How many ways can your church's worship equip the congregation for its mission? Worship changes through the seasons, from Christmas, through Lent and Easter, and beyond. The way worship relates to your church's mission should change, too. This book explores those seasonal changes by examining both worship and mission as aspects of union with Christ. Just as we are to follow Christ through the various stages of his life and work in worship during the church year, we can follow him in our mission through these same stages of his life and work.

Missiology "A robust and practical theology that integrates worship and mission into a seamless whole." Anglican & Episcopal History "A very useful and insightful text. . . . A remarkable synthesis of most of the best insights liturgical scholars and missiologists have gained regarding the relationship between mission and liturgy over the last decades." George R. Hunsberger — Western Theological Seminary "Ruth Meyers brings a deep grasp of what's at stake in the rediscovery of mission as the essence of the church, together with a generous mastery of liturgical traditions, to provide vision for seeing these two dimensions of the church's life as one. . . . This is the handbook that should accompany every Christian community on its worshiping, witnessing journey." Stephen B. Bevans, SVD — Catholic Theological Union "A wonderful, faith-filled meditation on the missional heart of worship. . . . A new classic in liturgical studies and in missiology as well." Todd E. Johnson — Brehm Center, Fuller Theological Seminary "Ruth Meyers's approach to the issues surrounding worship and mission is spot-on. Instead of approaching worship from a missional slant, or mission from a liturgical perspective, she takes both topics back to their biblical and historical roots — the nature of the church. . . . In practical and insightful ways Meyers demonstrates how a church's ministry in the world and its regular offering of worship reinforce one another. Her careful, direct, evenhanded approach is a breath of fresh air to much of the current theological discourse." Taylor W. Burton-Edwards — Worship Resources, Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church "Seminarians, pastors, deacons, and worship leaders seeking to understand, articulate, or imagine how the basic and most enduring structures of Christian worship `engage worshipers in the mission of God' will discover in these pages both Meyers's wise and challenging counsel and many wonderful companions for the journey." International Bulletin of Missionary Research "A helpful and timely new resource. . . . In Missional Worship Meyers does excellent work developing the notion that mission and worship are inseparably and integrally related." Anglican and Episcopal History "A very useful and insightful text, particularly for those just beginning to explore the field of liturgical studies. The book is a remarkable synthesis of most of the best insights liturgical scholars and missiologists have gained regarding the relationship between mission and liturgy over the last decades." Church Times "[Myers] deserves to be read, because we need to hear this message in all parts of the Church of England today."

Social justice and mission are hot topics today: there's a wonderful resurgence of motivated Christians passionate about spreading the gospel and caring for the needs of others. But in our zeal to get sharing and serving, many are unclear on gospel and mission. Yes, we are called to spend ourselves for the sake of others, but what is the church's unique priority as it engages the world? DeYoung and Gilbert write to help Christians "articulate and live out their views on the mission of the church in ways that are theologically faithful, exegetically careful, and personally sustainable." Looking at the Bible's teaching on evangelism, social justice, and shalom, they explore the what, why, and how of the church's mission. From defining "mission", to examining key passages on social justice and their application, to setting our efforts in the context of God's rule, DeYoung and Gilbert bring a wise, studied perspective to the missional conversation. Readers in all spheres of ministry will grow in their understanding of the mission of the church and gain a renewed sense of urgency for Jesus' call to preach the Word and make disciples.

In this Urbana Onward minibook, Sandra Van Opstal argues that culturally diverse worship practices create a space for us to encounter the mission of God. Such a missional approach to worship, she promises, will renew the church's vision and witness, proclaiming that the kingdom of God is here, accomplishing reconciliation, justice and shalom.

Bobby Gross presents chapters on each season of the liturgical year, accompanied by weekly devotions based on the Sunday readings of the lectionary cycle. His book offers a flexible weekly format, designed to let you break the devotions down any way you want to.

'Between Horror and Hope' is a study of Paul's metaphorical language of death in Romans 6:1-11. The scholarly debate focuses on two main issues; the origin of the 'commentatio mortis' tradition and its development. Dr. Sabou argues that the origin of this terminology is original to Paul; that it was the apostle's own insight into the meaning of Christ's death (a "death to sin") and his understanding of the identity of Christ in his death (as the anointed davidic king) which guided him to create this metaphor of "dying to sin" as a way of describing the relationship of the believer with sin. On the development of this language of death, the author argues that this language conveys two aspects — horror and hope. The first is discussed in the context of crucifixion in which Paul explains the believer's "death to sin" by presenting Christ's death as the death of the anointed davidic king who won the victory over sin and death by rising from the dead. Paul affirms that believers are "coalesced" with what was "proclaimed" about Christ's death and resurrection, thereby allowing him to assert that the releasing of the body from the power of sin is a result of "crucifixion." This "crucifixion" is the "condemnation" inflicted on our past lives in the age inaugurated by Adam's sin and this is such a horrible event that believers have to stay away from sin since sin leads to such punishment. In contrast, hope is presented in the context of "burial." The believers' "burial with" Christ points to the fact that they are part of Christ's family and this is accomplished by the overwhelming action of God by which he pushes us toward the event of Christ's death, an act pictured in baptism. It is this "burial with" Christ that allows believers to share with Christ in newness of life.

Today, as Christendom weakens, worship and mission are poised to reunite after centuries of separation. But this requires the church to rethink both “mission” and “worship.” In post-Christendom mission, God is the main actor and God calls all Christians to participate. In post-Christendom worship, the church tells and celebrates the story of God, enabling members to live in hope and attract outsiders to its many tables of hospitality. In this passionate and thoughtful study, Alan Kreider and Eleanor Kreider draw upon missiology, liturgiology, biblical studies, church history, and the vast experience of today’s global Christian church-to say nothing of their long tenure as teachers and writers in contemporary England and the United States. Academically responsible but also practical and accessible, Worship and Mission After Christendom is a much-needed guide for people who take seriously God’s call to be the church in a world where institutional religion is no longer taken for granted.

The Common Worship Main Volume is the primary worship and service book for the Church of England. It contains material used on Sundays by most churches: a variety of Communion services and non-eucharistic forms of worship, as well as the basic Baptism service and the Psalms. Full contents: The Declaration of Assent The Calendar A Service of the Word Morning and Evening Prayer on Sunday Morning and Evening Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer Night Prayer (Compline) Night Prayer (Compline) in Traditional Language Prayers for Various Occasions The Litany The Litany from the Book of Common Prayer Authorized Forms of Confession and Absolution Creeds and Authorized Affirmations of Faith Holy Communion including A Form of Preparation, Order One, Order One in Traditional Language, Order Two, Order Two in Contemporary Language, Supplementary Texts, Seasonal Provisions Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child Holy Baptism Collects and Post Communions Collects and Post Communions in Traditional Language Rules Lectionary The Psalter Canticles

Modern worship leaders are restless. They have inherited a model of leadership that equates leading worship with being a rock star. But leading worship is more than a performance, it's about shaping souls and making disciples. Every worship leader is really a pastor. The Worship Pastor is a practical and biblical introduction to this essential pastoral role. Filled with engaging, illustrative stories it is organized to address questions of theory and practice, striving to balance conversational accessibility with informed instruction. Part One presents a series of evocative "vignettes"--intriguing and descriptive titles and metaphors of who a Worship Pastor is and what he or she does. It shows the Worship Pastor as Church-Lover, Disciple Maker, Corporate Mystic, and Doxological Philosopher. Part Two covers specific roles related to ministry within the worship service itself--the Worship Pastor as Theological Dietician, Caregiver, Mortician, Emotional Shepherd, War General, Prophetic Guardian, Missional Historian, and Liturgical Architect. Part Three looks at ministry beyond the worship service--the Worship Pastor as Visionary Teacher, Evangelist, Artist Chaplain, and Team Leader. While some worship leaders are eager to embrace their pastoral role, many are lost and confused or lack the resources of time or money to figure out what this role looks like. Pastor Zac Hicks gives us a clear guide to leading worship, one that takes the pastoral call seriously.

"The Oxford History of Christian Worship is a comprehensive and authoritative history, lavishly illustrated, of the origins and development of Christian worship up to the present day. Following contemporary methods in scholarship, it attends to social and cultural contexts and examines the worship traditions from both Eastern and Western Christianity, ancient and modern. It offers a chronological account, while encompassing spatial and confessional variations, from Baptists in Britain to Roman Catholics in Mexico, from Orthodox in Ethiopia to Pentecostals in the United States, from Lutheran and Reformed in Europe to united churches in India and Australia. The material details of Christian worship, such as music, architecture, and the visual arts, are considered within specific cultural contexts throughout the volume as well as studied thematically in individual chapters."--BOOK JACKET.