1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2025 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
Worship is a congregation’s most important practice. In worship we encounter God’s gracious presence and come face to face with the frailty, goodness, and potential of our humanity. We are comforted, corrected, forgiven, healed, challenged, and sometimes even disturbed by the divine and one another. We are morally formed and sent by God into the world.
The mysterious and uncontrollable work of the Spirit is at the heart of all genuine worship. Yet worshipers and leaders work hard to worship. In Worship Frames, Deborah Kapp explores how the sociological concept of frames can help us better understand the social and human dynamics of worship. Frames are interpretive schemes or ideas that help people locate, understand, and identify their experiences. For example, opening a service with a period of silent reflection followed by a sober hymn is a different frame for worship than opening with congregational announcements and a loud call-and-response session. She has found that this theory has opened her eyes to dynamics in worship she had not noticed before and best helped her understand differences in worship styles.
By understanding our frames, we can learn how to reframe worship to give fuller and richer expression to our faith. Kapp shares her insights with congregations and worship leaders so they will gain new perspectives from which to analyze and design worship, and deepen their perceptions about the role worship plays in faith communities.
Worship, Justice, and Joy: A Liturgical Pilgrimage
By: Neal D. Presa
This book connects the pilgrimage of life and faith to parallel movements of worship as communities gather to hear, read, proclaim, receive, and witness to the word of God.
Sound Theology: A Reader
By: Randall Dean Engle
This book brings to life in English for the first-time primary, curated sources associated with the pipe organ controversy in the Netherlands during the Reformation.
Journey to Jesus
By: Rhoda Grever Schuler , Kent Jorgen Burreson
When many Christian congregations are asking, "How can we draw new members into our midst?" the authors reframe the question: "How can congregations make new disciples and deepen the faith of long-time Christians?"
Worship, Justice, and Joy: A Liturgical Pilgrimage
By: Neal D. Presa
This book connects the pilgrimage of life and faith to parallel movements of worship as communities gather to hear, read, proclaim, receive, and witness to the word of God.
Sound Theology: A Reader
By: Randall Dean Engle
This book brings to life in English for the first-time primary, curated sources associated with the pipe organ controversy in the Netherlands during the Reformation.
Journey to Jesus
By: Rhoda Grever Schuler , Kent Jorgen Burreson
When many Christian congregations are asking, "How can we draw new members into our midst?" the authors reframe the question: "How can congregations make new disciples and deepen the faith of long-time Christians?"
Gratitude: Why Giving Thanks Is the Key to Our Well-Being
By: Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.
In Gratitude, award-winning author Cornelius Plantinga explores these questions and more. Celebrating the role of gratitude in our lives, Plantinga makes the case that it is the very key to understanding our relationships with one another, the world around us, and God.
