David R. Ray, Wonderful Worship in Smaller Churches. Pilgrim Press, 2000.
Referenced in: Small Church Leadership
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
Just as Ray’s volume, The Indispensable Guide to Smaller Churches is the closest thing to an “Encyclopedia of Small Church Development” one may find, so Wonderful Worship in Smaller Churches is the best overall guide to worship in churches with fewer than 100 in attendance. Even if one has read the summation of Ray’s principles on worship in The Indispensable Guide, this volume is well worth a separate read for more substantive coverage.
The book opens with the “Twelve Principles for Understanding Worship With Fewer Than One Hundred.” It includes such gems as “most folks in smaller churches would rather folk dance than watch a ballet,” and “it’s folly they don’t like, not change.” This is followed by a list of fifteen essential practices for worship, each building on the twelve principles, for example, “customize the sacraments and make them up-close and personal,” and “design worship as the work of the people and the fruit of their gifts.” This is not a book of ready-made worship orders. Instead, it is a treasury of experience-tested and theoretically-sound perspectives and prescriptions. It is fairly steeped in liturgical and mainline Protestant assumptions, but those of other traditions who are serious about worship in the smaller church will benefit.
From the Publisher
Wonderful Worship in Smaller Churches provides insightful, practical, and functional principals. This resource includes essential theories about worship in smaller churches; practical and provocative theology; twelve principles in understanding small church worship; fifteen practices for planning worship with fewer than 100 people; and questions and suggestions for congregational study and planning. This book provides further assistance and information for small churches by including a vast list of resources.
Ray, who calls on his thirty years of experience in pastoring small churches, has written yet another best-seller for use by clergy, denominational staff, seminarians, pastors, and lay leaders.
This is a must-have book that should be on the shelf of anyone working in and with smaller churches.
About the Author
David R. Ray is pastor of First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, San Rafael, CA. He received his D.Min. from Hartford Seminary and his M.Div. from Andover Newton Theological School. He has provided program leadership on small church issues around the country, and taught small church ministry in seminaries.
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