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Worship Books – Which Ones?
Posted on September 30th, 2008 in Church Life, Reviews, Worship Leadership by Fred McKinnon
Hey Everybody -
I’m back in the swing of things now since returning from our vacation to Mexico. While I was there I had a rare commodity at my disposal … “time”. I was able to read a couple of books on worship. (OK, well I read one book, and I’m about 1/3 through the second book)
Who Stole My Church by Gordon MacDonald
“Who Stole My Church” by Gordon MacDonald was the main book I devoured on this trip. I’m not an avid reader, but I found that this was an easy book to read.
Basically, the overall concept of this fictional (but very realistic) story is how the original influencers from the older generation came to discuss how they thought their church had been “stolen” from them. What happened to the days when they had Wednesday night prayer? What about the choir, and all those wonderful hymns? Why do we have that loud praise band now and no organ?
Unless you find yourself working in a younger church plant where you “made the rules” to begin with, most of us have found ourselves in this predicament. On many occasions I found myself snickering as the comments I’d read sounded as if someone had been listening to the many conversations I’ve been a part of as a Worship Leader on staff in multiple churches the last 15 years.
I can’t wait to tackle some of the “issues” in multi-generational worship now that I’ve read this book. It’s an easy read and one that will equip all of us as worship leaders.
So you’re not a worship leader? I bet if you’ve attended church long enough you’ve lived through some changes that you didn’t care for. Do you find yourself living in the past, saying “those were the years”. You should read this book, too!
What books on worship have really impacted you?
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18 Responses to “Worship Books – Which Ones?”
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Enter The Worship Circle by Ben Pasley influenced the way I look at worship. I know a majority of worship leaders adhere to the worship isn’t necessarily evangelistic mantra, but I believe it was in Biblical times, and can be these days. Good read, but a bit on the eclectic artsy side.
Russs last blog post..I Used To Be A Rock Star
Most definitely:
“Worship Matters” – Bob Kauflin
“The Art of Worship” – Greg Scheer
“God Songs” – Paul Baloche
“Unquenchable Worshipper” – Matt Redman
Though the jury is still out, I’m being challenged by Best’s “Continuous Worship”
Shannon Lewiss last blog post..The “Good Ole’ Days” – or not…
Russ, Ben’s a nut, but you’ve gotta love him. His passion is infectious. I remember the first time I saw him live (we’ve played together before live), and it was so overwhelmingly intense that I was moved to tears and just bawled through most of the show. Wow.
Shannon Lewiss last blog post..The “Good Ole’ Days” – or not…
Shannon,
As you well know – “Worship Matters” is the 2nd book I started on (thanks) … I’m about 1/3 of the way through and love it thus far.
Still wading through Best, eh? Man, you’re more diligent than I!
For the Kingdom,
Fred McKinnon
http://www.fredmckinnon.com
http://www.theworshipcommunity.com
Unceasing Worship by Harold Best
Recalling The Hope Of Glory by Allen P. Ross – it took me a year to get through this
Both of those books have rocked my world in the past couple of years.
Chris from Canadas last blog post..New Site – check it out!
Chris,
Yeah – I bought that book, loaned it to Shannon for now … it was a tough read, I never made it past the first couple of chapters … need to force myself to get through it.
For the Kingdom,
Fred McKinnon
http://www.fredmckinnon.com
http://www.theworshipcommunity.com
I’ve read a ton of books on worship…by far the best author I’ve read is Jack Hayford. He’s not an innovator of worship styles, but he is solid and Spirit-led on the subject of worship itself, which is way more important than the music side. Probably, the most practical book on leading worship is Tim Hughes, Here I am to Worship.
Gary Durbins last blog post..Worship Confessional 09.28.08
Gary,
Def. have hugh respect for Jack Hayford – do you have a favorite of his?
Chris already brought it up, but I cannot praise Harold Best’s “Unceasing Worship” highly enough.
“To Know You More” by Andy Park was good.
While not specifically on worship, “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan is rocking me pretty hard right now.
Jeff M. Millers last blog post..Worship Confessional: Sunday, September 28, 2008
@shannon, yeah Ben Pasley is pretty cool. Back in 03 I hung out with him and 5 other songwriters for a weekend retreat he did in the mountains of Colorado. He’s intense.
Russs last blog post..I Used To Be A Rock Star
Hey Fred-
I did 5 posts on that book because I loved it so much. Here is the last one (http://manofdepravity.com/2008/05/05/who-stole-my-church-5/)
Great choice.
Tylers last blog post..One Spot Left
simple for me…
my top 3
Dangerous Act of Worship – Mark Labberton
Recalling The Hope Of Glory – Allen P. Ross
Worship Old and New – Robert Weber
klamperts last blog post..“Cheer Up, It’s Not the End of the World”
Fred,
I’m curious, what type of lessons did you learn from the book? (I’d like to check the book out, but I wonder if there was 1 or 2 principles that stood out.)
Billy Chias last blog post..God Doesn’t Want Me to Play Guitar Solos
I echo Joel very LOUDLY!
Dangerous Act Of Worship by Labberton. Takes worship out of the realm of music and into the act of service and love.
2 absolutes in my mind for teams to read together would be Rory Noland’s books “The Heart of the Artist” and “The Thriving Artist”. I hand the Heart of the Artist to everyone that joins our team.
brent(inWorship)s last blog post..Get Out Of The Boat
I recently read “Exploring the Worship Spectrum: Six Views”, edited by Paul Engle. In fact, I need to get around to writing about it, but it is a good read for anyone who wants to see what different ideas and theologies of worship look like.
Mikes last blog post..Bad Movies
@Russ That sounds like a real treat! I’d love to spend a week writing with him, that’s for sure. I wish 100 Portraits would release something new! Who were the other songwriters?
Regarding Harold Best, the book is a deep read, but I’m telling you this – it’s a breeze in comparison to Peterson’s “Engaging with God”. That book took me 2 years to read. Talking about dense.
Shannon Lewiss last blog post..The “Good Ole’ Days” – or not…
This sounds like a great read. I have definitely dealt with the dicotomy of two different approaches to worship coupled with a nostalgia for the good ole’ days of church. It is a tricky slope to stand on.
Jeremy Killians last blog post..Worship Outside of the Bubble
fred,
i would say two that i have read and liked in the past are:
Rory Noland- The Heart of the Artist
Robb Redman- The Great Worship Awakening
James McLeans last blog post..What is the difference?