Chosen to Worship

Leading worship takes on many forms. Some leaders sing and play guitar during Sunday services. Some lead choir practice on a weeknight. Some teach children Sunday school songs and scripture verses. Some plan the order of service for the week. Some put together the Power Point or run the ProPresenter slides on a Sunday.

Still others dance for Jesus, inviting others into God’s presence. Some step into a character and bring scripture to life. Others may write music, or poetry, or paint, or move in whatever way they feel is a necessary overflow of their praise to God.

As people made in the image of a creative God, we are innately creative. And we are born with a deep desire to reach for our creator, to enter His presence, and to give Him our praise. Our souls reach heavenward, and creative worship is one of the beautiful ways we can truly experience God’s presence.

For many years, the USA Southern Territory’s Music and Creative Arts Department has acknowledged the importance of creativity in worship and has worked diligently to come alongside those leading others in their corps, equipping, bolstering, and encouraging people with the divine responsibility of bringing people to the feet of Jesus. The 2026 Worship Arts Retreat, held in late September at the Arkansas-Oklahoma Division’s Camp Heart O’ Hills, sought to do all this and more — inspiring, teaching, and preparing corps leaders from around the territory to return to their church families renewed, restored, and invigorated to continue the good work.

“Establish the Work of Our Hands” was the theme and earnest prayer throughout the weekend, leaning into Psalm 90:17, “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us — yes, establish the work of our hands.”

“Listen to what the Lord is saying to you,” urged Nick Simmons-Smith, territorial music and creative arts education secretary, in the opening session. “You’ll be fed strategies, ideas, and new things that you can use in your corps. And that’s going to be amazing, but I also want you to listen to the voice of the Lord this weekend.”

Lt. Colonels Allan and Fiona Hofer, territorial program secretaries, provided biblical teaching throughout the event, bringing encouragement as well as practical instruction and discipleship.

Colonel Allan spoke on Exodus 31 in the opening session, explaining how the craftsman Bezalel was chosen by God to worship Him through his handicraft. God filled him with the Holy Spirit and entrusted all the creative and practical work of crafting the Tabernacle to him. “His life shows us the divine calling is not confined to the pulpit. God is glorified when Spirit-filled people bring excellence, creativity, and faithfulness to the work He has entrusted to them.”

“His artistry was not secondary to spiritual service; it was the very means through which he served,” Colonel Allan continued. “The question is not simply, ‘What gift do I possess?’ But also, ‘How can this gift reveal God and bless others?’ Is this where you are in your journey with your creative arts?”

In the second session, Colonel Fiona spoke on the importance of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, emphasizing that the fruit is different from the gifts of the Spirit. “I am a child of God. So are you. I am allowed to be put on a stand. I am here with a purpose to be the light of Christ and to shine. I am stronger than all the world would have me be. I am meant to shine because of who I am in Christ alone, and for his glory.” Talent is not enough, she explained, and at the end of the day, it’s not even that important. “The fruit of God’s Spirit is available to every person who says yes to Jesus Christ. Everyone. And they are meant to be evident in the disciple’s life.”

She explained that in order to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we must be cleansed within. “Those who cleanse themselves will be instruments for special purposes, made holy and useful to the Master. Don’t you want to be useful to the Master?”

Following this session, the 80-plus delegates spent the next several hours going to breakout workshops, choosing three from the 23 available offerings ranging from dance, drama, choir, creative writing, Canva and ProPresenter, visual arts, worship planning, conducting, leadership, production team management, and much more.

After a full day of learning and leaning into God’s presence, everyone gathered again for the evening session where Colonel Allan spoke on using the gifts God has given us to serve others.

“We are all called to follow Jesus. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit. So, therefore, we must walk in a manner worthy of our calling. That work, therefore, is the bridge from belief to behavior, from creed to conduct, from gospel truth to gospel living. A worthy Christian walk remains faithful to Christ even when obedience is costly.”

“The gospel we confess must become the life we display… All of us have the duty to testify. Every believer is gifted with the Holy Spirit. Every believer is needed; every believer has a ministry.”

On Sunday morning, summarizing Psalm 90:1-17, Colonel Allan began his teaching saying, “God is eternal, our lives are brief, sin is serious, and mercy is our only hope.”

After recognizing that we are called by God, equipped from within by the Holy Spirit, and living out our faith through our Christian walk, we can look forward to God using us for His purposes. “We pray that the beauty of Jesus, his compassion, his purity, his courage, and kindness will be seen in us, and that the work entrusted to us will outlive us because God has established us.”

We don’t need to strive for perfection, Colonel Allan explained. Instead, we need to surrender. “It’s not just about you getting better. Yes, all of us, we all need to get better. But it’s about us bringing our best to God.”

Colonel Allan then invited all present to participate in communion, the bread not only symbolizing Jesus’ sacrifice, but also the commitment to sacrificing everything for God.

Nick Simmons-Smith closed the weekend in benediction, praying, “Lord, I pray a blessing on our friends gathered here this weekend, wherever they may come from, whatever their situation is, that you would give them strength, that they would rely on you and be filled with the Holy Spirit, to go and extend the Kingdom in their community.”

Worship leaders of all ages, skill levels, and disciplines left the weekend not only with new ideas or skills to take back to their corps but also encouraged. They have been called and gifted by God, and now, if they will be cleansed and walk in His ways, God will use the sacrifice of their creativity and worship – and their lives – to further His Kingdom, establishing the work of their hands for generations to come.