Corporate Worship: How the Church Gathers as God's People

Corporate Worship: How the Church Gathers as God's PeopleChristians worship God at church every week, but many dont know exactly what worship is or why they do it. For some, its a warm up for the sermon. For others, its a me and Jesus moment. What is the biblically informed way to view corporate worship? In this book, Matt Merker shows that corporate worship is the gathering of Gods people by his grace, for his glory, for their good, and before a watching world. He offers biblical insights and practical

Christians worship God at church every week, but many don’t know exactly what worship is or why they do it. For some, it’s a warm-up for the sermon. For others, it’s a “me-and-Jesus” moment. What is the biblically informed way to view corporate worship? In this book, Matt Merker shows that corporate worship is the gathering of God’s people by his grace, for his glory, for their good, and before a watching world. He offers biblical insights and practical suggestions for making worship what it truly is meant to be: a foretaste of God’s people worshiping together for eternity in the new creation.

Publisher: Crossway
Type: Hardback
ISBN: 9781433569821

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Matt Merker (MDiv, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is director of creative resources and training for Getty Music and has contributed to several modern hymns, including "He Will Hold Me Fast." Matt and his wife, Erica, live with their two children in Nashville, Tennessee, where they are members of Edgefield Church.

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“We first met Matt Merker after hearing his incredible hymn, ‘He Will Hold Me Fast.’ Since then, he has become a friend, cowriter, and eventually, fellow leader in our team. His vision and voice on the subject of the gathered worship of God’s people has enriched so much of our thinking personally and in our organization. Matt shows pastors, music leaders, and all of us how to keep our focus on the Bible’s priorities for corporate worship: God’s glory, the church’s growth, and proclaiming the gospel to the world. As Matt himself says, you do not need to agree with every specific application for this volume to be a major help in planning and preparing for the Sunday service. Rather, this book reminds us all to rediscover the wonderful reality that God gathers us together as a united body to hear his word and sing his praise. We have long been praying for a deepening of congregational worship around the globe in the twenty-first century, and we warmly commend this book as one resource that we trust will be used by God toward that end.” Keith and Kristyn Getty, hymn writers