Our Ministries
Our Ministries
We serve because Jesus first served us.
Our service is an opportunity to worship God, love our body, and participate in the transformation of this great city in which we live. If you call METRO home, we encourage you to consider how can you glorify God by serving others.
Worship Ministry
We desire to be a church that sings with hearts and minds that are bent towards joy, repentance, and faithfulness. Music plays a large role in our worship service from beginning to end, focused on moving the church through a cycle of preparation, praise, renewal, and commitment. Read more below about the values that shape our worship:
The role that music plays in the context of worship—the instrumentation and singing of songs, is simply more than just listening to and singing songs before and after a sermon each Sunday. The content that we sing plays a critical role in forming, shaping, expressing, and responding to what we believe. Music serves as an important component of worship, but is not meant to “produce” worship itself. We should sing with our spirit, but also sing with our mind (1 Corinthians 14:15). Thus, we believe that the Gospel must be of utmost importance when leading and teaching the “gathered” church. This involves the active recognition of God’s holiness and our sinfulness, repentance that leads to the assurance of our salvation in Christ Jesus, and the restoration of new lives that are transformed to serve Him faithfully. To be Gospel-centered is to be renewed as idols are challenged and shattered so that we can acknowledge the only true God of our lives.
There is an ever-growing need for worship music that engages, not only the “feelings” or expressions of the worshipper, but one that places great emphasis on the truth and direction with which it leads. We believe that God calls us to make disciples for the Kingdom—which directs us to feed, lead, care for, and protect the church (Matthew 28:19). Therefore, the Scripture-based truths that are sung in congregational worship are an essential component of teaching and shaping our beliefs. Many of the “unchurched”, perhaps, even those among the “churched”, have an inaccurate or incomplete understanding of the Gospel. At METRO Church, our aim and purpose in worship is to explain what the Gospel is, what it accomplishes, and ultimately that “we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV).”
In a city that is largely defined by its respect, creativity, and passion for music, there is an equally tremendous value that is placed on the quality and skillfulness of music in worship at METRO. Psalm 33:3 reminds us to “sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.” It is our vision to combine Gospel-centered and theologically rich lyrics with excellent and culturally-relevant music by incorporating both traditional (hymns and prayers) and contemporary styles of worship.
Interested in joining our team?
We welcome both individuals who desire to regularly share their musical gifts with others as well as classically-trained students of music. Please sign up below to note your interest.
Children's Ministry
At METRO, we desire to create a warm, safe environment, where our children experience the Gospel of Jesus Christ from the moment they walk through our doors. Since we believe this occurs at any age level, we strive to present the Gospel in an age-appropriate manner through worship songs, Scripture memory, activities, crafts, and Bible lessons pointing to Jesus as the ultimate “hero” of each story. We want to assist and support parents in the Christian nurture of their children by reinforcing the truths of the Gospel at church, as it is applied and lived out at home. Our team of teachers and assistants are active members of METRO, who possess a deep love for children and a joy of teaching. Many serve as professional educators throughout the city. As a team, we are committed to finding creative ways to bring the Gospel to life. As our children continue to build relationships with their teachers and one another, our hope is that each child will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus, and grow to embrace the values of METRO.
Our Children’s Sunday School Program includes:
Age-appropriate worship and “liturgical” flow Scriptural lesson and Gospel-centered counsel Take-home “bulletin” for parents to reinforce with their children Background checks, disclosures, and training for all volunteer staff At least one “conference” with parents and/or guardians
Interested in joining our team?
We seek to provide the best care for our children through a solid team of volunteers for both our nursery and children’s ministry. The number of children in our church continues to grow, and this ministry is a great place to share your gifts and influence the next generation! Whether you come with training, or receive training as you serve with us, your investment in the lives of our children and fellow volunteers is a wonderful way to experience deeper community in a similar context.
Opportunities to serve include teaching, assisting, and worship leading. If you have a heart for families and children, please consider serving! Please sign up below to note your interest.
Women's Fellowship
The Women’s Fellowship at METRO is centered on the power of God’s Word to bring true hope, Gospel joy, and fellowship among our women. We believe that all Scripture is from God, and is useful for teaching, training, and shaping our lives according to Christ’s righteousness and love. We meet regularly, gathering for the purpose of Bible study and regular discipleship. Our meetings are opportunities to hear insights that the Lord reveals specifically through His Word, as well as incorporating times of sharing and praying to hear one another’s reflections, as we care for, and support, one another corporately. As we grow in our intimacy with God through His Word, we are changed in our relationships with each other, increasing in love and humility as a body of women who serve in Christ’s church. The hope of the Women’s Fellowship is that these studies will lead to a greater love for Jesus Christ, a deeper trust and reliance on His Word, and a service towards others as a fellowship of women.
All women in the church are invited to join us for our bi-monthly gathering. For more information, please contact our Women’s Fellowship coordinator at angela@metrophilly.org.
Couples and Families Fellowship
The Couples’ and Family Fellowship is a ministry that meets monthly in the context of members’ homes throughout the year to support and share biblical counsel in marriage and parenting life. It is a vital opportunity to connect with people in a similar life stage, but also a way to handle daily life pressures in the struggle to maintain a healthy marriage, a thriving family, and an intimate life with your spouse. As couples in the church, we are challenged to demonstrate the Gospel to our spouses and children, as worldly “voices” and pressures battle for our hearts moment-by-moment. As rooted members of METRO, it is our hope that our married couples serve as solid models of Gospel character in every dimension of life in situ, particularly in the broken areas of family, work, and rest.
If you are interested in plugging into the Family Fellowship, contact our coordinator at families@metrophilly.org.
University Ministries
We believe that college is a crucial time to deepen one’s faith, as it is a period where convictions, vision, and values become real. Here, at METRO, we desire to challenge, and help shape, a student’s college experience by providing a warm community where believers and inquiring skeptics are invited to learn more about the Gospel. Our vision for college students is to gather as a community on local campuses to develop a deeper understanding of the Gospel in the context of a university setting, where diversity of opinions and ideologies abound. We desire to equip college students relationally, through discipleship, and mobilize student leaders on their campuses, in our city, and also challenge students to develop a global consciousness on mission for the Gospel.
College students are welcome to join us every Sunday for worship. For Temple University students, during the school year, transportation to our Sunday Worship service is provided weekly at 10:30AM in front of the Student Center at Temple University. To plug into our college ministry, we encourage you to be involved in our weekday community groups for a time of learning and fellowship. Our ministry currently meets on Thursdays throughout the semester at 7:00PM at METRO. We also meet for a monthly prayer meeting at Philadelphia University.
To get connected, or for more information, please contact our Director of University Ministries at college@metrophilly.org.