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| Looking for great worship resources? Here's a list of recommendations compiled by Jim Cordell, Department director. Where possible, we've linked books to LifeWay and Amazon.com so you can read descriptions, review and purchasing information. |
| General Introductions to Worship |
Davies, J.G., ed. The Westminster Dictionary of Worship. Philadelphia: Westminster John Knox, 1979. A masterful, indispensable work, with articles on every subject related to worship.
Martin, Ralph P. The Worship of God: Some Theological, Pastoral and Practical Reflections. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1982. Filled with New Testament insights on the many dimensions of worship.
Segler, Franklin M. Christian Worship: Its Theology and Practice. Nashville: Broadman, 1967. Revised edition edited by Randall Bradley. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1996. A classic introduction for those in the Free Church tradition.
Wainwright, Geoffrey. Doxology: The Praise of God in Worship, Doctrine and Life. New York: Oxford University Press, 1980. A creative volume on systematic theology as seen through the eyes of worship.
Webber, Robert E. Worship Old and New. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1982; rev.ed. 1994. A groundbreaking book that urges readers to rethink worship theologically.
Webber, Robert E., ed. The Complete Library of Christian Worship. Nashville: StarSong, 1994. Webber has edited a multivolume encyclopedia on Christian worship that appears to be the most comprehensive attempt yet to describe and interpret the numerous and various aspects of worship. Boasting 650 contributing editors and more than 3,700 pages, this work includes the following individual volumes: The Biblical Foundations of Christian Worship; Twenty Centuries of Christian Worship; The Renewal of Sunday Worship; Music and the Arts in Worship (2 volumes); The Services of the Christian Year; The Sacred Actions of Worship; and The Ministries of Christian Worship.
White, James F. Introduction to Christian Worship. Nashville: Abingdon, 1980. A classic introduction for those in the mainline churches.
Willimon, William H. The Service of God: How Worship and Ethics Are Related. Nashville: Abingdon, 1983. A fresh restatement of worship from the perspective of Christian ethics.
Willimon, William H. Worship as Pastoral Care. Nashville: Abingdon, 1979. An important look at how worship functions within the fellowship of a church.
Cullman, Oscar. Early Christian Worship. London: SCM Press, 1953. A brief but penetrating look at several aspects of New Testament worship.
Martin, Ralph P. “Worship.” In The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 4:1117-33. Edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. 4 vols. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1979-1988. Unusually instructive and comprehensive.
Martin, Ralph P. Worship in the Early Church. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1964. The most insightful technical study of New Testament worship I have read.
Rowley, H.H. Worship in Ancient Israel: Its Forms and Meanings. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1967. Good overview of Old Testament worship.
| Worship in Christian History |
Costen, Melva Wilson. African American Christian Worship. Nashville: Abingdon, 1993. One of the most helpful recent volumes on black worship in America.
Davies, Horton. Christian Worship: Its History and Meaning. Nashville: Abingdon, 1957. Easy reading, very rewarding.
Maxwell, William D. An Outline of Christian Worship. New York: Oxford University Press, 1936. A true classic.
White, James F. A Brief History of Christian Worship. Nashville: Abingdon, 1993. Solid, substantial, succinct.
White, James F. Protestant Worship: Traditions in Transition. Philadelphia: Westminster John Knox, 1989. The most thorough book I have read on Protestant worship history.
Willimon, William H. Word, Water, Wine and Bread. Valley Forge, Penn.: Judson, 1980. The best short history of worship available.
Basden, Paul. “Something Old, Something New’: Worship Styles for Baptists in the Nineties.” In Ties That Bind: Life Together in the Baptist Vision, pp. 171-90. Edited by Gary A. Furr and Curtis W. Freeman. Macon, Ga.: Smyth & Helwys, 1994.
Basden, Paul. “Worship with Integrity.” In Honest Numbers: Growing Churches with Integrity. Edited by Robert M. Parham. Nashville: Baptist Center for Christian Ethics, 1995. These two works are my first attempts at differentiating worship styles.
Edwards, Mark D. Exalt His Name Together. Nashville: Convention, 1994. Edwards describes five styles of worship also, but he substitutes “blended” for my “revivalist.”
Towns, Elmer. Putting an End to Worship Wars. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1997. Towns delineates six “paradigms” of worship: the evangelistic church, the Bible-expositional church, the renewal church, the body-life church, the liturgical church and the congregational church. These paradigms are not identical to worship styles, but they certainly overlap.
Webber, Robert E. “From Jerusalem to Willow Creek.” Discipleship Journal 70 (1992): 42-47. A seminal work that differentiates six “contemporary models of worship”: liturgical worship, traditional Protestant worship, praise and worship, creative worship, seeker service/believers worship and convergence worship.
Webber, Robert E. Signs of Wonder: The Phenomenon of Convergence in Modern Liturgical and Charismatic Churches. Nashville: StarSong, 1992. This book has been revised and reprinted as Blended Worship: Achieving Substance and Relevance in Worship. Peabody, Mass.: Henderickson, 1994. Webber encourages liturgical and charismatic churches to “cross-pollinate” their worship experiences.
Willis, Charles. “Blended Worship Combines Traditional, Contemporary.” Facts and Trends, October 1993, p.1.
Willis, Charles. “Praise, Worship Lead to God, Minister of Music Says.” Facts and Trends, October 1993, p. 6.
Willis, Charles. “Seeker Worship Style Targets the Unchurched.” Facts and Trends, October 1993, p. 7.
Willis, Charles. “Traditional SBC Worship: Informal Dignity.” The Baptist Standard, September 1, 1993, p. 13. Theses four companion articles are early attempts at categorizing worship styles in Baptist life.
The Common Lectionary: The Lectionary Proposed by the Consultation on Common Texts. New York: Church Hymnal Corporation, 1983.
The Revised Common Lectionary. Nashville: Abingdon, 1992.
| Contemporary Music in Worship |
Frame, John M. Contemporary Worship Music: A Biblical Defense. Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian & Reformed, 1997. Reformed theologian and musician answers objections to use of contemporary music in worship.
Hustad, Donald P. Jubilate! in the Evangelical Tradition. Carol Stream, Ill.: Hope, 1981.
Hustad, Donald P. Jubilate II: in Worship and Renewal. Carol Stream, Ill.: Hope, 1993. Former organist for Billy Graham crusades makes plea for openness to new styles of music without rejecting classical hymnody.
Liesch, Barry. The New Worship: Straight Talk on Music and the Church. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 1996. Music professor praises contemporary music while still affirming value of hymns.
Miller, Steve. The Contemporary Music Debate: Worldly Compromise or Agent of Renewal? Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1993. An unapologetic defense of the value of contemporary Christian music in worship.
Dawn, Marva J. Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for the Turn-of-the-Century Culture. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1996. A scathing critique of the seeker-sensitive approach of blending worship and evangelism.
Dobson, Ed. Starting a Seeker-Sensitive Service. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1993. A clear description by a leading practitioner.
Hunter, George G., III. Church for the Unchurched. Nashville: Abingdon, 1996. A seminary professor gives “two enthusiastic thumbs up” to the effectiveness of the seeker service as an evangelistic tool.
Morganthaler, Sally. Worship Evangelism: Inviting Unbelievers into the Presence of God. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1995. Morganthaler offers “three cheers” for seeker services, but she redefines what seekers are looking for when they attend worship.
Pritchard, Gregory A. Willow Creek Seeker Services: Evaluating a New Way of Doing Church. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 1995. A sympathetic treatment of seeker services.
Warren, Rick. The Purpose-Driven Church. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1995. Part four describes the Saddleback concept of seeker-sensitive worship.
| Planning & Leading Worship |
Flamming, Peter James. “The Pastor as Worship Planner.” In Baptist Faith and Witness: The Papers of the Study and Research Division of the Baptist World Alliance 1990-1995. Birminham, Ala.: Samford University Press, 1996. Excellent primer on the pastor’s role on Sunday mornings.
Furr, Gary A., and Milburn Price. The Dialogue of Worship: Creating Space for Revelation and Response. Macon, Ga.: Smyth & Helwys, 1998. An experienced pastor converses with a veteran church music professor and minister of music about the divine-human dialogue of worship.
Hayford, Jack, John Killinger and Howard Stevenson. Mastering Worship. Portland, Ore.: Multnomah Press/Christianity Today, 1990. Three practicing ministers write about the “how to” of worship leadership.
Ortlund, Anne. Up with Worship: How to Quit Playing Church. Ventura, Calif.: Regal, 1975. Wise and witty, with some practical pointers for making worship more meaningful.
Siewert, Alison, ed., with Andy Crouch, Matt Frazier and Sundee Frazier. Worship Team Handbook. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1998. Members of the Urbana worship team compile insights from their own experience on how to plan and lead contemporary services.
Stevenson, Howard. “Architect of Worship.” Leadership, Winter 1996, pp. 103-6. Helpful and practical advice on planning services. |
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