Ministers Desk 28th September 2014

Dominic Chan Profile

A Little About Me

As I have started as Worship Pastor I figure I would give you all the opportunity to know a little about me. My name is Dominic Chan and I am 23 years old. I have been part of Emmanuel Uniting Church all my life and was both Baptised and Confirmed here. The encouragement and support from a number of key people in the congregation led me to grow both musically and in spirituality.

My interest in music culminated in my studying of Jazz Piano at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University from which I graduated with a Bachelor of Music Performance in 2012. I now spend my time teaching, song writing and composing with the occasional gig here and there.

Within Emmanuel I have been a Church Council Elder, Worship Leader and Musical Co-Ordinator of the Evening Service. I am also a Youth Group Leader and Co-Ordinator of the Open Table Community Dinner.

At the moment my faith journey is centred around exploring scripture and recognising the Christ-Centred nature of my life as a Christian. Looking back it has been interesting to recognise the ways that I have matured and is both daunting and exciting to see how much more there is to grow. On observation it is evident that should I ever reach a point whereby I no longer feel the need to grow as a disciple I am most likely in a state of delusion. This is where I currently stand though: recognising that faith is a journey and not a destination and, like any journey, it will be one that is made possible through a guide (God).

My Values as a Worship Leader

I believe that the first and foremost purpose of worshipping together as a congregation is to glorify God.  Everything else should come after that. This however, has meant that there is a constant concern in the back of my head as a musician who is used to performing in other contexts: when does it stop being about God and start being about me instead? I have often been concerned about the pursuit of excellence in worship as I have worried that excellence could be an indication of self-indulgence. What I have recently come to believe is that excellence in worship is still about God. However the why behind it is the most important. We strive for excellence not for our own sake but to facilitate worship as a congregation. To invite those who are gathered to participate in worship in such a way that they can't help but follow the inclination that they are experiencing. The inclination to glorify God in a way that is authentic and to participate in the ongoing mission that Christ has set before us.

 What will I be doing my the role as Worship Pastor

The purpose of my position is equip and empower people to lead and participate in worship. To ensure that those who are gifted in such areas are encouraged and supported in leading and those who come into Emmanuel have a place where they can encounter God and worship together with a Christ-Loving Community. I am looking into ways of encouraging the expression of faith through different forms of creativity and exploring ways of ensuring that the 9:30am and Evening Services are contemporary and relevant for today’s society while maintaining theological integrity and spiritual authenticity. I am intentionally maintaining the 8am service as a Traditional Service because I believe that it is of the utmost importance to facilitate worship for as many demographics as we can.

Two very important points I want to make:

1. Change is not going to happen straight away so you don't have to worry that services will be turned on their head suddenly and without notice.

2. Change is not going to happen straight away so you can't expect that services will be turned on their head suddenly and without notice.

The reality is that most of the change will be gradual. The focus of my role is equipping and facilitating. To ensure that this is achieved I will be bringing a team together focused on the development and growth of the Worship Services. Before action is taken we will be assessing and researching. From there we will be collaborating and planning. After that comes collating and communicating and THEN there will be change.

I would love to talk to people about ideas and views and their passions for worship! Feel free to email me at my new email address! I will have to make this very clear though: I am not a magical-worship-pastor-wish-fairy (can you imagine the title?) and can only promise that despite my best intentions I will not be able to please everybody. I am excited to listen to people but I cannot promise that I will agree or be able to make your dream a reality.

Dom