through your service. Ask team members to identify moments from the service when it felt obvious God was at work, and affirm the hard work and creativity of team members whose contributions made those moments possible.

Be specific in how you honor one another, and watch how the eyes of team members light up as they feel appreciated. Share any stories you may have heard about how people in the congregation were inspired, challenged, or transformed during the Sunday service.

All together, your team can say "Yeah, God!" for everything that worked well.

2. Reality checks. My pastor says a primary task of every leader is to define reality. Evaluation meetings enable teams to truthfully assess not only what was effective, but also what did not go well. Did parts of the service fail to communicate with authenticity, clarity, excellence, biblical relevance, or creativity? Together we have the courage to admit that despite our efforts, some moments didn't deliver as we hoped.

Any team that learns over time to navigate such conversations in a safe environment is a healthy team.

3. Learning from last week. The goal of evaluation is not perfection, but consistent growth and improvement over the long haul. It's all about learning. Together we ask, "What can we do better in our process or planning so we won't make the same mistake next time?"

At my church, we've been evaluating and learning since our earliest days, when we took a lot of risks and made a lot of mistakes. The only way any team gets better is by learning from last week. We build a portfolio of "learnings" that refines our instincts and leads us to more informed choices next time.

So how about it? Will you dare to evaluate every week? It may not be easy, but you won't regret it.