Help your church community engage with God through authentic, life-changing worship From Dr. Jon Duncan, Music and Worship Specialist, Georgia Baptist Convention, Atlanta, Georgia: Holy Gatherings is an effective worship education tool that should be on the shelf of every serious worship planner-leader. There are plenty of theological and theoretical discourses on the subject of worship. This work stands apart as it not only deals effectively with the "why" of worship; it serves well as a "how to" field manual that never erodes biblical footing. The result is a relevant work which will strengthen and deepen worship engagement among God's people. From Ron Willoughby, Lecturer in Contemporary Christian Studies, Cliff College, University of Manchester, UK: Finally! A clear, accessible primer on worship leadership. This book rescues worship leadership from the trap of performance-based crowd pleasing and the clutches of sterile worship models. Do yourself a favor: buy this book. Read it. Highlight it. Put it into practice. From Dirce Cooper, International Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention, Worship Leadership Training, CUBA: Beginning with a solid foundation of a biblical understanding of worship, the authors offer practical steps to the designing and leading of corporate worship. Throughout the pathway, probing questions engage the reader in the pursuit of transformative worship. The combined experiences and distinct perspectives of a skillful musician/worship leader and a seasoned theologian/pastor have resulted in a treasure of insights that will serve worship teams as well as serious worship students around the world. From Graham Smith, Director of the Church Music Department, Mississippi Baptist Convention Board: What a blessing to have Dr. Argile Smith and Dr. Michael Sharp combine their many gifts from our Lord, which blest by the Holy Spirit, give such synergy to this much needed book on the highest priority of the human spirit---the worship of our Creator-God! We have needed such a defining book among worshippers and worship leaders for some time. Here, by the grace of God, is a gift from Him to us through these two worshippers and worship leaders! From Will McRaney, Ph.D, Director of Evangelism Strategy, Florida Baptist Convention: As scholars, practitioners, and local churchmen, Argile Smith and Michael Sharp have served us well by providing a great resource to help us worship God and lead others to worship God in both spirit and truth. You will be both inspired and informed by the work of their vast collective experience.

Religions worldwide celebrate Earth's abundance and sustenance, and call on humankind to give thanks, practice compassion, seek justice, and be mindful of future generations. Here, leaders from many faith traditions, along with writers who hold nature sacred, articulate the moral and spiritual imperative of stewardship and share personal stories of coming to understand humans' unique power and responsibility to care for creation. Holy Ground features essays, sermons, and other short pieces from, among others, Pope Benedict XVI, Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I, Islamic scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Rabbis Zoe Klein and Arthur Waskow, Evangelical pastors Joel Hunter and Brian McLaren, environmental justice proponents Allen Johnson and Kristin Shrader–Frechette, Native American novelist Linda Hogan, and writers Wendell Berry, Gary Snyder, Terry Tempest Williams, and David James Duncan. In a world polarized by "culture wars," religious extremism, and political manipulation, this collection is a sure sign of hope.

The authorised service book of the Baptist Church in England and Wales contains complete service outlines for holy communion, weddings, funerals, presentation of infants, adult baptism and much more. Introductions to the origins and significance of the rites are included. A CD version is to follow for use with Powerpoint and other media.

Churches are aging. Even among megachurches with their modern technology and huge number of members, whole generations are now missing. In order to reach the 18-35 year olds, churches need to incorporate alternative worship services into their ministries that meet the unique needs of the emerging generations.In a conversational, narrative style, author Dan Kimball guides church leaders on how to create alternative services from start to finish. Using anecdotes from his own experience at Graceland, Kimball presents six creative models, providing real-life examples of each type. Emerging Worship covers key topics including• Developing a prayer team• Evaluating the local mission field and context• Determining leaders and a vision-based team• Understanding why youth pastors are usually the ideal staff to start a new service• Recognizing the difference in values between emerging worship and the rest of the church• Asking critical questions beforehand

"Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints . . .? (D&C 84:4)In the near future, Tad and Emma North and their children live in a United States that is growing increasingly wicked. The Norths and their extended family notice that many Latter-day Saints are being deceived by alluring temptations, and they wonder how much longer the Lord will allow American society to continue its downward spiral.Then comes an invitation from Church leaders for the Saints to gather together. This invitation isn?t well-accepted?and even openly mocked?but those faithful Church members who trust in the Lord soon find themselves accomplishing monumental tasks. Join these humble yet heroic Saints as they embark on an unprecedented journey to build New Jerusalem.The Great Gathering, the first novel in the Standing in Holy Places series, paints a vivid picture of exciting prophesied events that still must occur before the Second Coming. If you have an interest in what awaits the members of the LDS Church, this series should definitely be on your reading list!

The apostles urge the gathering of believers to engage with Christ and each other through teaching, prayer and song, as they meet together in his name. At the centre of it all is the word of Christ, the gospel. Common Prayer is presented to the churches as a resource for such gospel-shaped gatherings in the evangelical Anglican tradition. This book is produced by the Archbishop of Sydney's Liturgical Panel, as a development and expansion of Sunday Services (2001).