Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God | Bob Kauflin

Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God | Bob Kauflin | Become a Better Worship Leader

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Worship Matters: L...

	Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God Bob Kauflin Crossway Books, 2008 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 8 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Worship Matters: The Best Book On Worship That I Know Of

Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God is a book written primarily for those who lead music within a church setting. The goal of the book is to give guiding prinicples and practical advice to help the music leader see the essence of what their ministry is about and do that within whatever church context they find themselves.

For the worship leader: This book is a must read. I can think of no circumstance a worship leader may find himself in which he should not read this book. It is the best on the topic of which I am aware, combining into one well written, heart-shepherding book all of the good things that before you would have had to read a dozen separate books to find. The book is both practical and theological, realistic and idealistic. It is God-centered, God-exalting and man-minimizing, while realizing that man must play a role. I have only rarely seen a book that so skillfully and thoughtfully combines rich doctrine and practical advice.

For the band member: Must read. The book is not only about how to lead those who perform, but about what the goal of the music portion of the worship service must be. The book will help you evaluate and redirect your heart in what you may have grown comfortable with. Maybe you

For the pastor/elder: Must read. Know how to encourage, direct, and come alongside your worship leader. I would recommend that the worship leader, band, and pastor(s) read this book together. The book so accurately describes the Biblical vision for worship that all who are involved in how a Sunday service, smallgroup gathering, or other meeting unfold should do so in light of the thoughtful, biblically informed direction Bob Kauflin lays out. There is even a chapter specifically for non-music-oriented pastors.

For the church member: Should read. I do not lead worship; I can't even sing on pitch, but what I was gained from the book made an immediate and palpable difference in the entirety of my worship (singing, participating in the Lord's Supper, listening to the sermon, and interacting with others) on Sunday. There are certainly other books that can benefit you in this regard, but this book is certainly one that can benefit all members of the body of Christ. Wayne Grudem recommends the book with the following words, "Worship Matters is an outstanding book borth for those who lead worship and also for every Christian who wants to worship God more fully. The book is biblical, practical, interesting, wise and thorough in its treatment of the topic."

The 260 pages of Worship Matters is laid out in a very convenient manner: Each of the 32 chapters are generally 4-7 pages in length, focus on a single topic, and can easily be read in a single sitting, even for slow readers. It reads much like a devotional and could easily be read in one month using only 10-15 minutes per day.

The book is broken into four parts:

Part 1: The Leader - Focusing on what kind of man the worship leader must be, touching on the heart, mind (doctrine), hands (practice & skill), and life.

Part 2: The Task. Each chapter takes a phrase from Kauflin's definition of a worship leader to define his task:

A faithful worship leader
magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ
through the power of the Holy Spirit
by skillfully combining God's Word with music,
thereby motivating the gathered church
to proclaim the gospel,
to cherish God's presence
and to live for God's glory.

Part 3: Healthy Tensions - Bob identifies that many of the debates that surround music in churches tend to polarize people and points out that as a response to incorrect emphasis placed on one aspect of worship, that aspect may be neglected and too much weight given to the other extreme. We should rather see the wisdom in each of the two poles and using Scripture as a guide find ourselves in a healthy tension between them not as a response. The poles discussed, each in a chapter are:

* God's transendence and immanence
* Head and Head
* Internal and External
* Vertical and Horizontal
* Planned and Spontaneous
* Rooted and Relevant
* Skilled and Authentic
* For the Church and For Unbelievers
* Event and Everyday

Part 4: Right Relationships - Lays out some biblical guidelines and practical advice for how the various groups of people and the worship leader can interact in the most edifying, God-glorifying way possible. Groups addressed are people in general, the church, the worship team, and the pastor. The book finishes with a chapter written specifically for the pastor(s) of the church.

I cannot sum up my thoughts any better than D.A. Carson did in his endorsement: "Here is a rare book: a practical treatment of corporate worship that nevertheless reflects deep theological commitments. One may disagree here and there with some of the judgments, but it is demonstrably unfair to imagine that Bob Kauflin has not through about these matters deeply." Bob's life and ministry at sovereign grace have demonstrated that he is a worship leader and pastor from whom we want to learn. C.J. Mahaney writes, "I know of no man more qualified to write this book than Bob. And I know of no more important, useful work for those who would lead God's people than Worship Matters." I agree.

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Become a Better Worship Leader

I can't say enough about this book, and at the same time I can't say too much. As I've attended and served in a Sovereign Grace Ministries church for the better part of the decade, I've had the benefit of Bob Kauflin's teaching on worship filter down to me in my capacity of intermittent worship leader (and more importantly as a worshiper) in many ways: articles and columns, messages on mp3 and CD (the "Theological Foundations for Worship" and "Practical Foundations for Worship" series), and even by word of mouth from my own pastor and worship leader. Enough about me. Bob wrote the book - and contrary to reviewing practice, I cannot bring myself to refer to him as `Kauflin' - and so to Bob we turn.

Bob's heart for biblical, passionate worship pervades every page of this book. His writing is littered with Bible, especially the psalms, that manual of Old Testament worship. But this isn't merely a devotional on a few aspects of worship. No, this is a handbook about how to pursue more biblical, more humble hearts in the midst of a task pregnant with tensions. Earlier in this review I said that I can't say enough about this book; that's because it accomplishes what it sets out to do in a biblical and humble manner. It practices what it preaches. I also said I can't say too much about it; that's because it is a wide-ranging and valuable lay-of-the-land guide with far too much content to convey in a mere review.

There are four main sections in the book:

1: The Leader

2: The Task

3: Healthy Tensions

4: Right Relationships

Following a foreword by über-worship leader Paul Baloche, Bob begins his discussion of worship by honing in on the worship leader's heart, mind, and life. All of this flows out of a leader's devotion to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the second section Bob unpacks the following working definition of worship, constructed with aid from his good friend Jeff Purswell. The definition is not only written in verse form to effectively highlight each line, but because each subsequent chapter in this section explores a fragment of the definition.

Simply reiterating this definition arouses my soul in worship of God through Jesus Christ:

A faithful worship leader
magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ
through the power of the Holy Spirit
by skillfully combining God's Word with music,
thereby motivating the gathered church
to proclaim the gospel,
to cherish God's presence
and to live for God's glory

Section three wades into the most fraught of all church matters: reconciling seemingly opposing preconceptions of worship. Again, this review does not warrant an exposition of the book's teaching on these areas. Suffice to say that Bob advocates the need to hold many, if not most, of these areas in healthy tension. Like J.I. Packer, he seems to dislike the term `balance,' so misused for so many years.

Finally, the fourth section explores the common cause of the tension in the third section: people. More specifically, people with ideas rubbing up against people with different ideas. A pastor himself, Bob recognizes the tensions that can arise on both sides of the pastor-worship leader relationship, and provides many suggestions for an improved and thriving relationship.

This book is primarily intended for worship leaders, but is also directed at pastors - even unmusical ones. No matter which tradition you practice, liturgical or free-flow (to use Bob's nomenclature), charismatic or somber, Bob's wisdom will benefit. Worship team members will profit from every page, and pastors and worship leaders may consider employing the copyright fair use policy (within reason) to disseminate relevant pages among their congregations at key junctures in the process of building a worshiping community. Worship Matters should also probably become requisite reading for all worship studies programs in North America, and I daresay should displace some, if not most, of the current primary textbooks in those programs.

I've never seen a book on worship featuring such a mix of god-glorifying theology and biblically-sound methodology. I have a feeling this is Bob's magnum opus, and every pastor, worship leader, and worship team member must invest in a copy, to read over and over and over. Because...worship does matter.

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Every evangelical leader should read it

Regardless your position on Church corporate worship is, contemporary worship (CW) or Historical Worship (HW), Bob Kauflin addresses the principles of Holy Scripture dealing with the important aspects on worship: Your love to God, your believes in sound doctrine, your way of life aiming for obedience to God, and your role modeling as a Christian leading others to worship God through Christ with spiritual music in your local church. Personally, I was impressed by the honest approach the author observed along the book realizing his own church weaknesses and acknowledging the learning he could find in other historical/traditional churches. What I liked the most, was what he called "Healthy Tensions" in worship: "Transcendent and Immanent", "Head and Heart", "Internal and External", "Vertical and Horizontal", "Planned and Spontaneous", "Rooted and Relevant", "having in mind believers and unbelievers", etc. I think these healthy tensions give you the key secret for musical ministry in the church that will be pleasant to God and his creatures.

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reviews: 1, page 2

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