87 Resources on Worship

Picto:Blog - April 4, 2009

by Pastor Scott Thomas

Photo of old organ by Scott Thomas

I love driving worship leaders crazy. Therefore I have inundated them with 87 resources for worship. They will hardly know where to start. That's for all the times they asked me to sing, "Shout to the Lord" or "I Can Sing of Your Love Forever" or any song that has the word "river" in the title! There, we're even. Now enjoy.

Section One: Acts 29 Resources (audio and articles)

Section Two: Institute for Christian Worship audio files (Southern Seminary)

Section Three: John Piper seminar on Worship

Section One:  Acts 29 Worship Resources

Audio:

• Harold Best: Is "Worship" the Only Word for Worship?
• Harold Best: Jesus the Sole Mediator of Worship and the Helplessness of Music
• Tim Smith: Missional Worship
• Tim Smith: Worship & Culture
• Tim Smith: What is Missional Worship
• Tim Smith: Worship and Culture: Part 1
• Tim Smith: Worship and Culture: Part 2
• Tim Smith: Missional Worship - Part 1
• Tim Smith: Missional Worship - Part 2
• Michael Bleeker and Andy Melvin: The Worship Pastor
• Mark Driscoll: Worship & Idolatry
• Scott Womer: Redefining the Role of a Worship Leader
• Mike Cosper: Missional Strategies for the Arts | Part 1
• Mike Cosper: Missional Strategies for the Arts | Part 2
• Matt Stevens: Creativity in the Local Church | Seattle 2007
• Matt Stevens: Creativity in the Local Church | Raleigh, NC
• Matt Stevens: Worship & the Arts

Articles:

• Bob Logan: Model a Lifestyle of Worship
• Scott Womer: An Understanding of Earthly Worship
• Tim Smith: Missional Worship
• Luke Abrams: How To Write A Worship Song
• Matt Stevens: "AND SOME DAYS, I DON'T LOVE YOU AT ALL" Recognizing Need in Worship

Section Two: Institute for Christian Worship

Justin Taylor posted audio files from Southern Seminary's Institute for Christian Worship. Some of the ones you will find are listed below:

David Peterson:

• What Really Is Worship?
• The Worship That Pleases God
• Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs: Does the Bible Direct Us in the Choice of Musical Styles?
• Meeting God in the Gathering of His People
• Worship That Jesus Makes Possible

D.A. Carson thinks that Peterson's book, Engaging With God: A Biblical Theology of Worship (1992), is one of the very best treatments available.

John Frame:

• Worshiping God’s Way (Part 1)
• Worshiping God’s Way (Part 2)
• Christian Worship Music: Is It Postmodern?

Frame's two books on worship are Worship in Spirit and Truth: A Refreshing Study of the Principles and Practice of Biblical Worship (1996) and Contemporary Worship: A Biblical Defense (1997). These books make some in the Reformed camp uncomfortable, but I found both of them to be very helpful.

Harold Best:

• Music for, by, and Toward the Church
• The Glory of God in Contemporary Worship: A Shared Burden
• Text and Music: Content and Context for Music in Ministry

• The Arts in Worship: Can’t Art Just Be Art?
• Authentic Multiculturalism and High Culture
• Authentic Multiculturalism and High Culture: What of Quality?

Best's two books on worship are Music Through the Eyes of Faith (1993) and Unceasing Worship: Biblical Perspectives on Worship and the Arts (2003). Music Through the Eyes of Faith has had a significant impact on John Piper, and he highly recommends the book.

Michael Card:

• The Lost Language of Lament
• Worshiping the God Who Takes Everything Away

For Card on lament, see A Sacred Sorrow Experience Guide: Reaching out to God in the Lost Language of Lament (2005) and The Hidden Face of God: Finding the Missing Door to the Father Through Lament (2007).

Keith and Kristyn Getty:

• World Music for the Universal Church
• Irish Hymns: A Singing Faith for the Worshipping Church
• A Musical and Poetic Vernacular for Worship: Finding a Heart Language for the Modern Church

• The New Hymns
• The Making of Worship Songs for the Modern Church
• The Songs That Jesus Said: Singing the Bible for Young Worshipers

Stuart Townend, Keith Getty, and Kristyn Getty:

• Hymns, Worship, and Christian Thought (Part 1)
• Hymns, Worship, and Christian Thought (Part 2)
• Modern Hymns: Christian Congregational Song for the 21st Century

Bob Kauflin:

• What Is Word-Centered Worship?
• Visuals in Worship: How Do We See God?
• Worship and the Presence of God
• Worship Leadership: Gift and Craft

• Piano Stylings for Effective Leadership in Contemporary Worship
• Arranging the Rhythm Section for Contemporary Worship
• Vocal Arranging for Effective Leadership in Contemporary Worship

• Healthy Tensions in Corporate Worship
• Congregational Worship as Pastoral Care

• Why the Cross Is Crucial in Corporate Worship
• Worship Music or Music Worship: The Meaning of Music in Congregational Worship
• Making the Most of the Modern Worship Movement

• Music in Worship: Divine or Divisive?
• Creativity in Worship: Novelty or Necessity?

• Worship: What Really Matters
• Biblical Worship in a Postmodern Age

Kauflin's book is Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God (2008). See also his blog, Worship Matters. If you lead others in worship, this is probably the first book to get your hands on.

Kevin Twit:

• Exploring the ‘Why’ behind the Modern Hymn Movement (Part 1)
• Exploring the ‘Why’ behind the Modern Hymn Movement (Part 2)
• Engaging the Emerging Church with Hymns

• My Grandmother Saved it, My Mother Threw It Away, and Now I’m Buying It Back: Why We Still Need Hymns in a Postmodern World
• Hymns as Passion, Story, and Community: Exploring Connections with a Postmodern World
• New Music in the Christian Community: An Apologetic for Popular Musical Styles

Jason Harms:

• Lessons in Jazz from the Book of Daniel (Part 1)
• Lessons in Jazz from the Book of Daniel (Part 2)
• Jazz as a Means of Growing in the Knowledge of God

See Jason's writings and music at JasonHarms.com.

Section Three: John Piper Seminar on Worship

John Piper:

John Piper's five-hour seminar on worship is a bonus. With the links below you can either watch the videos, read the notes, or listen to the audio for free: 

• Gravity and Gladness on Sunday Morning, Part 1
• Gravity and Gladness on Sunday Morning, Part 2
• Gravity and Gladness on Sunday Morning, Part 3
• Gravity and Gladness on Sunday Morning, Part 4
• Gravity and Gladness on Sunday Morning, Part 5
• Gravity and Gladness on Sunday Morning, Part 6

Download: Audio | Video

Download: Audio | Video

Download: Audio | Video

Download: Audio | Video