The Worship Sourcebook | Emily R. Brink and John D. Witvliet, eds.

Emily R. Brink and John D. Witvliet, eds. The Worship Sourcebook. Baker, 2004. 848 pp.

A Worship Leader’s Reference Book

This book is something of a unique experiment. It is designed to be used by Christians who value free-church, low-church, nonliturgical, evangelical approaches to worship but who also want to learn from and draw on historic patterns of worship. At the same time, the book aims to be useful and instructive to congregations who practice traditional or liturgical worship and who may be looking for ways to adapt it or to rethink its meaning.

The following six rubrics help to explain the nature of this book.

1. Classical and contemporary. On the one hand, this book is clearly inspired by classical models. It draws on many texts from historic sources; it features approaches to the various elements of worship that have time-tested value for enhancing participation; and it uses traditional language for the primary elements and main themes in worship. On the other hand, it affirms and enhances the strengths of worship in a more free-church context. It does not mandate one standard service. It provides multiple options so that local leaders are free to adapt and use texts that are pastorally appropriate. . . .

2. A worship leader’s reference book. This book is designed primarily for people who prepare and lead worship rather than for people in the pew. . . . Further, this book is designed as a reference book rather than as a service book to be used by a minister or leader during the service. . . . Most users will likely transfer and adapt the texts in this volume into their own manuscript, set of notes, printed bulletin, or projected resources–perhaps using the CD edition to download texts.

3. A book for public worship. This book is more of a liturgical book than a devotional book, though many may find helpful resources for devotional use. . . . The goal here has been to find texts that are imaginative and evocative without calling much attention to themselves; to use words that are accessible on first hearing; and to find language that is both “fresh” and “contemporary” as well as “classic” and “elegant.” Our goal has been to produce a single book that can be used, with appropriate adaptation, to guide the preparations of worship in a wide diversity of congregations. The question to pose about this book is not necessarily “Is this book perfect for us?” but rather “Will this book help to challenge and deepen our worship over time?”

4. Classic and enduring. One danger of our time is the production of a vast number of resources, including songs, service outlines, and prayers prepared for temporary or even one-time use. While these certainly can be very helpful, our worship life also needs to be sustained by practices that will last a lifetime. In this context, this book is designed to be more like a “classic” resource than a merely occasional one. Psalm 95, for example, can function as a beautiful and appropriate call to worship in every culture and in all times. Similarly, we can readily identify a number of scriptural texts that can be inspiring and challenging calls to prayer or assurances of pardon in any age. . . .

5. Multiple options for pastoral application. The book presents multiple options for each act of worship–sometimes a rather daunting list of options. These are provided so that the book can function in a wide variety of ministry contexts. . . .

6. Ecumenical and evangelical, as well as Reformed and Presbyterian. This book is designed for use by all biblical, evangelical Christians. Because the volume includes so much Scripture and so many classical resources that transcend time or place, it can be used in many varieties of congregations. Most of the elements of a worship service (Part One) and the themes of the creed and church year (Part Two) are held in common by Christian congregations of various traditions. When Scripture and scriptural themes are at the center of worship, there is much more that unites us than divides us.

Distinctive Features of This Book

Scriptural Texts. For nearly every element of worship this sourcebook features numerous scriptural texts, many more than in comparable volumes. With this feature we hope to encourage the use of more scriptural language in worship. Scriptural texts are from a variety of Bible versions and are referenced as exact quotations, as slight adaptations (noted as “from” a particular text and version), or as paraphrases or quotations coupled with additional phrasing (noted as “based on” a given text). Some other resources also include references to Scripture texts; an index of Scripture references (p. 833) provides complete information as an aid to worship planning.

Confessional Statements. This book also includes many confessional statements as liturgical texts. Though originally written to teach doctrine, some catechisms and confessional statements function well as liturgical texts. Often they contain a simple and accessible beauty that is especially appropriate for worship. . . .

Congregational Participation. Many notes and rubrics in this book encourage congregational participation—not only in celebrations of the sacraments or during special seasons such as Advent but also at many points in worship throughout the entire year, as noted by boldfaced type for worshipers to read aloud, usually responsively. This does not imply that every text with boldfaced type can only be used responsively. Leaders may alter boldfacing as they wish to suit the needs and style of their congregation’s participation.

Classic Texts. This sourcebook also features a variety of classic texts–some that date back hundreds of years and have stood the test of time. Protestants have not often had easy access to remarkable, evangelical prayers from historical sources. . . .

Structure. The outline of the traditional church year has been subsumed under the structure of the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. Like the church year, creeds provide a narrative outline of Christ’s life on this earth. But they also add important emphases on God’s creation, the work of the Spirit, and the life of the church. As a result, these resources are equally useful for a variety of congregations whether they follow the church year or a catechism or another structure that includes the teachings of these creeds. Christ’s ascension, for example, is an important biblical event and worship theme regardless of whether a church follows the pattern of the traditional church year.

Prayers. One premise of the book is that worship at its best often features a balance of extemporaneous and prepared prayers. In other words, just because this book contains prepared prayers and other texts does not imply that every worship service should feature only pre-written prayers. The goal is not to impose uniformity on worship but rather to provide reliable, trustworthy resources, drawing on the riches of the Christian tradition to help leaders be good stewards of the words they use in worship.

Resources for Including Children. Throughout this book many texts are identified as especially appropriate for use with children, though these designations are somewhat arbitrary (many more texts, especially scriptural ones, could be similarly identified). Worship at its best is intergenerational and invites children to be full, conscious, active participants, not just onlookers. The potential for children’s participation varies greatly from congregation to congregation, depending on the nature and level of biblical literacy and education programs. Leaders may well need to adapt these texts so that the tone, rhetoric, and content are appropriate for their congregation.

Resources for Hospitality. Various texts in this book are designed to extend hospitality to spiritual seekers, guests, and others who do not worship regularly. This language is essentially new to the prayer-book tradition, reflecting the missional context of the church in North America. The presence of these texts emphasizes that hospitality should be a key goal for all worship services. While these resources are more suggestive than exhaustive, we include them in the hope of challenging worship leaders to think about how their words will be heard by people with limited exposure to worship practices.

To read or download the Prologue and Chapter 1, click here. The full PDF version of the book is included with the book, enabling quick copying and pasting for use in a variety of formats.

Also, check out Prayers of the People: Patterns & Models for Congregational Prayer. To read or download a sample chapter, click here.

Excerpted from pp. 29-31, 33-34 of The Worship Sourcebook, edited by Emily R. Brink and John D. Witvliet, copyright © 2004, Baker Books.

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