Worship is the central, defining activity of congregational life in which individual and community life is renewed and celebrated. Discover resources for all facets of worship planning.

WORSHIP

Beyond the Worship Wars: Building Vital and Faithful Worship (Book)
Thomas G. Long, Author.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2001.
While remaining true to authentic Christian witness, vital worship must also respond creatively to the changing culture of the 21st century. Beyond the Worship Wars explores characteristics that are essential to vital worship.

Ministry Resource Center (Web Resource)
The Hekman Library, Calvin College
The Ministry Resource Center provides a wide variety of resources for anyone involved in thinking about worship, and in planning or leading worship.

The Art of Public Prayer: Not for Clergy Only (Book)
Lawrence A. Hoffman, Author.  Skylight Paths Publishing, 1999.
Observing that public worship fails to evoke God’s presence as perceived in the community, author Lawrence Hoffman examines the systemic causes of this failure and concludes that we must ask basic questions about why we do what we do.

Built of Living Stones: Art, Architecture, and Worship (Web Resource)
Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Inc., Committee on the Liturgy
This resource has universal appeal in its theological grounding and descriptions of different church spaces such as the altar, baptistery, etc., each one’s liturgical significance, and construction and adornment guidelines.

The Conviction of Things Not Seen: Worship and Ministry in the 21st Century (Book)
Todd Johnson, Author.  Brazos Press, 2002.
Bringing thoughtful and scholarly analysis to topics as diverse as the pedagogical function of visual art, multi-ethnicity, music in worship, denominationalism, and the function of ritual, the authors provide a well-informed perspective.

Culturally-Conscious Worship (Book)
Kathy Black, Author.  St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2000.
This book examines the cultural and liturgical issues related to multicultural, inclusive worship. Black explores cultural complexities, defines related terms, and shows how churches can embrace culturally-sensitive change.

Designing Worship Together: Models and Strategies for Worship Planning (Book)
Norma de Waal Malefyt, Howard Vanderwell, Authors.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2004.
This book offers practical tools and guidance for planning and implementing worship services that are both relevant and spiritually meaningful. The advice offered is helpful regardless of the worship style employed.

How We Seek God Together: Exploring Worship Style (Media)
Produced by The Alban Institute.  Distributed by Alban Institute. 
Reporting on a study of worship in three congregations, the authors of How We Seek God Together reveal that discussions of worship style often become flash points of conflict, staked upon the image of God implied by the style.

Inclusive Yet Discerning: Navigating Worship Artfully (Book)
Frank Burch Brown, Author.  Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009.
Frank Burch Brown holds that we need to cultivate a well-grounded understanding of the larger religious purpose of the worship arts. This understanding requires us to be both inclusive and discerning in our choices.

The Undivided Soul: Helping Congregations Connect Body and Spirit. (Book)
Cheryl A Kirk-Duggan, Author.  Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2001.
This resource is designed to help leaders assist their congregations in exploring the relationship between the faith journey, physical life, and spiritual discipline.

Where 20 or 30 Are Gathered: Leading Worship in the Small Church (Book)
Peter Bush, Christine O'Reilly, Authors.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2006.
This book highlights the gifts of small congregations, suggests effective and affordable ways of leading them (including lay leadership roles), and suggests worship practices that take full advantage of the gifts of the people in the congregation.

With All Thy Mind: Worship that Honors the Way God Made Us (Book)
Robert P. Glick, Author.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2006.
Robert Glick shows how the diversity in our brain wiring necessitates worship that appeals to all the senses. He supports this argument with Scripture and church history, suggesting ways worship can be designed to engage our whole selves.