Inside Look: Worship at Vineyard Church Kansas City with Pastor Greg Hartmann
Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Greg Hartmann and I have been the lead pastor here at Vineyard Church Kansas City for almost 2 years. God has truly blessed our Vineyard Church and I’m thankful that I get to be your pastor. I believe that the best is yet to come at VCKC and I can’t wait to share in this journey with you.
On that note, my desire is that you would seek Jesus in every aspect of your life. And I hope I can help you do that as I will be walking you through a variety of topics in this blog and future blogs. For this first blog, my goal is to inform and provide an inside look into our worship experience at Vineyard Church Kansas City.
Lean in
Worship has many different aspects and it can mean so many different things. It all depends on your experiences in church or a lack thereof. So, allow me to expound further on what scripture and VCKC believes about worship. Sound fun? Great! Let’s jump in.
Prepare your heart
The worship experience at Vineyard Church is meant to prepare your heart in such a way that you have a real encounter with God and that you would experience Him. Our goal is to have a balance between creating a fun and engaging environment while also pointing you to the fact that Jesus is the reason we are here. It isn’t about me or anyone else on staff; it’s about God.
How do we do that? Well, I’m glad you asked. As the lead pastor of Vineyard Church, it is my prayer that you would feel welcome to any of our services regardless of where you are spiritually. And by that, I am referring to your maturity and knowledge of Jesus. And that level of knowing Him is different for every one of us and that’s great. There isn’t an exact place you can come to where you have “arrived”. That happens once we enter into His presence in Heaven. However, that’s another topic for another blog.
Pop quiz incoming
Are you seeking to learn more about Jesus? Are you a new Christian who wants to grow in your faith? Are you a seasoned Christian who has walked with the Lord for a number of years?
If you said yes to any of those, then VCKC is the right place for you. We strive to provide a worship experience that is honoring to God by ensuring that we never forget the basics of our faith. That starts by diving into His word to find truth and guidance.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. -Psalm 150:6. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. -1 Chronicles 16:34. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. -John 4:24.
Scripture has so many references about worship that I could fill this entire blog with only those verses. Reading your Bible and committing scripture to memory is a perfect example of worship that we value at Vineyard Church. Vineyard Church is not a Church with Groups but a Church of Groups. The purpose of Life Groups is to create an intentional, smaller environment where authentic worship and transformative Biblical community can take place through prayer, God’s Word, community and serving where people experience oneness with God and with one another.
If you want to find a Bible study life group to get connected at VCKC visit here to find that perfect fit.
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord! -Psalm 95:1
We have an amazing worship team who are all seeking to bring God glory through praise. I may be a little biased, but I think we have some of the most incredible people who lead us each week. I am so grateful for them! Their dedication and heart for our church are truly inspiring to me. Each week they blow me away with their talents and I can’t thank them enough for what they do. So, thank you VCKC worship team for being the amazing people that you are.
Our worship experience is such a sacred time as we come together and lift our voices in praise to our King. This allows us to lean in and prepare our hearts to hear from His word. He is worthy of all we have and it’s my prayer that you feel God move in our worship experience. Our worship team is always prepared to lead us in vocal worship and I don’t just mean their musical talents. I know that every one of them spends time growing in their faith to commune with God on a deeper level. It is so evident in the way they give all of themselves during worship. Of course, there are more ways than just singing that we worship the Lord.
More than words
Our voices are the main thing that comes to people’s minds when we say worship but we also worship God through prayer, preaching, serving and more. When we humble ourselves and come before almighty God in prayer, that’s worship. We are setting Him above ourselves and we are saying that He is the only one who can answer us. We are worshiping God with our spoken words. We just aren’t singing them. When you lead a Bible study or a small group, that’s worship. When we serve the poor and the homeless or that elderly neighbor you have, that is worship. God is worthy of all of us. And when I say all I mean all. Not just your words but your heart, your skills, your money and your time.
If the only way we worship is during that corporate worship time on a Sunday then we are not worshipping the way we should be. Have you been struggling with the same sin for years? Are you worrying about something that is out of your control? Is your marriage in need of a rescue? Worship helps. When we begin to worship Him in multiple ways our views and attitudes change. When we start to see the world through the lens of His goodness, suddenly your problems seem easier to bear.
If you are interested in worshiping God through serving, check out all the ways that you can get involved at VCKC by visiting our serve teams.
Worship changes everything
I would never make a promise to you like “If you do this for God then He is going to do this for you.” Because that just isn’t the case. But what I can promise you, is that if you worship Him in all the ways that He deserves you will be changed forever. Knowing that the creator of the universe knows you intimately should make us want to worship Him. It should make us shout from the rooftops of His goodness and demonstrate His grace to those who are hurting.
It will change the way we see our neighbors. It will change how we interact with the world. If we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the world should take notice of that. Worshiping God constantly will cause those around you to see that you’re different. They will want to know what you know. This world is full of worry and horror but the joy that comes from the Lord cannot be stopped. The peace He provides surpasses all understanding. Don’t you want that? To stop living your life worried about this or that? That is exactly what happens when we pursue God through daily worship.
Finding balance
As I said earlier, it is my desire to find balance in creating a worship environment that is welcoming to those who are not familiar with Christianity while also having enough meat for seasoned Christians. One way I like to find balance is to not shy away from diving into more complex truths while at the same time remembering not to make assumptions.
30 years ago, if I mentioned David and Goliath or Daniel in the lion’s den, chances are that most people would have followed and known what I was referring to. However, that often isn’t the case today. So, I always try my best to not assume that every person in one of our services will inherently know all the little phrases and colloquialisms that I heard growing up in church. I want everyone to walk away with a deeper understanding of our faith and to never feel guilty because they didn’t know something.
Impact
Worship has had a huge impact on my own personal life. I can’t tell you how many times I have found myself driving in my car or enjoying a walk where I am just worshipping God. There’s been plenty of times in my life when I have been really struggling with something and I just stop what I’m doing and worship. I’ve had times when a friend was going through a dark time in their life and I was able to worship alongside them and I can feel the peace that flows over them. Life is hard. That’s no secret. But it can be enjoyed if we realize the impact that worship has on us.
I believe that God designed us to worship. Many people worship money, relationships, careers, their stuff, etc. We all worship something. And as a Christ follower, God should be the only thing I worship. Because nothing else in this world is worthy of being worshipped. Money can instantly be worthless at any moment. That person you love so much can turn on you. That job you work so hard at can end after one bad quarter. And those material things just never fill you the way you think they will. What are you worshipping? What is occupying your time and money the most?
I’ll end with this
We believe that worship is not just about singing songs or having an emotional response. It is about connecting with God on a deeper level and experiencing His presence in our lives. That is why we strive to create a worship experience that is both authentic and engaging where you will lean in and learn more about Him. Because we can’t half worship Him. God knows our hearts. He knows when we are pursuing after Him with great passion and when we are simply going through the motions. Aren’t you tired of just going through the motions? Let’s get fired up and worship Him with everything we’ve got.
Key takeaways from this blog:
1. Get connected with a Life Group.
2. Find a place to serve.
3. Read your Bible daily.
As the lead pastor of Vineyard Church Kansas City, my prayer is that you would find that our worship experience is for people from all walks of life who can come together to worship, learn, and grow in our faith.
Please join us for our in-person worship on Sunday mornings at 8:30, 10, and 11:30. You can also watch the 10 am service live at VCKC.com.
Pastor Greg Hartmann