Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God
Overview
Nothing is more essential than knowing how to worship the God who created you. Worship Matters focuses on the essentials of God-honoring worship, combining biblical foundations with practical application in a way that works in the real world. Bob Kauflin, pastor and noted songwriter, skillfully instructs pastors, musicians, and church leaders so they can root their congregational worship in unchanging scriptural principles, instead of constantly changing cultural trends. The book covers a variety of topics, such as the devastating effects of worshiping the wrong things, how to base your worship on God’s self-revelation rather than your assumptions, the fuel of worship, and the community of worship.
Appropriate for Christians from varied backgrounds and denominations, this book will bring a vital perspective to what you think you understand about praising God.
- Discusses the spiritual aspects of cultivating a devotional life
- Shares the practicalities of putting together a song list
- Unfolds the essentials required to effectively fulfill the call of God
- Part One: The Leader
- The Important Things
- My Heart: What Do I Love?
- My Mind: What Do I Believe?
- My Hands: What Do I Practice?
- My Life: What Do I Model?
- Part Two: The Task
- So What Does a Worship Leader Do?
- A Faithful Worship Leader . . .
- . . . Magnifies the Greatness of God . . .
- . . . In Jesus Christ . . .
- . . . Through the Power of the Holy Spirit . . .
- . . . Skillfully Combining God’s Word . . .
- . . . With Music . . . (Part One: What Kind?)
- . . . With Music . . . (Part Two: Planning Sunday’s Songs)
- . . . Thereby Motivating the Gathered Church . . .
- . . . To Proclaim the Gospel . . .
- . . . To Cherish God’s Presence . . .
- . . . And to Live for God’s Glory
- Part Three: Healthy Tensions
- Guiding Principles
- Transcendent and Immanent
- Head and Heart
- 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 Four: Right Relationships
- Always People
- Your Church
- Your Team
- Your Pastor
- Some Thoughts for Pastors
Top Highlights
“Because I want to make it clear from the start that worship isn’t primarily about music, techniques, liturgies, songs, or methodologies. It’s about our hearts. It’s about what and who we love more than anything.” (Page 25)
“Worship matters. It matters to God because he is the one ultimately worthy of all worship. It matters to us because worshiping God is the reason for which we were created. And it matters to every worship leader, because we have no greater privilege than leading others to encounter the greatness of God. That’s why it’s so important to think carefully about what we do and why we do it.” (Page 19)
“The bottom line is: Sing God’s Word. Lyrics matter more than music. Truth transcends tunes.” (Page 93)
“But leading worship starts with the way I live my life, not with what I do in public” (Page 43)
“How do I know what I love the most? By looking at my life outside of Sunday morning. What do I enjoy the most? What do I spend the most time doing? Where does my mind drift to when I don’t have anything to do? What am I passionate about? What do I spend my money on? What makes me angry when I don’t get it? What do I feel depressed without? What do I fear losing the most?” (Page 26)
Bob loves God, values theology, and cares about people. This mix is found throughout this wonderful and helpful book. Worship Matters will inspire you as a worshiper and spur you on as a leader of worship.
—Matt Redman, recording artist, song-writer, worship leader, Brighton, UK
Bob Kauflin is teaching a new generation to take corporate worship seriously in a fashion that is simultaneously biblically faithful and addressing today’s culture.
—D. A. Carson, research professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
This book is thoroughly biblical, comprehensive, balanced, clear, and engaging. Worship leaders must read it, and it will be a great help to anyone interested in finding out what biblical worship is about and how to worship from the heart.
—John M. Frame, J. D. Trimble Chair of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando
Bob’s approach is humble, yet authoritative; comprehensive, yet inspirational. And if you take his gentle but clear teaching onboard, it will help make you fully equipped in mind, heart, and spirit to lead others in worship. I wholeheartedly recommend it.
—Stuart Townend, Christian song-writer
An outstanding book both 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 next time I teach on worship, I plan to make this the required text.
—Wayne Grudem, research professor of Bible and theology, Phoenix Seminary
Humility. Self-deprecating humor. Practical wisdom. And not just for music leaders. What a refreshing read! I’ve gained from Bob Kauflin, and if you read this, you will too.
—Mark Dever, senior pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington DC
- Title: Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God
- Author: Bob Kauflin
- Publisher: Crossway
- Publication Date: 2008
- Pages: 304
Reviews
5 ratings
David Wood
4/4/2023
Jacob Hantla
6/10/2020
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.
Nicolas Camilo Roa Pineda
7/10/2019
Daniel Jomphe
10/3/2016
James Schnepp
10/17/2013
Absolute must read for those in the music ministry as well as pastors and church leaders.
