Published in 1998 by Vineyard Music, the small booklet “All About Worship: Insights and Perspectives on Worship” is a treasure trove of worship related information. The seventeen articles included in the booklet are written by fifteen passionate worships whose heart burns with the desire to share their love of God with others.
The articles themselves cover a wide range of information – from the theology of worship to practical steps in setting up a band to evangelizing the community through public worship.
- “The Life-Changing Power of Worship” by John Wimber
- “Worship: Out Highest Priority” by Rich Nathan
- “Humility, the Key to Serving in Worship” by Terry Butler
- “Putting God First” by Brian T. Anderson
- “Calling Women to Lead Worship” by Andy Park
- “Purity (A Woman’s Perspective)” by Cindy Rethmeier
- “Maintaining Purity While Working With The Opposite Sex (A Man’s Perspective)” by Andy Park
- “The Call to Worship the Father” by Brian Doerksen
- “What is Full-Time Worship Ministry?” By John Barnett
- “Performance: An Attitude of the Heart” by Danny Daniels
- “Worship Evangelism” by Mark McCoy
- “Worship Leaders from a Pastor’s Perspective” by Lloyd Rankin
- “Leaning to Lead Worship: A Beginners Guide” by Brent Helming
- “Leading Worship in a Small Group” by Brent Helming
- “Leading Worship in a Smaller Church” by Larry Myers
- “Ministry Time Worship: A Practical Point of View” by Scott Underwood
- “Serving Through Sound” by Marianne Kleine
As you can see from the above titles, having such a wide range of worship topics, it is hard to summarize this booklet in general… as such, I am going to leave you all with some selected quotes that I found particularly compelling:
“We lift up the Lord to His proper place in our lives when we devote ourselves to His leadership and love. This exercise is not merely a church ritual, but a necessary discipline and privilege. We are changed when we worship…Worship is foundational to our walks with Christ individually and corporately. It not only transforms our perspectives of who God is and who we are, but it also prepares us to be the Kingdom of believers who will ultimately rule and reign with our God.” – John Wimber (emphasis added)
“In II Samuel 6, we find a beautiful picture of worship. But let me point out that true worship can only be offered if you have first been swept in by the mercy and prodigality of God. It is useless to read this passage or anything else on worship before you understand grace. Many churches teach that worship is only an act of the will, which doesn’t require that you feel or experience anything. It is something you must do simply because it is right.
“But that’s not biblical worship. “We love, because He first loved us” (I John 4:19). We worship God because we have been touched by Him. The degree to which we’ve experienced a touch from God determines the quality of our response to God. David was a man who had been touched by God. In II Samuel 6 we see his extravagant worship, as the ark of God is being brought back to Jerusalem.” –Rich Nathan (emphasis added)
“God is looking for a people who will unashamedly worship Him in public places. He wants a people who will be ready to step out for Him, in all circumstances, ordinary and extraordinary. He wants this to happen so the lost and disenfranchised who would never come to our regular weekly worship services, might see and hear the name of Jesus being lifted up and thereby be saved.” –Mark McCoy
“If we truly desire to lead worship based on God’s agenda and not our own, then allowing the Holy Spirit to intervene and change the direction of the set is something that we must learn to do.” –Brent Helming