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The Way of Worship: A Guide to Living and Leading Authentic Worship
Learn to Live and Lead a Life of Authentic Worship
The Way of Worship is a practical, hands-on guide for readers seeking to better equip themselves as worshipers and worship leaders. Written by veteran worship leader Michael Neale and worship-theologian Dr. Vernon M. Whaley, this book combines skillful storytelling and biblical wisdom to help guide readers through the scriptural foundations and essential practices of worship. This book is ideal for anyone wanting a deeper more biblical understanding of what worship truly is, including:
Worship leaders
Pastors
Youth pastors
Worship team members
College or seminary students training for ministry
Each chapter takes you on a journey of discovery through different important facets of worship. Each chapter features:
River Story: Episodes in each chapter take you on a white-water rafting adventure and draw connections to the role of a worship leader
Biblical Application: Provides concrete application of biblical principles to worship based on the most recent episode of the River Story
Essential Wisdom: Addresses important issues facing worship leaders on a week-to-week basis
Scripture Focused: Every chapter features an abundance of relevant Scripture passages to help you understand what the Bible really says about worship
Engaging, wise, and thoroughly steeped in Scripture, The Way of Worship is the go-to guide for Christians who desire to live and lead authentic worship.
The Way of Worship is a practical, hands-on guide for readers seeking to better equip themselves as worshipers and worship leaders. Written by veteran worship leader Michael Neale and worship-theologian Dr. Vernon M. Whaley, this book combines skillful storytelling and biblical wisdom to help guide readers through the scriptural foundations and essential practices of worship. This book is ideal for anyone wanting a deeper more biblical understanding of what worship truly is, including:
Worship leaders
Pastors
Youth pastors
Worship team members
College or seminary students training for ministry
Each chapter takes you on a journey of discovery through different important facets of worship. Each chapter features:
River Story: Episodes in each chapter take you on a white-water rafting adventure and draw connections to the role of a worship leader
Biblical Application: Provides concrete application of biblical principles to worship based on the most recent episode of the River Story
Essential Wisdom: Addresses important issues facing worship leaders on a week-to-week basis
Scripture Focused: Every chapter features an abundance of relevant Scripture passages to help you understand what the Bible really says about worship
Engaging, wise, and thoroughly steeped in Scripture, The Way of Worship is the go-to guide for Christians who desire to live and lead authentic worship.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published April 14, 2020
7 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Michael Neale
31 books20 followersGifted writer, performer, and masterful storyteller are all phrases used to describe Michael Neale.
With the highly anticipated September 2012 release of his first novel The River, as well as a second book, Your Great Name, which releases in October 2012, Michael is finding more and more ways to share his gift of storytelling as an author.
As a Dove Award-Winning songwriter, his songs have been recorded by artists such as Michael W. Smith (“Rise Above”), Natalie Grant (“Your Great Name,” Worship Song of the Year in 2012), Rebecca St. James (“In A Moment”), Todd Agnew (“I Need No Other”), and Phillips, Craig and Dean (“Saved the Day”), to name a few.
Michael divides his time among leading worship in churches, songwriting, and being a featured leader and teacher at conferences around the country. In between his travels, Michael serves on the team of Worship Leaders at Christ Fellowship Church in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, where he lives with his wife Leah, and their three children Micah, Maisie, and Wyatt.
With the highly anticipated September 2012 release of his first novel The River, as well as a second book, Your Great Name, which releases in October 2012, Michael is finding more and more ways to share his gift of storytelling as an author.
As a Dove Award-Winning songwriter, his songs have been recorded by artists such as Michael W. Smith (“Rise Above”), Natalie Grant (“Your Great Name,” Worship Song of the Year in 2012), Rebecca St. James (“In A Moment”), Todd Agnew (“I Need No Other”), and Phillips, Craig and Dean (“Saved the Day”), to name a few.
Michael divides his time among leading worship in churches, songwriting, and being a featured leader and teacher at conferences around the country. In between his travels, Michael serves on the team of Worship Leaders at Christ Fellowship Church in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, where he lives with his wife Leah, and their three children Micah, Maisie, and Wyatt.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 26, 2020
The Way of Worship: A Guide to Living and Leading Authentic Worship is one of the most unique and intriguing books I have read this year. The book serves not only as a gold mine of wisdom for those who lead musical worship, but for anyone who has influence over the spiritual lives of others. Neale and Whaley do not focus on only musical worship, but living a holistic life of worship, and equipping others to do the same. The Way of Worship has been both inspiring and convicting, pushing me to think critically of the ways that I worship God in the way that I live, or struggle to do so.
The structure of this book is what initially drew me in. The book is divided into two primary sections: Precepts, and Practices. Each chapter itself is then divided into three sections. Each chapter begins with a new installment of Michael Neale’s running narrative of he and his wife’s experience whitewater rafting in Colorado about twenty years ago. This experience, and the lessons that Neale learned from their river guide serve as a parable of sorts. This is then followed by Vernon Whaley making biblical application to Nealey’s narrative. The river serves as a metaphor for the call to worship and guide others in worship, and the river guide serves as a sage-like figure who is a deep well of wisdom and insight that Whaley adapts to the each chapter’s theme in regard to worship. Each chapter ends with a wisdom section, in which Whaley addresses “essential issues facing those of us leading worship every week” (p. 17).
Twenty-eight different themes and issues are addressed in this wonderful book, including but not limited to Awe and Wonder, Character, Humility, Craft, and Navigation. The way that Neale and Whaley turn tales of the river into relevant and actionable insight into leading worship inspires me. I am not a worship leader, musically speaking, but I have found that the lessons that Neale and Whaley share are crucial for my everyday life as a follower of Christ, as well as for other forms of ministry.
If you lead worship, teach the Bible, mentor younger Christians, or are a parent trying to raise disciples of Jesus, this book should not be overlooked. Not only is it a joy to read (I could hardly put it down), the depth of insight that Whaley provides is hard to oversell. I am thankful for the opportunity to have read this book. It is truly a great book, and one that is sure to stand the test of time.
Disclaimer, I received a copy of this book from Zondervan for the purpose of this review. However, this is a completely honest review. If this book was terrible, I would let you know. Fortunately, I don’t have to. This book is amazing. I pray that you think so too.
The structure of this book is what initially drew me in. The book is divided into two primary sections: Precepts, and Practices. Each chapter itself is then divided into three sections. Each chapter begins with a new installment of Michael Neale’s running narrative of he and his wife’s experience whitewater rafting in Colorado about twenty years ago. This experience, and the lessons that Neale learned from their river guide serve as a parable of sorts. This is then followed by Vernon Whaley making biblical application to Nealey’s narrative. The river serves as a metaphor for the call to worship and guide others in worship, and the river guide serves as a sage-like figure who is a deep well of wisdom and insight that Whaley adapts to the each chapter’s theme in regard to worship. Each chapter ends with a wisdom section, in which Whaley addresses “essential issues facing those of us leading worship every week” (p. 17).
Twenty-eight different themes and issues are addressed in this wonderful book, including but not limited to Awe and Wonder, Character, Humility, Craft, and Navigation. The way that Neale and Whaley turn tales of the river into relevant and actionable insight into leading worship inspires me. I am not a worship leader, musically speaking, but I have found that the lessons that Neale and Whaley share are crucial for my everyday life as a follower of Christ, as well as for other forms of ministry.
If you lead worship, teach the Bible, mentor younger Christians, or are a parent trying to raise disciples of Jesus, this book should not be overlooked. Not only is it a joy to read (I could hardly put it down), the depth of insight that Whaley provides is hard to oversell. I am thankful for the opportunity to have read this book. It is truly a great book, and one that is sure to stand the test of time.
Disclaimer, I received a copy of this book from Zondervan for the purpose of this review. However, this is a completely honest review. If this book was terrible, I would let you know. Fortunately, I don’t have to. This book is amazing. I pray that you think so too.
September 25, 2022
This book is intended to enable those who lead worship to be faithful guides. I appreciated the major headlines of the work, but there seem to be some limitations. Two that might be mentioned are:
I found the extended comparison between the guides or a rafting expedition and those who guide worship unnecessary and maybe even misleading. While there are certainly some similarities, there are major differences. To begin each chapter with several pages about guiding rafters as a foundation for those who guide worship seems unnecessary.
The biblical exposition has shortcomings. First, I was surprised that in a work of this nature word studies followed Strong's concordance and were taken from an online resource. Especially in a work from a Christian publisher, one would expect something different. Second, some of the word studies were questionable. As an example, the number of times that the word "time" appears in Scripture has little to do with "time with Jesus (if I recall correctly the chapter)."
I found the extended comparison between the guides or a rafting expedition and those who guide worship unnecessary and maybe even misleading. While there are certainly some similarities, there are major differences. To begin each chapter with several pages about guiding rafters as a foundation for those who guide worship seems unnecessary.
The biblical exposition has shortcomings. First, I was surprised that in a work of this nature word studies followed Strong's concordance and were taken from an online resource. Especially in a work from a Christian publisher, one would expect something different. Second, some of the word studies were questionable. As an example, the number of times that the word "time" appears in Scripture has little to do with "time with Jesus (if I recall correctly the chapter)."
November 2, 2021
Great read to learn more about worship and leading times of worship. Helps to give a better perspective of what worship is. Helpful read for anyone in ministry.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews