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Discover the Mystery of Faith: How Worship Shapes Believing
Because the way we worship shapes the way we believe, we need to take a hard look at what we sing, pray, and do when we gather as the people of God.
118 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 2013
50 people are currently reading
439 people want to read
About the author
Glenn Packiam
34 books80 followersGlenn Packiam is a the lead pastor of new life DOWNTOWN, an extension of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he also serves on the Executive Team. Having earned a BA in Theological/Historical Studies and a Masters in Management, Glenn is now in the process of completing a Masters of Arts in Theology/Biblical Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
October 3, 2024
Such a good book - easy to read, but so much depth. We’re missing some depth and rootedness in our churches today, and this book points to the past as the way to the future.
August 6, 2019
I love his approach to how a worship service is supposed to be. Not centered on triggering an emotional response from people but centered on Jesus and the gospel message. Well worth the read.
February 22, 2017
Refreshing, surprising, and extremely accessible. I highly recommend this book to anyone in worship, music, or pastoral ministry.
December 4, 2013
This book was actually not what I expected, and that was a pleasant surprise. I have been one that has never been a fan of ritual, liturgy, or anything of the like. I have avoided things in the faith that attach me to something other than the Lord and His word. Participating in events or actions out of rote have only, in my opinion, drawn me further from the grace of the cross and deeper into my own failed ability to earn that grace. That being said, this book helped change my opinion on at least half of what I just wrote.
The author lays out a compelling argument for liturgy, those known as the church fathers, and connecting those foundations with our worship today. He hammers, respectfully, how disconnected we have come in our worship; how tied up we have become in the personal emotional offerings to a nameless God. In his book he emphasizes praying and praising through the psalms, creeds, and other pillars through history that have led us to where we are today. Basically how we should not dismiss all those have done before us as as rubbish.
I did find issue with the beginning of the book, how he seemed to be writing to ease discomforts of friends and coworkers, or trying to explain himself. That is slightly annoying in a book. He also used the language of "lay" and "clergy" which is a concept I strongly disagree with even though it is found in every congregation from Church of Christ to Catholicism, regardless of what terms are used. Still though, the book was meaningful and short. I would recommend it to those interested in worship and its value.
The author lays out a compelling argument for liturgy, those known as the church fathers, and connecting those foundations with our worship today. He hammers, respectfully, how disconnected we have come in our worship; how tied up we have become in the personal emotional offerings to a nameless God. In his book he emphasizes praying and praising through the psalms, creeds, and other pillars through history that have led us to where we are today. Basically how we should not dismiss all those have done before us as as rubbish.
I did find issue with the beginning of the book, how he seemed to be writing to ease discomforts of friends and coworkers, or trying to explain himself. That is slightly annoying in a book. He also used the language of "lay" and "clergy" which is a concept I strongly disagree with even though it is found in every congregation from Church of Christ to Catholicism, regardless of what terms are used. Still though, the book was meaningful and short. I would recommend it to those interested in worship and its value.
April 29, 2014
Short Review: A reflection (much of it personal) on how worship and belief interact. The main point of the book is that Evangelicals need to look to older more traditional forms of Christian worship for balance because many of the changes that were made for good reasons to reform Evangelical worship have now gone too far. It should be a hint at the direction of the book that Packiam is pursuing Anglican ordination. I think that this adds to the current list of books that have similar themes because of Packiam's desire to stay in the Evangelical world and the fact that this is his story as much as an overall critique of Evangelical worship. But there is not much here that has not been said by others.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/discover-the-mystery...
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/discover-the-mystery...
January 8, 2015
The Mystery Of Faith
Good to read about different perspective when it comes to worship. Lots to think about. I did not agree with everything but would still recommend reading it if you are a worship leader.
Good to read about different perspective when it comes to worship. Lots to think about. I did not agree with everything but would still recommend reading it if you are a worship leader.
January 31, 2016
Quick, easy, educational, & insightful read. I enjoyed it.
September 7, 2020
A breath of fresh air
As someone who has grown more and more dissatisfied with the Christian “religion,” this book was a breath of fresh air, reminding me to get back to the basics of faith. As leaders and members of Christian churches, it is imperative that we not jump on the “it works” bandwagon and pursue making people happy in church. We need to embrace the mysteries of our faith that require simply that: faith. We don’t have everything figured out, and, through this book, I am encouraged to seek out the mysterious nature of God, not just be content with what I’ve been served.
As someone who has grown more and more dissatisfied with the Christian “religion,” this book was a breath of fresh air, reminding me to get back to the basics of faith. As leaders and members of Christian churches, it is imperative that we not jump on the “it works” bandwagon and pursue making people happy in church. We need to embrace the mysteries of our faith that require simply that: faith. We don’t have everything figured out, and, through this book, I am encouraged to seek out the mysterious nature of God, not just be content with what I’ve been served.
November 3, 2020
I want to give this book to anyone who has a hand in planning or leading a worship service! Packiam gets it, and put words to many things I felt were missing from my faith experience, but didn’t know how to express.
It’s a short book, but packed with wisdom about approaching both personal and corporate worship. I highly recommend this to anyone coming from a modern church background, but who feels that something is missing and desires a deeper experience of faith.
It’s a short book, but packed with wisdom about approaching both personal and corporate worship. I highly recommend this to anyone coming from a modern church background, but who feels that something is missing and desires a deeper experience of faith.
February 13, 2020
I agree with the thesis: How we worship in our Sunday Gathering forms the faith of the church. However, I think this book is poorly researched. And I believe his focus on the "Eucharist" as the central activity of the church is wrong. I believe it is the Preaching of the Word that is the entree. Good thesis, but false implications and applications.
January 9, 2023
This is a SHORT book, rather a pamphlet. All of the ideas are really good, and I think Protestant churches need to think through the issue of liturgy. However, I feel that Packiam was far too brief. He could have doubled his 87 pages and engaged in much richer discussions on liturgical worship. This book is not bad, but extremely introductory - perhaps that is what Protestants need.
June 17, 2022
Short and impactful
Glenn packs depth into this short work. In few words, he intelligently points readers to historical worship and how he has applied that worship to his context.
Glenn packs depth into this short work. In few words, he intelligently points readers to historical worship and how he has applied that worship to his context.
May 11, 2013
This is a fantastic little book concerned primarily with helping the reader to see the connection between corporate worship and faith. Packiam takes the ancient Latin phrase, 'lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi' (loosely translated as 'the law/way of prayer [or worship] impacts the way of faith/belief, which impacts the way of life') and drills home the point that our worship, with all of its depth (or lack thereof) directly influences our faith in both conceptual and practical ways.
I feel a close kinship to Packiam's story of discovering the worship practices of the ancient Church, and see reflected in my life many of the same convictions to which he himself has come. While I personally wasn't blown away with new information here, I feel many of my hard to express convictions were given a voice, complete with enjoyable stories and anecdotes. I will be recommending this book to many of my family and friends with whom I have had conversations regarding the worship practices of the evangelical Church.
Please read this book and allow yourself to be challenged by the thought that your faith truly is influenced by the words you say when you gather together with the Body and begin to discover the ways the 'mystery of faith' (ie. Christ in you) has been proclaimed and experienced throughout the centuries.
I feel a close kinship to Packiam's story of discovering the worship practices of the ancient Church, and see reflected in my life many of the same convictions to which he himself has come. While I personally wasn't blown away with new information here, I feel many of my hard to express convictions were given a voice, complete with enjoyable stories and anecdotes. I will be recommending this book to many of my family and friends with whom I have had conversations regarding the worship practices of the evangelical Church.
Please read this book and allow yourself to be challenged by the thought that your faith truly is influenced by the words you say when you gather together with the Body and begin to discover the ways the 'mystery of faith' (ie. Christ in you) has been proclaimed and experienced throughout the centuries.
September 5, 2013
Upon reading this book I first glanced at the quotes that the chapters are based on.... the biblio. as you would say. He depends too much on very few sources and when he does quote, it's mostly from one book as a whole for the chapter. I rated this book a one star and I would not have even rated it that high if it wasn't for my way of adding a star in case I really hated it. I don't want to be bias just on feelings.
The structure of the sentences are terrible. The english composition needs to improve, and you would most likely enjoy this book if... one, you were ecumenical, or a casual theological reader, or someone who worships in a non demon. church. By that last one I mean, someone who cares more for feelings and experiences than doctrine.
His chapter on the Lord's Supper was a prime example of this. Not only was it wrong on history, wrong on what others primarily believed about the Lord's Supper, but also wrong on his analysis of the history, which is easy to do if you get the history wrong.
Also he depends totally on Stanley Grentz, a ecumenical, on his understanding of the Lord's Supper, something I totally would not recommmend.
That said... is there anything I liked about the book? Yes.
The Cover!
The structure of the sentences are terrible. The english composition needs to improve, and you would most likely enjoy this book if... one, you were ecumenical, or a casual theological reader, or someone who worships in a non demon. church. By that last one I mean, someone who cares more for feelings and experiences than doctrine.
His chapter on the Lord's Supper was a prime example of this. Not only was it wrong on history, wrong on what others primarily believed about the Lord's Supper, but also wrong on his analysis of the history, which is easy to do if you get the history wrong.
Also he depends totally on Stanley Grentz, a ecumenical, on his understanding of the Lord's Supper, something I totally would not recommmend.
That said... is there anything I liked about the book? Yes.
The Cover!
November 24, 2014
Glenn Packiam provides some very insightful reflections on what it means to worship. This book is primarily about retrieval, particularly of the rich heritage of worship that has characterized the Christian church from the beginning. But it's not a book about making every church a fully liturgical church. Instead, it calls us to remember that worship is not a means of attracting people to our churches or even primarily a means of expressing affection to God, but it is a storied way of embodying our existence as God's people and acknowledging God's identity and attributes. Worship is something that forms us and forms how we believe. Packiam particularly emphasizes that worship throughout the history of the church (and particularly the storied liturgies) has been carefully crafted by theologians seeking to faithfully embody the riches of the Christian faith. And the Reformation placed great emphasis on worship practices, again with theologians paying great attention to every motion and word. This should be a cautionary tale to worship planners in our age (Packiam himself is one, so he's not demonizing). This is a short and worthwhile read for anyone who wants to think more deeply about worship, and particularly about the worship service.
May 31, 2015
Short and readable, this book offers some thoughtful perspectives on worship. I have not read widely on this topic, but I doubt it covers much new ground. However, the author makes his case in a personal, compelling and concise way, arguing for evangelical worship to embrace rich liturgical traditions and not be shackled to spontaneous and shallow expressions.
Here is a good quote (although I would have stayed in first person):
After decades of people never being taught how to pray, how to talk to the Creator and King of the world, we begin to pray in the language that comes most naturally. But selfishness is our mother tongue. Tell people to “pray what’s in their heart,” and they will pray selfishly. They will ask for stuff, and plead for more, and raise their hands to the sky to pull down an imaginary lever of prosperity, seeking satisfaction for their insatiable souls.
My Kindle version also had the first chapter of another book by the same author: Lucky
Here is a good quote (although I would have stayed in first person):
After decades of people never being taught how to pray, how to talk to the Creator and King of the world, we begin to pray in the language that comes most naturally. But selfishness is our mother tongue. Tell people to “pray what’s in their heart,” and they will pray selfishly. They will ask for stuff, and plead for more, and raise their hands to the sky to pull down an imaginary lever of prosperity, seeking satisfaction for their insatiable souls.
My Kindle version also had the first chapter of another book by the same author: Lucky
September 20, 2013
I was sympathetic to the overall premise of this book - that God can use a liturgical church to produce true heartfelt faith and worship.
Unfortunately it was not very well written or researched. However, I made allowances for the fact that, as a Malaysian, English is possibly not Glenn's first language. At one point he attacks those who say the Nicene Creed is "not Bible", accusing them of being highly ignorant for not appreciating that the same Council that drew up the Creed also set the Canon of Scripture. Unfortunately it is Glenn who shows his ignorance, as anyone who has read any Church History (rather than The Davinci Code) should know that the First Council of Nicaea did not set the Canon of Scripture.
Unfortunately it was not very well written or researched. However, I made allowances for the fact that, as a Malaysian, English is possibly not Glenn's first language. At one point he attacks those who say the Nicene Creed is "not Bible", accusing them of being highly ignorant for not appreciating that the same Council that drew up the Creed also set the Canon of Scripture. Unfortunately it is Glenn who shows his ignorance, as anyone who has read any Church History (rather than The Davinci Code) should know that the First Council of Nicaea did not set the Canon of Scripture.
October 13, 2013
I think the book accomplishes most of what Packiam intends. It is a good ancedotal account of how he moved from attractional worship or historic liturgical worship within a nondenominational charismatic framework, and explaining his basis for doing so. It is a good introduction for those who are stepping into that water, testing it out. I am currently using it as background reading for my home group and my worship team, to help them catch the vision. It is a good book for those not ready or able to read something more substantial like For the Life of the World by Schmemann or the stuff currently being produced by James K. A. Smith.
August 5, 2014
A concise, positive description of the author's movement toward a more liturgical form of worship within his evangelical setting. Main premise: The way we worship forms the way believe and the way we live. Throwing various elements into a church service without thinking about the order and the story they tell is a missed opportunity. Well-written and a quick read, with good contextual info on church history in regard to worship. Recommend for evangelicals feeling drawn toward ancient church practices. Coincidentally, this ebook is offered FREE today (8/5) on the Amazon Kindle and David C Cook Publishing websites.
May 24, 2014
Thoughtful view of worship
I really liked how this book got me to really think about how I worship and to reflect on the importance of worship through the claim that how we worship actually FORMS our faith.
Packiam also takes a good look at the liturgical approach of our church fathers and the rich meaning behind it. He rightly questions modern worship and the consumerist approach to some of today's "modern" worship.
All I all ...some very good food for thought for the committed Christ follower.
I really liked how this book got me to really think about how I worship and to reflect on the importance of worship through the claim that how we worship actually FORMS our faith.
Packiam also takes a good look at the liturgical approach of our church fathers and the rich meaning behind it. He rightly questions modern worship and the consumerist approach to some of today's "modern" worship.
All I all ...some very good food for thought for the committed Christ follower.
January 31, 2016
Glenn relates a general lack of rich theological context manifest in contemporary worship as leading to spiritual anemia within the Protestant flock. Through the lens of historic Christian worship Glenn attempts to encourage the evangelical church to practice more meaningful song, dialog, and prayer. Glenn's solution is a form of neo-liturgical service with an emphasis on liturgy, creed, and Eucharist. A quick easy read - thought provoking - all worship directors would benefit from considering Glenn's position.
May 22, 2016
Good introduction to start a conversation about worship.
I enjoyed reading Glenn's book. He does a good job introducing the concept of liturgical worship to someone who's had very little involvement with liturgy - primarily through his own journey from being in Desperation band to a senior pastor. This is a good on-ramp for someone just beginning to explore all that a worship gathering could be.
I enjoyed reading Glenn's book. He does a good job introducing the concept of liturgical worship to someone who's had very little involvement with liturgy - primarily through his own journey from being in Desperation band to a senior pastor. This is a good on-ramp for someone just beginning to explore all that a worship gathering could be.
November 12, 2014
I am grateful for this practical look at the deep resources of the Christian tradition and how our modern churches can learn to integrate them into our particular contexts. Richly crafted services with an eye to the theological implications of all elements involved can do such great formational work. Thankful for Packiam's stories, confessions, and insights.
July 20, 2013
Really loved this book it was about the way we worship and it is more talking about in the context of corporate worship, and going back to basics, and why for so long the liturgy is what we used and be conscience of what we are singing and how it affect how we think of God. Enjoy the thoughts !
September 7, 2013
A good introduction for anyone unfamiliar with "liturgy." Helpful thoughts on contemporary worship and how we can be more formed by the traditions of the Church because as Glenn argues "how we worship becomes the way you believe."
November 26, 2013
An excellent book and introduction to the liturgical side of the Church. Packiam has some amazing insight into how the liturgical services can and should still play a role within our own individual services and how to implement them in a way that fits the society each of us live in.
November 19, 2013
A very interesting book that brings ancient ways and liturgy into modern worship situations. It looks at the story of faith, how that's been represented over the ages through liturgy and sacrements, and applies it to today. Really enjoyed it.
June 13, 2014
Discover the Mystery of Faith is a well written guide to a deeper understanding of worship. Packiam details the importance of worship and guides the reader on how to properly approach a deeper worship. I highly recommend it to any pastor and worship minister.
December 4, 2013
Some good reminders about the focus of worship and a worship service but nothing that new for someone familiar with liturgical elements and liturgy in general. An encouraging and quick read.
July 4, 2014
This is a great place to begin your search for understanding of liturgy within the church, no matter what denomination you claim.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews