Developing an Effective Worship Ministry

by Tom Kraeuter

Although the current emphasis on praise and worship has brought a deluge fo worship tapes, as well as books and teachings, very little has been written about developing this ministry within the local church. Finally, here is practical, to-the-point teaching that makes the ministry of praise and worship approachable. Local churches will benefit immensely from these proven ideas and helpful tools. This book offers true help for those endeavoring to 'make His praises glorious' (Psalm 66:2).

Developing an Effective Worhip Ministry offers a solid foundation and practical steps for churches just beginning in praise and worship. For those already moving in a contemporary style of worship this book will help undergird the current program and offer further insights to help move ahead.

Genres: Music

120 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1994

Reviews

[Danni · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who is brand new to leading the worship ministry at my church, this book reiterated much of what my Senior Pastor, who was also the music director, has been and continues to teach me. This is an essential book for anyone who leads a worship team, or for anyone aspiring to do so. I listened to it on audible, and read it on Kindle. I also wanted a printed copy which was difficult to find as its sadly no longer in print, but I was fortunate enough to find a second hand copy.

[J. T. K. Tobin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely geared towards larger churches. The author is careful to mention that adjustments should be made depending on your specific circumstances, which is true. There are lots of practical thoughts here which are helpful to consider: most importantly, that the purpose of worship should be the priority.

Somewhere between boring and ostentatious, each church must find the right balance. This must be done with the broken pieces that are willing to be part of the puzzle.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has a lot of really great advice. Parts of it are clearly dated, but that's mainly around technology. Most of the advice for dealing with people and building your team and around spiritual development is still extremely relevant and useful.

[Timothy Bariteau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exceptional book and I HIGHLY recommend ALL worship leaders read this book! In my opinion, Tom Kraeuter does a wonderful job of balancing between
a) the spiritual/theological discussions of both why and how
we worship AND lead worship, and
b) the practical, hands-on type stuff involved in worship ministry.

He is careful to not get too specific in his practical topics, so that the reader is not persuaded to emulate Tom's EXACT methods, which may not work for every church and worship leader. At the same time, however, he gives many insightful examples throughout the book, which do a wonderful job of explaining the ideas he is trying to get across.

Not only do I feel encouraged in my calling as worship leader by the message in this book, but I've already begun implementing some of the practical tips discussed and I'm excited to try some of the others.

A few of the topics he discusses are:
1. Stage layout
2. Master song list
3. Forming & working with a band
4. Communicating with your band
5. Rehearsals
6. The worship service
7. Training/mentoring others
8. The Senior Pastor's role in worship

This is definitely one of the BEST books on Worship Ministry I've ever read (if not THE best!) Now that I've read this and enjoyed it so much I am looking forward to picking up Kraeuter's other books, starting with "Keys to Becoming an Effective Worship Leader"! If anybody else has read any of this author's books, let me know what you think!

[Sharon_S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reading the updated 2008 version . The author teaches full-time at seminars, church retreats, and conferences across the nation. He is a regular columnist for Worship Musician! magazine and his writings have appeared in other nationally recognized periodicals such as Ministries Today and Christian Musician.