For some, there are specific moments in worship that have transformative effects on their spiritual health.
First-year Ella Schmidtlin, a nondenominational Christian who primarily attends the University Church of Christ (UCC) on campus, said the first time she worshiped God in a community at church camp was a moment that significantly impacted her spiritual health.
“I always used to sing alone, but when I was at church camp we were all in the grass singing without instruments, and the way we were doing it was a way in which nobody cared how well it sounded or if we got the words right,” Schmidtlin said. “We were just singing for Him and I realized how powerful and important it is to be in community when worshiping.”
Worship is deeply connected to spiritual health, and helps individuals connect with God through their daily routines. For students and faculty, worshiping through music serves as a way to foster spiritual growth and emotional wellbeing.
Why Spiritual Health is Important
Spiritual health is the feeling of integration, that one’s mind, body, spirit, all the different parts of life, are together, said Religion Professor David Lemley, a member of UCC.
“I view my spiritual health as taking care of all those aspects and how I want to exist in the world and in general,” Lemley said.
Sophomore Lily Amateau, a nondenominational Christian, said she views spiritual health as an important part of her life, where robust spiritual health aligns her mental and physical health.
“Prioritizing my spiritual health makes sure that my mind is on Christ,” she said.
Amateau participates in a weekly Bible study on Saturdays with her mom and friends.
Reading the Word of God every day is food for her body, Amateau said. It is the spiritual food that is necessary to get through each day because it fuels her body just like normal food.
“It’s definitely necessary to be healthy in a way where you’re trying to pray and trying to implement the spiritual aspect into what you do every day,” Schmidtlin said.
Different Meanings of Worship
While worship can help enhance one’s spiritual health, there is no one way to worship. Different ways to worship include singing, prayer, Bible study, small group meetings, service and orienting one’s life around God.
For some, like Schmidtlin, worship involves singing.
“I think worship is just really singing and using your voice to cry out to the Lord,” Schmidtlin said. “It’s not about how well you do it or how consistently you do it but it’s about letting go and living with the freedom to verbally worship God.”
Lily Salanty, associate director of worship at Pepperdine, said worship is making sure to always put the Lord before oneself and participating with Him in every moment of life. This can look like just giving Him one’s attention or having a conversation with Him.
“Pure worship should always lead to a life that is turned outward and leads us to being good friends and serving our neighbors,” said Salanty, a nondenominational Christian who currently attends Vintage Malibu church. “Worship is a whole lifestyle that we get to engage in and a lifestyle in which I get to include the God of the universe in my most menial tasks.”
For both students and faculty, there are many different ways to worship on or near campus. Salanty helps lead a weekly worship service at the Well as part of her job in the Hub for Spiritual Life.
Additionally, the Hub also offers various student-led ministries that provide their own worship services and Bible studies. There are two Churches of Christ that meet on campus, the University Church of Christ and Waves Church, and several churches within walking distance of campus.
There are also larger worship nights that happen such as the Worship Summit on Alumni Park every fall and baptism nights at the Brock House during the Well.
Worship Tied Into Spiritual Health
Salanty said there is something about music that can help people find a way forward and serve as a reminder of who God is.
“Worship is so good for the soul; just singing to God to everything, whether pain or joy,” Salanty said.
Lemley said worshiping through music engages different parts of the body at the same time.
“If I’m spiritually healthy, all the different parts of my body are healthy and connected,” Lemley said. “Music is unique because it engages all the different parts of us; we feel music, we take it into our memory and the words become part of how we think about the world and ourselves.”
Lemley said music is something to share with others.
“Music can change a mood or perspective, music can change our mood, whether we choose it or not,” Lemley said. “When we listen to music our bodies are involved; we move, we sing, we can put our full selves into it.”
Lemley said when he hears the songs he grew up listening to at church as a kid, he feels a deep sense of connection.
“When I hear those songs now, they connect me to God, to my own story and to my most important relationships,” Lemley said.
Amateau said worship is not about trying to provoke a feeling or emotion.
“A lot of worship songs are emotion-provoking, but it shouldn’t be more about emotion than worship,” Amateau said. “I really want to focus on the act of worshiping God because it fills my soul.”
Salanty said she feels the most like herself when singing.
“I feel the most firm in His promises when I’m singing of His truth and something shifts in the room,” Salanty said. “Scripture says the power of the tongue is life and death and there is power in what we say and when we declare His promises and His truth.”
Schmidtlin said engaging in worship through music is important because singing reminds her to channel her energy toward God.
“Worship reminds me to focus my energy toward an all-knowing, all-powerful God rather than singing or playing music for success, it’s all for Him,” Schmidtlin said. “It’s a good reminder to not constantly correct myself when I sing because I grew up worshiping somebody who is so forgiving and doesn’t judge you for how well you sing.”
Lemley said having music that connects him to God is important for him.
“On a personal level, having music that resonates with me is a way of connection with God and I often turn to music to help me pray when I don’t know how to pray or what to pray,” Lemley said.
Making a Difference in Spiritual Life
By engaging in worship, Schmidtlin said she has strengthened her spiritual life by setting aside time to solely focus on God.
“It’s hard to always focus on Him and do everything in the way He would want you to,” Schmidtlin said. “Focusing solely on worshiping Him has helped strengthen my spiritual journey and helped me cope with my depression and anxiety.”
Amateau said during COVID, she did not watch any secular TV or listen to secular music. Instead, she focused on watching Christian films, listening to Christian music and reading her Bible.
“That really did help me through worship grow closer to God and made me also not crave worldly things anymore,” Amateau said. “Worship in general is when things just melt away and it’s a ‘you and God’ moment and the world melts away.”
Amateau said being able to worship God even in hard circumstances can help bring someone closer to God.
“Worshiping God in painful circumstances is a discipline that really does help bring you close to the Lord and give you the peace that you want,” Amateau said.
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Contact Alicia Dofelmier by email: alicia.dofelmier@pepperdine.edu
