The following articles and books are recommended reading for worshiping communities preparing grant applications and for those who have received grants.
How we understand worship:
- What is Vital Worship?
- Ten Core Convictions about Christian Worship
- Three Meanings of the Term Worship
- Worship as Formation
- Vertical Habits
- Worshiping the Triune God
- Nairobi Statement on Worship and Culture
- An Open and Discerning Approach to Culture
Selected books about worship:
- A More Profound Alleluia: Theology and Worship in Harmony (Eerdmans, 2005)
Convinced that worship and theology are intimately connected, the authors of A More Profound Alleluia show in practical terms how liturgy and doctrine fruitfully illuminate each other.
- Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Baker Publishing, 2009)
James K.A. Smith reshapes the very project of Christian education, focusing around the themes of liturgy, formation, and desire. The author contends--as did Augustine--that human beings are "desiring agents"; in other words, we are what we love.
- Discerning the Spirits: A Guide to Thinking About Christian Worship Today (Eerdmans, 2003)
To fully explore the topic of worship in church, the authors gathered a team of worship leaders from various church backgrounds. This book broadens today's "worship wars" into a bigger, richer discussion that moves from arguments over musical tastes to good thinking about the overall purpose of worship in relation to church life and God.
- Worship with Gladness: Understanding Worship from the Heart (Eerdmans, 2014)
In this invitingly written, deeply joyful book, Joyce Ann Zimmerman makes Scripture her foundation as she explores the meaning and purpose of authentic Christian worship today.
- In some cases grant projects have provided the groundwork for publications. Check out these books that came from the fruit of vital worship grant projects!