Rhythms of Grace: How the Church's Worship Tells the Story of the Gospel

by Mike Cosper, Bob Kauflin (Foreword)

Is it singing? A church service? All of life? Helping Christians think more theologically about the nature of true worship, Rhythms of Grace shows how the gospel is all about worship and worship is all about the gospel. Mike Cosper ultimately answers the What is worship?

Genres: Theology, Christian, Church, Nonfiction, Christian Living, Faith, Leadership

208 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2013

About the author

Mike Cosper is the executive director of Harbor Media, a non-profit media company serving Christians in a post-Christian world. He served for sixteen years as a pastor at Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, Kentucky, and is the author of Recapturing the Wonder, The Stories We Tell, and Rhythms of Grace. He lives with his family in Louisville, Kentucky.

Reviews

[Daniel Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an enormous--ENORMOUS!--help to me. For a long while I've felt more confused than a drunk hillbilly running through a corn maze when it comes to planing a church service. The best I knew to do was say, "Well, this is a cool song, and the lyrics are biblically sound--let's play this." I felt like I was missing something--like a structure!

Here's a new thought (actually it's not knew, it's just been lost over the course of time): why not layout the service in such a way that it tells the story of the Bible! Like this:

1) God is Holy -- Creation (Call to Worship)
2) We Are Sinners -- The Fall (Confession, Lament)
3) Jesus Saves Us -- Redemption (Words of Assurance, Peace [greeting one another], Giving/Offering, Pastoral Prayers, Instruction [the sermon])
4) Jesus Sends Us -- Consummation (we live in the "already of redemption and the "not yet" of consummation), Lord's Supper (a foretaste of a meal that will be eaten in the New Jerusalem at the wedding fast of the Lamb), Commitment/Preparation for Sending, Benediction (a sending blessing/"blessing for the road")

"The overarching movement is a retelling of the story, remembering that God is holy (adoration), we are sinners (confession and lament), Jesus saves us from our sins (assurance, thanksgiving, petition, and instruction), and Jesus sends us on his mission (charge and blessing). It's a movement that runs parallel to another way of thinking about the story of the gospel: creation, fall, redemption, and consummation."

The story of worship: God creates, sin corrupts, but Christ redeems. And all of us get to sing along!

------------
Other notes/quotations:

"The church gathers like exiles and pilgrims, collected out of a world that isn't our home, and looks hopefully toward a future. Our songs and prayers are a foretaste of that future, and even as we practice them, they shape us for our future home" (p.104). 


"Worship that celebrates the gospel brings all three audiences together: the God who saves by the gospel, the church formed by the gospel, and the world in need of the gospel" (p.90).

"We wanted to structure the service in an arc based on the story of the gospel, rather than the emotional arc we'd cultivated up to that time . . . . We thought we were very clever and original, but all we were doing was rediscovering something that the church had been doing for a long time" (pp.121-22).

Confession: "As a community, our corporate confession of sin is a three-fold acknowledgement that (1) the world is not the way it was meant to be, (2) we as a church are not the way we were meant to be, (3) I am not the way I was meant to be. Sin's invasion into our world and our hearts has corrupted all of us, and apart from the mercy of God, we are without hope."

Worship: Worship in the gathered church is the total work of the people--the gathering of the church for prayer, preaching, sacred symbols (baptism and Communion), giving, and signing.

Benediction: Sending God's people out with the promise of divine pardon, presence, and peace.

The Lord's Supper is a live illustration of the gospel.

For the last twelve years or so, "worship music" has been its own musical style, a sort of quasi-Britpop sound pioneered by British artists like Delirious, Matt Redman, and other Kingsway artists. Somehow, the good work those men and women did in writing songs for their context became "canon" (the rule) for everyone else. Now people hear it and say, "It sounds like worship"--a strange idea, given the biblical story of worship. For those who don't culturally identify with that sound, it's alienating.

[Shawn McCool · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be one of my favorite books I’ve ever read on worship. “As servants of God, we prepare people for death, and we prepare them for eternity.”

It increased my burden for those I lead in worship every week!

[Nathan White · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little surprised by this book; it's actually fairly good and better than I expected knowing the theological/ecclesiastical background of the author. Unfortunately though, I can only give it three stars because, as good as it is at some points, it is riddled with theological minefields. Mike Cosper writes well and understand the doctrine of worship very well, but his theological deficiencies (and lack of theological training/knowledge) shine a little too brightly in this work. I'm just not convinced that he is equipped to write such a book. So I'd stop short of recommending it to others, unless they know how to eat the meat and spit out the bones.

Specific concerns:
--The unhelpful and theologically tenuous idea that "Worship is all of life."

--His assertion that Jesus broke the Sabbath.

--I believe he misunderstands the place and role of music in worship, as well as the
place and role of contextualization.

--He says over and over that, "Jesus is our worship leader and our worship is participation in Jesus’ own worship of the father." This is trivial, and lacks theological depth and precision, not to mention how it undermines the role of the minister in leading God’s people in worship.

--On P76 and in other places he argues that people are a means of grace. I sure hope not - because if so, we're all in trouble!

--His belief that worship is about what WE do for God. It is “the work of the people.” -- Here I'd highly recommend the book, "A Better Way" by Mike Horton, which does a phenomenal job at showing how God is the main actor in worship.

[Justin Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what I would deem as solid food. Cosper starts with a beautiful walkthrough of the Biblical narrative and its precedent for worship. Then as he dives into the pastoral implications of worship leaders to take on this form of discipleship, it becomes clear that the task of leading worship is so much more about a corporate participation in the gospel than just music preferences, a true call to sacrificial leadership and wisdom. Given the influential rise in more charismatic-leaning CCM acts that have shaped the latter 2010s and beyond (Bethel, Maverick City come to mind) and my personal upbringing in this subculture of American Christianity, I’m curious to see how Cosper would address the current worship landscape if he were to write this book again today. Nevertheless, his exhortations here aims to be timeless and succeeds in presenting important context for any worship leader.

[Gareth Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really helpful book about how the gospel should shape our worship each week. I didn’t agree with all of Cosper’s practical out working but his general themes that true worship is about the gospel was helpful.

[Angie Mouer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book for anyone leading or serving in worship ministry. A beautiful reminder of what our complete focus should be in every worship service - the gospel.

[Purshia Gambles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super compassionate, informative, practical, and encouraging. This book made me think about worship differently, while not sounding super lofty.

[Anna Funk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. More about big-picture worship (e.g. the entire church service as well as the concept broadly) than about how Christians use music (which is what I was most interested in reading about) — a good read but just not what I was going in for. (Everything I wanted and more was in chapter 10 ☺️)

[Jeremy Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to contain useful reflections on the general nature of worship in the church. Cosper demonstrates the need to expose people to the gospel in corporate worship by tracing biblical, practical, and theological arguments throughout the entirety of his writing. I thought his chapter eight on the liturgy and rhythms of grace was fantastic! He writes, “Liturgy that immerses the people of God in the rhythms of grace doesn’t merely train them for gospel-centered worship; it trains them for gospel-centered lives” (124). This sentence summary helps demonstrate the power of the gospel’s influence on the lives of believers and the consequent need for corporate worship that makes the gospel clearly communicated. I would recommend this book to any person who is a pastor, who aspires to be a pastor, or to a church member who wants to learn more about corporate worship from a 30,000 foot view. Though you might find it wanting theologically at times, it is still an accessible, readable, practical, and altogether important addition to the canon of literature on corporate worship.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worship. It’s not just about the music.
This book is an important reflection on the necessity of liturgy within a church service even for those who may believe liturgy is what makes church stuffy and boring, or somehow limits the movement of the Spirit. Very good.

[Liz Treft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great read! I loved how Cosper challenges you to truly understand the definition of worship and how the gospel is a story all about worship. We often think of worship as something we “do”, empty duties we should do to earn God’s favor which distorts our view of it, and ultimately, makes it more about us. How humbling it was to be reminded that it’s not about me or my performance at all, it’s about God. Jesus is our one true worship leader. Also had really great practical takeaways for leading worship in the local church!

[John Dube · Rating 5 out of 5]

A helpful book that traces worship from theology to practice. I imagine most church worship teams/groups/??? would benefit from a study of this book. I’m a big fan of the “gospel-shaped liturgy,” and Cosper does a terrific job explains and providing examples (ch. 8).

[Nicole Mccoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a fine job laying the groundwork for a liturgy patterned after the gospel. It wouldn't be one of my top 3 favorite books on worship, but I could see how it would be a helpful starting point that is both practical and easy to read.

[Catz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cosper created a well-supported, thoughtful read on the endeavor of telling the gospel through Sunday morning services and gave helpful insight into why format and content choices in songs and liturgical elements matter.

[Sean-david · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Loved that he included excellent examples of readings and prayer.

[Ryan Hatch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cosper brings a Gospel-centric approach to corporate worship, arguing that a church’s worship services should give people the chance to rehearse the Gospel story weekly. I could tell this book was written 10 or 15 years ago, and I’m sure his church had changed some, but I appreciated how he gave both a background to worship gatherings as well as tips and examples from his experience leading worship through song.

“Worship isn’t something other, external, compartmentalized, or confined. It is life with God, lived unto God for his glory and our pleasure.”

[Tim Pollock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome stuff here. I'm no worship pastor, but just from a curious Sojourner's perspective, it was really interesting to see how my church implements its liturgy, music, and overall worship experience. I learned a ton about my church and myself while reading this book. As a somewhat new Baptist, I was surprised to see some of the liturgical influences similar to those I encountered growing up as an Episcopalian. Sojourn should give these out at New Members meetings from now on, as this goes far beyond music.

Would I give 5 stars to a "worship book" if the author weren't a founder of my church? Probably not. But that's the beauty of literature--my opinion counts, man!

A few concluding quotes that stuck out to me:

- "These rhythms help the church pray and sing through a full range of human experience. The gathering isn't simply a spiritual discipline; it's a host of them" (149).

- "Our faith is a sung faith" (152).

- "The gospel should be what connects people--not music" (154).

- Colossians 3:16!

- "We've learned to be spectators on Sundays--listening, enjoying, and critiquing--but the Bible unapologetically calls us to be participants" (163).

- "If your church isn't singing, you're doing it wrong. Period" (166).

- "We sing with grace, and we sing because of grace" (167).

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome stuff here. I'm no worship pastor, but just from a curious Sojourner's perspective, it was really interesting to see how my church implements its liturgy, music, and overall worship experience. I learned a ton about my church and myself while reading this book. As a somewhat new Baptist, I was surprised to see some of the liturgical influences similar to those I encountered growing up as an Episcopalian. Sojourn should give these out at New Members meetings from now on, as this goes far beyond music.

Would I give 5 stars to a "worship book" if the author weren't a founder of my church? Probably not. But that's the beauty of literature--my opinion counts, man!

A few concluding quotes that stuck out to me:

- "These rhythms help the church pray and sing through a full range of human experience. The gathering isn't simply a spiritual discipline; it's a host of them" (149).

- "Our faith is a sung faith" (152).

- "The gospel should be what connects people--not music" (154).

- Colossians 3:16!

- "We've learned to be spectators on Sundays--listening, enjoying, and critiquing--but the Bible unapologetically calls us to be participants" (163).

- "If your church isn't singing, you're doing it wrong. Period" (166).

- "We sing with grace, and we sing because of grace" (167).

[Molly Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to resist giving a long and detailed review of this book. There were definitely parts that I was joyfully underlining, but there were others that had me groaning and disappointed. His overall premise that corporate worship is for the glory of God and for the building up of his church was well said in theory, but then he sometimes undercut it with statements and flimsy (or conflicting!) applications that seemed to run contrary to what he had originally proposed.
(For that reason, this book would make a great one to discuss with anyone passionate about corporate worship. After every page or so, asking "Do you agree? Why/why not?" would provide some stimulating conversation!...)

[Vicky Hunt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not care to finish the book. I worked my way through slowly, with Bible in hand. A through use of Scriptures is present. But, the reading was quite dry, and mostly an attempt to create an allegory of the gospel, which was not really successful. There were a few original thoughts, but most of it was really just comparison for poetry sake. Then, there was a lot of proof-texting, where he made all his personal comparisons based on his own denominational interpretations of Scripture. I wouldn't recommend this book for those reasons.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cosper writes with a poetic bent and a sound doctrine. He defends the Gospel and the history of church worship without using stuffy arguments or language. I LOVE how he wrote this book, saving the (intentionally limited) how-to for the end, focus instead on the actual story behind these rhythms of grace. I will never look at worship leading the same again, and now I have a useful vernacular for why having a fast song/medium song/slow song pattern has always bothered me. I would recommend this book to everyone. It's not just a manual for worship leaders, but for worshipers.

[Matt Moran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gets off to a slow start, as the author lays a theological framework for what worship is. That was fine, but just not why I wanted to read the book. However, the more practical second half of the book is really excellent and is something that music/worship teams everywhere would profit from working through together.

[Nate Claiborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're involved in leading worship, in any capacity, you need to read this book!

[Ryan Spencer · Rating 1 out of 5]

The man doesn't believe in objective beauty within music. That pretty much disqualifies him from writing about church music.

[Nate Cure · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. I highly recommend it for anyone leading worship, and especially for pastors who are planning services and raising up Biblically and theologically minded musicians in the church.

[Colin Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book I started awhile ago and set down for too long before coming back to finish it.

This book is great! Cosper is fantastic at presenting research and opinions on a narrative format (simply go and listen to his Mars Hill podcast to get more of this).

This book truly did transform the way I understand worship. Worship is a presentation of the gospel and should mirror and invite those who are participating to understand it better.
Cosper spends a lot of time talking about the idea and methods of worship in the service as a whole before actually getting into the musical aspect of what worship is. Which is good because he presents worship as a broader thing than just music and singing before helping define that aspect of it.

This book isn't gospel, it teaches a lot about the gospel, but isn't and shouldn't be taken as such. There is much more interpretation to worship than what Cosper presents it as. His ideas are good but not definitive.

[Victoria Kilbane-Moll · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an interesting read. There was a lot I disagreed on both theologically and technically, and did not like when it came to his descriptions about denomination, but I appreciated it because it challenged me to think about why I disagreed. It helped me solidify my own views and methodology as a worship leader by forcing me to think critically about my approach. It also brought me back to my roots, remembering my early days as a leader where there was no pressure to perform.

I also rate this book at 4 stars because i believe in Cosper’s character. The person he was 10 years ago has now matured in to somebody that is honorable, and I can use this book as a foil for my own life as a leader, acknowledging my immaturities and predispositions as I read about his.

His resources are solid, and he has good nuggets of wisdom. Approach the book with the intention of learning and developing. I think it’s worth reading.

[Brian Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is fine book on worship, one that is probably targeted for worship leaders (or music directors, or whatever the church's title is for the guy who leads the music and has a role to play in ordering the elements of corporate worship). The theology isn't too deep (pitched at a popular/lay level), but the main takeaway (at least for me) is that free/low/baptistic churches should have a more gospel-shaped liturgy. This means incorporating a call to worship, a confession of sin, assurance of pardon, and perhaps other readings/prayers that a lot of low churches might not have. In my view, this is where this book is at its best. It also has a very useful appendix offering four such gospel-shaped liturgies.

I would also recommend Worship by the Book, edited by D.A. Carson and Bob Kauflin's Worship Matters.

[Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cosper does a really good job of making the case for traditional Christian worship for the post-modern church culture for reading at a popular level. I appreciate his ability to diagnose and critique issues in current forms of worship without being overly critical.

If you are looking for something that would be a good "vision casting" book or a resource to help explain why we ought to think critically about corporate worship, particularly from a gospel-centered perspective, this is an easy recommendation. If you are looking to find a book that dives deeply into classical argumentation for particular worship styles, then this isn't the book for you, but Cosper is pretty upfront that this is not what his book is about. Either way, Cosper's writing style is engaging and easy to read, so if you agree with him or not, you should find it enjoyable.

[p a t r i c i a · Rating 4 out of 5]

If nothing else, this book was a joy to read simply because of Cosper's beautiful writing style. It is incredibly poetic and easy to read. He draws our eyes up and out giving us a bird's eye view of the call to the ministry of worship. Although I am not a worship leader, I thoroughly enjoyed this vision-casting book. My one criticism would be the narrow scope. He clearly is centered in on the white evangelical church in America, I would love to see a more expansive work attempting to show how to integrate many different people in a church.

Also, he quoted 2 female theologians which was AWESOME! Haha.