Masterclass + All team

Culture

Worship is at the heart of who we are at STN, everything we do is about giving glory to God and helping to lead others into new life in Jesus. As a member of STN Worship you’re joining a family of creatives on mission to see Jesus lifted up in praise, and people encountering the Living God through the Holy Spirit. We want to see people set free from the condemnation of their old lives and come alive in their new, and we do all this using what God has given to us - our gifts, time, money, and lives.

Worship isn’t about music and songs, that’s an action that comes from a heart set on worship. If we can do all things for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31) then the actions themselves aren’t the fundamental of worship. Paul writes in Romans 12:1-3

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

We should offer our bodies, our whole selves, to God, letting him transform us into a new person in worship so that we can know God’s will for us. He goes on to encourage each of us to use our gifts with humble confidence for the building of God’s kingdom.

Our mission as part of the family that is STN Worship is to join with the Holy Spirit to bring others into that relationship and understanding of worship, using music as our primary method.

To do this, we need to be on the same page culturally, pursuing the vision together. Culture is something that takes everyone to pitch in, setting aside their own self for the benefit of others. There are FIVE things that I believe we all need to be doing and valuing in order for our mission to succeed, these are the foundation of STN Worship culture and are absolutely essential to who we are and where we are going.

Worship

We aren’t musicians or techs first, we’re worshipers. Our actions stem from an orientation of our heart in adoration, wonder, and thankfulness to a God who has shown boundless mercy to us. We need to be finding space to worship God without a stage or even our instruments, spending time listening to His voice so we know what it sounds like when we’re serving Him. We need to be in the word, reading the bible and learning what it is to be more like Jesus. Without the Spirit of God we’re just noise makers, but with God we are more than conquerors.

Mission

When you join STN Worship, you’re joining a family not filling a role. You might be the most amazing drummer in the world, but if on Sunday we need someone to do the words you need to be ready to jump in and help. The journey of discipleship is learning about how our faith is, in the end, not about us at all, but about giving whatever we can trusting that God will continue to pour back in to us. The key to our culture is that we are a family on a mission, not individuals doing a job. There’s no place in our team for diva’s, be in it for the team, be in it for the mission, set aside your ambitions and see how God will give you more than you could ask or imagine.

Preparation

The practical side of being part of STN Worship is preparation. There’s so much information on Planning Centre and online now that there’s no excuse for showing up unprepared. Learn the songs, the form, the parts, practice to a click, set your alarm, know your rehearsal times, change your strings and tune your guitar. In the words of an old coach I once had when I was training as a triathlete: “Remember the 5 P’s: Perfect Preparation Prevents Poor Performance”.

Investment

In 1 Timothy, Paul writes to Timothy encouraging him to “not neglect that has been given to him”. We’ve all been gifted by God with skills, characteristics and abilities that are purposed for the building up of the church and the glory of God, it’s SO important to not neglect these gifts, and instead invest in them. If you’re a musician, this means practice, learn your scales, rudiments, parts, find ways to grow as a musician. We can only learn so much from ourselves, so raise your ceiling and get some private lessons, or jump online to our masterclasses page for some great skill specific training content. Investment not only serves you better (you’ll feel more able to follow in spontaneous moments, and be less hindered in your own worship), but the team and the church, when one member of the team doesn’t practice but everyone else does it harms everyone and makes it difficult to work together.

Our tech masterclasses go through how to use the equipment and there’s plenty of places online to grow further in your knowledge and skill.

It’s not just skill investment that we’re looking for however, it’s also investing in to your gear, the family, and the church. If you’re a drummer, buy some sticks, a guitarist, invest in pedals that are essential to a worship tone, acoustic guitarist, invest in a guitar that sounds good amplified. There’s nothing wrong with cheap gear, but part of honouring the gift and the family is investing in equipment that can develop and grow your sound.

To invest in STN Worship family it’s super simple: Show up to Team Night, they are once every 3 months and are an essential not an optional extra to being in the family; make friends, and pray for each other - when you pray for someone your heart for them becomes like God’s heart, to see them succeed and blessed, pray for your team.

To invest in the church it’s just as easy. Show up to church, even when you’re not serving, even when you’re not feeling it, be there for others when you don’t feel like you want to be there for yourself. Commit to giving financially: where our treasure is there our hearts will also be, giving liberates our spirit from the bondage of self-made financial security and trusts God with what was his in the first place, if you’re a part of STN Worship you should be giving financially to God’s work. Commit to welcoming new people: If church is family, and the building our home, then we can’t ignore our guests or regulars. Talk to someone new, build relationship that crosses preconceived boundaries, invest in to the community relationally that you serve practically.

Integrity

Be who God created you to be at all times. Integrity is the state of being whole and undivided. It’s so important to pursue a life without division of character, the same person you are off-stage is who you should aim to be on-stage (or vice versa, whichever looks most like Jesus). Our actions, emotions, words, and lifestyle must add up to be someone who is actively becoming more like Christ. All of us are leaders and bear the name of Jesus when we serve and during the week, it’s a name that we should be aiming to present in the best possible light. The bible puts it best when it says we should eagerly desire the fruits of the Spirit:

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.”

I look forward to serving with you on a Sunday and throughout the week, and I’m so excited for what God will do in and through us if we only keep our eyes on Him. Thank you for committing to serve God and this community within STN Worship.

Bless y’all

Jacob Darlison
Worship Pastor