"Read by the author.
A 52-week devotional for ministry leaders and worship teams to prepare their hearts and minds for the service and make the worship experience of their church more meaningful.
Anyone involved in organized worship has probably seen what worship can be, and they've wondered: How can we tap into that transformative spirit more often? How can we overcome the problems of urgency, fatigue, and the temptation to just go through the motions? How can we gather before God, consistently ready to receive his presence?
In Before We Gather, Zac Hicks-author of the best-selling book The Worship Pastor-provides a unique, year-long devotional that focuses the attention of worship teams and individuals on God. This book offers biblical reflection in a simple, engaging style, helping worship teams set the tone of a gathering by developing a rich theology of worship through the practice of prayer.
Full of field-tested devotionals specifically designed for pre-service prayer times, each entry has a simple, three-part format: read a passage, reflect on it, and then spend time in focused prayer that will propel worshipers into the service.
The 52 entries can be used once a week over the course of an entire year or adapted in the way that best fits your context.
Indexes of devotional selections organized by themes, individual Scripture verses, and the church calendar are included in the audiobook companion PDF download."
"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.
Accompanying figures are available in the audiobook companion PDF download."
