We recently released a record entitled Gather: Live in the Living Room. The goal of this record was to capture the worship of the community who have been meeting regularly in our living room for the past three years. More than just the songs, we wanted to record every part of a worship night in the living room setting—everything from how the worship leaders led the group, to how those present engaged. As you can imagine, capturing every moment (down to the raw, unfiltered, even sometimes awkward moments) in a living room setting was quite the undertaking. At times in the process we weren’t even sure going in how the project was going to turn out!
At Summit, we’re convinced that whatever God wants to do in the world today, He wants to do through all of His people, not just through a select few leaders. We’re convinced that every believer is called to minister to the Lord, utilize their gifts in ministry to others, and to intercede for the lost, broken and those that need healing in our city, nation and world. We believe that as leaders, it’s our highest call to train, equip, and empower every believer to do those very things.
As we think of applying this to worship and the gathering, a passage of Scripture we often come back to is found in 1 Corinthians 14:26:
“What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.”
Paul in this passage is stating that when we gather as the church, each person brings something of merit to the table. Some would teach, some would bring a prophetic word, some would speak in tongues—others would interpret, and some would lead singing and prayer. All of this would be done in love and for the encouragement and building up of the body.
At the same time, Paul certainly has a high view of the role of leadership and order in the gathering (see 1 Cor. 14 and 1 Tim. 2 for example). He viewed leadership in the same way Jesus did—not as a means for domineering and commanding, but as the role of a servant.
When we set out to record Gather, we had all these things in mind. During the night we had a time where some folks shared testimonies of how the Lord was moving in their lives (which led to an unplanned song of thanksgiving in response), we had a moment where we all broke into groups and interceded for cities that were hurting around the world, and we had a time where we prayed for healing and relief from anxiety for those present. We believe all these elements are valuable when we gather. If all we do is sing together, then we’ve missed out on so much of the beauty of what it is for believers to commune with the Lord and with each other.
We hope that as we present these elements in a raw, honest living room setting that other communities, small groups and families might have an example they could try for themselves. We hope and pray that wherever you and your community gathers, you would experience the presence of God alive and at work in your midst.
You can listen to/purchase the record in all the normal places, but you can also go to our website to find out how you can download free copy!
Finally, we’d love to serve you in any way we can. If we can come and serve your community in your home, do email us and let us know if we can help lead a night of worship in your living room.
Andy & Mathis