Our Mission
Connecting the future with the past by providing fresh expressions for worship.
Who We Are
Worship Outlet is a nonprofit parachurch organization, born from WorshipAlive, a liturgically-based worship series started by Fellowship Ministries in Arizona in the early 1990s. In 2001, ownership of Worship Alive was transferred to Community of Grace Lutheran Church in Elkhorn, Nebraska. Under the vision of Pastor Brad Hoefs, the website concept of a site where worship leaders and pastors could “plug in” for their various worship needs was birthed. Our nonprofit status 501(c)(3) status was granted on April 20, 2011.
Our mission is to connect the future with the past by providing fresh expressions for worship. Our goal is to provide creative and engaging worship resources that are both Biblical and relevant for the 21st Century.
WorshipOutlet is a parachurch ministry, meaning we operate separately from the church and receive no financial support from any church or church body. Each worship service is written on faith that sales will meet expenses to produce. Our mission is not to be profitable in monetary terms, but to provide practical and creative worship resources to further the kingdom of God. In order to continue providing resources to churches at minimum costs, we rely on donations to subsidize our ministry.
We frequently receive affirmations from pastors, secretaries, and worship leaders of how helpful our resources are, how their worshipers respond excitedly to it, and how their churches are growing. Like a church in Detroit, who reports “we have seen over 35 people baptized since we started using WorshipAlivePlus:
We’re arguably the best-kept secret of worship sites. We strive to be the most-used provider of worship resources.
Why Do You Need WorshipOutlet Resources?
Mainline Protestant membership has been in decline since 1970. In a survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey finds that more than one-quarter of American adults (28%) have left the faith in which they were raised in favor of another religion, or to no religion at all. Roughly 44% of adults have either switched religious affiliation, become affiliated with a particular faith, or dropped any connection altogether. The Landscape Survey “confirms that the United States is on the verge of becoming a minority Protestant country; the number of Americans who report that they are members of Protestant denominations now stands at barely 51%. Those that are growing as a result of religious change are simply gaining new members at a faster rate than they are losing members. Conversely, those that are declining in number because of religious change simply are not attracting enough new members to offset the number of adherents who are leaving those particular faiths.”
The churches that are working to reverse this trend have addressed worship issues and learning styles of today’s society. They are growing because they incorporate creative and relevant styles of worship — liturgical and non-liturgical. Relevant, well-done, Biblically-sound experiences to which worshipers can relate (even liturgical worship) is a key component for growing churches.
“As new people come into a church and hear the kind of music they have already been listening to, just with different lyrics, they are more likely to be drawn in to the worship. Worship that used to be meaningful has lost its cultural relevance, and if we are going to engage the hearts, minds, soul, and strength of the worshipers, we must find a language that they can speak in. Too many of America’s churches are resting comfortably in the safety of tradition, not wanting to rock the boat. Change is generally not easy, but is so often necessary. Statistical data shows that today’s churches experiencing tremendous growth more often have a contemporary or blended style of worship.” [Comeback Churches by Ed Stetzer] WorshipOutlet purposes to help reverse this alarming trend of decline by providing fresh expressions for worship that are relevant to today’s society. Creativity requires time, something which few pastors have.
What is the ultimate goal of our ministry? To help fulfill the Great Commission of Matthew 28: to make disciples of all nations – by providing fresh expressions for worship to help reverse the religious trends of the United States. Worshipers are drawn to culturally-relevant worship, which leads to increased attendance, which leads to more followers of Christ. We want to help your church grow!
Our resources fit into many categories, including contemporary worship, blended worship, worship resources, contemporary worship resources, contemporary worship services, blended worship services, contemporary worship songs, sermon preaching, contemporary liturgy, and blended liturgy.