Are you a worship pastor, a worship leader, worship team member (musician or vocals), or simply someone who loves God and desires to grow in your ability to worship God appropriately? Here’s is my “curriculum”, a.k.a. suggested reading for the growing worship leader. Make a slow study of it, take your time, and put into practice what you read. Consider it an “At-Home” Worship School. Your assignment is as follows:
“Unquenchable Worshipper” by Matt Redman
Always my first suggestion for worshippers and worship leaders alike. This is not so much a “how to”, but a hand-held hand grenade of a heart-check: tiny, easy to read, and can be read in one sitting, but I don’t suggest that you do. There’s so much goodness in this little book that I’ve given away at least 30+ as gifts in the past few years, and rarely have my loaner copy on-shelf.
“Desiring God” by John Piper
Consider this book a “primer”, or “prequel” to the rest on this list. If I hadn’t read Piper’s mind-blowing book, I’d probably still be playing primarily bars instead of leading worship. The Scriptures he pulls from to paint such an awe-inspiring, amazing portrait of our awesome God literally turned me inside out, which is why I re-read this book annually, as a heart-check. I will attempt a one-line summary: it’s not about you, it’s all about Him. The end. Throw in a lot of Scripture, and a few powerful quotes from C.S. Lewis and Jonathan Edwards, and you’ve got yourself a classic of Christian literature, which Christianity Today has listed as one of the Top 50 most influencial Evangelical books ever penned. Granted, “Desiring God”, for some, may be too hard a read - though I challenge you to tackle the real deal, if you can’t get through it, try his pocket-sized “Dangerous Duty of Delight”.
“Worship Matters” by Bob Kauflin
Before Kauflin’s book was written, this list would have been a LOT longer - sadly for other worship authors, this is no longer the case. “Worship Matters” adequately addresses so many various aspects of worship leading that, while remaining entirely readable, and of reasonable length, it covers everything from heart issues, theology/doctrine, practical issues of planning, rehearsal, and preparation, and even relational issues related to leading, working with your team, and relating to the pastoral staff at your church! I suppose if you simply HATED to read, or found yourself absolutely too busy, and had to pick just one of this list to read, this would be the book.
“Unceasing Worship” by Harold Best
A warning right off: if you find yourself unable to read Piper, don’t even look at this book’s cover. It’s not that it’s necessarily a “hard read”, it’s just that it’s so packed with revelation that reading it one page at a time is sorta like drinking from a fire-hose. Read this book like I do Jonathan Edward’s “Religious Affections” - take tiny little bites, and allow for a lot of time to process. You may have to read some pages multiple times before moving on to the next, and that’s okay - you’re not stupid. You are simply treading in deep waters. Just know this, the concept of “Continuous Outpouring” could honestly forever change how you perceive your role as a worship leader.
Extra Credit (here are a few more that, though not what I’d consider “Core Curriculum”, I’ve still found very helpful to my calling as a worship leader):
“Facing the Wall” - Don Potter
“Art of Worship” - Greg Scheer
“God Songs” - Paul Baloche
How are you doing with your studies? Report back, and I’ll let you know your grade.