Behind the Ministry: Worship
Read about the purpose and characteristics of the worship ministry at Metro through it's Director, Pastor Tim Shin
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Pastor Timothy Shin has been attending Metro and serving as Metro Church’s Worship Pastor for more than 13 years. Worship ministry is important to him because it supports the proclamation of the Gospel, the preaching of the Word, and the discipleship of the church through singing and music.
“[The worship ministry] is a beautiful response and stewardship of the gifts that God has given us as His created people, made to worship Him,” said Pastor Tim.
In his free time, you can find him listening to or watching podcasts, particularly ones about the economics and history of how ordinary, everyday things work in today’s world. His two favorite worship songs of all time are “Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me” by CityAlight and “Be Thou My Vision” by Mary Elizabeth Byrne and Eleanor Hull.
We asked Pastor Tim a few questions to gain some perspective on the purpose and characteristics of the worship ministry at Metro. Join Metro’s congregation in worshiping together every Sunday at the 9:30 AM or 11:30 AM services, located at 4700 Wissahickon Ave, or the 4:00 PM service, located at 5 Carnegie Plaza.
Q: What made you personally come to Metro? What made you stay?
A: “Though I grew up in church my entire life, it was during my early college years, serving at a summer camp ministry called Pioneers for Christ under the leadership of Pastor Donny Cho, that the Gospel became real and personal to me. Metro embodies that same Gospel clarity and depth; its genuine commitment to Gospel-centrality in both vision and practice is why I came and why, more than 10 years later, I remain. What defines Metro for me is a culture that values character over competency and Gospel over culture. The people here care more about who I am in Christ than what I can produce, and they love me enough to call out my sin and continually point me back to Him.”
Q: Why do we sing in worship?
A: “Singing is one of the ways we express our worship and is a wonderful gift the Lord has given us as both a response to His glory and a proclamation of His greatness. Scripture shows this again and again in Psalm 96:1–3, where we are called to ‘sing to the Lord’ and declare His salvation, and in Colossians 3:16, where singing becomes a way the Word of Christ dwells richly among us. At Metro, singing is an essential part of our worship because it helps us remember the Gospel, walk intentionally through rhythms of Gospel re-enactment, and publicly express what the Spirit is already forming in us as worshipers of Christ. As Harold Best wrote, ‘We do not begin worship when the music starts; we are already worshiping. Music simply reveals what our hearts are already pouring out.’ Thus, we are singing what we believe and are living out.”
Q: What makes worship integral to Christmas?
A: “While Christmas has grown more consumeristic in our culture, historically Christians have gathered at Christmas to worship, adore, and celebrate the newborn King. In seasons of darkness, Christmas reminded the Church of the ‘thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices… a new and glorious morn!’ It lifts our eyes from what is temporary to the One who is eternal, Jesus, our true hope.
“[Christmas] lifts our eyes from what is temporary to the One who is eternal, Jesus, our true hope.”
Q: What is one new thing you learned recently about Christmas?
A: “This isn’t entirely new, but as part of my love for listening to podcasts about how things work, I learned that the first ever song broadcast on the radio, I believe in 1906, was ‘O Holy Night,’ played on the violin. How awesome is that?”
Interested in joining the worship team?
We are currently accepting applications for musicians, vocalists, and production team members! If interested, regardless of skill level, we’d love to hear from you!
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