Joseph R. Crider, Scripture-Guided Worship: A Call to Pastors and Worship Leaders (affiliate link)(Fort Worth: Seminary Hill Press, 2021). 234 pages.
Joseph Crider is the Dean of the School of Church Music at my alma mater, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Fort Worth, Texas. I have been doing conferences with a team of speakers, including Crider. He wrote this book out of a concern that many worship services make light use of Scripture. He notes that in many services, the Bible is not referenced until the pastor gets up to preach (and sometimes not even then!). He believes God’s Word ought to guide and infuse the entire service. I must say, Crider leads the singing portion of the worship services when I am with him, and it is truly impactful.
Crider begins by referring to the example of Uzzah, told in 2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 13 (1). David was transporting the ark of the covenant from Philistine hands back to Jerusalem. God had instructed that the ark was to be carried using poles running down each side of it. But David used an ox cart, just like the Philistines used. When an ox stumbled and the ark began to topple, Uzzah reached out to support the ark, and God struck him dead instantly. This response troubled David and made him and his people realize that worshiping God apart from his word can be fatal. Crider uses this story as an overlying text throughout his book. It is a sobering reminder that God still cares about how he is treated and worshipped.
Crider notes, “. . . God is jealous of our worship, and that worship must be offered rightly” (3). He asks, “Are heartfelt words, sincere prayers, and emotionally engaging songs the answer to authentic worship?” (7). He cautions, “. . . even worship leaders who have noble intentions can stumble and unwittingly facilitate corporate worship with Uzzah-like results” (8).
Crider references Experiencing God to state that God is pursuing a love relationship with people in which they encounter him personally in worship (13).
Crider shares his own experience as a worship leader when he attempted to keep people engaged by using popular new music and every technology and gimmick available to him. He eventually realized that there had to be more to worship than trying to top last week’s performance each Sunday.
Crider notes, “. . . I’ve realized it is entirely possible to worship the actual experience of worshipping rather than the One to whom our worship is due” (13). He adds, “. . . self-actuated worship is no more possible than self-actuated salvation” (15).
Crider notes that a significant change occurred when the title of “minister of music” was changed to “worship leader” (23). With that transition, worship leaders were tasked with the responsibility not simply to lead people in singing but to produce a worship experience. Many such leaders had not been trained in theology or the Bible. They were musicians tasked with producing an impactful worship experience each week. Crider suggests many of them were unprepared for the task. It is not surprising that a dean of a seminary music school would declare, “The church needs and indeed deserves worship leaders who are well-trained and grounded in Scriptural truth” (24).
Crider notes that 80% of churches in North America are plateaued or declining (27). He wonders if one reason is the unbiblical worship that occurs in many of them. He quotes Harold Best, who said, “Much of what we call worship may only be manipulation, self-consciously contrived and depending more on conditioned reflex than faith . . . [the] production [becomes] more important than the content” (29).
Crider makes many observations concerning modern worship practices. He suggests that the tendency to turn down the lights during worship is not conducive to community building. He asks, “How can you create community in the dark?” (31). He poses the question, “Likewise, are worship pastors who fail to observe Scripture’s instructions on worship unwitting agents of spiritual death and dullness of their congregations?” (37). He notes, “The most popular songs on both the CCLI and the Praise Charts reporting data reflect a severe theological shallowness and possibly dangerous doctrinal infidelity in the worship language and vocabulary of local churches” (39).
Crider observes that many people assume that “good worship” is based on how they feel. He asks, “How many of us . . . think that how we feel during worship is what matters to God? Unfortunately, the reality is that many worshippers think they’ve worshipped when they feel something and the corporate experience is either good or bad, based on their own emotional temperature” (40). Crider concludes, “What’s at stake on Sunday mornings? People’s view of God (42). He also notes that “The church will never unite around music” (49).
The remainder of the book follows “Seven biblical poles or ‘back and forth rhythms’ that should inform our worship” (51):
- Triune God and man
- Transcendence and Immanence
- Revelation and Response
- Spirit and Truth
- Law and Gospel
- Vertical and Horizontal
- The Already and Not Yet
It is possible to lean toward only one of the pairs mentioned above. Crider notes that many
contemporary songs are self-centered versus God-centered (71). Crider quotes Allen Ross, who said, “. . . for it to be the life-changing and life-defining experience it was designed to be, it must be inspired by a vision so great and so glorious that what we call worship will be transformed from a routine gathering into a transcendent meeting with the living God” (73).
Crider notes that “Appropriate worship points people Godward, not inward, not son-ward” (75). He suggests that “No other religion claims to have a god that understands the human condition” (76).
The main thrust of Crider’s argument is that worship services ought to be undergirded, outlined, and empowered by Scripture. He proposes that unpacking various Bible passages can provide an excellent outline within which to select appropriate songs and other worship elements. He suggests that “. . . wordless worship leads to Christ-less worship, which leads to Spirit-less worship” (83). Crider believes God invites us to worship him. He quotes Ron Man: “Since God is the Inviter, the Host, and the Guest of Honor, shouldn’t we hear first from him?” (85). Our first focus in worship should not be us and our condition but God and his awesomeness. He notes, “Our worship is not meant to transcend our condition; rather, God’s love and sovereignty transcends our circumstances” (87).
Crider notes that many of the songs used in worship include no specific scriptural reference (89). He argues that the litmus test of true worship is not how people feel about it but changed lives (100). He claims, “. . . the single most important thing your congregation needs from you as a worship pastor is your personal holiness” (101). He cautions, “Worship leaders and musicians have a propensity to forget that their talent can easily and quickly outpace their character” (101-102).
Interestingly, he notes that teenage boys and twenty-something men are the least likely people to sing on a Sunday morning (105).
Crider points out that at Uzzah’s death, David had a 30,000 voice choir, and yet “Uzzah died because David was caught up in the moment rather than being grounded in the truth” (106). Crider concludes, “Thus, Sunday mornings need to be a time when Christians debug their minds, hearts, and lives and reboot themselves to the truth of who God is and who they are as worshippers” (111).
Though Crider challenges worship pastors throughout this book, he also notes, “. . . worship pastors have the inexpressible privilege and stewardship of crafting a service in which our people encounter clear views of the perfect, holy, Triune God and an unobstructed view of themselves as fallen creatures under the curse of death” (112). He states, “Every week we have the privilege of rehearsing the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ” (115).
Crider cautions that “When the Law and Gospel rhythm is distorted or fuzzy, artificial sweeteners like darkened rooms or strobe lights or hip stage sets for a self-help sermon series may cause the gathered to try and satisfy themselves with spiritual substitutes” (120). Crider suggests we give careful attention to the arrangement of worship auditoriums. He quotes Winston Churchill, who cautioned, “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us” (125).
Crider also discusses the pastoral prayer (183). This element has largely been discarded in contemporary worship, yet it can be a powerful part of worship when guided and informed by Scripture.
I enjoyed this book. I speak in numerous churches across the continent each year, and I have the opportunity to witness many different worship leaders. I have seen several of the things Crider writes about! I appreciate the observations of an experienced worship leader who has read and studied widely. Certainly people’s lives cannot be changed merely by an upbeat song or some encouraging words by the worship pastor. But when God’s Word is front and center in a worship service, God stands prepared to back up everything he has said.
If there is any critique of this book, it is that there is some repetition due to its narrow focus. Nevertheless, Crider makes important observations and includes some powerful quotes from worship experts. Anyone involved in constructing worship services of any kind should read this book. It will challenge, inspire, and quite possibly convict you. But the people you lead in worship will be forever grateful that you did.
Rating: 3
