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Practical Shepherding
Gather God's People: Understand, Plan, and Lead Worship in Your Local Church
“God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). The Bible tells us that we are to worship the Lord, that we were created for this purpose. But what is true worship? What does the Bible teach about the right—and the wrong—ways to worship God? In this book, pastors Brian Croft and Jason Adkins unpack a biblical theology of worship, discuss the practical matters of planning a worship service, and offer suggestions and insights on the best way to lead a worship service that honors the Lord. The Practical Shepherding series of guides provides pastors and ministry leaders with practical help to do the work of pastoral ministry in a local church. In Gather God’s People , you will learn how to apply biblical doctrine and spirituality to the practice of Christian worship.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 6, 2015
21 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Brian Croft
67 books15 followersBrian Croft is Senior Pastor of Auburndale Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Brian is the founder of Practical Shepherding, a non-profit organization committed to equipping pastors all over the world in the practical matters of pastoral ministry.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 17, 2024
Immensely practical book on planning and carrying out a service, does not skip on the “why’s” either.
November 22, 2017
This is a fantastic little book on creating a worship service. I will certainly use this as a part of leadership training at our church.
The book breaks down into understanding worship, planning worship, and leading worship. It discusses all the elements of worship: word, sacraments (though as it is written by Baptists, these are called "ordinances"), prayer, singing--one thing that was left out was the offering, but I digress. It seeks to abide by the regulative principle of worship, as well.
Of special note in the book is its emphasis on a thematically unified service, in which the sermon's theme is utilized throughout the service. I think this is an excellent consideration in worship planning, especially for those of us that utilize a more covenant renewal logic (which can become very repetitive week after week). The inclusion of a theme brings freshness to the familiar.
It's short, but it packs a punch. This is a must read for leaders especially in traditions that do not have the benefit of a service book that maps out services for you. But this probably isn't a great book for laity (human hearts being what they are, I could almost see more harm than good coming from laity dwelling on how worship services in their church 'ought' to be planned and led).
The book breaks down into understanding worship, planning worship, and leading worship. It discusses all the elements of worship: word, sacraments (though as it is written by Baptists, these are called "ordinances"), prayer, singing--one thing that was left out was the offering, but I digress. It seeks to abide by the regulative principle of worship, as well.
Of special note in the book is its emphasis on a thematically unified service, in which the sermon's theme is utilized throughout the service. I think this is an excellent consideration in worship planning, especially for those of us that utilize a more covenant renewal logic (which can become very repetitive week after week). The inclusion of a theme brings freshness to the familiar.
It's short, but it packs a punch. This is a must read for leaders especially in traditions that do not have the benefit of a service book that maps out services for you. But this probably isn't a great book for laity (human hearts being what they are, I could almost see more harm than good coming from laity dwelling on how worship services in their church 'ought' to be planned and led).
December 10, 2018
Taken from my blog at https://cdoylehughes.com
Brian Croft, pastor of Auburndale Baptist Church, teamed up with his associate pastor Jason Adkins who leads and plans ABC's worship. This is the sixth book review I have done for Pastor Croft's works, all of which are wonderful resources for new or even seasoned pastors. That being said...Gather God's People: Understand, Plan, and Lead Worship in Your Local Church, published by Zondervan in 2014, is a pretty good book. I know that isn't the best language to use when reviewing a book. It's very non-committal. Let me explain why, and perhaps you can forgive me for such a review. Having read five other books by Pastor Croft, most of which were co-authored, Gather God's People simply had an altogether different feel or vibe to it. I should have expected it, since the first words of the introduction are, "I (Brian) have a confession to make. Jason, my coauthor, is really the one who wrote this book," (p. 13). Pastor Croft does directly contribute to portions of the book, but by and large this is Jason Adkin's book, with Jason Adkin's thinking and writing style. I have often read that we are not to review the book that we wish we had read, but the book in which we actually read. And for that reason, I want to say that outside of the writing style that I'm used to from a Brian Croft book, this book was well-written and wonderfully practical, as I have come to expect from Practical Shepherding books. The premise of the book is simple and doable. While giving examples from their own experience and their own worship planning and services, the author's readily admit that this is not the only way, but it is a biblical model for worship. After all, "Through the Old Testament, Christians learn that God cares deeply how he is worshiped. In the New Testament, God explicitly teaches believers how he is to be worshiped," (p. 19). Thus by chapter 2, Pastor Adkins laid out the five-part objective to worship: Preach the Word, Read the Word, Pray the Word, Sing the Word, and See the Word. This is not a new understanding, but simply a clarification and a practicum of how and why these objectives are biblical and right. These five objectives make up the book. However, I would not recommend simply taking these five objectives to memory and ignoring the actual reading of the Croft/Adkins material. There is wisdom to be found in these pages. Wisdom such as "Do no hermeneutical harm to your congregations understanding of Scripture," (p. 60), and The task of planning worship songs for a weekly gather is not about perpetuating perceptions about your church. Worship planners ought to equip believers to carry out the commands to edify one another through "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" and to address their praises to God with a heartfelt melody (Ephesians 5:19, ESV). p. 73.
Gather God's People is laid out into three sections rather than two like many of these practical guides. Normally the layout tends to be the why and the how. In this particular book it is more of the why, the how, and the do. After all, "Ministers must prepare to present the various elements in the service in a way that aids the worship of the congregation rather than hinders it," (p. 86). The first part is written to help us "Understand Worship." Its chapters are about the biblical theology, elements, and spirituality of worship. It is a crash course in worship which quickly goes through what many worship books deal with as a whole. The second part is showing one how to actually "Plan Worship." This was the most helpful part of the book for me. It is made up of three chapters as well. Interestingly enough, there is not much on "preaching the word," though it is the first element or objective. I would venture to say that the reason is that this is not a book on hermeneutics, but worship as a whole. Pastor Croft's book on The Pastor's Ministry would deal more with that, as well as many other books on preaching. The three chapters deal with the reading, praying, and singing of the Word. Pastor Adkins details how to plan each of these aspects and does not shy away from the fact that emotions (though not emotionalism) are involved in worship. There is a feeling that is invoked as we worship, and leaders/planners need to be mindful of that. "Acknowledge the emotional and spiritual condition of your congregation in your planning. Furthermore, intended emotional responses should play a role in planning," (p. 77). The final part is about leading the congregation in these areas. The final three chapters (not including the Conclusion or appendices) are in this section. It is there that the authors deal with the actual worship service and the implementation of what has been planned. It is also here that the ordinances (the "seeing the word") aspect of worship is brought up. A quick note on the appendices: they are mostly showing how the Psalms can be incorporated into the music aspects of congregational worship. There are arguments for doing so along with examples of them set to familiar tunes. All in all, this was a helpful and practical book. It is probably the most practical book on worship I have read. Much of what I tend to read is theoretical or theological, but rarely do authors have the gumption to get down to the nitty-gritty details of planning and executing the worship service. While it took me a little longer to read this work, coming in at only 143 pages, due to the writing style and the holidays, I appreciated the contents of it. I readily give it 4 stars on Good Reads, and readily commend it to every pastor and/or worship leader.
Brian Croft, pastor of Auburndale Baptist Church, teamed up with his associate pastor Jason Adkins who leads and plans ABC's worship. This is the sixth book review I have done for Pastor Croft's works, all of which are wonderful resources for new or even seasoned pastors. That being said...Gather God's People: Understand, Plan, and Lead Worship in Your Local Church, published by Zondervan in 2014, is a pretty good book. I know that isn't the best language to use when reviewing a book. It's very non-committal. Let me explain why, and perhaps you can forgive me for such a review. Having read five other books by Pastor Croft, most of which were co-authored, Gather God's People simply had an altogether different feel or vibe to it. I should have expected it, since the first words of the introduction are, "I (Brian) have a confession to make. Jason, my coauthor, is really the one who wrote this book," (p. 13). Pastor Croft does directly contribute to portions of the book, but by and large this is Jason Adkin's book, with Jason Adkin's thinking and writing style. I have often read that we are not to review the book that we wish we had read, but the book in which we actually read. And for that reason, I want to say that outside of the writing style that I'm used to from a Brian Croft book, this book was well-written and wonderfully practical, as I have come to expect from Practical Shepherding books. The premise of the book is simple and doable. While giving examples from their own experience and their own worship planning and services, the author's readily admit that this is not the only way, but it is a biblical model for worship. After all, "Through the Old Testament, Christians learn that God cares deeply how he is worshiped. In the New Testament, God explicitly teaches believers how he is to be worshiped," (p. 19). Thus by chapter 2, Pastor Adkins laid out the five-part objective to worship: Preach the Word, Read the Word, Pray the Word, Sing the Word, and See the Word. This is not a new understanding, but simply a clarification and a practicum of how and why these objectives are biblical and right. These five objectives make up the book. However, I would not recommend simply taking these five objectives to memory and ignoring the actual reading of the Croft/Adkins material. There is wisdom to be found in these pages. Wisdom such as "Do no hermeneutical harm to your congregations understanding of Scripture," (p. 60), and The task of planning worship songs for a weekly gather is not about perpetuating perceptions about your church. Worship planners ought to equip believers to carry out the commands to edify one another through "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" and to address their praises to God with a heartfelt melody (Ephesians 5:19, ESV). p. 73.
Gather God's People is laid out into three sections rather than two like many of these practical guides. Normally the layout tends to be the why and the how. In this particular book it is more of the why, the how, and the do. After all, "Ministers must prepare to present the various elements in the service in a way that aids the worship of the congregation rather than hinders it," (p. 86). The first part is written to help us "Understand Worship." Its chapters are about the biblical theology, elements, and spirituality of worship. It is a crash course in worship which quickly goes through what many worship books deal with as a whole. The second part is showing one how to actually "Plan Worship." This was the most helpful part of the book for me. It is made up of three chapters as well. Interestingly enough, there is not much on "preaching the word," though it is the first element or objective. I would venture to say that the reason is that this is not a book on hermeneutics, but worship as a whole. Pastor Croft's book on The Pastor's Ministry would deal more with that, as well as many other books on preaching. The three chapters deal with the reading, praying, and singing of the Word. Pastor Adkins details how to plan each of these aspects and does not shy away from the fact that emotions (though not emotionalism) are involved in worship. There is a feeling that is invoked as we worship, and leaders/planners need to be mindful of that. "Acknowledge the emotional and spiritual condition of your congregation in your planning. Furthermore, intended emotional responses should play a role in planning," (p. 77). The final part is about leading the congregation in these areas. The final three chapters (not including the Conclusion or appendices) are in this section. It is there that the authors deal with the actual worship service and the implementation of what has been planned. It is also here that the ordinances (the "seeing the word") aspect of worship is brought up. A quick note on the appendices: they are mostly showing how the Psalms can be incorporated into the music aspects of congregational worship. There are arguments for doing so along with examples of them set to familiar tunes. All in all, this was a helpful and practical book. It is probably the most practical book on worship I have read. Much of what I tend to read is theoretical or theological, but rarely do authors have the gumption to get down to the nitty-gritty details of planning and executing the worship service. While it took me a little longer to read this work, coming in at only 143 pages, due to the writing style and the holidays, I appreciated the contents of it. I readily give it 4 stars on Good Reads, and readily commend it to every pastor and/or worship leader.
May 20, 2021
I know some reviewers didn’t like the writing style in this book but I enjoyed this book tremendously. This book provides helpful instruction on the why, what, and how of worship. Croft and Adkins provide a clear and concise explanation of the regulative principle—probably the most helpful I’ve read. Pound for pound, this book is the most helpful resource on corporate worship for pastors that I know of.
March 27, 2023
Insightful to hear how a church that has spent a lot of time fleshing out their service structure and approaches in worship does things. I think it’s a really good book if someone is wanting a general overview of why churches do what they do.
March 5, 2020
Every pastor, worship leader, and music team need to read this book. It’s a helpful manual on how to lead your church in worship from a regulative perspective. Clear, concise, and practical. Good thoughts on singing the psalms.
May 30, 2021
Good little book from Practical Shepherding. While it is not applicable to me right now it had so many valuable insights that I am sure I will come back to it soon.
June 12, 2025
Helpful
January 10, 2023
There are some good nuggets in here that are helpful, but I'm not convinced that the fundamental approach of setting up the singing section of a service around the sermons is ideal. In the book they mention being in 1-2 Samuel for a year, so "for approximately fifty services, we dealt with themes of kingship, suffering and God's promises." I'm not against incorporating themes from the sermon in the congregational worship, but I think the gospel itself provides a better foundation, which can then draw on sermon themes where appropriate. We need the gospel every day, and our worship should be rooted in the fundamentals of the gospel regardless of theological distinctions within the body.
January 8, 2018
Very good, and easy read. This book is a beneficial tool for those responsible to plan and lead worship. The authors begin with a solid biblical foundation of worship. This is not a book about style and technique but a call to maintain a biblical framework of worship. This is also not a book about music or music styles. The authors remind us that Biblical worship goes beyond music and includes 4 elements, Reading of Scripture, Praying Scripture, Preaching Scripture and Singing Scripture.
The authors then lay out some practical steps to plan each of these aspects of a church gathering. There are also reminders of what make a good worship leader. These qualities have nothing to do with charisma but having confidence in the word of God and the authority of the church and its leadership.
Yes there is the reminder that care must be taken in the public reading and praying yet leaders must be first convinced of the power of God's word and the leaders responsibility to shepherd the flock not satisfy his own whims.
I would recommend this book for Pastors, Elder teams and worship teams, even youth and camp leaders and anyone else who are responsible to plan and lead a worship gathering and wants it to be more than a performance or concert.
The authors then lay out some practical steps to plan each of these aspects of a church gathering. There are also reminders of what make a good worship leader. These qualities have nothing to do with charisma but having confidence in the word of God and the authority of the church and its leadership.
Yes there is the reminder that care must be taken in the public reading and praying yet leaders must be first convinced of the power of God's word and the leaders responsibility to shepherd the flock not satisfy his own whims.
I would recommend this book for Pastors, Elder teams and worship teams, even youth and camp leaders and anyone else who are responsible to plan and lead a worship gathering and wants it to be more than a performance or concert.
July 6, 2019
Brian Croft and Jason Adkins Have our together a nice, succinct book on corporate worship. It covers every aspect of a Sunday morning service. They openly admit at the beginning that their practical advice stems from their church’s context, and some of what they recommended would not work in my church’s situation. I appreciated that they didn’t lay down the way they do it as the only proper way for a service to run.
July 11, 2023
Great book for all those who pastor or lead worship services… or aspire to. It’s short but concentrated. I appreciate the author’s honesty that not everyone will agree with them, but they will share how they think biblically and seek to plan and lead church services faithfully. If you’ve read Corporate Worship by Merker there isn’t a tremendous amount to add here. I’m find this to be just as accessible if not more though. And immensely practical.
October 5, 2018
Helpful and practical little book for pastors and worship leaders to gain a better understanding the theology of worship, the planning and the leading of worship in the church. This book is filled with a number of little tips are can be helpful to those who could use some help in getting started in planning or leading in the church.
December 8, 2018
I received this recommendation from the Sing! Conference. Pretty basic nice short read. I would prefer Bryan Chapell’s Christ Centered Worship if you are familiar with these concepts and want to go deeper.
December 27, 2022
I found this a helpful little volume to think theologically and practically through a church service. I don’t agree with everything written here but it seems a good book to make me and other leaders involved in Sunday services think through various elements.
January 15, 2024
Class reading for: The Worshiping Church with Matthew Westerholm (SBTS).
Helpful, some things they’re a little too dogmatic on and in some cases I’d disagree with the authors on. But overall some helpful, biblical insights. Short, easy read.
Helpful, some things they’re a little too dogmatic on and in some cases I’d disagree with the authors on. But overall some helpful, biblical insights. Short, easy read.
March 5, 2024
Very helpful and practical. Some of the suggests the authors make are already a given in the Reformed tradition in which I pastor. None the less, Croft and Adkins make Biblically sound and wise arguments for how worship should be carried out in the local church.
June 27, 2025
Excellent! I found the final part on leading services, singing, and the ordinances to be very practical and helpful.
While this is not an academic book by any means, I do wish that certain data points had a clear footnote. Some facts they mentioned I wanted to know where they found it!
While this is not an academic book by any means, I do wish that certain data points had a clear footnote. Some facts they mentioned I wanted to know where they found it!
August 21, 2025
Great practical introduction to thoughfully and intentionally leading God’s people in worship.
Having read this, I want to get myself the Trinity Hymnal and the Trinity Psalter from the OPC to further enrich my own awareness of hymns and Psalms set to music.
Having read this, I want to get myself the Trinity Hymnal and the Trinity Psalter from the OPC to further enrich my own awareness of hymns and Psalms set to music.
June 8, 2020
This is a short, helpful introduction for planning and leading worship in the church.
May 13, 2021
Great book on corporate worship with practical suggestions!
December 5, 2021
Short but very practical guide to worship services. One of my favorites in this series thus far.
May 19, 2022
Excellent book!
September 5, 2022
Very simple, clear, and practical. Well worth a read for both pastors and laity.
December 11, 2023
Interesting take on singing Psalms; overall, wonderful book.
July 4, 2024
It was a really good read until the diatribe about including the singing of psalms in the appendix of the book. Other than that, challenging, humbling and thought provoking.
October 22, 2019
Very concise and practical book! Quickly teaches through the theology of worship and local church gatherings, then gives very, very detailed advice on how to structure a liturgy. The apostle Paul instructed us to have orderly gatherings on the Lord's Day, "for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints" (1 Cor. 14:33).
Great tips on every possible element: song selection, carrying out the ordinances, Scripture readings, call to worship, etc. (at least, all the RPW elements, amiriiiiiighhhttt? No finger-painting or flag-waving here). Highly recommend this book to any local church's elders and staff members that help lead music or plan services.
Great tips on every possible element: song selection, carrying out the ordinances, Scripture readings, call to worship, etc. (at least, all the RPW elements, amiriiiiiighhhttt? No finger-painting or flag-waving here). Highly recommend this book to any local church's elders and staff members that help lead music or plan services.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews