Mike Harland, director of LifeWay Worship, uses his years of experience and his encounters with the changes in worship settings to bring a timely book for worship and senior leaders to help set a new clear standard for the music ministry of the church.

I have to admit I never attended a church where the ‘worship wars’ were a thing, at least not to my knowledge. What I did recognize was preference driven worship services. Singing the songs which seemed to be most fitting for the church at the time, even if they didn’t promote actual worship. After reading this book I realize this was part of the ‘worship wars.’

Mike gives readers an outline for what worship is supposed to be and the reaction it should draw from the participant. If we are just showing up to sing the songs and not give ourselves in the midst of it, are we really in any form or worship or just putting in the time? I feel this is where “Worship Essentials” offers its best foot forward, to bring people from a time slot to a praise moment.

As a lead pastor I have copied out his responsibilities for the worship leader and will be applying them. The truth I most relate to, and admittedly have neglected/missed for 15 years of ministry is that the music portion of the worship service is not just singing, it’s a path of discipleship. If our music is not driving people closer to Jesus and giving them biblical truth we are honestly just putting on a show.

If you are involved in the music at your church, or are in leadership, I recommend you pick this book up and give it to those involved with you. Make the principles within a part of your everyday practice. The is constant biblical truth within with great research as well, you will be happy you read through.

*I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. These are my personal thoughts.

Worship Essentials is a helpful book dealing with some of the big-picture ideas of church music. The appeals to unity are good, as are the reminders that worship is about God and not about us or our personal preferences. This isn't the book to read if you are looking for specifics or practical tips, though. While I did not have any major disagreements with this book, I also did not find it to be ground-breaking or life-changing. There were also many facets of the stylistic differences of church music that were simply ignored. There are compelling arguments that particular styles of music are more helpful, more biblical, and more pleasing to God than others, but Harland doesn't really wade into those waters. The result is a book that will likely offend very few people, but may not challenge many people either.

I received a digital copy of this book for free from the publisher and was not required to write a positive review.

I selected this book because I have interest in incorporating more of a worship environment at church as oppose to just the normal routine and flow of service. Harland offered the basis for successful worship with involves music, corporate interaction, all starting from the leadership on to the congregants. The 4 basic points are: tell the story of the gospel, make true disciples, engage the body and aspire with purpose. While I was able to glean several good points, from the book, this is not what I was expecting before reading.

Since the beginning of time, worship has been a point of contention. Cain was unhappy when God looked upon his brother Abel's offering with greater favour. The prophet Nathan was upset when King Saul failed to wait for his return prior to the offering of the sacrifice. Israel angered God constantly over the issue of idolatry and false worship. In today's climate, whenever we talk about worship in Churches, there is that familiar tussle between contemporary and traditional music; new songs vs old hymns; sitting vs standing; instruments vs voices; young vs old forms; etc. Worship leaders are also torn between trying to cater to the needs of the congregation or tuning themselves more toward God. What we need is a roadmap of worship. We need to know the essentials from the frivolous ones. We need something biblical based and not something that is trendy, hip, or traditional. For worship leader Mike Harland, there are four core values for any worship community. Worship essentially is about:
Telling the Story of God
Making Disciples of Christ
Engaging the Body of Christ
Aspiring with Purpose.

He begins with the need to integrate our worship with story telling. For worship flows out of a response to God's story. That means we need to learn of what the Bible is teaching us. We let the Bible show us the real Jesus, and not become easily swayed by modern impressions or public opinions about Christ. We tell the story of how God had blessed and touched us. Songs that flow out of such relationships are great ways in which we glorify God for what He has done. In fact, when we do that, even those who had never read the Bible could recognize the stories behind the songs. It could also be an evangelistic moment! The second part about making disciples is a powerful reminder of how melodies, instruments, artists, shepherds, communities, can all work together to cultivate a discipleship environment. We learn that healthy worship has intentional purpose; well organized for maximum impact; and worship teams learning the harness the best out of their equipment. Harland reminds us that we are not to make music but to make disciples. He introduces the four "concentric circles of discipleship." The innermost circle is the circle of self and people closest to us. This is followed by the worship team members. The third circle is the Church congregation. The outermost circle is the community and the world. Worship needs to include all of these circles. The chapter on "Artists and Shepherds" is my favourite. Harland traces the history of worship, showing us the different ways in which previous generations had done in their worship. We are told the difference between "filling station" and "altar" worship. We are reminded that we need both artists and shepherds in the ways we worship. Both are needed to avoid making our worship falling into either extremes of "filling station" and "altar" experiences. Part Three on engaging the body shows us that worship is less about our songs but about our voices. Some reasons why people don't sing:
They don't know the songs
Songs are hard to sing
They don't hear others singing
They presume it is not important to sing
They don't like the worship leading or style
...
One critical observation is how many churches segregate different generations from corporate worship. When the music preferences become the key decision factor, it leads to congregations having split services that cater to the preferences of individuals. For example, there are contemporary vs traditional worship services; youth vs adult services; and so on. Even blended worship is not as good as it promised. A better way is to see worship more as a spiritual discipline rather than a musical preference. He notes that when families attend services together, when parents participate, children follow suit. Intergenerational worship is a powerful way of engagement. Harland calls it "discipleship."

Part Four is about aspiring with purpose. The author notes the "enemies of distraction" that range from musical techniques to stage details; behaviors of worship leaders to internal conflicts; etc. When they is no joy, no power, no unity, there is no true worship. The way forward is to aspire for excellence for the sake of the gospel.

My Thoughts
This is a very biblical and thoughtful handbook on worship essentials. The four core areas are critical in understanding the nature of worship. In the storytelling portion, we integrate our music and techniques into the big story of God. This is important because many modern worship leaders and musicians do the reverse. They decide on what music is preferred and then go on to look for scripture verses to support their ideas. I appreciate this aspect because it don't just focus on a few choice verses but on the whole Word of God, the narrative, and the underlying gospel message. By using the storytelling motif, it does not matter which point of the story one is at. We can enter in where we are most comfortable or honest. As we wade through the story of God, we see ourselves by looking back and looking forth in God's perspective. Other elements of song choices, musical styles, and lyrical choices can then blend in. It does not matter whether a song is fast or slow; hip or not. It matters that we are into the story of God and through our music tell that very story with us as participants. I like the discipleship aspect of worship essential. This is something not many people are able to visualize. The concentric circles of discipleship is a helpful model to visualize how discipleship, worship, and relationships are intertwined together as one. Using shared vision, shared, preparation, and shared execution, we have a common focus that all worship leaders can have.

There are many things we can learn and like in this book. Most of all, it is the valuable practical experiences that Harland brings to us. Readers will find this book a gentle guide that points out our mistakes but does so in a very understanding manner. Worship leaders will do well to buy this book and share the tips within with the rest of the team. Better still, get worship teams to use this book as a study or discussion guide each time they meet.

Mike Harland is the Director of LifeWay Worship. He leads worship at various churches. He also writes songs and books. He is a graduate of Delta State University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

Rating: 5 stars of 5.

conrade

This book has been provided courtesy of B&H Publishing and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

The authors voice is easy to understand and follow I just had some trouble with the content flow. I felt like it was disjointed and missing something. I had a hard time following the flow of thought. I’ve read a lot of books on worship as I am on staff In the worship department at my church so I wanted to like this book but it was a struggle for me.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher. This has in no way influenced my review. All thoughts are my own.

All too often, the word worship brings to mind songs, videos, and bands, and whether you prefer one style or another. These are not what worship is about. Just focusing on the methods has created divisions instead of unity. In Worship Essentials, Mike Harland writes about what worship is, how churches have lost sight of that, and how to get back to true worshiping.

He addresses several aspects of true worship, how it should point to the good news of salvation, the way it helps with discipling believers, what to consider in picking songs, and many others. He also talks about what it isn't, like how it is not about what we take home from worship services, but what we bring to the service. Harland doesn't just point out a problem, he includes ways to address it.

Worship Essentials is fairly short, but full of information. Harland writes in an easy to read style, and what he is saying can be understood by a wide audience.

Though the book is aimed at worship leaders, others can benefit from it. I work with the media in church, and I wanted to make sure I was supporting those leading worship in the right way, and with the correct focus. Sometimes we all need to be reminded that worship is about God, not ourselves.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.